- Location
- Brazil
Well depending of how The battle against leviathan goes he is not wrong.
Devil Trigger (Devil May Cry/Worm AU)
- Thread starter SkyRig
- Start date
- Crossover
Tisaku
Head Chief Thinkomancer
Beauty
SkyRig
Wake the f#ck up, samurai.
- Location
- Someplace in California
- Pronouns
- He
Huh. Would've thought i'd gotten more of a reaction. I most be losing my edge or something.
In any case, dunno when the last chapter for this arc will be up since a) its gonna be the biggest chapter thus far and b) I'm dividing my attention between that and the next chapter for Perdition.
In any case, dunno when the last chapter for this arc will be up since a) its gonna be the biggest chapter thus far and b) I'm dividing my attention between that and the next chapter for Perdition.
Isiri Pudireach
Predictive text can go duck itself
Sorry, I was traveling yesterday and didn't have a good chance to write anything. Though part of that is this one being more of set up chapter. Not much to really react to, especially since you spoiled the "party" a little with the Colin interlude.
I mean to summarize the 3 parts:
-Bonding between Taylor and her dad
-Showing Taylors normal life
-And some Strix stuff that sets up something you already teased us with in the previous threadmark
Like its all important stuff that needs to be covered, but there's not really much we can latch onto. Just don't take it as criticism, because trying to force that can be a real mistake. You can either end up dropping info you really shouldn't have, or you commit to something you aren't prepared for if you're not careful.
Muscle 3.11
SkyRig
Wake the f#ck up, samurai.
- Location
- Someplace in California
- Pronouns
- He
March 13, 2011
If there's one complaint I have against cape life, it's that it barges in at the worst possible time. I'm having the time of my life at the arcade trouncing Chris at F-Zero when I got a phone call. Worse still, it was that ringtone.
My neck burned as everyone turned to stare at me, some judgmental and others in bemusement.
"I didn't know you were a LMFAO fan," Dennis said with the biggest shit-eating grin I've ever seen on him.
"O-one sec," I stammered. "I, um, gotta take this…"
I couldn't get out of the arcade or hit the call button fast enough. "This had better be good, Boss," I growled almost inhumanly. "Because so help me…"
"Ah, calm your tits, sister," Boss chuckled. "I got good news. Swing by the shop. Oh, and make sure you bring a suit. Something hot's about to go down tonight, so make sure you bring your best. You feel me?"
And just like that, my short-lived vacation is over.
"What."
Really, how else was I supposed to react? I was expecting Boss to do his usual thing, mixing drinks and looking, well, like Boss while doing it, maybe be a little intimidating. I half-expected to see him threatening some shmuck who thought it might be a good idea to pick a fight with him. A week ago, a bunch of punks from the ABB tried to gang-press him into joining. Boss made it clear that the Gates of Hell were a neutral zone. So long as you don't start shit, you're free to do business. The idiots who didn't get the memo? Well, suffice to say, they weren't welcome back.
I was expecting to find such a scene, if not see another attempt to recruit boss. Hell, I even thought I'd see someone from the PRT. Instead, I saw a flushed woman in a spiffy suit with and fedora walking out with a noticeable limp. When I reached the lounge area, I found Boss with a wry smile on his face.
"Hey," Rodin greeted. "What took you?"
I glanced at the entrance where the woman left, then back at him. "Do I even want to know?"
"Probably not," Boss shrugged.
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Okay…" I said slowly. "What was so important you had me come here instead of telling me over the phone?"
"Waiting."
"For what?"
A second later, a familiar patchwork-armored indie hero walked inside the Gates of Hell. "Sorry I'm late," she panted. "Ran into a few problems. I'm good." She saw me and waved. "Oh, hey. Vergil, nice to see you again."
"Hey," I waved back. "Picked out a name yet?"
"Yeah. I figured it'd be easier if people had something to call me by."
"Oh yeah?"
The cape nodded. "I'm Gemini. Thought it'd be pretty fitting, seeing as how my power lets me make a copy of myself."
"Huh," I said simply. "Cool." I looked back over to Boss. "Okay, so… What's up?"
Boss took a deep puff of his cigar while pushing the manila folder on the counter over to me. I flipped it open and felt my blood freeze. Inside the folder were dozens of photos and something that looked like a PRT report file. The photos showed a theatre of some kind, well more like an opera-house. Very old by the look of it from how dilapidated it was. I saw broken pews, tarnished leather seats, railings from the theatre seats dangling by threads and the uppermost first-class seats scattered all across the top floor. I saw a tattered banner, an ad for what looked like some kind of play.
The theatre was not what scared me. It was the fact that there were cages scattered about the theatre. All of them filled to the brim with people; young, old, children, Japanese, Chinese, American, etc…
And right there, sitting in the front row of seats, was a man with a rotten mask.
"Ohfuckme…" Gemini whispered numbly. "H-how many…?"
Boss exhaled. "How many people went missing since the Fallen showed up?"
Neither of us could answer. We didn't want the answer because we were scared. I couldn't stomach to look at the pictures any longer. I couldn't even look at their faces. Some of them looked broken, physically and mentally. Disgust eventually gave way to broiling anger.
"…where did you get this?" Gemini asked quietly.
"Anonymous tip, albeit a damned good one. Take a look at the floor." He pointed to one picture in particular, tapping his finger at the point of interest. A sigil was seared into the stage, forming a hexagram with Latin writing circling it like a ring. "That's a Hell Circle. Old school stuff, the kind used way back when in the dark ages. Only guys with some serious mojo can use these."
"What's it for?"
Boss grimaced. "Sacrifice." Gemini looked up in horror. My grip on Orthrus tightened like a vice. "These poor souls are just fuel for the Hell Circle. They'll be used to pop open a gateway straight to hell, big enough for some nasty customers to start crawling through." He took another puff of his cigar. "From the look of things, the Fallen ain't satisfied with worshipping your Endbringers anymore. Now they're taking a page out of those wanna-be warlocks worshipping the wrong punk."
"How bad is it gonna be?" I asked. "If something really terrible shows up, how much damage is it going to cause?"
"…enough to know you gotta kill it fast," Boss said simply. "Call up your buddies and get to work. Sooner you stop this shindig, the better."
"And if we run into Strix?"
"Just focus on saving those guys and leave that part to me."
I was surprised to heart that. Gemini was too as we looked at each other. We didn't ask anymore stupid questions and left the Gates of Hell. Gemini hopped aboard a motorbike, clearly tinkertech given the spiffy-looking parts slapped onto it and took off. I followed after her at full speed, running atop the rooftops while speed-typing onto my phone and sending a message to Antares and Purity.
"Party at MicKinley's Opera House. Bring your best suit."
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Antares and Velocity stood across from Purity, the latter floating a few feet in the air surrounded by light. Gemini shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, understandable given that we were a few seconds away from being in the center of ground zero. Whatever her claims, at the end of the day Purity was still one of the Empire's hardest hitters. No offense to Velocity, but even he would have trouble with her. Same with Antares and myself. I could probably get a few licks on her, but in a straight-up fight?
"Is everyone gonna play nice?" Velocity asked tightly. I could faintly see the vibrations in his fingertips, a sign that he was ready to throw down at a moment's notice.
Purity folded her arms. "So long as you don't get in my way."
I groaned into my palm. This was going to end badly, I could tell.
"Okay, let's all calm down before somebody blows a gasket, please?" Gemini held up her hands placatingly in an attempt to stop the hostilities before they could get out of control. "We're on the same side for now, so let's keep it that way until we rescue everyone?"
"Which means no pissing matches until this thing blows over," I warned.
Everyone looked at us, then at each other. An uneasy truce was settled, though unless I was mistaken Purity was actually shifting about uncomfortably. Velocity was speaking into his helm, no doubt communicating with whoever was on the other side while Antares floated over to me.
"So, new partner?" she asked me with a grin. "What am I, chopped liver?"
I rolled my eyes. "We're not partners. More like work colleagues. She said she's an indie hero and just decided on a name. I dunno how long she's been at this, though."
"She any good?"
"I can vouch for her." I raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna give her a sales pitch after this?"
The blonde Ward shrugged. "I'll leave that up to Velocity. I'm just glad I was cleared to go back into action after what that asshole did to me." Her mood noticeably darkened, as did mine. "Any idea if the bastard's here?"
"Safe bet, I'd wager."
I tried not to notice the way my hands were shaking or how Antares' fingers twitched. I could not forget how easily we were trounced the last time we fought Strix, or the sheer feeling of helplessness. No matter how hard we tried to fight, he defeated us like we were nothing. I spent countless days in the Void, training in preparation for when he showed up again, but I still felt weak. The memory of our encounter shook me to the core. As we were now, could we even hope to fight him?
Honestly… I don't think we were. I felt infuriated, almost apoplectic for this shame. Ever since the day I Triggered, I despised this feeling of helplessness, how weak I felt.
…but, that was fine. Fighting Strix wasn't important at the moment. What was important was that we saved everyone in the theatre.
"We ignore Strix for now," I said after taking a deep breath to calm myself. "For now, let's just save everyone who was kidnapped."
"And if he tries to pick a fight with us?" Antares retorted. She clearly wanted a rematch with him despite the dangers.
"Leave him to me." We looked at Purity in surprise. "From what I understand, this Strix was able to fight the Protectorate to a stand-still. While I doubt I will be able to kill the bastard, I can give him the fight of his life."
Velocity sighed. "Normally I'd condone against that sort of thing, but given what we know about this guy… Yeah, you kids leave him to us. Just focus on getting those people out of there, okay?"
"But-!"
The Protectorate hero glared. "That's an order, Antares."
Antares looked like she wanted to argue, but any protests she had died under her warden's glare. She looked away and clicked her tongue in frustration. I was going to have a keep an eye on her.
With everything settled, we began the operation. Several PRT officers were on standby, some waiting in plainclothes and others in armored cars. The plan Velocity proposed was to stealthily enter the building and scope out the inside. Once we confirmed the status of the civilians, the PRT would rush in. Battery and Triumph would wait on standby, so when the party starts, they'll be the first to barge inside.
Sneaking inside turned out to be pretty easy thanks to Purity. She practically cut a hole in the wall with a laser and melted it back in place once we were inside. The further we went inside, the more I felt that gnawing discomfort in my stomach. The buzzing in the back of my head wouldn't stop.
I hope this went well…
In the main part of the theatre, Strix suddenly looked up. One of the Fallen grunts noticed this and looked at her superior. "Is there something wrong, sir?"
"Not at all…" Underneath the wooden mask, the demon grinned. "In fact, everything's perfect. We got everything in place?"
"Yes, your grace. We've finished the preparations."
"Perfect!" He stood up and clapped his hands gleefully. "Then let's get this party started!"
Before the mook noticed me, I wrapped my arms around his neck and yanked him back, dragging him away from his friends. Seconds later he went limp. I gently set the unconscious Fallen down on the ground and wrapped some plastic bindings around their wrists and ankles. Ahead of me, Antares and Gemini finished dealing with their mooks as well.
So far we've managed to keep our presence to the minimum, quietly taking out any Fallen grunts we ran into along the way. We were up on the second level, where the high-class seats in the theatre were. There was a surprisingly low number of Fallen around, given what Boss was implying. With how important this shindig was, I expected to see a bunch more. Of course it was equally possible the main bulk was at ground level and keeping a close eye on the "food" so to speak.
Even now, the mere thought of it makes my stomach churn in a way I hadn't felt since I came across the Bloody Cape.
