Breath Of Fire II: War Of The Demons

by Magus523

Ages have passed since the Second Dragon War, and as the world moves towards its next great conflict, a young man named Ryu travels the roads seeking his fortune...

37. Chapter 34: The Grand Cathedral

Chapter 34: The Grand Cathedral

"No good," Ryu muttered to himself, sheathing his sword and shaking his head. "It's just not the same." After putting it off for several days, he'd gone up to the roof to try working out by himself, but without Katt, he just couldn't get into it. He'd considered asking one of the others, but after a moment's thought, had figured that the only one likely to agree would be Jean, which wouldn't do at all.

Tomorrow was the day when they were planning to assault Evrai, and as far as Ryu knew, everything was going according to schedule. They'd found enough holy books in Bando to pass around to everybody, and most of the week had been spent studying them. Some of them, like Nina and Spar, took naturally to it no matter how much they despised the faith, but others such as Rand and Jean were having more trouble with it and had still been struggling with their studies when Ryu had last checked. He'd memorized most of the book, himself; hopefully, that would be enough.

They'd brought back suits of full plate mail for all of the men, and nuns' habits for the women and Spar; in addition to the books, Bando had also contained a wide enough variety of sizes to fit everybody, even Rand. Despite that, nobody enjoyed wearing them around, and none of them were planning on keeping their new armor, no matter how durable it was; there was something that just felt unclean about their disguises, tainted in a way that could be felt but not seen, no matter how many times they washed them.

"Not going too well, huh, buddy?" Bow said by way of greeting, and Ryu turned to see him coming up the stairs, dressed casually without crossbow or armor. "I'd offer to stand in, but somehow I don't think that'd work."

"Yeah, no," Ryu replied, wincing at the thought of it. "Been keeping up your practice too?"

"Just got back from it." He nodded, an odd look coming over his face. "Turns out I can hit the five-thousand meter mark now. Bullseye, every time. I know you don't know shit about archery, but I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to be physically possible."

"Huh." Ryu raised an eyebrow. "I'd tell you that working on your quick-draw would be more useful, but I know you're just as good there. I wonder..." Drawing his sword again, he turned back towards the edge of the roof, and with a few quick cuts, sliced off a triangular portion of the knee-high stone edge as easily as if it were flesh. Raising the sword as the segment slid off and fell towards the town below, he examined the blade; it was completely unscratched or nicked. "Yeah, this is a little different."

"No kidding," Bow drawled. "Niro's gonna be pissed when he sees that. So, what, is this just because we're us?"

"That'd be my guess." Ryu nodded. "I suppose I never really noticed because it's been months since I fought anything that wouldn't have been way out of my league a year ago. Even working out up here was always with Katt. Maybe I got a little too used to have her around to spar with."

"If she's the same way, and I'm pretty sure she is, yeah, I can see why it'd be a pretty huge jump from just swinging it around the way you used to and going at it with her." Bow made a face. "You know they've still got some of those mammoth demons roaming around near Bando? Like M.C. Tusk? Been talking with a couple of the Renegades, and it seems she punched one of them out. Didn't even need her battlestaff. Punched out a mammoth."

"That's a yes, then." Ryu sighed. "Ladon, I miss her."

"We all do, buddy." Bow shook his head, sitting down on an undamaged area of the edge. "We all do. She's like a sister to me now, you know? Her and Nina both are. It's hard to believe we've only known each other for half a year."

"I know, right?" Ryu gave him a smirk. "Remember back when you felt like you didn't really fit in with the rest of them?"

"Ladon, don't remind me." Bow put a hand to his face. "I had to fight a demon with Smith as my backup. I didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves that."

"And you learned your lesson, didn't you?" Ryu chuckled. "Just be glad she's not a team player."

"I'd quit," Bow said flatly. "Unless you had a damn good reason."

"It'd have to be good enough for me, too, buddy, and I'm not sure that's possible," Ryu said, but he wasn't entirely sure how honest he was; despite how much she annoyed him, some part of him felt an inexplicable urge to try and look out for Patty whenever she would let him, which thankfully wasn't very often. For both reasons, he was glad to hear that she wouldn't be coming along for the storming of Evrai. "You can also look on the bright side in regards to her sitting this next one out, if you'd prefer."

"Think we're all taking that one as a stroke of good luck," he grunted. "Even Sten. And Jean, not that he'll admit it."

"Think they've been doing the same as us?" Ryu raised an eyebrow. "In terms of improving?"

"Saw what looked like knife marks on some of the targets I set up." Bow nodded. "Not quite five thousand meters, but still a lot further than throwing knives should be going. As for Jean... I don't know about his swordplay, but I did see him take a statue the size of, well, himself to the head earlier today and shrug it off."

"I'd make a joke about that being the most durable part of his body, but this isn't really funny." Ryu shook his head slowly. "That sculptor friend of his, right? Salvatore? I think he's the only guy in town I haven't really talked too much since he moved in. I should remedy that one of these days; he seemed pretty decent, back in Simafort."

"He's an okay guy." Bow shrugged. "Bit high-strung, but most artists are like that." His face grew serious. "Speaking of the townspeople, though... you know we're gonna have to own up to what we're doing, buddy. We've been putting it off, but tomorrow's the big day, and it's anybody's guess what's going to happen, even if it all goes well. We can't risk any fallout they're not ready for."

"Yeah, I know." Ryu nodded, feeling even more dismal than before at the thought of how some of the more religious townspeople would likely react. "I already talked to Niro. He's spreading the word. Town meeting tomorrow after breakfast, before we meet the Renegades."

"You're really getting the hang of this whole 'leadership' thing, aren't you?" Bow joked. "Maybe you should be the mayor instead of Niro." Dodging Ryu's half-hearted jab, he chuckled, then sighed. "Yeah, okay. We'll just have to put the best spin on it that we can."

"That's the idea." Ryu glanced at him. "You told Silvia?"

"Yup." Bow shrugged. "She took it better than I thought, actually. Only thing is, she's still holding out hope that it's just a partial corruption rather than the whole faith being rotten to the core, though. I think she'll get over it; she just needs some time, you know?

"Yeah, that sounds like Silvia," Ryu said wryly, standing up. "Anyways, I'm gonna go see if I can find Nina. You staying up here for a while?"

"Yeah, it's a good night for it." Bow shifted around so that he was leaning on his back, arms crossed behind his head. "Nice and cool out."

"Says the man with fur," Ryu muttered. "Hey, you should test your durability like Jean. See if you can survive falling off."

"Go screw yourself." Bow flipped him the bird without looking.

"Nice talking with you too, buddy." Ryu waved as he headed back downstairs. As he'd said, his first stop was Nina's room, but the door was closed. Shrugging, he continued down to the third floor, only to pick up her voice coming from down at the end of the hall, where Jean's room was. After a moment of wrestling with his conscience, his curiosity got the better of him, and he quietly walked close enough to listen; neither Rand's nor Sten's doors were open, and his ears were good enough that he didn't need to get all that close to Jean's adjacent door.

"-it's not like he's been avoiding me or anything," she was saying. "He's just been depressed, and angry. More angry than depressed, but with Ryu, it's kind of hard to tell. He doesn't really do 'sad' all by itself. At all."

"I have noticed this, yes," Jean replied. "Mademoiselle Katt is the same way, as is monsieur Tiga if I am any judge. I must confess, it is beyond my understanding; while I am occasionally prone to melancholy, anger is not an emotion with which I have much experience. It simply does not come naturally to me."

"You're a rare sort of person, Jean," Nina told him warmly; the two of them had been childhood friends, due to diplomatic ties between their countries. "You're probably right about him and Katt, though. I worry about that sometimes, actually. They're so much more like each other than I and him are, after all."

"Ah, but opposites attract, do they not?" Jean pointed out. "You and monsieur Ryu have just enough in common to understand each other, but are different enough to keep things interesting, yes? I mean no disrespect to mademoiselle Katt-she is as much like a sister to me as yourself now-but I would bet on you."

"Thank you," Nina said quietly. "I needed to hear that. I doubt it's going to be resolved any time soon, though. And right now, I don't think I'd want it to, anyways. I'm not sure I'd be able to take it. To be honest, maybe it's for the best that he's needed some time by himself." There was a short silence then, before Jean spoke again.

"I am not seeing the entire picture, am I, mademoiselle Nina?" He asked, gently but firmly. "Something else is amiss here. Something you have not told me yet."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you've picked up on that," she replied after another moment. "After all, I've always known that you were more intelligent than you let on most of the time." She sighed. "It was after Ryu and Tiga fought. When none of us were thinking clearly. Her least of all, of course."

