Trinity Blood: The Second Coming
Chapter 3: Tides of War
Section 3: Dark Wrath
Note: When Astaroshe learned that Abel had died, she thought he was a mortal priest, no more.
Note: I know that traditionally it's Abel and Esther who are supposed to have a romance, but... it is my story... who knows ;) (But don't take that to mean that Astaroshe and Abel will definitely get into a relationship. She likes him, but she also liked Suleyman, and she ended up killing him)
Note: We won the Western and Central MA Division 1 Superbowl 42 to nothing! W00T!
- - - -
(Sassnitz, an Island off the coast of Northern Germanicus)
"Where is Heinrich?" Cain asked, seeing that one board member was absent.
"He's off handling affairs with the army, and collecting information, but that doesn't matter now! We've almost made contact with the Inquisitors in the Alps, according to our spy." The one-armed man said.
"Our men will tear them to pieces!" Another board member said, laughing. The Vatican will soon fall. Cain was about to leave the meeting, when Heinrich rushed in, panting.
"Bad news." He said, catching his breath.
"What is it?" The one-armed man questioned.
"The leader of the rabble in Northwestern Germanicus is Abel!" He exclaimed.
Abel? Cain straightened himself out, and headed towards the entrance.
"Sir, what will you do?" Heinrich asked.
"I will finish him, this time, for good."
(The Alps, In Northern Vatican territory)
Leon struggled on, putting one foot in front of the other. Damn mountains. He had been climbing for hours now, while the Inquisitors had set up camp. Paula had been far less than hospitable when she learned of his mission. Stay out of our way, and we wont kill you, she had said. God damn inquisitors seriously need to loosen up. The worst part, was that Leon found her incredibly attractive. Distracting to say the least. Thinking about her for a moment was enough to distract him from his footing, and he stubbed his toe on a rock. "OUCH!" Leon yelled, pausing momentarily to check to see if he had injured himself. He had not.
They were still miles away from Germanicus, but Caterina's orders had been explicit, so Leon would just need to keep scouting until they found this "shadow army", which so far had remained frustratingly elusive. He looked up, seeing that he only had a few more steps to go before reaching the crest. Wind whipped around him, blowing snow up in sheets which shrouded almost everything more than ten feet away in a white curtain. When he finally reached the peak, he looked in all directions, and found that he couldn't see a thing.
Knowing that he wouldn't be much of a use as a scout until the storm had passed, he turned to begin his long journey back down the mountain, but his foot slipped on a rock, and he stumbled. Regaining his footing, he was relieved that he had not fell.
He craned his neck down the other side of the mountain to see just how far of a fall it would have been, when the wind picked up again. This time, he was not ready, and he fell headlong down the steep slope. Rolling, he tried to bury his heels into the ground, but could not stop himself. He slid down a slick sheet of ice, picking up speed. Hitting a tree, he did a full spin, and something cracked in his chest. God damn, I broke a rib. It was far from over, he sped headlong into a rock, which he rolled over, bruising his back.
He continued to roll and slip down the steep slope of the mountain for another half a minute, when he craned his neck, seeing a ledge, which was approaching with alarming rapidity. Think Leon, he urged himself.
He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a throwing disk. As he approached the ledge, he saw a tree growing right off the side. He felt the ground disappear beneath his back as he flew off the side of the ledge, and swung his arm frantically towards the tree. The disk sunk in, and he held on as hard as he could. His speed was not easily stopped, however, and the force of stopping his momentum dislocated his shoulder. Screaming in pain, Leon grabbed the tree with his other arm and tried to pull himself back up. He tried twice without result, and he could feel his grip slipping. He looked down, seeing that the crevice went down at least fifty yards. Yelling out, he swung his body for one last try, and pulled his trembling body up onto the solid ground. He curled himself into a ball, glad that he had survived, but curiosity made him peek out to the north.
The air was much calmer here, and the sky was clear. In the distance, he saw a huge ominous force of thousands of black-clad Contra Mundi soldiers, marching forward steadily. I need to warn the others. He tenderly pushed himself off the ground with his good hand.