"One more down," Antares huffed. "We good here?"
"Seems like," Gemini muttered back. "Velocity, how much further until we reach the main area?"
The speedster pointed to the double doors ahead of us. "Right past there. Come on."
We carefully strode through the halls, Purity covering our rear. Since this was an infiltration mission, her light was dimmed to the point I could actually see her costume under all that bright light and glare. It was pretty plain, little more than a full-coverage bodysuit with a full-covering mask over her head. I vaguely saw what looked like safety-goggle-like lenses grafted onto the mask, but that appeared to be where the light was most intense.
Gemini gently pushed the doors open, entering the theatre's second level. If the place looked disheveled from the pictures, it was worse in-person. The metal network above us was no more than twisted, meshed lumps of metal that were barely hanging on as is while the catwalks were gone. A good portion of the second level was demolished and reduced to splinters with no shortage of holes. There were scorch marks seared into the floor, walls, and whatever seats still intact after all these years.
"The hell happened here?" I heard Gemini ask. "It looks like Lung went through here!"
Velocity looked as though he was going to answer, but his focus was almost immediately captured by the sight of the hostages down below. Little under a dozen metal cages, all housing god knows how many people. Several Fallen gathered around the main stage, though unlike the others we found these ones dressed in long robes, the kind you'd see stereotypical mages in video games wear.
Leading them in whatever weird-ass ritual they were planning was Strix, lounging by the front seats as though he were part of the audience.
I hiss through clenched teeth, phantom pain running across my stomach. I felt something wash over me, a feeling of intense anger and abhorrent fear and—
"Tone it down, Antares," Velocity warned.
The feeling abated. I blinked in confusion, shaking my head as whatever the hell happened began to fade. "Sorry," the blonde Ward said genuinely. "Seeing that asshole just…"
"I know, kid. I know."
"What the hell was that?" Gemini asked. "Was that a Master power?"
Antares looked guilty. "Sort of. I can generate an 'aura' that affects people. Comes in two settings, making people love me or straight up terrified. I usually use it on two-bit thugs and people in a panic, but I slip up every now and then."
"Wow. Sounds useful…"
"It is and it isn't."
While Antares explained her power, Velocity tapped into communications and began relaying information back to 'Console', whoever they are. I glanced back at the main stage, looking at the people inside. They all looked scared out of their minds, clearly frightened and clinging to each other. I couldn't blame them. They were taken from their families and homes, kidnapped by an honest-to-god apocalypse cult, and clearly in danger. They did not know what kind of danger, but they knew something was happening.
I looked at the gathered faces, looking to see if there were any I recog…nized…
Holy fucking shit.
"Is that…?"
"What the fuck? Why is Madison down there?!"
I stared at Gemini in shock. "You know her?!"
"Y-yeah…" The indie cape nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off the red-head squirming inside the cage with a dozen other people. "She's friends with someone I know."
I was tempted to ask if that person was named Emma or Sophia, but I stilled my tongue. I did not want to invade Gemini's privacy, no matter how much I wanted to know. Besides, with any luck, I'd find out once this shit was over and done with.
"Wait, what do you mean he's coming here?!" All eyes turned to Velocity. The speedster sounded both surprised and aggravated. "I don't—look, if he's here to help, let him! Just give us the word when…" He trailed off, his eyes showing clear frustration and annoyance with Console. "Look, the sooner we wait… H-hang on, what's—"
That was as far as he got when a loud 'BANG' echoed through the theatre. I was not ashamed to say I jumped a foot into the air by the sudden noise. The Fallen were just as startled and quickly whirled around to greet the intruder, brandishing weapons like guns, rifles, barbed-wire bats, and crowbars. Strix, meanwhile, could only chuckle as he rose to his feet, conjuring a familiar wicked-looking scythe.
"You know, I was expecting that little girl to show up," he said loudly as he turned to greet Boss, who walked inside the theatre like he owned the place. "What circle of hell did you crawl out of?"
"The kind that'd send whoever shoved that stick up your ass crying to dear old daddy Mundus," Boss retorted, huffing a cloud of smoke. He was not wearing his regular ensemble and apparently dressed for the occasion, now clad in a sparkling gold Japanese robe with a dark-brown coat over it. "Not that it's any of your business. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. Been a while since I ran into some hotshot from the Underworld, and what do I find? Him playing house with a bunch of punks worshipping a bunch of Godzilla rejects."
I giggled in amusement as I heard Purity and Velocity choking. It was understandable of course; after all, whoever heard of calling Endbringers "rejects"?
The Fallen didn't appreciate Boss talking smack about them either. "You dare?!"
"Quiet now, princess. The adults are talking."
"Why you—"
"Shut the fuck up," Strix ordered succinctly. The goon promptly shut up and gulped. "And as for why I'm working with them… Well, their momma made me an interesting offer. Who was I to deny such a passionate request? Still, I wish she found more worthwhile people to recruit. Good help is so hard to find, especially when you're plotting the end of the world and all that jazz."
"Excuse me, but what the fuck did he just say?!" Antares gaped. "Is he fucking serious?!"
"Oh, so you're a B-list movie freak too?" Boss asked in bemusement. "Good to know." He took another quick huff of his cigar before incinerating the cancer stick. I felt the air itself start to tremble. "Normally I wouldn't give two shits about what comes crawling the woodwork, but I'm on vacation, you see. You summoning one of your boys means more work for me, which means less time for me to relax, so how about you do me a solid and die?"
It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment everything was still, frozen as if locked in a moment of time. The next, Boss moved and the whole world exploded. Everything went black for a moment. When everything came back into focus, I realized I was lying upside down, my back against the wall and my legs dangling in the air.
"…what…?" was all I could get out while trying to get the god-awful ringing in my ears to stop. I felt movement around me and muffled voices, but everything was blurry.
I fell on my side and stumbled back up to my feet, shaking my head to get rid of the ringing. Once it stopped and my vision corrected itself, I could not help but gape. "Holy shit."
There was very little else I could say. The theatre looked like crap before, but whatever Boss did gave it one hell of a face-lift. The entire back side of the theatre no longer existed; the walls were just gone, reduced to nothing. The archway and wings were completely demolished, shattered to the point of being little more than splinters and broken wooden shrapnel decorating whatever remained. The stage was shattered and cracked apart like glass. The ceiling now sported a giant hole showing the starry night sky and moon.
Thankfully, none of the kidnapped people were hurt as the cages were surrounded by golden barriers etched with runes. The same could not be said about the Fallen, who were scattered about the place, some dangling from the rafters and first-class seats. Boss stood tall and proud, back turned to me, the PRT, and Purity, the latter of whom were apparently coming to as they groaned and got up. Strix was lying in front of the ruined stage, battered and broken and missing an arm.
At a second glance, he actually looked worse. His stomach was ripped to shreds, exposing his insides. Any doubts that he was a demon were effectively gone when I saw something squirming where his intestines should be. I couldn't quite see what exactly it was from this distance, and to be frank? I did not want to know. All I saw was how it sloshed and wriggled, tubes and tendrils digging into misshapen lumps of flesh, all that remained of Strix's stomach.
"What the heck just happeeeoooooh holy crap," Velocity stared bug-eyed at the damage before him. "What—how did—"
Gemini and Antares gulped in unison. "…Gem, Vergil?" the latter squeaked. "Is your boss Triumvirate level, by any chance?"
"After seeing this?" Gemini said weakly. "I'm thinking yes."
In the midst of all this, I finally took notice of the PRT soldiers securing the area. Triumph walked up next to Boss, nodding and thanking him before turning his attention to Strix. I saw the visible flinch throughout his body when he took in the demon's state.
"You know, I should be dragging you to HQ about lethal force," I heard Triumph say to Boss. "But seeing this asshole? I think I'll settle for buying you a drink."
"W-well…" Strix coughed. "It looks like…I was mistaken…" He looked up at Boss, tilting his head in curiosity. "You're not one of us, it seems… A cousin, perhaps?"
Boss took out a cigar, lighting it up with a snap of a finger. "And if I am?"
"Heh… If I knew someone from Inferno was here, I'd have prepped a bigger party. Oh well… I'll settle…for a little get-together then…"
Triumph grabbed Strix by the lapels of his coat. "You're not doing anything other than getting a one-way ticket to the Birdcage."
"I'm afraid…" Strix laughed.
I felt my blood freeze. Why? Why was he laughing?
"…that won't be happening. Goliath's been waiting…a long time, you see… Let's not keep…him waiting…any longer."
Purple flames coalesced around his hand.
I wasn't sure what happened next. I knew something was coming, something bad, and my body reacted on instinct. In a burst of speed I never thought possible, I flickered across the theatre and grabbed Triumph by the collar of his armor, quickly pulling him away right as the stage was consumed in a violet inferno. The barriers protecting the cages held strong and Boss didn't look so much as burnt even as he stood amid the flames. However, while the hostages were safe, I couldn't say the same for the Fallen and some of the PRT soldiers. They were all consumed by the fire, screaming and wailing. Some floundered about, swinging their arms like madmen.
The feeling from before came back in full force as the flames turned scarlet, embers flowing into the cracked stage. The Hell Circle lit up like a Christmas tree and proceeded to literally bleed out into the floor, creating a circular wax-like puddle of red.
"What the hell's going on?!" Triumph shouted in dismay.
Boss grimaced. "Well, shit." He looked back at me. "Dukes up, sister. Shit's about to get real."
"What? What are you—" I blinked. Boss was nowhere to be found. "Oh, you mother—"
That was as far as I got before raw power screamed into being and tore its way into reality. An explosion of red that created a shockwave so strong it tore down the theatre like it was paper. All of us were sent flying into the air as an ungodly roar echoed and reverberated for all to hear.
To an outside observer, it looked as though all hell broke loose. An explosion of red light ripped apart the theatre so completely there was virtually nothing left of it. The surrounding area was no better, with the nearby buildings demolished and broken apart like dirt. Car sirens went off in response to the quake. The streets and pavement were broken apart as though something tore them up and ripped them from their foundations. The soldiers outside the theatre were scrambling for cover, others taking position when they saw something moving in the giant could of dust covering what remained of the theatre.
"Aaah, the Human World… It's been far too long!"
This can't be real, Madison Clements thought as she stared up at the Endbringer. Th-this is a nightmare!
What else could she call it? How else could she describe it? She and everybody else taken by the Fallen looked at the monster in horror as it rose from its kneeling position. Its body looked as though it were made from stone and fur, a disgusting muggy heat radiating from its body. It was at least five stories high, maybe even bigger. It stood on two furry legs with three-pointed hooves for feet and a whishing tail with spikes at the tip. Its hands were claws, talon-like fingers curved and pointed with flaming embers dropping from its smouldering forearms. Fur covered its neck and face, two curved horns jutting out from its forehead with a wide toothy grin and four orange-red eyes. The worst feature, in her mind, was the face plastered across its stomach, sporting dozens of yellow eyes with a snarling, fanged mouth.
"Oh, god…" the blonde kid next to her whimpered. "Oh god oh god oh god…"
The Endbringer chuckled, rolling its next and shrugging its shoulders while looking about the area with a mix of fascination and curiosity. When its eyes fell upon them, Madison felt her body lock up. She couldn't move. She couldn't even breathe.
It grinned. Everybody screamed. Some managed to get up and run, leaving the rest for dead. "More sacrifices," it purred. "How…fortunate."
It reached for the nearest group; Madison and three others.