"A bad time, for all of us, to be sure," Jean recalled, and Ryu drew a little closer; he already thought he knew what she was talking about, and he'd wanted to know for some time. "I recall now, she said something to you, very quietly, before we departed. I would have asked, but did not wish to intrude. What was it that she said that is troubling you so?"

"She said that I'd been wrong," Nina whispered, so quietly that Ryu was barely able to hear her. "That it looked like I was the one who won. When I wrote that, back in Windia, I never thought... I didn't want to... not like this..." She trailed off, and Ryu could tell without looking that Jean would be holding her, which helped him restrain the urge to go to her; as much as he knew that now wouldn't be the time, he still felt it. Instead, he forced himself to turn and walk away, as quietly as he'd come, and continue down to the second floor.

"-a pain in the ass, all right," Sten was saying, loudly enough to be clearly heard clearly from the far end of the hall, where the door to Spar's room was open. Again, Ryu's curiosity got the better of him, and he moved slightly closer, though not as much as had before; Sten was much more likely to notice him if he did. "You're just lucky you get to go as a nun."

"As much as I dislike identifying with a specific gender, I must agree with that assessment," Spar replied. "Plate mail and myself would not be a good mix."

"Nooooooooo," the Highlander drawled. "It's gonna be bad enough with me. Wonder if Deis knows any spells that would help take some of the weight off."

"I wouldn't advise asking her," Spar said dryly. "You might end up with a completely reversed sense of gravity."

"Not really sure what that means, but I'm going to assume it's bad." Sten snorted. "And Rand says he thinks you have no sense of humor. Yeah, okay, I'll tough it out. And hope we don't get in any fights before I ditch the suit."

"As I understand it, if everything goes entirely according to plan, that will not be a problem," Spar told him. "Of course, in all probability that will be completely irrelevant to actual reality."

"Yeah, I was about to say," Sten said, chuckling darkly. "You and me know better than to believe that nothing's going to go wrong. The world doesn't work that way."

"We do tend to have that in common, don't we?" Spar replied. "You, through enough cynicism to match the rest of our little family entirely, and I through logical and reasoning abilities far superior to my emotional capacity. Because of that, we tend to see things in ways the others do not, though sometimes I envy them that." It paused for a moment before continuing. "Have I said something wrong? I apologize if I have."

"No, no, it's fine," Sten assured it, his voice quieter now. "It's just... we really are, aren't we? A family, I mean."

"I admit to being inexperienced with such things," Spar told him. "Aside from Gandaroof, I have never had one. It is not a thing which is natural for my kind; even those others who were sprouted from it are not emotionally attached to me, or I to they. But from what I know of families, among other species... it seems that we have become one."

"No, you're right," Sten said, an odd tone coming into his voice. "This is what family feels like. I'd almost forgotten. But it is. You, and the rest of them... we're family now." After another moment, he spoke again, and now his voice was more familiar, but darker. "Of course, that just increases our responsibility. You and me, and Deis to a certain extent... now we're going to have to look at things in ways the rest of them don't. To do things they wouldn't, if it becomes necessary, for them."

"An unpleasant thought, but one I must agree with," Spar murmured. "I take it that you refer to the circumstances surrounding the absent member of our group?"

"Got it in one." Sten agreed. "It ain't right around here, without her, and it's not going to be until she comes back. Now, I like Lee, despite all this bullshit, and I'd prefer we stay on good terms with him and his after this is all straightened up. It's good business sense, if nothing else. And if Bow's right, and this all blows over eventually, everything will be fine. But if he's not, and Lee turns out to be the stubborn sort... well, that's when we just might have to unfortunately resort to an accident."

"You realize, of course, how the others will react should they hear of this," Spar said after a moment. "I do not believe that is quite conducive with their preferences."

"That's why we keep it between us," Sten explained. "Standards are all well and good, but keeping everybody together is more important. And if that means reverting to old habits, I'm willing to backslide for their sake."

As much as he wanted to walk in and call them on it, Ryu couldn't quite bring himself to; he disliked what they were considering, but he understood the meaning behind it, and that was a different story. All the same, he didn't want to hear any more, and so he went back down the hall, continuing down to the ground floor. The meeting room was dark and empty, but the door to the kitchen was open, and he could hear another conversation from in there.

"Yeah, the keg's finished off now," Deis was saying. "Think we should start on another one?"

"Not unless somebody else comes down here and wants some," Rand replied. "I'll be good with this one for the night."

"Spoilsport," she said dryly. "We're just getting started. Sobriety is overrated."

"And so are hangovers," he shot back. "Especially considering we have a big day tomorrow. Why do you think I'm setting a few things up here for Niro in the morning?"

"Because you're a nice guy," she shot back, voice deepening. "And a good cook, too. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that when I first met you."

"I don't exactly look the type, huh?" Rand chuckled easily. "Guess I inherited it from my mom. Hope she's okay when we find her tomorrow."

"She will be," Deis assured him. "We'll get her out of there. You can count on us."

"I know I can," he said warmly. "Thanks."

"Any time," she replied in the same tone as before. "Just let me know if there's anything else I can help you with, hmmm?"

"Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Rand told her. "See, I'm pretty sure you're just teasing me when you do that, but... why don't you go ahead and say so anyways."

"Sort of," Deis said after a moment. "I guess I should have seen this coming. I've kind of been pushing it. I do that a lot."

"Yeah, I noticed," Rand agreed wryly. "I'm not complaining. It's just that I am a guy, and even if I'm not dealing with as many hormones as the rest of them, that doesn't mean I'm not male, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," Deis admitted. "And I've been leading you on. The thing is, under normal circumstances, I actually would be interested right back. You're my type, and my kind of life doesn't really lend to getting hung up on 'forever' and all that romantic bullshit. I've gone with something casual every time before now, and I've never regretted it. The problem is..." She sighed. "Turns out last time is still around, this time. That's never really happened to me, before, and it... complicates things. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but..."

"I understand," Rand assured her. "It's all right. That's why I asked. So we could get this straightened out before I started getting the wrong idea. Friends, then?"

"I think we're a little more than friends by now, don't you?" She asked, quietly but warmly. "Just not in that way, is all."

"Of course," he replied in the same tone. "Can't think of anybody I'd want more to help me keep the rest of these clowns out of trouble."

"That's a bad habit there, son," a voice behind Ryu said quietly, and it took every once of self-control he had to keep himself from jumping. Slowly, he turned to see Niro watching him with a frown upon his face. "I'd advise you try an' kick it."

"I know," he said after a moment. Walking over to the table, he sat down, and Niro took his own accustomed seat as well, opposite him. "A habit's exactly what it is. I've been trying to lose it ever since we moved in here, but every so often..." He shrugged. "They're hard to break. Especially this kind."

"Any particular reason you started it up?" Niro asked, his voice calm, though there was still disapproval in his eyes.

"Yeah." Ryu held up his Dragon's Tear. "It started with this. I just got used to seeing what people thought of me without knowing I was. Listening wasn't a very big step, after that. And then when I started living on the road..." He shrugged again. "Well, it was just smart. I know that it's not like that any more, though. Not around here."

"I was about to say." Niro nodded. "Seen you doin' it a couple times before, an' figured on keepin' my old mouth shut, since I ain't one to judge. But that right there was real private, I'm guessin'."

"I know." Ryu sighed. "It won't happen again."

"Good." The old man smiled. "She'll be back, son. You don't get to be as old as I am livin' the kind o' life I used to without learnin' how to know people, and nothin' on this world or any other's gonna keep that little firebrand away from here for long, so long as she's still breathin'. Now go on upstairs an' get some sleep, huh? You got a long day ahead o' you tomorrow."

"All right, grandpa," Ryu joked, but it wasn't entirely sarcastic; he hadn't spent as much time on the road with him as the others, but he trusted Niro just as much as any of them, all the same. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." Bumping fists with him as he walked past, he did as the old man had suggested and went up to his room. Taking a moment to look at it and think about how quickly it had become home, in a way even his and Bow's cheap room in Hometown had never been, he disrobed and climbed into bed.

"Family, huh?" He muttered to himself as he nodded off.

Power. We still need more of your power. God still needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Give your heart and mind to God. You are becoming God's power...