- - - -
(In a hospital of Londinium)
He still had not woken up. His pulse was weak, and his breathing irregular. A bullet had passed through his shoulder, bleeding him thoroughly, and he had almost died. He would have died, if Esther had not had him rushed to the nearest hospital by her own guards.
"There's good news, your excellency." A bodyguard told her. A new one. The old one had been slain by the assassins.
"What is it?" Esther asked, though at this point, she didn't really care what it was.
"There's a patriotic fervor running through the country. Even in the north, they have started to make posters about you... favorable ones."
"That's good." Esther muttered. He will probably not last through the night, the doctor had told her.
"My Queen, this place isn't secure. You need to accompany us to the palace immediately." A tall, red haired guard pressed. Esther nodded, and they exited the building.
They had gone a few blocks, when something swooped over their heads. The red haired guard instinctively hit the ground, a few others surrounded Esther, while the rest ran forward towards the landing point of the strange object. Soon, shots sounded out in the city, as the frontal guard opened fire. A shockwave ripped through them, knocking some men into pieces, and scattering the rest onto the ground, unconscious.
"It's him." One guard hissed.
"Yes, it's lord Cain." The red haired guard said menacingly. The other two guards turned in surprise, but he shot twice with his pistol, hitting them both in the chest, and killing them. Before Esther could react, he pointed the gun at her. "Don't move." He snarled. Cain approached calmly from where he had just killed the rest of Esther's guards.
"Good work." Cain said.
"Thank you, my lord." The guard said, kneeling. Cain raised his arm and blew off his head with a shockwave.
"Traitors are scum." He muttered. "Even my traitors." Esther backed away towards a gun, but Cain only smiled.
"What do you want?" Esther asked.
"Don't worry, I wont kill you, your excellency." Cain said simply. "Though Abel probably will." Having said this, he began to laugh.
- - - -
(Inside a house in Kaltenkirchen, in northwest Germanicus)
As soon as Abel finished drying himself, he exited. When he did, he was surprised to see Ion waiting outside.
"Astaroshe told me to wash up too. I guessshe wants some alone time with you, Abel." He said, giving him a wink. Alone time? Abel wondered as to what Ion was implying. It had taken Astaroshe until the end of their mission in Venice to even recognize him in a favorable light. Perhaps he was just teasing, Abel thought, walking towards the kitchen, but he had recognized something different in Astaroshe's attitude towards him, residing beneath her outward hostility when he had talked to her earlier in the day. Perhaps.
As he grew closer, he picked up the smell of fresh food. His stomach growled, demanding sustenance. He burst in eagerly, and seeing what was on the table, his mouth watered. Asta was sitting across the room, smiling at him as he entered. "I thought you'd be hungry so I put out all the food I could find." She said, motioning to the table. On it, was arrayed three large rolls of bread, and a few pieces of fruit.
"Thank you, Astaroshe!" Abel said, sitting down in the chair next to her and tearing into the first roll of bread.
"Please, call me Asta." She said softly. Her lips were so close to him that he felt the warmth of her breath. Abel looked from side to side, but Tres appeared to be outside. They were alone. Asta was smiling warmly.
"Ok Asta." Abel said, taking another bite out of his second roll. She put a hand on his shoulder as he ate, causing him to stiffen up, but he did not pull back. Her fingers were soft and delicate, sending an electric shock of response through Abel's body.
"Abel, I think it would be best if you returned to the Vatican with me, so you could report back to Caterina." Astaroshe finally said, after a long pause. Abel turned, and they made eye contact.
Abel considered this, and then shook his head in dismissal. "I no longer serve the Vatican. Until my brother is dead, I cannot be a priest."
"Why not?" Astaroshe asked, disheartened. She pulled her hand from his shoulder.
"Because I would need to abide by their rules, and I cannot allow any rules to get between myself and the destruction of my brother."
"Like the rule preventing you from killing innocent civilians in Albion? That rule?" Astaroshe snapped.