Oh, god. This is it. This is where I die, the girl realized as tears flowed down her face. She thought about her life up to this point, of the mistakes she made. A white-haired girl from the Boardwalk came to her mind. I never got to apologize… I… I…!
[Destination/Trajectory]
[Agreement]
[Interconnect/Interlink/Congregate]
[Accept]
For a moment, Madison felt everything fizzle out. Then she felt the Endbringer's glare grow hostile.
"Zion…!"
The clawed hand turned into a fist. It reared its arm back. Madison heard someone scream and she shut her eyes, unwilling to see the end.
"HEY, ASSHOLE!"
Madison's eyes snapped open in time to see a hauntingly familiar girl with long white hair and a blue jacket leap at the Endbringer, slashing her sword across its face. Antares followed behind her with a punch to the face.
If somebody told me I was going to save my former bully, I would have laughed and spit in their face. If someone also told me I'd have to fight a giant-ass demon, I would have asked if they were on crack.
The demon in question was…big. As big as the nearby buildings, and made every warning bell in my head go off. I thought I knew what to expect from demons after I fought the Bloody Cape last month. Strix disabused me of that notion, and this thing reaffirmed them. It sweltered with power, steam rising off its body and the ground hissing and seemingly burning with each step it took.
Next to me, Antares was nursing her hand. The cloth around her fist was burnt and the skin underneath an irate red, steam wafting off her knuckles.
"Okay, we have its attention…" the Ward hissed in pain. "Now what?"
I flipped Orthrus, switching to its colder element. Flakes of ice fell from the blade as I assumed a stance. "Now we kill it."
The demon did not look happy at our intervention or that we had the gall to strike it so blatantly. To my dismay, the cut I made was superficial, barely even a scratch. I didn't even draw any blood.
"Worthless insects," it snarled. "You dare strike me? Do you know who I am?!"
"I'm gonna go on a guess and say Santa Claus?" Antares said. I laughed in spite of myself and grinned back at her.
Her taunt only made the demon madder. "I will feast on your bones, feeble creature! Feel the wrath—" It raised both fists high into the air. The air grew hotter. Antarest shot into the air while I jumped away towards one of the nearby buildings that hadn't caved in. Not a moment too soon as the demon brought its fists down. "—of the mighty Colossus!"
"In that case…!" I leaped out and struck again, aiming for its neck. I felt the sword cut into the flesh, ice seeping into the wound. I didn't draw blood. "Tch!" Goliath reached to swat me away and I jumped away, slashing at its fingers mid-escape. Antares fell like a rock and drove her foot into Colossus' face, striking his eye. The demon roared and swat around its face before glaring at her in anger. She tried to dart away, but Colossus was faster. It swiped her out of the air and sent her flying straight into the concrete, where she bounced around like a ragdoll and tore up the road in the process.
Purity made herself known by blasting beams of blinding, intense light at its exposed backside. I couldn't tell if the attack succeeded in wounding or annoying it as it whirled around and spewed gouts of flame. Purity blocked the incoming flames with a wall of light. Triumph also showed up by blasting Goliath with waves of eardrum-shattering sound. That only made Colossus huff and respond by tearing out a chunk of a nearby building and throwing it straight at him.
I jumped back into the action by jumping at its neck and driving Orthrus as deep as possible. Ice began to seep into the wound, though not fast enough. Before I could jump away, Colossus snatched me and proceeded to slam me into the ground. The entire front of my body seared in pain before the bastard followed up by punting me into a brick wall. I spilled out into the inside of the building, coughing up a lung while trying to get up.
"Hey, kid!" Velocity showed up next to me in a red blur. "You alright?!" I glared at him through my visor, which I now noticed was cracked and fizzing out. "…okay, stupid question."
"Y-you have a plan?" I wheezed.
Velocity grimaced. "Yeah, calling in as much back-up as possible and keep collateral damage to a minimum if possible. Sadly…"
A bestial roar shook the air. The ground trembled as I heard the sounds of battle continue, followed shortly by Purity hitting the ground and making a human-shaped indenture in a nearby van.
"I don't think he's making it easy for us. Fucking hell, what is that thing? An Endbringer?!"
"A demon," I spat, calling Orthrus back into my hand. "A very ugly one. One I'm going to enjoy tearing its fucking head off."
With that, I jumped back into the fray in time to see Gemini and her negative-colored twin latched onto the demon's back with their grappling hooks, reeling themselves in and slicing up rough skin with their shields. Sadly, like with my sword, their cuts were superficial or failed to cut deep enough. They quickly maneuvered away when Colossus attempted to squash them, leaving it open for Antares to drive a dumpster truck into the back of its head. The front of the car practically crumpled in on itself, but it did the job and caused Colossus to stumble.
Velocity chose at that moment to enter the fray with quick thinking, getting rope from somewhere and pulling it taut enough for it to catch Colossus' foot mid-stumble and force the bastard to the ground with a thud. I wasted no time in getting close, landing right next to Goliath's head.
"Clench your fucking teeth," I growled and drove Orthrus into its eye as deep as possible. For added measure, I sent dozens of flaming Summoned Swords into it other eye as well. Blood splattered across my body; better yet, large clumps of ice formed around Orthrus, digging deeper into the demon's eye socket.
"AAAAAGH!" Colossus' screams of pain were music to my ears up until it turned into a scream of fury and thrashed about the ground, forcing me to disengage. It climbed back to its feet and glared at us. "Stop buzzing around, you pests!" The mouth on his stomach opened wide, revealing what looked like magma boiling within its maw and—
"WHOASHIT!"
An explosion of hellfire flowed out from the second mouth. Dodging the stream of hellfire was easy, but what came afterward was another story. A turbulent wind pulled in everything in the path of the flame, even the lingering plumes and embers left behind by the breath. Pieces of rubble, cars, even us. Everything was being pulled into Colossus' gaping maw.
"Shiiiiiiit!"
I saw Gemini latched on to a nearby building with her grappling hook. Antares dug her fingers into the side of a building and held on for dear life. Triumph and Velocity clung to a dented light pole. I grounded my heels into the ground and stabbed Orthrus into the ground, keeping my body as low to the ground as possible. Ice quickly spread through the ground and wrapped around my feet. I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling the ice digging into the exposed flesh.
It was better than the last time I felt it back when I met Antares, but it was still an unpleasant experience.
…wait a second, where's—
I got my answer when a light-wrapped figure flailed past me, unable to escape the vacuum. Purity struggled and fought back against the vacuum, but she couldn't break free. I acted immediately, sending ice-infused Summoned Swords into the maw. Twenty, fifty, a hundred—I didn't stop to keep count of how many I created, only that I sent out everything I could muster.
Colossus' flaming maw clenched shut, sputtering flames with bits of frost falling from the corners of its mouth. The demon's face scrunched as if it tasted something sour before suddenly grinning. The sound of gnashing teeth and disturbingly familiar gurgling came from its belly before opening it again. A ball of molten fire came flying at Purity, who couldn't dodge in time and took a direct hit.
"Purity!" Gemini called out.
Another molten ball came flying, aimed directly for the Protectorate heroes. Triumph untangled himself from the streetlight pole and created a wall of deafening sound that rippled the air itself. The ball seemingly stopped in mid-air, leaving it open for me to slice through with Orthrus. It fell apart and splattered to the ground, revealing melted bits of metal and concrete.
"Bastard!" Antares shot toward Colossus with a fist cocked. The demon responded by grinning and meeting her charge, throwing its head forward. Her fist collided with its forehead, causing the air to shake for a moment. For a second everything was still. Then Antares was knocked back, crying out in pain. I saw her hand steaming.
"Pitiful!" Colossus sneered before backhanding her. Her body went smashing straight through a brick wall. "Even with the power Zion gave you insects, you're still nothing! You're not even fit to pick out of my teeth!"
"Zion…?"
There it was. That name again. Orthrus mentioned that name also, but I still don't get it. What does this 'Zion' have to do with parahumans?
I shook my head. I could think about that later. I needed to think about how to win. Come on, think. Its skin is too thick to cut through properly, and its body is too hot to maintain physical contact properly for very long, but it has to have some kind of weakness. I made the bastard bleed when I stabbed my sword through its eye.
…hang on. Earlier, when it tried to suck us in. What if…?
"Gemini!" I called out to my fellow Devil Hunter. "Can you and Triumph keep him busy?!"
"What?!"
"Just trust me!"
I quickly whirled around and ran over to where Purity had fallen earlier. I found her lying on her side, costume burnt and ripped up. Part of her face was exposed; not all of it, just enough to see a patch of singed brown hair and a blue eye.
"Hey!" I called out to her, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her. "Hey, come on! Wake up!" The eye was unfocused and glazed over. The light was dimmed. I feared we lost our heaviest hitter in this fight. Then the light started to return to her eye. She blinked, iris slowly growing more focused.
"…ow…"
"Can you still fight?"
"I-I think so…" Light began to wrap around her like a cloak, obscuring the tear in her mask. "How are we doing…?"
I grimaced. "Getting our asses kicked." I looked over my shoulder and winced.
Gemini was hanging in the air for all but two seconds before gravity pulled her down and fell flat on top of an overturned car, crumpling the door beneath her weight. Her shield was cracked and fizzing out. Triumph was being carried piggy-back by Velocity, the former bleeding from the thigh if the dribbling red stream down his leg was any indication. Antares was flying around, using a car as a makeshift weapon. Said car was less of a vehicle and more of a misshapen lump of metal.
Colossus looked no worse for wear. I could see our attacks were having some effect, but not much. His body was covered in cuts and gashes, his butchered eye still covered in ice, but otherwise barely hindered whatsoever. That said, he was acting sluggish. I couldn't tell if that was because of the ice-infused Summoned Swords I shoved down his gullet or his stamina running low, and something told me it was not the latter. Even if he was slowing down, it did not change the fact that the heroes weren't built for this kind of battle. Antares was hiding it well, but I could tell she was not doing well. She was favoring her right arm more, even though I saw mainly swinging with her left fist most fights.
"D-damn," Purity hissed, clutching her side. I smelled blood on her. "Where was the Fallen hiding this bastard…?"
For a moment, I wondered where Strix was. I pushed him aside in favor of the big ugly bastard wrecking my city. I take a deep breath and start to calm my mind. I needed to focus. I needed to do better.
"Fighting pansies is all well and good if you're playing hero, but there are times when you gotta take off the kiddy gloves," Boss' words echoed back to me when I started working under him. "Demons don't play nice with others no matter who they are. No reason for you not to hold back against them, either. When you fight them, don't play hero, sister. Fight like your life's on the line. Fight like the monster you are. Don't think about it too much, just let your inner devil come out to play."
My inner devil… To be honest, I still did not understand what Boss meant by that. Maybe this was the perfect time for that.
"That mouth on his stomach seems to be his weak point," I said as I fell into position, feet spread apart and Orthrus sliding back into its scabbard. My fingers wrapped around the hilt like a vice. For a moment, I felt clashing elements throb within my grasp; the ebb and flow of an unforgiving tundra and volatile wildfire. I focused on that feeling. "Do you think you can bombard it the next time he opens it?"
Purity's light shined a little brighter. "I can damn well try."
I smirked. I cleared my mind and focus on everything in front of me. I do not see the heroes fighting or the destruction around me. I see only my enemy. A monster to be slain and cut down.
I would not allow this gap in power to stop me. If it did, everything I cared about was going to disappear. Maybe in Colossus' belly.
Like hell I'll allow that.