Despite the voice in the dark, Ryu slept fairly well, as much as he ever did. Breakfast was pleasant the next morning, and everybody cheerfully made small talk over it, all deliberately avoiding any mention of what would come later that day. If any of their outlooks had been changed by their conversations the previous night, none of them showed it, though Niro did shoot Ryu a stern glance when nobody else was looking.

Once they were done, they headed outside and waited on the rise before their house, by the statue of Ladon, as the townsfolk gathered a few at a time. It always slightly surprised Ryu just how many of them there were now, no matter how used he was to most of them individually; counting themselves, the total population would be nearing forty soon. Mrs. Rivab had remained home with her son, but everybody else was there, old and young, the first to move in along with the newest tenants, including Eichichi and Surfy.

"All right, looks like we're all here," Niro said once El, the Highlander chief of the town guard (which, so far, consisted entirely of himself) walked up. "Thanks for comin', everybody. Hate to bother you all-you're all busy, you got stuff to see to, we know-but this is important. Somethin's come up that you should all know about."

"Take it it's got something to do with a job you're on?" Eizen, one of the carpenters, asked bluntly; he was the only one of the three who was unmarried, but he'd brought his nephew, Lacquer, with him to do all of their painting.

"How'd you guess?" Bow smiled for a moment.

"Even I knew that, kid," Barose the mage snapped grumpily. An antisocial misanthrope, he was also incredibly skilled, and was dealing with the town's wards and defenses in exchange for his house. "And I've barely been here a couple of months."

"Speaking of that." Ryu glanced at him. "How much do you know about what we're doing? Same for you, El, Eichichi, Surfy. None of you were there for the meeting we had over at Duke Kilgore's summer place."

"No, but the other residents have been filling us in on the general knowledge," Surfy replied, raising an eyebrow. "I must confess, my first instinct was to be skeptical on the subject of demons, but if everybody else is accepting their existence as fact, then I will take it as such as well; I know how to spot a liar, and I haven't here."

"It's no lie," Watts, the local entertainer, told her with unusual grimness; the cheerful old man had journeyed with a traveling circus until his age had caught up to him. "My old ringmaster was one of them. I saw these fellas take him out with my own eyes, and there wasn't any other explanation."

"Niro usually keeps us up to date on how that's going," Hanz, an ex-Ranger who ran the general store, added. "Lately, though, he's been saying he can't really talk much. So we've been assuming that there's something new that's come up. Something big."

"That's an understatement, I'm afraid," Niro admitted. "'Fore we explain just what the deal is, I'm gonna ask you all not to speak a word o' this to no one, nowhere. Can't make you, but we're serious about askin'. This is one thing we don't want getting out o' town limits an' onto the rumor mills. An' once you've all heard us out, if any o' ya feel like ya don't belong here any more, we'll understand, though we're hopin' it don't come to that."

"How bad is this?" Mrs. Haseco, the young wife of another carpenter, asked semi-jokingly; she and her husband had been among the first to move in after the group themselves, Granny and Sana.

"About as bad as it can get," Ryu said flatly. "I won't try and soften this. We've suspected, and as of last week, confirmed that demons have infiltrated the Church of St. Eva, in a major way."

There was a stunned silence for a moment, until the crowd exploded in frenzied chatter.

"All right, all right, settle down, all of ya!" Niro shouted. "We know, but let's not get out of control, huh? That ain't helpin' anybody! One at a time!" Slowly, order started to restore itself.

"Are you sure?" Kay, the town doctor, asked quietly once everybody else had settled down. A quiet, pretty young woman of great skill, she'd been raised by the church alongside their friend, the paladin Ray Braddoc. "Isn't there some possibility that you could be mistaken?"

"We hoped there was, for a long time," Bow lied, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, that's not on the table any more. Last week, we discovered that Bando, in the Wasteland of Scande, was completely subverted. We found nearly a dozen demons there, and their leader, Father Manson, was actually the Demon Lord Necromanson. They've got paladins, clergymen, and even nuns. It's a bad scene."

"I can confirm that," Seny added, scowling. "I was a prisoner there, and I wasn't the only one. They even went so far as to hide demons among us in case somebody freed us. The entire basement was one huge torture cellar and crypt."

"It'll be all right, Kay," Baretta, a young woman whose wiry build belied her trade as a smith, assured the doctor as she started to tremble. "They're not saying the entire faith is corrupt, right?"

"No, we're not," Nina agreed, giving her a grateful look; they'd been friends since they were children, though they'd only reunited recently. "In fact, that's one of our top priorities right now. Determining exactly how far the infection has spread."

"At the moment, we're fairly certain that it's mostly concentrated at the heart of the faith," Ryu picked that up. "So all of the clergymen and women you've known in other cities and towns are likely completely uninvolved. With luck, we'll be able to make this as clinical a cut as possible. Take out the rot, and let the rest rebuild in time. The only problem is the question of just how much we're going to have to remove." That was a lie, but it would be easier to explain the destruction of Evrai after the fact rather than admit they were planning on it.

"We've teamed up with another group," Sten said, and his voice held the same no-nonsense tone of command it had when he was a General in Highland. "The Renegades, out of Carmen. Today, we're going to infiltrate Evrai, and find out just what we're going to have to do there to take care of this. Hopefully, it won't be too bad, but this needs to be stopped, no matter what. That's why Niro said that, at the beginning. In a worst-case scenario, we'll be making an entirely different name for ourselves, and..." He paused for a moment, then glanced at Jean.

"Should that happen, we would not want anybody who is not implicit to be blamed for what we did, however reluctantly," the Prince explained. "You are all our friends, but this is not your responsibility, and it is not your duty. You should not have to be involved."

"Screw that," Azusa said boldly. "You know we trust you guys. If you gotta do what you gotta do, then that's what you gotta do, I say!"

"And if anybody shows up here talking shit about it, we'll pitch 'em right back out the way they came!" Maclean added.

"What they said!" Granny agreed sharply. "Nobody talks shit about you folks but us, and nobody does that to my granddaughter and gets away with it! Right, girls?" All five of her granddaughters nodded firmly.

"We've been with you since we started building this place back up on day one," Mr. Haseco said firmly. "And even before that... you saved my son's life, back in Capitan, and mine as well. Hell, even without that... we still owe you more than we'll ever be able to repay, Niro, all three of us. And our families, too."

"We're with you, 'til the day we die, bosses," Lacquer, a normally somewhat high-strung young man, promised levelly.

"There's no power on heaven or earth that's gonna keep us from doing everything we can for you, little Nina, and that goes for your friends as well," Baretta's uncle Lemington, a burly old man who'd taught her the trade, growled. "We'll have to make sure we've got some new gear for you by the time you get back. I've got a feeling you'll need it."

"And I'll have to order some special supplies," Hanz added. "Your word's good enough for me, Ryu, Bow. Always has been."

"The First Bank of Prima takes no part," Surfy said levelly. "But should anything untoward happen... we pay our debts."

"I don't like you brats, but I don't like anybody," Barose growled. "And you gave me a house. When you get back, all of you who know your way around magic can come see me, and I'll show you a few special tricks."

"You gave me one too," Eichichi nodded. "And more. I was going to tell you about what I'd found, but I guess that should wait until you get back, too."

"This town's all I've got, now," Watts murmured, scratching his head. "I'm not going anywhere, as long as you'll have me."

"I trust my prince," Salvatore declared, twirling a false mustache. "And I trust his friends."

"Defending this place is my job," El said, his high-pitched voice just as resolute. "If this is what you guys say is right, then it's what's right."

"Thanks, guys," Bow said quietly, as everybody looked at Kay, who'd remained silent.

"You are all good men, and women," she whispered after a moment. "Though everything I know protests against this... my heart says to trust you. I will pray to St. Eva that you are successful, and that you restore the faith to what it should be... and..." She took a deep breath. "I believe... that should there be no other choice... St. Eva would rather have the faith be lost to the world than have it become a perversion of Infinity. Do what you must. I will remain here." She met Ryu's eyes, but couldn't quite smile. "And I'll see you all after you return, no matter how marginal your injuries are."

"What makes you so certain they're going to be injured?" Seso asked her.

"Because I know them," Kay replied wryly. "And no matter how frighteningly competent they are, these people could break a bone looking for a lost pet."

"That actually happened once," Ryu joked. "Thanks, Kay. All right, people, those of you who are going to fuse, do so. After that, let's put on our nice new clothes and head over to meet up with Katt, Lee, and the rest of those maniacs. It's time we got this over with." The meeting broke up, the townspeople drifting apart, and Sten, Jean, Rand and Nina all went next door. As he turned away, for a moment, Ryu almost thought he saw the Statue of Ladon smile, but when he looked directly at it it was as immobile as ever.