"What happened there was much more complicated than that. You can ask Ion!" Abel replied.
"I don't want to ask Ion! I want to ask you!" She said, frustrated to a point of anger, but there was still something pleading in her eyes that drew Abel.
"Asta.. I..." He paused, feeling around for the proper words.
"You what, Abel?" She asked surprisingly tender for the circumstances, drawing closer to him.
"I..." But he was at a loss. The door burst open and suddenly Abel drew back. Tres walked in.
"I have been waiting in the ship as ordered, Astaroshe." Tres said first. "I was contacted by the Iron Maiden. I have been told to tell you that there has been an attempt on the Queen's life, and a more recent sighting of Cain in Albion." Abel stood up from his chair immediately.
"On Esther?" He asked. Astaroshe dropped her head onto the table. "Well, I must go there right away."
"To Esther?" Asta asked weakly.
"To Cain." Abel corrected. He and I have unfinished business.
"Why do you need to kill him so much?" Astaroshe asked.
"Because I hate him." Abel snarled. "He's everything that is evil in this world, and anyone who stands in my way will get the same treatment."
"You've changed Abel." Astaroshe muttered.
"Yes. I have." Abel replied. He began to walk towards the exit of the house. Because it was daytime, Astaroshe could not follow him. "Asta, tell Ion that he has command of the army. You can assist him if you wish." With this said, Abel left.
- - - -
(The Alps, In Northern Vatican territory)
It had taken Leon many hours to return to the camp of the Inquisitors through the heavy snow that was falling. When he finally made it, he collapsed in relief, knowing he didn't have to walk any farther. Inquisitors rushed to him, and helped him into a medical tent, where a doctor looked upon his numerous wounds and mild frostbite.
"You'll live." The doctor said, looking him over. "You'll keep your arm too, as soon as I get to reset it. Bite onto this." The doctor offered Leon a piece of cloth, which Leon eagerly bit into and closed his eyes. With a few solid jerks of his arm, it popped back into place, accompanied by searing pain, causing Leon to cry out. He was fortunate that the cold weather helped preserve the wounds and kept them from bleeding too profusely.
Paula walked in shortly after, wearing her two deadly swords. "What did you see, Leon?" She asked. He was glad she had finally arrived Leon had sent one of the men for Paula as soon as he arrived.
"They're here, over the next ridge of mountains. They could attack tonight." Paula nodded.
"The rebels?" Paula asked sharply.
"Contra Mundi. Reanimated vampires. Thousands of them."
"That's good. Finally we can kill them and be done with it." She said coolly.
"Paula, there's too many. You need to pull the Inquisitors back and get reinforcements." Leon urged.
"Those are not my orders." She replied
"You'll all die!" Leon yelled.
"If god wills it, then yes, we will, but I doubt that it his plan." Leon sighed. What should I have expected from one of these Inquisitor hardheads. She left without saying anything further, and soon the word got around. Men and women in the camp lit torches around the perimeter of the camp and prepped their weapons. The watches were doubled and parties were sent to patrol the surrounding mountains.
- - - -
Paula had heard all she wanted from Leon. The cowardice and lack of faith in AX shocks me, she thought. Her personal opinion that the group should be eliminated had been reinforced by her latest contact with one of their members.
"Everyone's still reporting in as usual. We don't have any disturbances." The chief watchman said, bowing slightly before returning to patrol. I wouldn't put it beyond AX to make something up like this to influence the Inquisitors. As she waited patiently, snow began to fall. Gentle flakes at first, it evolved into a raging blizzard in only a few minutes. The soldiers had to struggle to keep the torches lit. Time passed, and some of the watchmen grew drowsy.
Miraculously, the blizzard got worse, and visibility decreased. Now, even with the torches, it was impossible to see more than fifteen feet in any direction, and the snow muffled most of the talking. Paula walked along the line, bearing the snow without complaint. An inch-thick coating of it had covered her head and shoulders. The other inquisitors, on the other hand, shivered in the cold, and hunched themselves to preserve warmth. The wind blew the snow almost horizontally, momentarily blinding them for seconds at a time, and forcing them to squint.