As if reacting to my thoughts, Orthrus rumbles with power. My smile turned feral and I feel it for but a moment. A ping of instinct.
I let it loose.
It happened so quickly and suddenly, Colossus did not understand what happened at first.
One moment he was laying waste to this human city and in the process of killing Zion's little flesh bags. He could feel that golden bastard's power radiating off them to varying degrees. Why that disgusting thing gave such power to weaklings, he had no idea. Nor did he care. All that mattered was establishing his dominance. This human city would be the first step to establishing his rule and become the beginnings of his epic. He would rise above his kin and become King!
The humans of this city would become his sacrifice towards greatness. One such human was betwixt his fingers, struggling to free herself while screaming in pain as the heat burned away at her body. He raised her to his mouth, ready to bite her in half.
Then he felt a chilling cold pass through his maw and steel slice his tongue clean off. The pain was dull and he would not have noticed it until he tasted his own blood pooling his mouth. Then he felt the cold overcome the pain and hissed.
"Who dares—" A blistering heat came next. It was nowhere near as strong as his, but it was hot enough to cause his skin to crack and calcify. The fingers holding the blonde human fell along with the human, hitting the ground beneath him. A blue-and-black blur sped past his field of vision and snatched the human mid-air.
The blur was that white-haired human with the Devil's Arm, who skidded to a stop. She gently set her fellow human down and turned her gaze to Colossus. It was then Colossus noticed something different about this human. She bore the same stench as the rest of these 'parahumans', but there was a tinge to it. Familiar, but different. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. He glared at the strange human before him for a moment before he realized what the tinge represented.
His grin threatened to split his mouth. "A half-breed…?"
It had been a long time since he came across their kind. A surprise to be sure, but a pleasant and exciting one. Surely this creature would give him a better fight than these weaklings. Excitement swelled through Colossus. He grabbed two discarded cars and shoveled them inside his second mouth, then spat them out in a single ball. The half-breed evaded the attack by jumping onto the side of a building, blitzing across it and crossing the distance between them in moments. She leaped at him and swung her Devil's Arm, creating a wave of flame that obscured his vision.
"Pathetic whelp! My fire exceeds yours!" Colossus expelled a plume of flame, intending to snuff them out. Just as his fire consumed hers, they were expelled and overwhelmed by a cloud of steam that consumed his field of vision. Before he could blow the steam away, a hail of icy blades threw themselves against his face. By themselves, the blades could not do much, but the cold proved an annoyance. He shielded his face and swung his arm out to blow away the steam.
He felt something land on his outstretched arm and something sharp cut into his hide, filling the wound with a harsh frigid chill that swiftly crawled up his arm. He swatted at the annoyance, but felt nothing squish beneath his palm. Silver gleamed through the cloud, and before he could retaliate or defend, it slashed at his eye. Ice filled the wound, icicles digging through the wounded flesh.
Colossus roared in pain, clutching the wounded portion of his face and snarling in rage. "Damnable wretch!" He stomped on the ground, cracking it apart and sending a shockwave through the ruined streets and flailing his arms, finally dispelling the cloud of steam. He caught sight of the half-breed dangling from the ruined remains of a building, sword stabbed into a concrete pillar. "Found you!" he leered and moved to crush her, only to stumble when a wave of abominable noise crashed into him.
It was the same insects from before, the speedster and the banshee that annoyed him to no end. He attempted to squash them, but the red-clad human dashed away before he could crush them under heel. He looked back up in time to see the half-breed in motion, gliding past his face and dragging her sword along his cheek. The incessant chill of her blade was growing into an annoyance as was her leaping. He blew another plume of flame right as she landed. She swung her sword, creating a arctic gust that stopped the flames dead and created a small puff of steam.
In anger, he threw his fist forward and smashed it into the building, causing it to crack and crumble beneath the weight. The half-breed dodged and used his shoulder as a spring-board, jumping to another building. Colossus leaped after her, jumping high into the air and bringing his entire weight down. The half-breed jumped away again, but he had a clear view of where she was going and spat out another plume.
To his glee, the attack struck dead center and knocked her out of the air and back onto the ground. When he fell on top of the building feet-first, he all but sent it crashing down. Only the left side of the wall was left standing, though it looked so fragile a mere gust would knock it down.
"And now… You die!" Cackling with glee, Colossus opened his secondary maw and began to draw everything into it. The crumbling remains of the buildings nearby were pulled into his stomach, melting and grinding within his furnace alongside any destroyed cars. The girl dug her sword into the ground, but it was useless. She was already caught in his pull. In a few seconds, she would be no more than nourishment.
The half-breed struggled in vain to keep herself close to the ground, even firing off those icicle blades of hers. They were painful to ingest, yes, but he need only wear her down. He could endure the pain a while longer.
Colossus learned too late this was a fatal mistake, not noticing the brilliant, burning light ahead of the half-breed.
He only noticed the light when it reached its apex, glowing hot like a star. Then his world turned to white-hot blinding pain as the light tunneled into his stomach and exploded, detonating like a bomb. The force was so great it caused his hide to burn and crack apart, spewing flames pouring out from his own body. He shrieked with pain, stumbling and gasping. He tried to close his secondary mouth, only to realize that it did him no good. The blast created a gaping hole where the contents of his maw were spilling out and sizzling against the concrete.
"N-no…" Colossus wheezed. "H-how can this…?"
The humans took advantage of his dazed state. The half-breed sent a surge of ice towards him and trapped his feet in thick clumps, icicles and spikes digging into the weakened flesh. Steel wires wrapped around his wrists and pulled, yanking his arms back. When he feebily tried to struggle, he met absurd resistance. The speedster had temporarily abandoned his comrade and grabbed hold of the shield-wearing woman and was slamming his feet against the pavement at ludicrous speeds, ensuring he could not move his arms.
Between his weakened state and immobilized limbs, he had no defense against the light-wearing human as she proceeded to bombard him in explosive blasts of light. Each attack wore down his hide, some tearing off chunks of flesh. He tried to retaliate, mustering the strength to spew a gout of flame. The blonde human from before intercepted, carrying that sound-blaring wench in her arms and letting him create a wave of nauseating sound that left him gurgling.
Disbelief overtook Colossus. This…could not be happening. It was not possible. These humans were weak. Helpless! He was but thrashing them around as though they were nothing before, so how did they muster the strength to mount such a counter-offensive? Where did they find the strength?!
"Hmph. Worthless runt. You will never become King." The scathing words of his kin came back to Colossus and filled him with newfound rage.
He would not accept this. He refused to accept this! He was a demon, a higher being! He was stronger than these worthless creatures! He was not like Goliath! He would succeed!
"Damn…you…to…hell…!"
In an act of defiance, Colossus mustered every last ounce of his strength and collected every remaining power in his body, gathering it within his maw. He felt his body strain beneath the pressure and the bombardment, the risk of death very clear. He no longer cared if he died, so long as it meant these humans would burn in his flames.
At its apex, the collective power began to break apart his jaw and face. His remaining two eyes were burning, melting into orange sludge. He could no longer see anything. He did not need to.
"DIE!"
One moment, he unleashed his final attack.
In the next—
"You first."
—a Devil in the making sliced off his head and sent the flames billowing into the sky.
It hurt. Every part of my body hurt in ways I never imagined. My back felt like it was on fire, something was stabbing the right of my insides, my left arm was totally numb and smelled very much like burnt flesh, and my legs wouldn't budge.
I just laid there on the ground, in the middle of the ruined city block, relishing how cold the concrete felt. I was pretty sure most of it had to do with the ice I made earlier to keep Colossus pinned, but I didn't care.
"Wow…" Gemini croaked. "O-one hell of a firework show…"
Velocity set her down against one of the nearby slabs of rubble that hadn't been ingested by the giant bastard. Her armor was, to put it mildly, rendered FUBAR. The metal was scorched, burnt, melted practically everywhere, and her shield was broken apart in so many different places I could see the exposed wiring and circuits. Her helmet was also cracked, looking ready to fall apart any second.
I glanced at the "fireworks" she referred to. Colossus' last-ditch attack seared the sky itself, tearing open a hole in the cloudy sky above. I could still smell the brimstone and smoke. I swear I could see the lingering embers as well. I looked back at Colossus' body…or rather the top half of his head, which would have been staring back at me if not for his eyes being destroyed. One set was caked in ice and the other set melted out of his sockets.
"…think Boss will make us something really badass out of this?" I winced. It hurt to talk. Ugh, my healing factor couldn't kick in fast enough.
Gemini laughed weakly. "He fucking better…" she said, her words lacking any heat whatsoever. "Because after this? I am so taking a vacation…"
…vacation sounded good right about now.
I heard my phone go off in my coat pocket. I would have been amazed by the fact that it somehow managed to survive all this chaos if not for the fact that I recognized the ringtone and groaned. Against my arm's angry protests, every muscle burning in pain from even the slightest movement, I dug into my pocket and answered the call, bringing the phone to my ear.
"Hey, Dad…" I said, trying to sound casual.
"Oh, thank god you picked up!" Dad sobbed. "I thought the worst happened. Honey, w-where are you?"
I glanced at Gemini, who waved awkwardly at me. "Hanging out with a friend… Something happen?"
"No shit something happened! The whole damn city block over by MicKinley's just exploded and there's a ten-foot monster running around!"
"Oh…"
I was almost tempted to tell him I killed it. Almost. I still wasn't ready for that talk quite yet. That and I was too fucking tired to think.
"J-just stay where you are, a-a-and promise me you'll stay safe, okay kiddo?!"
"Okay…" I slurred.
The call ended shortly afterwards. I glared at the decapitated head of Colossus again for a moment before sighing and closing my eyes. Sweet unconsciousness took me moments later. My last thoughts before falling asleep were of the thrill, the exhilaration, the moment in which something inside of me seemed to wake up and take control.
It felt like I was in the passenger seat while a professional driver took the wheel. I was but a stranger in my own body, dancing to the whims of another. It was a feeling unlike anything I've felt before. It was like the moments in which I found myself truly backed against the wall, only stronger and sweeter. I felt I understood Boss' words about letting my inner Devil out to play a little better now.
Even so, I could not deny how frightening it was. The cold edge that seeped into me, the sheer commitment to cut down Colossus unlike anything I'd felt before, not even when I fought the Bloody Cape.
Worse, I still felt its lingering presence. It was there, in the far corner of my mind. Not present, but not totally gone. It was waiting. Waiting for another chance to be let loose upon the world.
It finally struck home then. It was sinking in, the fact that I, Taylor Hebert, was no longer normal. Not human, but something else. Something more.
The last thought I had echoed through my head as I fell asleep, the exhaustion taking its toll.
What am I?
If there's one complaint I have against cape life, it's that it barges in at the worst possible time. I'm having the time of my life at the arcade trouncing Chris at F-Zero when I got a phone call. Worse still, it was that ringtone.
My neck burned as everyone turned to stare at me, some judgmental and others in bemusement.
"I didn't know you were a LMFAO fan," Dennis said with the biggest shit-eating grin I've ever seen on him.
"O-one sec," I stammered. "I, um, gotta take this…"
I couldn't get out of the arcade or hit the call button fast enough. "This had better be good, Boss," I growled almost inhumanly. "Because so help me…"
"Ah, calm your tits, sister," Boss chuckled. "I got good news. Swing by the shop. Oh, and make sure you bring a suit. Something hot's about to go down tonight, so make sure you bring your best. You feel me?"
And just like that, my short-lived vacation is over.
"What."