Once everybody had finished fusing, they went back into their houses and dressed in their disguises. The paladin's suit of full plate mail was bulkier and heavier than the incomplete set Ryu was used to, but not unbearably so. Once they were all dressed, Jean warped them all to a valley on the island of Evrai, a mile south of the city. He and Chip had come there the other day, and marked a point where they would all meet up. It only took them a couple minutes to find it, and then only a few more before the Renegades appeared as well, and Katt along with them.

"Hey," she said, more warmly than she had the last time, though she still looked more reticent than normal; despite her slightly feral features, she wore her nun's habit surprisingly well.

"Yo," Nina replied calmly, causing everybody to blink. "What? Did I say it wrong?"

"Never mind," Ryu told her, smiling slightly, before glancing at Tiga; like the rest of the Renegades save for Katt and Jasmine, he was clad in paladin's plate. "Everybody ready for this?"

"And willing," Tiga agreed, smirking. "Smith says give 'em hell, and bring back a souvenir."

"And by souvenir, she means a head," Little P chuckled. "Preferably several."

"Why am I not surprised?" Deis rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "That's Smith, all right."

"Any word from Claris yet?" Bow asked.

"None." Katt frowned, looking worried. "And I don't like that one bit. I mean, I know she's good, but..."

"She's not just good," Tiga told her. "She's the best. Hell, she might even be better than me. I've never seen her screw up, not even once, and we've worked together all my life. I don't know why she's gone quiet, but hey, easy to find out. Let's go see how she's doing, huh?"

"I think we can all work with that," Ryu agreed; despite his own concerns, he had to admit that Tiga had a point from what he'd seen of Claris. "How many bombs did you get?"

"Two dozen," Chip said, patting a bag that he was carrying over his shoulder. "We set these babies at the right places, there won't be enough left of that cathedral to make a broom closet out of. Only trick is gonna be figuring out where to put them."

"Seeing as how I somehow doubt there'll be a map lying around, we'll just have to play that by ear." Sten shrugged. "Good news is, we're all good at improvising. Just watch your ass; you're the only one of us who knows what you're doing with those things. Demolition never was my specialty."

"The man know what he's doing," Tiga assured him, before glancing at Ryu. "You guys have been here before, so you wanna take the lead?"

"All right." Ryu lowered his visor, and the rest of the men followed suit. "Claris' place is pretty easy to find. Let's head on over."

Evrai was just as bright and beautiful as it had been before. The illusions had been fully restored, and everybody seemed happy and cheerful, shouting greetings to them as they walked past. It took every bit of self control Ryu had to wave back; no matter how it looked now, he knew the truth, and it made the city of lies sickening to his senses. Everything he saw and heard only made it worse, and he guessed that the rest of his group felt the same, though all of them were silent.

"This place gives me the creeps," Big P muttered under his breath before being shushed by Tiga.

"This is the place," Deis told them as they approached Claris' house. "Let's just hope we don't get held up this time. The way we're dressed, she might fire first and ask questions never."

"By the looks of this, I'd say that that's not what we should be worrying about right now," Jasmine said quietly; the door was hanging open, and the numerous locks were visibly broken. "Crap."

"Keep calm," Rand told Tiga. "Blowing our cover won't help anybody."

"I know," the Woren Clansman growled as they all walked inside. "Search the house. We need to find out what happened here."

The entire residence was completely totaled, the once-nice furnishings now fit for the scrapheap. Even when he'd been living in a shitty apartment with Bow a year back, Ryu would have turned up his nose at the prospect of just about anything he saw. Furniture was splintered, windows shattered, rugs and tapestries bore bloodstains... even the religious statues had all been toppled. Whatever had happened to Claris, she clearly hadn't gone down without a fight. In the end, it was Katt who found the note, hidden in a waterproof seal inside the toilet's septic tank with Tiga's name on it.

They're on to me. A paladin named Gabriel has been practically stalking me, and after I refused his advances for the twentieth time, he started to grow suspicious. It's my own fault; I got sloppy since the soulless ones don't notice anything. If I stop sending word, and I'm not here when you arrive, it means they've come for me. I'll try not to be taken alive, but if I am, don't do anything stupid. It's not just you and me any more. We're responsible for everybody now, not just each other. Do what you have to do. I'm sorry I blew it, now of all times, when it matters more than ever before. I lo

"Looks like they started knocking before she could finish it," Bow guessed as they passed it around. "Not good."

"Are you okay?" Katt asked Tiga quietly; the Woren Clansman's fists were slowly opening and closing.

"No," he admitted. "No, I'm not. Claris... she's been my best friend as far back as I can remember. Ever since we ran away from Namanda together. I never even thought about what it'd be like without her around. She can't be dead. She... she just can't."
"We don't know for sure, boss," Goof pointed out. "Maybe they just hauled her up to the Grand Cathedral. We can go looking for her once we get in."

"Could be she'll be in the same place they're keeping Rand's mom," Deis agreed. "We can bust them out together."

"Yeah." Tiga slowly nodded, crumpling the note up. "Yeah, okay. Stick to the plan it is. We should probably get out of here, then. Maybe we can ask one of the poor schmucks on the way over if they know what happened."

"Not a good idea, man," Ryu told him, shaking his head. "Could be the demons have plants among them, just in case something like this happens."

"Yeah." Tiga slowly nodded. "Yeah, okay. It's just... dammit!" Snarling suddenly, he whirled and demolished an entire wall with one punch. As everybody stepped back, he stood still for a moment, breathing heavily, before nodding sharply. "All right. Let's get in there, then."

Leaving the house, they proceeded through Evrai towards the massive stairs before the Grand Cathedral in a straight line and began the climb. In full plate mail, it was more difficult than Ryu had expected, especially since he had to put an effort into not showing the strain; an actual paladin would have made the climb many times before. He could only imagine how Jean and Bow were feeling, though he didn't dare turn his head to look.

"Brothers," one of the paladins at the door hailed them as they approached the top. "Sisters. Welcome back to the heart of the world. Where have you returned from?"

"Bando," Ryu replied, raising his visor; they'd decided earlier that that would be the safest answer if the question arose. "We bear news for Father Habaruku, from Father Manson."

"So many of you, simply to deliver a message?" Another paladin asked, sounding suspicious. "Surely one or two of you would have sufficed."

"Unfortunately, this is no ordinary message," Ryu told him, doing his best to sound grim. "Bando was attacked by armed heretics yesterday."

"No!" The first paladin blurted out, raising his own visor; he was middle-aged and stout, with large eyes and heavy jowls. "Is Father Manson..."

"Unharmed, thanks be to God," Tiga told him. "We managed to drive them off, but several of them were able to escape. All of us were witnesses to the attack, and so Father Manson ordered us to come tell Father Habaruku what we saw, so that he may decide how the faith will pursue this matter."

"Then you must see him immediately, as soon as mass is over," the first paladin said fiercely. "The protection of the faithful from violent heretics is our foremost responsibility."

"I agree, brother," the second one said, still sounding skeptical. "Let us proceed with the formalities with all haste, then, so that these brothers and sisters may attend."

"Yes, of course," the first paladin agreed, lowering his visor again. "Ahem. Brother..." He paused. "Forgive me, have we met?"

"I don't think so, brother," Ryu admitted. "I only took my vows a few months ago, and I have not yet met all of our order."

"So young, and you lead this group?" The second one said, voice warmer now. "You must be talented, brother. May I ask who it was who oversaw your vows?"

"Brother Braddoc," Ryu replied calmly. "It was he who first convinced me to enter the order."

"Oh, Ray?" The first paladin chuckled. "We should have known. He's brought in more paladins save for anybody but Father Manson himself. Well then, would you care to start us off, brother?"

"Of course," Ryu said calmly, hiding his panic; he'd studied the holy book, but he'd hoped there would at least be some sort of prompt as to what he was supposed to do. Desperate, he seized upon the first thing that came to mind, and recited the start of a random hymn. "St. Eva, and his children..."

"Will endure beyond time and space," the first paladin replied, nodding to him and glancing at Tiga expectantly as he and his partner took hold of a handle each and swung the massive double doors open. Taking that as his cue, Ryu walked inside as Tiga stepped forward.

"The voices of our prayers..." the Woren Clansman said as Ryu entered the Grand Cathedral.