It had been her third trip around the lines, when she heard the shouting. Rushing to it, she found one of the patrol laying on the ground next to a group of watchmen. He gasped and sputtered, but no words came out. "They came... no where... didn't see..." He finally said. The snow absorbed his steaming blood, until the flowing weakened, and he died. The death was no surprise. His shoulder had been struck with a large weapon, almost severing it.
Word spread along the line very quickly, and very quietly. Paula stared into the north, attempting to see through the impenetrable white curtain. "Draw your blades." She said quietly, drawing her own. The others pulled forth their own weapons, ranging from blades, mechanical lances, and a few assorted firearms.
They were blind in the snowstorm, waiting anxiously. Her comrades, many of whom she knew by name stood by her in a disorganized line. An axe flew from the obscure distance, and struck a man next to Paula. Gasping, he fell to the ground clutching the axe in an attempt to pull out the intruding steel, but it was too deep. He's dead, Paula knew it by the depth of the cut. The line strained their ears but they could hear nothing.
Another axe flew forwards, hitting another man a few to the left of Paula, but they could still not see who had thrown it. "Put out the torches." Was Paula's next order. The lights must be giving away our position. Another axe flew from the distance, this time, its target ducked and it barely missed. Drawing himself together, he charged into the snow. "Hold your position!" Paula ordered, but the man was too crazed to heed her. A dark shadow darted from obscurity and impaled the charging man with a sword, before leaping back out of sight. The stabbed man crawled in an attempt to make it back to the line, but died before he could get halfway back.
"Paula." A ragged voice said from behind her. She turned, but already knew who it was. Leon stood, with his throwing disks in hand.
"What do you want?" Paula demanded.
"If you are all going to get yourselves killed out here, I figured I'd help as long as I could." Leon said.
"Very well." Paula conceded. The next axe to be thrown was answered by a disk thrown by Leon, and she could hear the thump of a undead vampire hitting the ground.
No sooner had this happened, when all hell broke loose. Another wave of throwing weapons struck the lines, decimating them, and seconds later, black clad vampires struck the Inquisitor lines, moving so quickly that they barely had time to raise their blades in defense. Only a few, at first, they became a flood, running forward, cutting into an Inquisitor, and then rushing past them, or running back from where they had come.
The attackers made no noise, and the only thing that Paula could hear was the occasional scream of one of her men as they were killed. Hegrith, a young private that she had gotten to know for his wit, blocked the blow of one of the vampires and attempted to land a hit of his own, but the vampire knocked the blade out of his hand and then cut off his head with one swift motion, before disappearing into the blizzard.
Any Inquisitor that had a gun began to fire randomly into the distance, but it was hopeless. At this point, there were enemies on all sides, having already punched directly through their lines at multiple points. Hearing soft footsteps behind her, she ducked just in time to avoid a blade that would have severed her spine. One of her comrades impaled the attacker as it moved to finish her off, but as he pulled his blade out of the vampire, another attacker dug into his chest with an axe, killing him.
Some Inquisitors broke rank, and ran south as fast as they could, while others began to pray softly as they tried to anticipate the next sweeps. Hearing screams, Paula rushed back towards the camp. The field hospital, she thought fearfully. Leon put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, but she slapped it away.
"We need to get out of here now!" Leon urged.
"I know about your objective. To blow the pass with your explosives. Get out of here, and do it now." Paula said.
"What about you? What about the rest of your men?" Leon asked.
"Do you hear those screams?" Paula asked. Men wailed and begged in the background as vampires killed them one after another. "Can you hear them dying?" Men whimpered and sobbed as the last of their blood seeped from their bodies. "Those are my men, and my responsibility!"
"Good luck then." Leon said regretfully, moving quickly to the south. Paula rushed towards the medical tent, hearing the screams of the dying men inside, and knowing that she would not live much longer.