Really, how else was I supposed to react? I was expecting Boss to do his usual thing, mixing drinks and looking, well, like Boss while doing it, maybe be a little intimidating. I half-expected to see him threatening some shmuck who thought it might be a good idea to pick a fight with him. A week ago, a bunch of punks from the ABB tried to gang-press him into joining. Boss made it clear that the Gates of Hell were a neutral zone. So long as you don't start shit, you're free to do business. The idiots who didn't get the memo? Well, suffice to say, they weren't welcome back.
I was expecting to find such a scene, if not see another attempt to recruit boss. Hell, I even thought I'd see someone from the PRT. Instead, I saw a flushed woman in a spiffy suit with and fedora walking out with a noticeable limp. When I reached the lounge area, I found Boss with a wry smile on his face.
"Hey," Rodin greeted. "What took you?"
I glanced at the entrance where the woman left, then back at him. "Do I even want to know?"
"Probably not," Boss shrugged.
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Okay…" I said slowly. "What was so important you had me come here instead of telling me over the phone?"
"Waiting."
"For what?"
A second later, a familiar patchwork-armored indie hero walked inside the Gates of Hell. "Sorry I'm late," she panted. "Ran into a few problems. I'm good." She saw me and waved. "Oh, hey. Vergil, nice to see you again."
"Hey," I waved back. "Picked out a name yet?"
"Yeah. I figured it'd be easier if people had something to call me by."
"Oh yeah?"
The cape nodded. "I'm Gemini. Thought it'd be pretty fitting, seeing as how my power lets me make a copy of myself."
"Huh," I said simply. "Cool." I looked back over to Boss. "Okay, so… What's up?"
Boss took a deep puff of his cigar while pushing the manila folder on the counter over to me. I flipped it open and felt my blood freeze. Inside the folder were dozens of photos and something that looked like a PRT report file. The photos showed a theatre of some kind, well more like an opera-house. Very old by the look of it from how dilapidated it was. I saw broken pews, tarnished leather seats, railings from the theatre seats dangling by threads and the uppermost first-class seats scattered all across the top floor. I saw a tattered banner, an ad for what looked like some kind of play.
The theatre was not what scared me. It was the fact that there were cages scattered about the theatre. All of them filled to the brim with people; young, old, children, Japanese, Chinese, American, etc…
And right there, sitting in the front row of seats, was a man with a rotten mask.
"Ohfuckme…" Gemini whispered numbly. "H-how many…?"
Boss exhaled. "How many people went missing since the Fallen showed up?"
Neither of us could answer. We didn't want the answer because we were scared. I couldn't stomach to look at the pictures any longer. I couldn't even look at their faces. Some of them looked broken, physically and mentally. Disgust eventually gave way to broiling anger.
"…where did you get this?" Gemini asked quietly.
"Anonymous tip, albeit a damned good one. Take a look at the floor." He pointed to one picture in particular, tapping his finger at the point of interest. A sigil was seared into the stage, forming a hexagram with Latin writing circling it like a ring. "That's a Hell Circle. Old school stuff, the kind used way back when in the dark ages. Only guys with some serious mojo can use these."
"What's it for?"
Boss grimaced. "Sacrifice." Gemini looked up in horror. My grip on Orthrus tightened like a vice. "These poor souls are just fuel for the Hell Circle. They'll be used to pop open a gateway straight to hell, big enough for some nasty customers to start crawling through." He took another puff of his cigar. "From the look of things, the Fallen ain't satisfied with worshipping your Endbringers anymore. Now they're taking a page out of those wanna-be warlocks worshipping the wrong punk."
"How bad is it gonna be?" I asked. "If something really terrible shows up, how much damage is it going to cause?"
"…enough to know you gotta kill it fast," Boss said simply. "Call up your buddies and get to work. Sooner you stop this shindig, the better."
"And if we run into Strix?"
"Just focus on saving those guys and leave that part to me."
I was surprised to heart that. Gemini was too as we looked at each other. We didn't ask anymore stupid questions and left the Gates of Hell. Gemini hopped aboard a motorbike, clearly tinkertech given the spiffy-looking parts slapped onto it and took off. I followed after her at full speed, running atop the rooftops while speed-typing onto my phone and sending a message to Antares and Purity.
"Party at MicKinley's Opera House. Bring your best suit."
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Antares and Velocity stood across from Purity, the latter floating a few feet in the air surrounded by light. Gemini shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, understandable given that we were a few seconds away from being in the center of ground zero. Whatever her claims, at the end of the day Purity was still one of the Empire's hardest hitters. No offense to Velocity, but even he would have trouble with her. Same with Antares and myself. I could probably get a few licks on her, but in a straight-up fight?
"Is everyone gonna play nice?" Velocity asked tightly. I could faintly see the vibrations in his fingertips, a sign that he was ready to throw down at a moment's notice.
Purity folded her arms. "So long as you don't get in my way."
I groaned into my palm. This was going to end badly, I could tell.
"Okay, let's all calm down before somebody blows a gasket, please?" Gemini held up her hands placatingly in an attempt to stop the hostilities before they could get out of control. "We're on the same side for now, so let's keep it that way until we rescue everyone?"
"Which means no pissing matches until this thing blows over," I warned.
Everyone looked at us, then at each other. An uneasy truce was settled, though unless I was mistaken Purity was actually shifting about uncomfortably. Velocity was speaking into his helm, no doubt communicating with whoever was on the other side while Antares floated over to me.
"So, new partner?" she asked me with a grin. "What am I, chopped liver?"
I rolled my eyes. "We're not partners. More like work colleagues. She said she's an indie hero and just decided on a name. I dunno how long she's been at this, though."
"She any good?"
"I can vouch for her." I raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna give her a sales pitch after this?"
The blonde Ward shrugged. "I'll leave that up to Velocity. I'm just glad I was cleared to go back into action after what that asshole did to me." Her mood noticeably darkened, as did mine. "Any idea if the bastard's here?"
"Safe bet, I'd wager."
I tried not to notice the way my hands were shaking or how Antares' fingers twitched. I could not forget how easily we were trounced the last time we fought Strix, or the sheer feeling of helplessness. No matter how hard we tried to fight, he defeated us like we were nothing. I spent countless days in the Void, training in preparation for when he showed up again, but I still felt weak. The memory of our encounter shook me to the core. As we were now, could we even hope to fight him?
Honestly… I don't think we were. I felt infuriated, almost apoplectic for this shame. Ever since the day I Triggered, I despised this feeling of helplessness, how weak I felt.
…but, that was fine. Fighting Strix wasn't important at the moment. What was important was that we saved everyone in the theatre.
"We ignore Strix for now," I said after taking a deep breath to calm myself. "For now, let's just save everyone who was kidnapped."
"And if he tries to pick a fight with us?" Antares retorted. She clearly wanted a rematch with him despite the dangers.
"Leave him to me." We looked at Purity in surprise. "From what I understand, this Strix was able to fight the Protectorate to a stand-still. While I doubt I will be able to kill the bastard, I can give him the fight of his life."
Velocity sighed. "Normally I'd condone against that sort of thing, but given what we know about this guy… Yeah, you kids leave him to us. Just focus on getting those people out of there, okay?"
"But-!"
The Protectorate hero glared. "That's an order, Antares."
Antares looked like she wanted to argue, but any protests she had died under her warden's glare. She looked away and clicked her tongue in frustration. I was going to have a keep an eye on her.
With everything settled, we began the operation. Several PRT officers were on standby, some waiting in plainclothes and others in armored cars. The plan Velocity proposed was to stealthily enter the building and scope out the inside. Once we confirmed the status of the civilians, the PRT would rush in. Battery and Triumph would wait on standby, so when the party starts, they'll be the first to barge inside.
Sneaking inside turned out to be pretty easy thanks to Purity. She practically cut a hole in the wall with a laser and melted it back in place once we were inside. The further we went inside, the more I felt that gnawing discomfort in my stomach. The buzzing in the back of my head wouldn't stop.
I hope this went well…
In the main part of the theatre, Strix suddenly looked up. One of the Fallen grunts noticed this and looked at her superior. "Is there something wrong, sir?"
"Not at all…" Underneath the wooden mask, the demon grinned. "In fact, everything's perfect. We got everything in place?"
"Yes, your grace. We've finished the preparations."
"Perfect!" He stood up and clapped his hands gleefully. "Then let's get this party started!"
Before the mook noticed me, I wrapped my arms around his neck and yanked him back, dragging him away from his friends. Seconds later he went limp. I gently set the unconscious Fallen down on the ground and wrapped some plastic bindings around their wrists and ankles. Ahead of me, Antares and Gemini finished dealing with their mooks as well.
So far we've managed to keep our presence to the minimum, quietly taking out any Fallen grunts we ran into along the way. We were up on the second level, where the high-class seats in the theatre were. There was a surprisingly low number of Fallen around, given what Boss was implying. With how important this shindig was, I expected to see a bunch more. Of course it was equally possible the main bulk was at ground level and keeping a close eye on the "food" so to speak.
Even now, the mere thought of it makes my stomach churn in a way I hadn't felt since I came across the Bloody Cape.
"One more down," Antares huffed. "We good here?"
"Seems like," Gemini muttered back. "Velocity, how much further until we reach the main area?"
The speedster pointed to the double doors ahead of us. "Right past there. Come on."
We carefully strode through the halls, Purity covering our rear. Since this was an infiltration mission, her light was dimmed to the point I could actually see her costume under all that bright light and glare. It was pretty plain, little more than a full-coverage bodysuit with a full-covering mask over her head. I vaguely saw what looked like safety-goggle-like lenses grafted onto the mask, but that appeared to be where the light was most intense.
Gemini gently pushed the doors open, entering the theatre's second level. If the place looked disheveled from the pictures, it was worse in-person. The metal network above us was no more than twisted, meshed lumps of metal that were barely hanging on as is while the catwalks were gone. A good portion of the second level was demolished and reduced to splinters with no shortage of holes. There were scorch marks seared into the floor, walls, and whatever seats still intact after all these years.
"The hell happened here?" I heard Gemini ask. "It looks like Lung went through here!"
Velocity looked as though he was going to answer, but his focus was almost immediately captured by the sight of the hostages down below. Little under a dozen metal cages, all housing god knows how many people. Several Fallen gathered around the main stage, though unlike the others we found these ones dressed in long robes, the kind you'd see stereotypical mages in video games wear.
Leading them in whatever weird-ass ritual they were planning was Strix, lounging by the front seats as though he were part of the audience.
I hiss through clenched teeth, phantom pain running across my stomach. I felt something wash over me, a feeling of intense anger and abhorrent fear and—
"Tone it down, Antares," Velocity warned.
The feeling abated. I blinked in confusion, shaking my head as whatever the hell happened began to fade. "Sorry," the blonde Ward said genuinely. "Seeing that asshole just…"
"I know, kid. I know."
"What the hell was that?" Gemini asked. "Was that a Master power?"
Antares looked guilty. "Sort of. I can generate an 'aura' that affects people. Comes in two settings, making people love me or straight up terrified. I usually use it on two-bit thugs and people in a panic, but I slip up every now and then."
"Wow. Sounds useful…"
"It is and it isn't."
While Antares explained her power, Velocity tapped into communications and began relaying information back to 'Console', whoever they are. I glanced back at the main stage, looking at the people inside. They all looked scared out of their minds, clearly frightened and clinging to each other. I couldn't blame them. They were taken from their families and homes, kidnapped by an honest-to-god apocalypse cult, and clearly in danger. They did not know what kind of danger, but they knew something was happening.
