The Purifier and The Warden
Lucian strode his way over the sand beneath his feet. Only seconds ago had he anchored his small canoe on shore and hopped out onto the beach. He ran with haste to the treeline, where the eerie green sand ended and the dead ground and decaying forestries began. He knew more than anyone, the less time you spent on the Shadow Isles, the better.
This had been his third trip there this week alone. Most would deem him insane, for it was hard enough to survive one trip to the isles, much less this many in such a short time. Ever since that fateful day, though, ever since Senna… He had become obsessed. His days consisted of studying where and when evil beings would make their moves, and his nights consisted of hunting down said beings. Sleep was not a luxury he could afford and it showed with heavy bags hanging below his eyes. The Shadow Isles never specifically beckoned him since these monsters generally kept to themselves, but after his wife's death, he could think of nothing but revenge. So he continued coming back, looking everywhere he could for the one known as Thresh, and so far he had always left empty handed.
He reached the edge of the forest, unholstering both of his guns; Taking a second to admire their craftsmanship. The various designs and symbols on he and his wife's former weapon gleamed a faint silver hue. He read one of the inscriptions carved onto Senna's aloud.
"Knie vor Gericht." The language was from an ancient race of justicars, hellbent on purifying the world. The very same race that created these weapons in the first place. It translated to "Kneel before justice".
The moon was high in the sky, its normal white appearance differed from the green one it cast on the dreaded island. Still, its light illuminated his surroundings quite well, which he considered a good omen of sorts. Snapping his eyes from the moon back to the forest, he surveyed his surroundings. Not much was out of the ordinary. If you considered the ground being completely dead and the vegetation having glowing green veins running through them ordinary, that is. Regardless, he continued his trek forward, holstering one gun and pulling a small map from his pocket. On said map were directions he had made himself after visiting the isles so many times. There were large crossed regions, which could only be assumed were places he had checked thoroughly and had not found Thresh. He traced his finger over a dotted line leading to an abnormally large cavern and decided he would check there for today. It was only a few miles away, so he put his map back, re equipped his gun, and continued north.
The walk was relatively uneventful. He heard the occasional rustle of thicket or shriek in the distance, but nothing seemed to be pursuing him. Regardless, he stayed on high alert, holding both his weapons up, ready to fire at anything that moved. The cave's mouth came into sight, its empty maw offering nothing but howling winds and the darkness that lay on the other side.
Lucian trudged to the cave's opening and gazed inside. He was greeted with nothing but pure darkness. It wasn't the same as regular darkness, it felt like all the light had been sucked out. Keeping his guns steady, The Purifier took a hesitant step inside. Then another. After quite a few more, he found himself completely submerged in darkness. He had lost all sense of direction, the only source of light being the faint glow from his duel pistols. He figured he'd been wandering the various tunnels and denizens of the cave for thirty minutes or so. Unfortunately, he had found nothing to show for it. He found himself worrying slightly, since he had no idea how to navigate this underground maze and there was a good chance he may not find an exit. Just as he started to feel hopeless, an ominous faint green glow emanated from the end of the tunnel. Weapons at the ready, he cautiously walked towards it. Rounding the corner where the source of the light was, he saw a large cavern with green veins running through the rock, lighting the makeshift "room". Sprawled across the ground were wicked looking blades and instruments that he didn't even want to know what they did. There was a flat bed made of only wood with restraints placed in the position of where someone's hands and feet would be. There could only be one being that held so many instruments for torture…
A light hum broke Lucian from his thoughts and he dashed behind the corner, hoping whoever or whatever was humming had not seen him. Poking only his head around for vision, he saw a green skeletal spectre sitting in a chair where he had not been a second ago, sharpening his scythe. C
"La da dee, La da doe, La da dum." The creature hummed. He finished his sharpening and lifted his scythe close to his soulless orbs, inspecting his work. With a nod of approval he stood and turned away from the corridor Lucian was in. Walking to a cabinet beside the torture bed, he opened a drawer and grabbed his lantern. A lantern that held all of the damned souls he had killed. A lantern Lucian knew too well.