He'd expected to enter the place of worship immediately, or at least a lobby, but neither was what awaited him. Inside the doors was a massive, dark room that appeared to stretch all the way to the roof. The huge front of the grand cathedral seemed to be for appearances only; beyond it was another wall, this one much more sturdy-looking, constructed of dark brick. There were no windows, and more stairs led up to the single grim door, though thankfully not nearly as many.

Stepping to one side, Ryu patiently waited while the rest of the group went through the rite of entry, joining him and Tiga one by one. They'd alternated Renegades and Dragonkin for the most part, though all of the women had been at the back. As a general rule, Ryu's group managed to get their lines right without any trouble, but several of the Renegades sounded somewhat uncertain. Fortunately, the actual paladins seemed not to notice, and a few minutes later they closed the doors behind Katt, leaving them alone in the entrance chamber.

"Oui!" Jean whispered jubilantly. "So far, so good, yes?"

"Close, though!" Don muttered, turning his head towards Ryu. "Why'd you choose such a hard one, Bateson? I almost screwed it up!"

"My bad," Ryu admitted. "I panicked. Just went for a verse without thinking about which one."

"Hey, we're in, right?" Katt said, clapping them both on the shoulder. "That's what counts. Let's get on up there, huh?"

"What she said." Tiga nodded, starting up the stairs, and the others followed him. "What worries me is what they said about mass. Think somebody'll be giving a sermon?"

"If there is, we'll have to sit through it," Ryu said quietly. "Chances are it'll be the Archpriest. This Habaruku asshole. Can't help anybody if we blow our cover."

"Yeah, yeah," Tiga muttered, but he didn't argue further as they reached the door and walked on into the nave. This, at least, was about what Ryu had expected; it was similar to those of other churches, but on a far grander scale, looking to be nearly a mile square. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of pews were filled with the bustling congregation, all chatting eagerly about the upcoming sermon; there was only one left open, in the back, but it looked wide enough for all of them. Without a word, they all slipped in and sat down quietly, and were thankfully ignored by the citizens.

"Let's just hope this one wasn't being saved for somebody else, or we're in trouble," Max commented quietly.

"Shhhh!" Goof hushed him. "Come on, kid."

"Nah, dad, remember?" The younger man shook his head. "These schmucks won't even care what we're talking about. Claris said so. We just have to keep our voices down so no paladins hear us. Any of them in here? Or any other guards"

"There appear to be a pair of archers, but that's all," Nina murmured; up in the back wall, there was a single door to the far left of the altar and statue of St. Eva, and a pair of reptilian Kimoto Clansmen were flanking it, grim and silent. "I don't see any others."

"How much do you guys know about Habaruku, anyways?" Sten asked. "Not much gets out of Evrai about him. Just that he's the head of the church. We can pretty much conclude from that that he's a demon lord, but that's all we've got."

"And here I thought you guys always did the research," Mick joked. "Lucky for us, we did. Get this. He's not just the current head, he's the only one. As in, ever. The guy's the founder. The story goes that St. Eva gave him eternal life in order to bring his message to the world. Of course, we know the real reason. He's been around for centuries, and apparently his magical talent is ridiculously powerful."

"I can testify to that," Deis growled, looking irritable. "I can feel him already, even though he's not here yet. He's good, maybe almost as good as me, but it's the most disgusting power I've ever seen. Makes my skin crawl."

"Ditto," Bow agreed, and Nina and Spar both nodded as well.

"If you guys say so." Don shrugged. "Oh yeah, and apparently he only actually puts in an appearance about once a week. Maybe paladins and churchmen see him more often, but nobody else."

"Just our luck we'd show right in time for it," Big P muttered.

"All I care about is when he's finally going to get here," Tiga said flatly.

"All rise!" One of the paladins called out on cue, and the room went silent. "All rise for the Archpriest, and founder of the faith! Father Habaruku!" Everybody stood, including both teams, as the door slowly opened.

"God is great," the old man in the doorway said slowly, his high, rasping voice ringing through the nave. "God is good." He was short and ugly, dressed in rich robes, purple over green and both trimmed with gold, one gnarled hand resting on a simple wooden cane. His beard and mustache were both long and wild, a dirty yellow, though his massive head was completely bald. His nose was large as well, red and warty, and his eyes normal, though the irises were black... until Ryu looked directly at them, and recoiled automatically from the sheer malevolence within. "God shall reign eternally."

"Who is he?" Deis hissed to herself. "I know I've met him before, but in a different shape and form and name. Where?"

"Welcome once more, faithful ones, to the heart of St. Eva," Habaruku continued as he began making his way towards the altar and pulpit; it was obvious from his pace that the cane wasn't just for show. "As always, your presence here fills our God's heart with joy, even as you fill this nave with your bodies. Thank you for your devotion, my beloved friends. Through your prayers, we draw ever closer to the day when St. Eva's love covers all of the world, and every living creature shall be one with God. Praise be to God."

"Praise be to God," everybody else echoed, including both teams.

"Here, in eternally bright Evrai, where the sun always shines and spring lasts forever, there is nothing but that which is beautiful," Habaruku continued. "All that is ugly, all that is bleak, all that is unpleasant and distasteful and sacrilegious, simply does not exist upon this island of Evrai. One day, and this day may be very soon indeed, all of this world will be like Evrai, and all men and women and even the creatures of the wild will enjoy God's blessing. Even the most savage of monsters will be pacified by God's touch. May God be with them."

"May God be with them," the congregation repeated again.

"And now, faithful ones, I shall speak to you of our God's heart and mind, so that you may know his wish and his will." Finally reaching the pulpit, Habaruku turned to face them, raising his arms so that his hands were level with his eyes, spread wide. "I have spoken to you of many things before. Of love, of faith, of dedication, of sacrifice. I have spoken to you on nature and on truth, on morality and on family, on life and on death. I have spoken of magic, of science, of history and of art. I have spoken to you of good and of evil. But today, I will speak to you not of that which is beloved by God, but that which is despised by God. Today, my friends... I will speak to you of blasphemy."

"Not good," Bow murmured as the congregation began muttering angrily.

"Remain calm," Spar told him. "We must remain congruent with the plan, as long as is possible."

"Heresy is a complicated subject, as we all know," Habaruku said, calm and reasonable, as the grumbling died down. "According to St. Eva's teachings, men must choose to accept his blessing of their own free will, rather than out of guilt or compulsion, so that their belief will be true. Because of this, we must tolerate the existence of those who refuse St. Eva's love, out of foolishness or stubbornness, no matter how hideous such may be to our eyes and the eyes of our God. Unbelievers are to be pitied rather than hated, for they may never know what a glorious thing St. Eva's hand is."

"I can't believe I ever bought into this crap," Mick whispered, disgusted.

"Most of them aren't this obvious about it," Katt pointed out. "That's the thing about the holy books. They're open to inte... inter... something."

"Interpretation?" Nina suggested, causing her to make a face.

"La... I mean, god, I hope not," she muttered. "I mean, I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to that sort of thing, but you gotta draw the line somewhere, you know?"

"I don't think that word means what you think it means," Spar said after a long moment. "At all."

"However, while most heretics are simply sad and misguided, there are others of a more... dangerous nature," Habaruku continued, the statue of St. Eva looming behind him. "Those who do more than simply turn away from our faith, and our God. Those who turn against us, and with hatred in their hearts, devote themselves tirelessly to our destruction, and the destruction of everything that we stand for. There are words for such wretched souls, who do the work of the demons of Infinity, are there not?"

"Sinner!" One deep-voice man shouted.

"Blasphemer!" An old woman screeched.

"Abomination!" Another man suggested.

"All accurate words, for the most hideous of heretics," Habaruky agreed, his own voice still calm and peaceful despite how it carried throughout the room. "For you see, faithful ones, I regret to inform you that one such heretic has infiltrated this most holy of places, and dared to live among us while plotting treachery and deceit. Yes, one of our own number is a heretic terrorist, who entered Evrai without the permission of God or his servants, in order to learn the holy city's secrets, so that she would be able to use them to bring about our destruction!"

"Oh, crap!" Katt hissed, as the crowd erupted in angry yelling. "You don't think..."

"Don't freak out!" Tiga whispered, staring straight at Habaruku. "Act natural, or else he'll realize something's up with us!"

"Does anybody else feel weird, all of a sudden?" Little P groaned, putting a hand to his helmet. "Kind of groggy... and my head hurts, too..."

"You too, son?" Big P asked, and the other Renegades began muttering agreement.

"I feel fine, mon amis," Jean said with a shrug.