I looked at the gathered faces, looking to see if there were any I recog…nized…
Holy fucking shit.
"Is that…?"
"What the fuck? Why is Madison down there?!"
I stared at Gemini in shock. "You know her?!"
"Y-yeah…" The indie cape nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off the red-head squirming inside the cage with a dozen other people. "She's friends with someone I know."
I was tempted to ask if that person was named Emma or Sophia, but I stilled my tongue. I did not want to invade Gemini's privacy, no matter how much I wanted to know. Besides, with any luck, I'd find out once this shit was over and done with.
"Wait, what do you mean he's coming here?!" All eyes turned to Velocity. The speedster sounded both surprised and aggravated. "I don't—look, if he's here to help, let him! Just give us the word when…" He trailed off, his eyes showing clear frustration and annoyance with Console. "Look, the sooner we wait… H-hang on, what's—"
That was as far as he got when a loud 'BANG' echoed through the theatre. I was not ashamed to say I jumped a foot into the air by the sudden noise. The Fallen were just as startled and quickly whirled around to greet the intruder, brandishing weapons like guns, rifles, barbed-wire bats, and crowbars. Strix, meanwhile, could only chuckle as he rose to his feet, conjuring a familiar wicked-looking scythe.
"You know, I was expecting that little girl to show up," he said loudly as he turned to greet Boss, who walked inside the theatre like he owned the place. "What circle of hell did you crawl out of?"
"The kind that'd send whoever shoved that stick up your ass crying to dear old daddy Mundus," Boss retorted, huffing a cloud of smoke. He was not wearing his regular ensemble and apparently dressed for the occasion, now clad in a sparkling gold Japanese robe with a dark-brown coat over it. "Not that it's any of your business. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. Been a while since I ran into some hotshot from the Underworld, and what do I find? Him playing house with a bunch of punks worshipping a bunch of Godzilla rejects."
I giggled in amusement as I heard Purity and Velocity choking. It was understandable of course; after all, whoever heard of calling Endbringers "rejects"?
The Fallen didn't appreciate Boss talking smack about them either. "You dare?!"
"Quiet now, princess. The adults are talking."
"Why you—"
"Shut the fuck up," Strix ordered succinctly. The goon promptly shut up and gulped. "And as for why I'm working with them… Well, their momma made me an interesting offer. Who was I to deny such a passionate request? Still, I wish she found more worthwhile people to recruit. Good help is so hard to find, especially when you're plotting the end of the world and all that jazz."
"Excuse me, but what the fuck did he just say?!" Antares gaped. "Is he fucking serious?!"
"Oh, so you're a B-list movie freak too?" Boss asked in bemusement. "Good to know." He took another quick huff of his cigar before incinerating the cancer stick. I felt the air itself start to tremble. "Normally I wouldn't give two shits about what comes crawling the woodwork, but I'm on vacation, you see. You summoning one of your boys means more work for me, which means less time for me to relax, so how about you do me a solid and die?"
It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment everything was still, frozen as if locked in a moment of time. The next, Boss moved and the whole world exploded. Everything went black for a moment. When everything came back into focus, I realized I was lying upside down, my back against the wall and my legs dangling in the air.
"…what…?" was all I could get out while trying to get the god-awful ringing in my ears to stop. I felt movement around me and muffled voices, but everything was blurry.
I fell on my side and stumbled back up to my feet, shaking my head to get rid of the ringing. Once it stopped and my vision corrected itself, I could not help but gape. "Holy shit."
There was very little else I could say. The theatre looked like crap before, but whatever Boss did gave it one hell of a face-lift. The entire back side of the theatre no longer existed; the walls were just gone, reduced to nothing. The archway and wings were completely demolished, shattered to the point of being little more than splinters and broken wooden shrapnel decorating whatever remained. The stage was shattered and cracked apart like glass. The ceiling now sported a giant hole showing the starry night sky and moon.
Thankfully, none of the kidnapped people were hurt as the cages were surrounded by golden barriers etched with runes. The same could not be said about the Fallen, who were scattered about the place, some dangling from the rafters and first-class seats. Boss stood tall and proud, back turned to me, the PRT, and Purity, the latter of whom were apparently coming to as they groaned and got up. Strix was lying in front of the ruined stage, battered and broken and missing an arm.
At a second glance, he actually looked worse. His stomach was ripped to shreds, exposing his insides. Any doubts that he was a demon were effectively gone when I saw something squirming where his intestines should be. I couldn't quite see what exactly it was from this distance, and to be frank? I did not want to know. All I saw was how it sloshed and wriggled, tubes and tendrils digging into misshapen lumps of flesh, all that remained of Strix's stomach.
"What the heck just happeeeoooooh holy crap," Velocity stared bug-eyed at the damage before him. "What—how did—"
Gemini and Antares gulped in unison. "…Gem, Vergil?" the latter squeaked. "Is your boss Triumvirate level, by any chance?"
"After seeing this?" Gemini said weakly. "I'm thinking yes."
In the midst of all this, I finally took notice of the PRT soldiers securing the area. Triumph walked up next to Boss, nodding and thanking him before turning his attention to Strix. I saw the visible flinch throughout his body when he took in the demon's state.
"You know, I should be dragging you to HQ about lethal force," I heard Triumph say to Boss. "But seeing this asshole? I think I'll settle for buying you a drink."
"W-well…" Strix coughed. "It looks like…I was mistaken…" He looked up at Boss, tilting his head in curiosity. "You're not one of us, it seems… A cousin, perhaps?"
Boss took out a cigar, lighting it up with a snap of a finger. "And if I am?"
"Heh… If I knew someone from Inferno was here, I'd have prepped a bigger party. Oh well… I'll settle…for a little get-together then…"
Triumph grabbed Strix by the lapels of his coat. "You're not doing anything other than getting a one-way ticket to the Birdcage."
"I'm afraid…" Strix laughed.
I felt my blood freeze. Why? Why was he laughing?
"…that won't be happening. Goliath's been waiting…a long time, you see… Let's not keep…him waiting…any longer."
Purple flames coalesced around his hand.
I wasn't sure what happened next. I knew something was coming, something bad, and my body reacted on instinct. In a burst of speed I never thought possible, I flickered across the theatre and grabbed Triumph by the collar of his armor, quickly pulling him away right as the stage was consumed in a violet inferno. The barriers protecting the cages held strong and Boss didn't look so much as burnt even as he stood amid the flames. However, while the hostages were safe, I couldn't say the same for the Fallen and some of the PRT soldiers. They were all consumed by the fire, screaming and wailing. Some floundered about, swinging their arms like madmen.
The feeling from before came back in full force as the flames turned scarlet, embers flowing into the cracked stage. The Hell Circle lit up like a Christmas tree and proceeded to literally bleed out into the floor, creating a circular wax-like puddle of red.
"What the hell's going on?!" Triumph shouted in dismay.
Boss grimaced. "Well, shit." He looked back at me. "Dukes up, sister. Shit's about to get real."
"What? What are you—" I blinked. Boss was nowhere to be found. "Oh, you mother—"
That was as far as I got before raw power screamed into being and tore its way into reality. An explosion of red that created a shockwave so strong it tore down the theatre like it was paper. All of us were sent flying into the air as an ungodly roar echoed and reverberated for all to hear.
To an outside observer, it looked as though all hell broke loose. An explosion of red light ripped apart the theatre so completely there was virtually nothing left of it. The surrounding area was no better, with the nearby buildings demolished and broken apart like dirt. Car sirens went off in response to the quake. The streets and pavement were broken apart as though something tore them up and ripped them from their foundations. The soldiers outside the theatre were scrambling for cover, others taking position when they saw something moving in the giant could of dust covering what remained of the theatre.
"Aaah, the Human World… It's been far too long!"
This can't be real, Madison Clements thought as she stared up at the Endbringer. Th-this is a nightmare!
What else could she call it? How else could she describe it? She and everybody else taken by the Fallen looked at the monster in horror as it rose from its kneeling position. Its body looked as though it were made from stone and fur, a disgusting muggy heat radiating from its body. It was at least five stories high, maybe even bigger. It stood on two furry legs with three-pointed hooves for feet and a whishing tail with spikes at the tip. Its hands were claws, talon-like fingers curved and pointed with flaming embers dropping from its smouldering forearms. Fur covered its neck and face, two curved horns jutting out from its forehead with a wide toothy grin and four orange-red eyes. The worst feature, in her mind, was the face plastered across its stomach, sporting dozens of yellow eyes with a snarling, fanged mouth.
"Oh, god…" the blonde kid next to her whimpered. "Oh god oh god oh god…"
The Endbringer chuckled, rolling its next and shrugging its shoulders while looking about the area with a mix of fascination and curiosity. When its eyes fell upon them, Madison felt her body lock up. She couldn't move. She couldn't even breathe.
It grinned. Everybody screamed. Some managed to get up and run, leaving the rest for dead. "More sacrifices," it purred. "How…fortunate."
It reached for the nearest group; Madison and three others.
Oh, god. This is it. This is where I die, the girl realized as tears flowed down her face. She thought about her life up to this point, of the mistakes she made. A white-haired girl from the Boardwalk came to her mind. I never got to apologize… I… I…!
[Destination/Trajectory]
[Agreement]
[Interconnect/Interlink/Congregate]
[Accept]
For a moment, Madison felt everything fizzle out. Then she felt the Endbringer's glare grow hostile.
"Zion…!"
The clawed hand turned into a fist. It reared its arm back. Madison heard someone scream and she shut her eyes, unwilling to see the end.
"HEY, ASSHOLE!"
Madison's eyes snapped open in time to see a hauntingly familiar girl with long white hair and a blue jacket leap at the Endbringer, slashing her sword across its face. Antares followed behind her with a punch to the face.
If somebody told me I was going to save my former bully, I would have laughed and spit in their face. If someone also told me I'd have to fight a giant-ass demon, I would have asked if they were on crack.
The demon in question was…big. As big as the nearby buildings, and made every warning bell in my head go off. I thought I knew what to expect from demons after I fought the Bloody Cape last month. Strix disabused me of that notion, and this thing reaffirmed them. It sweltered with power, steam rising off its body and the ground hissing and seemingly burning with each step it took.
Next to me, Antares was nursing her hand. The cloth around her fist was burnt and the skin underneath an irate red, steam wafting off her knuckles.
"Okay, we have its attention…" the Ward hissed in pain. "Now what?"
I flipped Orthrus, switching to its colder element. Flakes of ice fell from the blade as I assumed a stance. "Now we kill it."
The demon did not look happy at our intervention or that we had the gall to strike it so blatantly. To my dismay, the cut I made was superficial, barely even a scratch. I didn't even draw any blood.
"Worthless insects," it snarled. "You dare strike me? Do you know who I am?!"
"I'm gonna go on a guess and say Santa Claus?" Antares said. I laughed in spite of myself and grinned back at her.
Her taunt only made the demon madder. "I will feast on your bones, feeble creature! Feel the wrath—" It raised both fists high into the air. The air grew hotter. Antarest shot into the air while I jumped away towards one of the nearby buildings that hadn't caved in. Not a moment too soon as the demon brought its fists down. "—of the mighty Colossus!"