A lantern held by the monstrosity that had taken everything from him.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lucian yelled, anger raging inside him like the fire of a thousand suns. Seeing the lantern that contained his wife was the tipping point for Lucian. All care and strategy went out the window as he rounded the corner with both guns held high, firing round after round towards Thresh.
The Chain Wardened seemed unfazed by The Purifier's lively entrance. Springing into action, he nimbly ducked and rolled out of the hail of fire, evading most shots. Lucian's onslaught continued as he ran straight towards Thresh. Feeling the pressure, The Warden launched his scythe forward, striking Lucian in the side. A smirk adorned his features as the scythe remained in The Purifier's body. Using great force, Thresh yanked the chain, causing Lucian to fly straight towards him. Mid flight, he aimed a gun in the general direction of Thresh and fired, praying to whatever god there was it would hit.
The Chain warden felt one of The Purifier's bullets collide against his skeletal body and push him to the ground. Lucian flew over him and landed on his back a small distance away. Thinking quickly, he tore the scythe from his skin whilst releasing a cry of agony. Pushing the pain aside and deciding not to notice the red warm liquid leaking from his side, Lucian regained his composure and met Thresh's gaze, who seemed to have gotten up as well. They stood like this for awhile, Thresh's soulless sockets staring straight into Lucian's eyes that radiated anger. Neither side made a move.
"So Purifier," Thresh spoke, finally putting an end to the stare. "You are here for revenge, yes?"
"I am here for justice. To finish what we started." Lucian responded.
"Ah ah ah," Thresh said, waving his finger. "This is not about justice at all Lucian, heh heh. Keep in mind that you and your beloved attacked me. I was only acting in self defense."
"You forfeited your life when you decided to become this wretched abomination. We were doing you a favor." Lucian said, his eyes narrowing.
"Stop saying "we" Purifier," The Chain Warden laughed, "It is only you now."
"I will kill you and put Senna's soul to rest, even if it is the last thing I do!" Lucian yelled.
"I read in an ancient proverb once that only a fool trips on something behind him. The past is irreversible and the future is irrelevant. The only thing that matters, Lucian, is the present. And you, my dear friend, you have made a grave mistake coming here." Thresh began cackling and raised his lantern, which then showed the ghostly face of Senna trapped inside it. She was screaming, but no noise came. "I've personally made sure her torture quite painful. Think about what you've done to her Lucian. You weren't strong enough to save her, you let her suffer, and finally, when she watches me kill you today, your death will be the best torture for her of all!"
Lucian slumped to his knees, dropping his weapons at her sides and cradling his head in his hands. "I… I did this to her? I am the reason she is suffering so?" He whispered.
"Of course you are!" Thresh laughed, enjoying every second of this. "What else could you be if not her suffering?"
Lucian hands found their way to his weapons and he sprung from the ground, charging headstrong at Thresh. His mind turned to a red haze, and the only thing he could think of doing was killing The Chain Warden.
"THREEEEEEEESHHHHHHHHHHH!" A violent, animalistic screech tore from his throat as he raised both of his guns to Thresh, firing round after round into his body. Each one hit, knocking the warded back more. Finally, Thresh collapsed onto his knees and looked up at The Purifier standing over him. Green blood flowed freely from the several holes in his chest. Lucian put Senna's former weapon against the Warden's forehead and read the inscription written on his own gun aloud.
"Aus der Hölle du gekommen, in die Hölle Sie zurückkehren" Lucian said resolutely, his eyes shining. "From hell you came… To hell you return."
*Bang*
Fin
Author's notes: This is a project I've been wanting to do for a long time now. I have quite a few one shots written on my computer, but I have no desire to turn them into full fledged stories. This will be where I post these one shots, which I will update quite frequently. If you have ANY story or pairing you want to see, pm me or tell me in the reviews and I will write a story about them and post it here. I don't even care if it is the most bizarre pairing in the world, i'll take it on as a challenge.
Cheers,
-RDR