"Yeah, same here," Sten agreed, as did the rest of the Dragonkin. Tiga said nothing, too busy staring at Habaruku.

"St. Eva spoke to me, and led me to where the heretic lurked, her poisonous fangs hidden carefully and waiting for the moment to strike," Habaruku was saying, voice carrying over the crowd's roars. "Brother Gabriel led a delegation of paladins to apprehend her, and they succeeded, though not without cost. Seven brave knights of God sacrificed their lives in the process of capturing her. They gave their lives freely, in the service of God, and to protect you from her murderous plans."

"Seven?" Sten whistled. "Damn."

"I knew she was badass," Katt muttered. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"I should have been here," Tiga growled. "I shouldn't have let her go all by herself without backup! What's wrong with me?"

"And now, behold!" Habaruku exulted, raising the index finger of his free hand up in the air. "Behold the heretic! Behold the viper in the garden of God, the infection in God's heart! Behold the evil one!" The room went dark, as a beam of light shone straight down from far above, a golden pillar directly behind Habaruku.

And from above, inside the pillar of light, Claris descended, battered and bloody with her legs dangling and arms spread as if bound by invisible chains.

"No," Tiga murmured, staring at her, as the crowd's anger and clamor doubled.

"Shit!" Ryu hissed as his head began to throb, a dull ache that threatened to drown out all his other senses. "Okay, now I feel it!"

"Feel nothing!" Bow whimpered. "Look at it!" In the air around and above them, a gray mist was coalescing, appearing as if given shape and form by the anger of the worshipers. But unlike a normal mist, it was not slow and placid; instead, it raced around the room as if blown by fierce winds, though none were present. And then, slowly, it began to take the shape of human faces, screaming in mindless agony.

"Hurts..." Mick whimpered. "It hurts..."

"Fight it!" Deis snapped. "It's a raging soulstorm! If you give in, you'll become one of them!"

"Trying," Jasmine grunted. "But... so angry... so sad..."

"This woman, Claris Parcia, was one of us!" Habaruku shouted as a bright blue bubble of magic appeared around her, crackling with golden power inside. She flinched, hissing quietly, as smoke began to rise from everywhere the bubble or the energy touched her. "She lived among us, befriended us, came with us to worship! We shared our lives, our loves, our secrets with her! And the entire time, she was doing the work of Infinity, seeking a way to kill St. Eva himself! But as you can see, such vile dreams are baseless and hopeless, for all men are powerless before God, whether good or evil!"

"God shall reign eternally!" The congregation shouted back, sounding more like spectators at a sporting event than worshipers now.

"And now, true believers, faithful sons and daughters of God, I ask you," Habaruku said calmly, almost gently. "God has led me to this false friend of ours, but he has left her fate to us, who act as his voice and his hands in this mortal world. I ask you, my devoted ones, what shall be done with this wretch? Shall we show pity on her, and attempt to turn her from her path of lies, so that she might have another chance to discover the truth of St. Eva's love? Or have her sins already forever closed that door to her? My brothers and sisters, I leave it in your hands."

"Kill her!" A woman screamed.

"Kill her!" A thousand voice agreed. "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill..." Big P whispered, voice blank and empty. "Kill... kill..."

"Kill..." The other Renegades agreed. "Kill... kill..."

"What are you guys saying?" Tiga hissed, finally breaking his stare to turn on them, wide-eyed. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"Ladon," Ryu hissed; he felt it too, the overwhelming hatred generated by the congregation that was threatening to swallow up his entire consciousness. For a moment, he was almost tempted to give in to it, to let himself become one with the empty numbness that would forever end all of his own woes and sufferings. But then his gaze fell upon Katt, and Nina, and Bow, and all the others, and he redoubled his efforts. "This is insane!"

"Fight it," Spar whispered. "It can be fought. It can be overcome."

"What do we do?" Katt was asking Tiga. "They're going to kill Claris! And the rest of the guys, they're..." She left it hanging, unable to actually say it.

"Shit..." Tiga's head swept back and forth, from one of his men to another. "Shit!"

"Kill!" The crowd continued to rage. "Kill! Kill!"

"My brothers and sisters, I understand your anger," Habaruku said, spreading his hands, his face still placid despite the loudness of his voice. "After all, such heresy is the greatest and most unforgivable of sins. But we must not allow ourselves to be moved by blind hatred. Ours is the path of love, not hate, even for such a sinner as this. St. Eva judges, but he also forgives. Perhaps even this miserable wretch may still repent her evil deeds. What say you, my people? Shall we give her one last chance, here and now... and judge for ourselves whether she can be saved?"

"Judgment!" Another man shouted, deep and dark. "Judgment!"

"Kill!" Others continued to shout, but more began to echo the first one, and soon the two words were both being screamed, almost as if in argument. "Judgment! Kill! Judgment! Kill! Judgment! Kill!"

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Nina murmured darkly.

"Because you're smart?" Sten replied.

"We must do something!" Jean begged. "This agony... it must cease if only we take action, yes?"

"We would never be able to make it," Spar told him bluntly. "The crowd would pull us under and rip us to shreds, and even if they didn't, they'd make us sitting ducks for Habaruku's magic. Somehow, I doubt he would be concerned with the possibility of casualties among his own flock."

"What's worse, I doubt they'd care either." Rand snorted. "Probably figure themselves as martyrs or something. Still... argh, this hurts! Namanda, Namanda, Namanda, Namanda..."

"Judgment!" The majority of the crowd was shouting now, though a few were still calling for death. "Judgment! Judgment!"

"Then it shall be judgment," Habaruku agreed, hands still spread. "I shall give this heretic one final chance, and teach her the ways of St. Eva. Perhaps she can still be saved, should she open her heart to our God." Turning around, he glanced up at Claris. "We'll start slow and simple, young lady. After all, our God is merciful. Now tell me, is Claris Parcia your real name? Where are you from? Do you have any friends?"

Claris' head hung, and she said nothing.

"Oh?" Habaruku murmured after a moment, as the bubble shrunk slightly, and more smoke rose from her fists and feet, as the smell of burning flesh filled the nave. "Have you lost your voice suddenly? You had quite the vocabulary when the paladins came for you, I've heard. Well, that's quite all right. I'll answer for you. Indeed, your name is Claris Parcia... second-in-command of the mercenary group known as the Renegades, and lifelong friend of their commander, Tiga Lee!"

"What?" Claris blurted, head snapping up. "How did you know that?"

"Ah, there we go." Habaruku smiled, a gentle expression on ugly features, as long as one didn't look at his eyes. "Your voice works after all, but it seems you're having some difficulties with your hearing. I am God's chosen one, the embodiment of his will on this mortal earth, and he has granted me his power. I know your thoughts, Miss Parcia, your hopes and dreams and despairs. Shall I tell the people more of your true nature, or would you like to?"

Claris glared down at him, but remained silent again, even when the bubble tightened again, and she thrashed against her invisible restraints.

"Very well then." Turning to the congregation, Habaruku closed his eyes, that same gentle smile remaining. "Your friends and allies, the Renegades... you and they were hired to destroy us, were you not? Promised zenny, more than you had ever dreamed of, in exchange for our deaths. It wasn't personal, was it? Just business. And yet, that does not absolve you of sin, for even if you hold no hatred for us, you are still a murderer, are you not? One who planned to murder all of us, here in Evrai?"

"He's got us!" Tiga groaned. "He knew all along!"

"Don't give up!" Katt urged him. "Keep fighting it!"

"You try to close your heart to me, Claris, but it is futile." Opening his eyes again, Habaruku turned back to her. "The more you try to hide your thoughts, the more you secretly wish to give in, to speak the truth, and end this suffering. To accept our God, and put this horrible time behind you, along with your old life, and all of your hidden sorrows. Your life in... Cotland, isn't it? That canyon, in southern Carmen? Although that's only recent... you used to live on the Island of Guntz, did you not?"

Biting her lip, Claris stared at him with hatred in her eyes, but she still remained silent.

"Such ugly places to live," Habaruku murmured. "You've always lived in such places, haven't you? You never enjoyed it... no, you wished for a better life, in Sima perhaps, or Auria. Nicer places, where you could buy pretty dresses, and go to dances, instead of creeping on rooftops and lounging in taverns. But that was what the job required, and so you resigned yourself to it, never whispering a word of your dreams to the others. Even Tiga, your oldest, closest friend... or is it more than that?"

"Stop it..." Claris hissed, before shrieking as the bubble burned her. "Get out of my mind!"