Volcanic Giant
Colossus
The earth shattered beneath the weight of its strike, sending chunks of concrete everywhere. One nearly clipped Antares out of the air. Whatever bits of concrete remained under its attack started to melt, turning to slimy black tar that clung to its talons. I sent several Summon Swords at it, all hitting their mark. With such a large target, there was no way I could miss, and yet the swords did not sink deep enough into its flesh. Its hide was too thick.Colossus
"In that case…!" I leaped out and struck again, aiming for its neck. I felt the sword cut into the flesh, ice seeping into the wound. I didn't draw blood. "Tch!" Goliath reached to swat me away and I jumped away, slashing at its fingers mid-escape. Antares fell like a rock and drove her foot into Colossus' face, striking his eye. The demon roared and swat around its face before glaring at her in anger. She tried to dart away, but Colossus was faster. It swiped her out of the air and sent her flying straight into the concrete, where she bounced around like a ragdoll and tore up the road in the process.
Purity made herself known by blasting beams of blinding, intense light at its exposed backside. I couldn't tell if the attack succeeded in wounding or annoying it as it whirled around and spewed gouts of flame. Purity blocked the incoming flames with a wall of light. Triumph also showed up by blasting Goliath with waves of eardrum-shattering sound. That only made Colossus huff and respond by tearing out a chunk of a nearby building and throwing it straight at him.
I jumped back into the action by jumping at its neck and driving Orthrus as deep as possible. Ice began to seep into the wound, though not fast enough. Before I could jump away, Colossus snatched me and proceeded to slam me into the ground. The entire front of my body seared in pain before the bastard followed up by punting me into a brick wall. I spilled out into the inside of the building, coughing up a lung while trying to get up.
"Hey, kid!" Velocity showed up next to me in a red blur. "You alright?!" I glared at him through my visor, which I now noticed was cracked and fizzing out. "…okay, stupid question."
"Y-you have a plan?" I wheezed.
Velocity grimaced. "Yeah, calling in as much back-up as possible and keep collateral damage to a minimum if possible. Sadly…"
A bestial roar shook the air. The ground trembled as I heard the sounds of battle continue, followed shortly by Purity hitting the ground and making a human-shaped indenture in a nearby van.
"I don't think he's making it easy for us. Fucking hell, what is that thing? An Endbringer?!"
"A demon," I spat, calling Orthrus back into my hand. "A very ugly one. One I'm going to enjoy tearing its fucking head off."
With that, I jumped back into the fray in time to see Gemini and her negative-colored twin latched onto the demon's back with their grappling hooks, reeling themselves in and slicing up rough skin with their shields. Sadly, like with my sword, their cuts were superficial or failed to cut deep enough. They quickly maneuvered away when Colossus attempted to squash them, leaving it open for Antares to drive a dumpster truck into the back of its head. The front of the car practically crumpled in on itself, but it did the job and caused Colossus to stumble.
Velocity chose at that moment to enter the fray with quick thinking, getting rope from somewhere and pulling it taut enough for it to catch Colossus' foot mid-stumble and force the bastard to the ground with a thud. I wasted no time in getting close, landing right next to Goliath's head.
"Clench your fucking teeth," I growled and drove Orthrus into its eye as deep as possible. For added measure, I sent dozens of flaming Summoned Swords into it other eye as well. Blood splattered across my body; better yet, large clumps of ice formed around Orthrus, digging deeper into the demon's eye socket.
"AAAAAGH!" Colossus' screams of pain were music to my ears up until it turned into a scream of fury and thrashed about the ground, forcing me to disengage. It climbed back to its feet and glared at us. "Stop buzzing around, you pests!" The mouth on his stomach opened wide, revealing what looked like magma boiling within its maw and—
"WHOASHIT!"
An explosion of hellfire flowed out from the second mouth. Dodging the stream of hellfire was easy, but what came afterward was another story. A turbulent wind pulled in everything in the path of the flame, even the lingering plumes and embers left behind by the breath. Pieces of rubble, cars, even us. Everything was being pulled into Colossus' gaping maw.
"Shiiiiiiit!"
I saw Gemini latched on to a nearby building with her grappling hook. Antares dug her fingers into the side of a building and held on for dear life. Triumph and Velocity clung to a dented light pole. I grounded my heels into the ground and stabbed Orthrus into the ground, keeping my body as low to the ground as possible. Ice quickly spread through the ground and wrapped around my feet. I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling the ice digging into the exposed flesh.
It was better than the last time I felt it back when I met Antares, but it was still an unpleasant experience.
…wait a second, where's—
I got my answer when a light-wrapped figure flailed past me, unable to escape the vacuum. Purity struggled and fought back against the vacuum, but she couldn't break free. I acted immediately, sending ice-infused Summoned Swords into the maw. Twenty, fifty, a hundred—I didn't stop to keep count of how many I created, only that I sent out everything I could muster.
Colossus' flaming maw clenched shut, sputtering flames with bits of frost falling from the corners of its mouth. The demon's face scrunched as if it tasted something sour before suddenly grinning. The sound of gnashing teeth and disturbingly familiar gurgling came from its belly before opening it again. A ball of molten fire came flying at Purity, who couldn't dodge in time and took a direct hit.
"Purity!" Gemini called out.
Another molten ball came flying, aimed directly for the Protectorate heroes. Triumph untangled himself from the streetlight pole and created a wall of deafening sound that rippled the air itself. The ball seemingly stopped in mid-air, leaving it open for me to slice through with Orthrus. It fell apart and splattered to the ground, revealing melted bits of metal and concrete.
"Bastard!" Antares shot toward Colossus with a fist cocked. The demon responded by grinning and meeting her charge, throwing its head forward. Her fist collided with its forehead, causing the air to shake for a moment. For a second everything was still. Then Antares was knocked back, crying out in pain. I saw her hand steaming.
"Pitiful!" Colossus sneered before backhanding her. Her body went smashing straight through a brick wall. "Even with the power Zion gave you insects, you're still nothing! You're not even fit to pick out of my teeth!"
"Zion…?"
There it was. That name again. Orthrus mentioned that name also, but I still don't get it. What does this 'Zion' have to do with parahumans?
I shook my head. I could think about that later. I needed to think about how to win. Come on, think. Its skin is too thick to cut through properly, and its body is too hot to maintain physical contact properly for very long, but it has to have some kind of weakness. I made the bastard bleed when I stabbed my sword through its eye.
…hang on. Earlier, when it tried to suck us in. What if…?
"Gemini!" I called out to my fellow Devil Hunter. "Can you and Triumph keep him busy?!"
"What?!"
"Just trust me!"
I quickly whirled around and ran over to where Purity had fallen earlier. I found her lying on her side, costume burnt and ripped up. Part of her face was exposed; not all of it, just enough to see a patch of singed brown hair and a blue eye.
"Hey!" I called out to her, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her. "Hey, come on! Wake up!" The eye was unfocused and glazed over. The light was dimmed. I feared we lost our heaviest hitter in this fight. Then the light started to return to her eye. She blinked, iris slowly growing more focused.
"…ow…"
"Can you still fight?"
"I-I think so…" Light began to wrap around her like a cloak, obscuring the tear in her mask. "How are we doing…?"
I grimaced. "Getting our asses kicked." I looked over my shoulder and winced.
Gemini was hanging in the air for all but two seconds before gravity pulled her down and fell flat on top of an overturned car, crumpling the door beneath her weight. Her shield was cracked and fizzing out. Triumph was being carried piggy-back by Velocity, the former bleeding from the thigh if the dribbling red stream down his leg was any indication. Antares was flying around, using a car as a makeshift weapon. Said car was less of a vehicle and more of a misshapen lump of metal.
Colossus looked no worse for wear. I could see our attacks were having some effect, but not much. His body was covered in cuts and gashes, his butchered eye still covered in ice, but otherwise barely hindered whatsoever. That said, he was acting sluggish. I couldn't tell if that was because of the ice-infused Summoned Swords I shoved down his gullet or his stamina running low, and something told me it was not the latter. Even if he was slowing down, it did not change the fact that the heroes weren't built for this kind of battle. Antares was hiding it well, but I could tell she was not doing well. She was favoring her right arm more, even though I saw mainly swinging with her left fist most fights.
"D-damn," Purity hissed, clutching her side. I smelled blood on her. "Where was the Fallen hiding this bastard…?"
For a moment, I wondered where Strix was. I pushed him aside in favor of the big ugly bastard wrecking my city. I take a deep breath and start to calm my mind. I needed to focus. I needed to do better.
"Fighting pansies is all well and good if you're playing hero, but there are times when you gotta take off the kiddy gloves," Boss' words echoed back to me when I started working under him. "Demons don't play nice with others no matter who they are. No reason for you not to hold back against them, either. When you fight them, don't play hero, sister. Fight like your life's on the line. Fight like the monster you are. Don't think about it too much, just let your inner devil come out to play."
My inner devil… To be honest, I still did not understand what Boss meant by that. Maybe this was the perfect time for that.
"That mouth on his stomach seems to be his weak point," I said as I fell into position, feet spread apart and Orthrus sliding back into its scabbard. My fingers wrapped around the hilt like a vice. For a moment, I felt clashing elements throb within my grasp; the ebb and flow of an unforgiving tundra and volatile wildfire. I focused on that feeling. "Do you think you can bombard it the next time he opens it?"
Purity's light shined a little brighter. "I can damn well try."
I smirked. I cleared my mind and focus on everything in front of me. I do not see the heroes fighting or the destruction around me. I see only my enemy. A monster to be slain and cut down.
I would not allow this gap in power to stop me. If it did, everything I cared about was going to disappear. Maybe in Colossus' belly.
Like hell I'll allow that.
As if reacting to my thoughts, Orthrus rumbles with power. My smile turned feral and I feel it for but a moment. A ping of instinct.
I let it loose.
It happened so quickly and suddenly, Colossus did not understand what happened at first.
One moment he was laying waste to this human city and in the process of killing Zion's little flesh bags. He could feel that golden bastard's power radiating off them to varying degrees. Why that disgusting thing gave such power to weaklings, he had no idea. Nor did he care. All that mattered was establishing his dominance. This human city would be the first step to establishing his rule and become the beginnings of his epic. He would rise above his kin and become King!
The humans of this city would become his sacrifice towards greatness. One such human was betwixt his fingers, struggling to free herself while screaming in pain as the heat burned away at her body. He raised her to his mouth, ready to bite her in half.
Then he felt a chilling cold pass through his maw and steel slice his tongue clean off. The pain was dull and he would not have noticed it until he tasted his own blood pooling his mouth. Then he felt the cold overcome the pain and hissed.
"Who dares—" A blistering heat came next. It was nowhere near as strong as his, but it was hot enough to cause his skin to crack and calcify. The fingers holding the blonde human fell along with the human, hitting the ground beneath him. A blue-and-black blur sped past his field of vision and snatched the human mid-air.
The blur was that white-haired human with the Devil's Arm, who skidded to a stop. She gently set her fellow human down and turned her gaze to Colossus. It was then Colossus noticed something different about this human. She bore the same stench as the rest of these 'parahumans', but there was a tinge to it. Familiar, but different. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. He glared at the strange human before him for a moment before he realized what the tinge represented.
His grin threatened to split his mouth. "A half-breed…?"
It had been a long time since he came across their kind. A surprise to be sure, but a pleasant and exciting one. Surely this creature would give him a better fight than these weaklings. Excitement swelled through Colossus. He grabbed two discarded cars and shoveled them inside his second mouth, then spat them out in a single ball. The half-breed evaded the attack by jumping onto the side of a building, blitzing across it and crossing the distance between them in moments. She leaped at him and swung her Devil's Arm, creating a wave of flame that obscured his vision.