"What?" Tiga whispered.

"I can't do that, Claris." Habaruku wagged his finger at her. "In order to save you, to redeem your heart, you must confess your sins and your secrets before St. Eva. And if you will not, then I shall do it for you, for I am a kindly man, and I pray for your salvation. Now then... where were we? Ah yes, Tiga Lee, your constant companion for as long as you can remember. Even when you were children, adopted by the Namandian monks together, he was more than just a friend to you, wasn't he? But you never told him... that was the one thing you could never bring yourself to admit."

"Bastard!" Katt snarled quietly.

"We'll make him scream for this," Ryu promised her, fighting his own urge to do something, anything, almost as overpowering as the insane pressure of the soulstorm. "But we can't do that if we get killed here. Dammit, isn't there anything we can do?"

"His dream was to start his own band of mercenaries, and you went along with it, putting your own wishes aside to help him achieve his," Habaruku continued. "You turned your heart to ice, and became the perfect second-in-command. Calm, competent, logical and efficient. You watched his back, for all those years... watched him with all those girls, always wishing it was you in his arms instead of them. But you knew he would never look at you the way he did at all of them. You were something else to him... but did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way about you?"

"I'll kill you," Claris whispered, before screaming as the bubble shrunk another time. "Aaaah! I don't care how long it takes, I don't care what happens to me afterwards! Kill me now, Habaruku, or I swear I'll rip your damned tongue out and choke you with it!"

"Kill!" The crowd began to chant again, and now all the Renegades save Tiga were chanting with them, just as mindlessly. "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Tiga Lee, so brash, so boisterous," Habaruku said, his voice still carrying over the crowd. "He fell in love ten times a year, and never once considered that maybe that wasn't what love was at all. That maybe love was how he felt about the one woman he could never get up the nerve to ask, the one girl who he forced himself not to treat like all the rest, because she was too important to him to risk that. Over time, he might even have forgotten, at least consciously... but deep down inside, he'd still feel the same, even if he didn't know it himself, wouldn't he?"

Tiga made an agonized mewling noise.

"Oh, no no no no no," Jean said slowly, staring at him. "This cannot be."

"No," Ryu whispered, meeting Katt's horrified gaze. "No, this isn't what I wanted..."

"Wouldn't it be nice?" Habaruku met Claris' eyes again. "If Tiga realized, just in time, and came to save you? You saved him from his own folly so many times. What if now, the one time you were the one to make the mistake, he would save you in turn, and realize how he really felt?" Closing his eyes, he shook his head. "A pity that that will never happen. After all, you know better. To Tiga, you're a subordinate, a friend, his trusted partner... but nothing more. And you're both professionals, aren't you? Why would he put himself, and all the rest of your Renegades, at risk to save one woman?"

"Tiga will come one day," Claris replied, cold and calm. "Not now. But he'll come, and he'll kill you for this, Habaruku. He'll tear you limb from limb. No matter where you run, no matter where you hide... one day, he'll find you."

"Such faith in your leader," Habaruku murmured. "You truly believe him to be invincible, don't you? Just as he believed you to be infallible. A pity that you couldn't live up to his expectations. I wonder, if he were here now..." He turned to sweep the crowd with his gaze. "What would he think, to see you like this? Would he hate you, for disappointing him so... or would that dream of yours become reality, and would he come to save you, knowing he was throwing his own life away by doing so? Tell me, Claris, which do you fear more? His hate, or his love?"

"What do we do?" Katt whimpered, looking sick. "Ryu? Tiga?"

"Katt," Tiga said slowly. "I think I get what you said now. That night. About you and me... not being in love. That that wasn't what love is." He shook his head slowly. "I was always such a damned idiot... and look what's happened because of that. Shit. I'm sorry, Katt, Ryu... all of you. For everything." He turned to look at Deis, raising a hand spread towards the Renegades. "Are they... gone?"

"Not yet," Deis told him grimly. "But there's no turning back now. If we just leave them like this..."

"Then there's only one way to save them now." Tiga took a deep breath. "Yeah. Okay. I get what you mean."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Bow yelped. "You're not saying what I think you are!"

"He is." Sten slowly nodded. "Look, Tiga. I'll do it, okay? It shouldn't have to be you."

"Thanks, Sten." Tiga shook his had again. "But I was the idiot who got them into this. I should be the one who gets them out of it." Standing up, he stepped back over the bench, and behind the mindlessly chanting Renegades. "I'm sorry, guys."

And then, two by two, he broke their necks with his mailed hands, saving Max and Little P for last so that their fathers wouldn't have to see them die.

"Tiga," Katt and Ryu whispered together.

"You know it's a trap," Bow said, staring Tiga in the eye. "You know what's gonna happen, if you go up there. You're good, but you're not that good. No one is."

"Yeah, I know." Tiga raised his visor and gave them one last, sad smile. "Sorry, but I can't let her do this alone. Looks like this is my last screwup. It's all up to you guys, now. Stay quiet, and wait it out, then make him pay when it's all over. I'll see you next time." Walking to the center aisle, he proceeded up it, slowly and calmly, ignoring the ranting crowd that didn't even see him. As he walked, he began shedding his paladin's armor, piece by piece, until he stood in his normal garb, fists clenched at his side. "All right, asshole. Hold it right there!"

"Well, well!" Habaruku turned around to meet his eyes, unsurprised. "You must be Tiga Lee. How delightful! Have you come to join us, and confess your sins, so that you might be redeemed, and accepted into God's love?"

"Confess my sins?" Tiga laughed, short and sharp and bitter. "Yeah, sure, why not. I got lots of 'em. I drink too much, I eat too much, I sleep too much, I smoke too much. I've been violent, and I've liked it, and I'm a shameless womanizer, too. I kill for zenny, and I'm not too picky about who. I've lied, and stolen, and blackmailed, and threatened." He raised his eyes to meet Claris'. "But the worst of all... was that I was a coward. Too much of a coward to admit, even to myself, how I really felt about the one person who's always been with me, my whole life."

"You fool," Claris whispered, eyes brimming with tears that didn't quite fall. "You shouldn't have come. I wanted you to live."

"Ah, true love," Habaruku exulted, voice warm and caring. "It's such a wonderful thing."

"What's wonderful about this?" Tiga snarled, glaring at him again. "Is this what you call God's love? Torturing helpless women? You piece of shit!" He leapt over the altar, claws spread and teeth bared, only to slam against a wall of shimmering silver light as it suddenly appeared between him and the Archpriest.

"Ladon, no," Deis hissed, staring at the spell. "That's Sara's Silver Wall."

"What?" Nina blurted out, eyes widening as well. "Nobody's been able to cast that successfully in a thousand years!"

"What's wonderful is the depth of your devotion to each other," Habaruku explained as Tiga fell back, howling in pain as the front of his body sizzled and smoked where he'd touched the barrier. "But she is not the only one you are loyal to, is she? Tell me, Tiga, did you come alone? Ah, of course not... those corpses down there are the rest of your team, aren't they? How cruel of you, to kill those who trusted you more than anyone else in the world. They came from all over the world, from lives as dismal as your own, to follow you to glory... and this is how you repay them? Truly, you are a sinner."

"Yeah, I'm a sinner all right," Tiga growled. Flipping back to his feet, he charged the barrier again, but this time instead of falling back, he forced himself forward, pressing against it with all his strength even as the sizzling silver light seared his fur and flesh. "I'm such a bad guy, I'm gonna kill the Archpriest of St. Eva!"

"Oh, but you can't kill me, Tiga Lee," Habaruku corrected him, wagging his finger again as he watched Tiga advance, one agonized step at a time, flesh burning and fur falling off. "I wonder, though... perhaps you still have more friends, hidden among our congregation. If so, watch closely, all of you, and behold the fate of the unrepentant." He turned his back on the Woren Clansman, and gazed up at Claris once more. "And yet, sinners though you are, I find myself moved by the depths of your devotion. Even if St. Eva will not show you mercy, I cannot bring myself to refuse it to you."

"He... he was able to make it up the aisle, yes?" Jean said quietly, eyes filled with horror. "Surely, if we all charged together..."

"Habaruku let him come," Sten told him flatly. "If we went for it, he'd turn the crowd on us, and kill us while they held us down. We've got no choice but to do what he told us to. He knew this would happen. He's counting on us to avenge them."

"After all this..." Katt murmured, staring at Tiga's doomed charge, as the Woren Clansman continued to advance, even as fur and skin together continued to melt away. "Everything that happened... this is how it ends? Why?"