"Pathetic whelp! My fire exceeds yours!" Colossus expelled a plume of flame, intending to snuff them out. Just as his fire consumed hers, they were expelled and overwhelmed by a cloud of steam that consumed his field of vision. Before he could blow the steam away, a hail of icy blades threw themselves against his face. By themselves, the blades could not do much, but the cold proved an annoyance. He shielded his face and swung his arm out to blow away the steam.
He felt something land on his outstretched arm and something sharp cut into his hide, filling the wound with a harsh frigid chill that swiftly crawled up his arm. He swatted at the annoyance, but felt nothing squish beneath his palm. Silver gleamed through the cloud, and before he could retaliate or defend, it slashed at his eye. Ice filled the wound, icicles digging through the wounded flesh.
Colossus roared in pain, clutching the wounded portion of his face and snarling in rage. "Damnable wretch!" He stomped on the ground, cracking it apart and sending a shockwave through the ruined streets and flailing his arms, finally dispelling the cloud of steam. He caught sight of the half-breed dangling from the ruined remains of a building, sword stabbed into a concrete pillar. "Found you!" he leered and moved to crush her, only to stumble when a wave of abominable noise crashed into him.
It was the same insects from before, the speedster and the banshee that annoyed him to no end. He attempted to squash them, but the red-clad human dashed away before he could crush them under heel. He looked back up in time to see the half-breed in motion, gliding past his face and dragging her sword along his cheek. The incessant chill of her blade was growing into an annoyance as was her leaping. He blew another plume of flame right as she landed. She swung her sword, creating a arctic gust that stopped the flames dead and created a small puff of steam.
In anger, he threw his fist forward and smashed it into the building, causing it to crack and crumble beneath the weight. The half-breed dodged and used his shoulder as a spring-board, jumping to another building. Colossus leaped after her, jumping high into the air and bringing his entire weight down. The half-breed jumped away again, but he had a clear view of where she was going and spat out another plume.
To his glee, the attack struck dead center and knocked her out of the air and back onto the ground. When he fell on top of the building feet-first, he all but sent it crashing down. Only the left side of the wall was left standing, though it looked so fragile a mere gust would knock it down.
"And now… You die!" Cackling with glee, Colossus opened his secondary maw and began to draw everything into it. The crumbling remains of the buildings nearby were pulled into his stomach, melting and grinding within his furnace alongside any destroyed cars. The girl dug her sword into the ground, but it was useless. She was already caught in his pull. In a few seconds, she would be no more than nourishment.
The half-breed struggled in vain to keep herself close to the ground, even firing off those icicle blades of hers. They were painful to ingest, yes, but he need only wear her down. He could endure the pain a while longer.
Colossus learned too late this was a fatal mistake, not noticing the brilliant, burning light ahead of the half-breed.
He only noticed the light when it reached its apex, glowing hot like a star. Then his world turned to white-hot blinding pain as the light tunneled into his stomach and exploded, detonating like a bomb. The force was so great it caused his hide to burn and crack apart, spewing flames pouring out from his own body. He shrieked with pain, stumbling and gasping. He tried to close his secondary mouth, only to realize that it did him no good. The blast created a gaping hole where the contents of his maw were spilling out and sizzling against the concrete.
"N-no…" Colossus wheezed. "H-how can this…?"
The humans took advantage of his dazed state. The half-breed sent a surge of ice towards him and trapped his feet in thick clumps, icicles and spikes digging into the weakened flesh. Steel wires wrapped around his wrists and pulled, yanking his arms back. When he feebily tried to struggle, he met absurd resistance. The speedster had temporarily abandoned his comrade and grabbed hold of the shield-wearing woman and was slamming his feet against the pavement at ludicrous speeds, ensuring he could not move his arms.
Between his weakened state and immobilized limbs, he had no defense against the light-wearing human as she proceeded to bombard him in explosive blasts of light. Each attack wore down his hide, some tearing off chunks of flesh. He tried to retaliate, mustering the strength to spew a gout of flame. The blonde human from before intercepted, carrying that sound-blaring wench in her arms and letting him create a wave of nauseating sound that left him gurgling.
Disbelief overtook Colossus. This…could not be happening. It was not possible. These humans were weak. Helpless! He was but thrashing them around as though they were nothing before, so how did they muster the strength to mount such a counter-offensive? Where did they find the strength?!
"Hmph. Worthless runt. You will never become King." The scathing words of his kin came back to Colossus and filled him with newfound rage.
He would not accept this. He refused to accept this! He was a demon, a higher being! He was stronger than these worthless creatures! He was not like Goliath! He would succeed!
"Damn…you…to…hell…!"
In an act of defiance, Colossus mustered every last ounce of his strength and collected every remaining power in his body, gathering it within his maw. He felt his body strain beneath the pressure and the bombardment, the risk of death very clear. He no longer cared if he died, so long as it meant these humans would burn in his flames.
At its apex, the collective power began to break apart his jaw and face. His remaining two eyes were burning, melting into orange sludge. He could no longer see anything. He did not need to.
"DIE!"
One moment, he unleashed his final attack.
In the next—
"You first."
—a Devil in the making sliced off his head and sent the flames billowing into the sky.
It hurt. Every part of my body hurt in ways I never imagined. My back felt like it was on fire, something was stabbing the right of my insides, my left arm was totally numb and smelled very much like burnt flesh, and my legs wouldn't budge.
I just laid there on the ground, in the middle of the ruined city block, relishing how cold the concrete felt. I was pretty sure most of it had to do with the ice I made earlier to keep Colossus pinned, but I didn't care.
"Wow…" Gemini croaked. "O-one hell of a firework show…"
Velocity set her down against one of the nearby slabs of rubble that hadn't been ingested by the giant bastard. Her armor was, to put it mildly, rendered FUBAR. The metal was scorched, burnt, melted practically everywhere, and her shield was broken apart in so many different places I could see the exposed wiring and circuits. Her helmet was also cracked, looking ready to fall apart any second.
I glanced at the "fireworks" she referred to. Colossus' last-ditch attack seared the sky itself, tearing open a hole in the cloudy sky above. I could still smell the brimstone and smoke. I swear I could see the lingering embers as well. I looked back at Colossus' body…or rather the top half of his head, which would have been staring back at me if not for his eyes being destroyed. One set was caked in ice and the other set melted out of his sockets.
"…think Boss will make us something really badass out of this?" I winced. It hurt to talk. Ugh, my healing factor couldn't kick in fast enough.
Gemini laughed weakly. "He fucking better…" she said, her words lacking any heat whatsoever. "Because after this? I am so taking a vacation…"
…vacation sounded good right about now.
I heard my phone go off in my coat pocket. I would have been amazed by the fact that it somehow managed to survive all this chaos if not for the fact that I recognized the ringtone and groaned. Against my arm's angry protests, every muscle burning in pain from even the slightest movement, I dug into my pocket and answered the call, bringing the phone to my ear.
"Hey, Dad…" I said, trying to sound casual.
"Oh, thank god you picked up!" Dad sobbed. "I thought the worst happened. Honey, w-where are you?"
I glanced at Gemini, who waved awkwardly at me. "Hanging out with a friend… Something happen?"
"No shit something happened! The whole damn city block over by MicKinley's just exploded and there's a ten-foot monster running around!"
"Oh…"
I was almost tempted to tell him I killed it. Almost. I still wasn't ready for that talk quite yet. That and I was too fucking tired to think.
"J-just stay where you are, a-a-and promise me you'll stay safe, okay kiddo?!"
"Okay…" I slurred.
The call ended shortly afterwards. I glared at the decapitated head of Colossus again for a moment before sighing and closing my eyes. Sweet unconsciousness took me moments later. My last thoughts before falling asleep were of the thrill, the exhilaration, the moment in which something inside of me seemed to wake up and take control.
It felt like I was in the passenger seat while a professional driver took the wheel. I was but a stranger in my own body, dancing to the whims of another. It was a feeling unlike anything I've felt before. It was like the moments in which I found myself truly backed against the wall, only stronger and sweeter. I felt I understood Boss' words about letting my inner Devil out to play a little better now.
Even so, I could not deny how frightening it was. The cold edge that seeped into me, the sheer commitment to cut down Colossus unlike anything I'd felt before, not even when I fought the Bloody Cape.
Worse, I still felt its lingering presence. It was there, in the far corner of my mind. Not present, but not totally gone. It was waiting. Waiting for another chance to be let loose upon the world.
It finally struck home then. It was sinking in, the fact that I, Taylor Hebert, was no longer normal. Not human, but something else. Something more.
The last thought I had echoed through my head as I fell asleep, the exhaustion taking its toll.
What am I?
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SkyRig
Wake the f#ck up, samurai.
- Location
- Someplace in California
- Pronouns
- He
On a side note? Yes, the fedora-wearing woman is exactly who you think she is, and yes, what happened is exactly what you think happened.
A reminder that this story has a TV Tropes page, so maybe go check it out and add to it would you kindly?
Another reminder that I also have a book out on Amazon. If you're interested in supporting me financially for any reason, please consider buying Chase Ryder and the City of Lost Memories – Part 1: War. Not to be confused with Jo Ho's Chase Ryder dog-lover book series.
A reminder that this story has a TV Tropes page, so maybe go check it out and add to it would you kindly?
Another reminder that I also have a book out on Amazon. If you're interested in supporting me financially for any reason, please consider buying Chase Ryder and the City of Lost Memories – Part 1: War. Not to be confused with Jo Ho's Chase Ryder dog-lover book series.
Kagemoto
I stand against the Infinite Horizon
- Location
- Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high.
Lmao Potv cant stop the power of getting your ass kicked
wonderful chapter as always, well worth the wait indeed!
Hexcalibur
Not So Ordinary Sword
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- It
A few times in the narration Colossus was refered as Goliath.
Isiri Pudireach
Predictive text can go duck itself
Taytay's inner Devil certainly turned her into a murderblender worthy of being a DMC protagonist. Or at least with someone a little better than a newbie at the helm.
Fuckin metal boss fight though.
Fuckin metal boss fight though.
Well, glad to hear Contessa got to have a good time
Who said it was kicked?
Garreon
Paldean Top Champion
- Location
- Mesagoza, Paldea
So Father Rodin just spanked Contessa. Great to see it.
AnantaAtman
I wandered, I watched, I judged
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Now, this is a boss fight. I wonder what this devil arm will be. I think it will be a gauntlet.
Well of course. Every* DMC game has a gauntlet and greave weapon secondary. Real Impact is a necessity.
*Yes I KNOW DMC 2 didn't. But C'mon... it's barely a GAME, let alone a DMC game.
Guardsman_Sparky
The Clueless Wonder
- Location
- Virginia
I think it's because they're the same subspecies of demon. Also, pretty sure Colossus was comparing himself to Goliath a few times.
Wings-Of-Change
On the Changiest of wings
- Location
- Somewhere over the rainbow
Oh my sweet summer child...
- Location
- Louisville, KY
Yeah, Contessa didn't get her ass kicked. She had sex with Rodin. Just saying it plainly because people don't seem to understand that's why she was limping.
- Location
- United States
Gemini is Anne Barnes, isn't she?
- Location
- Argentina
Never ever name a book as "Part I" unless "Part II" is already written, that's bad karma and a pain in the behind.
That being said, nice to see Taylor finally pulling a Devil Trigger.
That being said, nice to see Taylor finally pulling a Devil Trigger.
Kicked? who said anything about getting her ass kicked?