"Perhaps God will relent after all, and allow your souls to join his side, unrepentant sinners though you may be," Habaruku said as he raised his hand again, and the sphere containing Claris began to rise back towards the ceiling once more. "Or perhaps he will not, and you will be cast into the void beyond existence. But whatever your fate may be, you will face it together... in death as you were in life. Go."

Roaring mindlessly, Tiga broke through the barrier, every inch of his body covered in horrendous burns, blood streaming from every orifice on his face. Somehow managing to leap into the air on the ruined wreckage of his legs, he lunged at Habaruku, casting a crescent of bright red energy before him and following it with claws and teeth that were only still attached to him by shreds of flesh and muscle.

And then the very air itself around him exploded a thousand times at once, vaporizing the crescent and sending Tiga's broken body skidding across the floor next to Habaruku and past him, arms and legs all twisted and broken, his tail completely severed to fall to the ground behind him.

As the crowd fell silent, before anybody could take another breath, Claris plummeted from above and smashed against the tile on the Archpriest's other side in a spray of blood, bouncing once before lying still.

"Ladies and gentlemen, behold the power of God," Habaruku said, voice-echoing in the now silent room, as he returned to the pulpit. "Both judgment and mercy, in the same breath. Let us pray for their souls, so that they might find God's light in death, though they could not in life. For Tiga Lee, and for Claris Parcia."

"Claris..." Tiga whispered, crawling behind Habaruku towards her limp body.

A moment before he reached her, even as he reached out his shattered hand to grasp her dead one, Habaruku raised his finger one more time, and a pillar of lightning ten feet wide consumed them both before they could touch.

"God is great," the Archpriest of St. Eva said, spreading his hands and bowing to the congregation. "God is good. God shall reign eternally. This concludes today's prayers. Go now, and remember, God is always with you." Turning, he made his way back to the door, leaning on his cane. His Kimoto Clansmen bodyguardss went with him, and once they were gone, the congregation began to break up as well. Ignoring the corpses of the Renegades, they left the room in one mass, talking and laughing amongst themselves as if the service had been completely ordinary.

Only when they were alone in the room did the nine men and women of the Dragonkin stand up, eyes burning.

"Let's go," Ryu said quietly, and the other eight all nodded, as they walked up the center aisle, shedding their disguises as they went.

Following Habaruku.

---

Ray Braddoc, paladin of St. Eva, stared silently at the blood on his sword, and realized that he was now irreversibly damned.

Despite everything he'd seen of his younger brother's corruption, he'd still held out hope that Gabriel could be saved, taught the error of his ways, turned from the path Father Manson had set him on. But then he'd heard the younger paladin telling a few of his cronies what he was planning to do to the infiltrator he'd caught, before Father Habaruku dealt with her, and he'd known that he'd been wrong, and that Gabriel was beyond saving now.

It hadn't been easy to convince him to come back to his cell with Ray; he'd been determined to pay the woman-Claris, her name was-a visit before the sermon. In the end, though, Ray had convinced him to come, and as soon as they were alone, he'd drawn his sword and ended it with one quick chop to the neck. Leaving the body on the floor where it had fallen, and the head in the corner it had rolled into, he'd sat down on his cot and gazed on the evidence of his handiwork for how long he didn't know. Hours, at least. The sermon was almost certainly over.

For some reason, he didn't feel anywhere near as horrified or desperate as he'd always thought he would, should this day ever come. There was no agony, or regret, or sorrow. More than anything else, he just felt numb, completely free of either positive or negative emotion. It was odd, but at the moment, he couldn't help but think of it as one final blessing from God for all his years of service. Numbness was far preferable to the alternative.

"Was it ever possible for it to come to anything but this, Ray?" He asked himself, tilting his sword this way and that, his reflection bending in it. "Could I have avoided this path, if only I'd chosen differently?" Privately, he doubted it; he'd known that he would have to do what he would later today for months, ever since he'd realized who and what Ryu Bateson was. His own secret, the only one he hadn't shared with the Dragonkin, demanded it, and fate was an enforcer one couldn't simply turn away.

And yet, he had to wonder if his confidence in that certainty was nothing more than an excuse, a rationalization he was clinging to in order to help him explain his decisions. He'd never been a coward, or so he hoped, but he'd clung to duty and honor and fate, and shied away from what he'd really wanted to do. He'd remained in the service of the Church of St. Eva, even though he'd wished for something else for the first time in his life, and he'd missed his opportunity. Now, it was too late. His hands were tied, and there was nothing more he could do.

All the same, as he sat there in the dark cell with the bleeding corpse, he allowed himself to imagine what it would have been like for a moment. To imagine himself as one of the Dragonkin, if he'd asked to join up months ago, back before everything went wrong between them. They'd fought together against the demon Augus, and the monstrous terrapin queen Creon in the well beneath the capital city of Capitan, and he'd done everything he could to help them in their search for demons. He'd kept the secret of Ryu's heritage, though he hadn't told them of his own.

They'd have said yes if he had asked, he knew. For a time, they'd considered him practically one of their own anyways. He'd stayed in an unoccupied room in their home building, rather than being given an empty house for a night, and he'd sent his and Gabriel's adopted sister, Kay, to live in their town as the local doctor. He'd never met the Grass Man until later, and he'd believed Deis to simply be an old drinking buddy of Ryu's and Bow's, but he considered the rest of them to be his closest friends in the world now... and Nina something more than that, though he knew she didn't return that sentiment.

And then Gabriel had abducted Rand Marks' mother, Daisy, on the orders of Father Manson, and everything they'd built between them over all those months came tumbling down on all of their heads. He'd done what he had to, given them as much benefit of the doubt as he possibly could, more than any other paladin in the service would have. And yet, he could still remember the glares of mistrust and suspicion they'd given him as he'd left them standing in Daisy's field, hauling Gabriel back to Evrai with him. What was worse, he couldn't even blame them.

Their paths were crossed now, Ray knew, and today was the day when that conflict would express itself through violence. Never again would they look upon him as a friend, or even an ally, and the knowledge that he'd done his duty was cold comfort compared to that.

Raising his head from his blade, Ray stared at the tiny statue of St. Eva on the single shelf in his cell, and finally admitted to himself the real reason for his spiritual numbness. For the first time in his life, he doubted what he'd always believed. He doubted his own father, the Archpriest of St. Eva himself. He doubted Father Manson, who he'd never liked but always trusted. He doubted the paladins, the order he'd dedicated his life and soul too. And worst of all, he doubted even St. Eva himself, and though he knew that for blasphemy, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Father Habaruku told me that I was a credit to my Clan," he murmured, eyes still locked on the statue. "That I was wise in turning from their false God to the only true one. That perhaps, someday, if I was ever able to reunite with them, I might be able to convert them as well. But if what he told me was a lie, if I can't trust him, then..." It was distressing, even to think about. Father Habaruku had never been affectionate, but he'd raised the three orphans he'd taken in dutifully, and had never looked upon Ray without pride in his devotion.

"If everything I believe is a lie..." He murmured, before turning to his tiny writing desk. Walking over to it and sitting down, he began composing a letter to the only person left in the world who he knew he could still trust, and who trusted him unconditionally in return. Kay, his and Gabriel's adopted sister, though she'd had stronger feelings for him than that for some time, feelings he'd had to gently rebuff due to his vows. If today was the day he was to fulfill his destiny, then at least he would say goodbye to her, and explain why. That much he owed her, even if he couldn't give her more.

It took him the better part of an hour to finish the letter, and he struggled with the final sentence for almost ten minutes before finally writing it down and signing it. Sealing the envelope, he murmured a brief chant, and in a flash of magic it disappeared, on its way to her home. That was something else he'd always been proud of; his Clan were naturally unskilled at magic, but he'd studied twice as hard as the other paladins, and his skill with both white and black magic was equivalent to his swordplay. Not that he'd be using any of those today; this was the time for truths to be revealed.

"If everything I believe is a lie, then I have nothing now," Ray repeated, finishing the train of thought this time. "Only Kay, and she has her own life to lead. I made my choice, in regards to my friends, and I cannot unmake it now. The Church of St. Eva is, as it always was, my only place. I must do my duty. I have to, or I have nothing. I am nothing."

Father Habaruku had already told him just what the Church of St. Eva would require of him today, and though the thought had caused his heart to freeze and his blood to go cold, he'd known deep down inside that the dread wasn't strong enough to keep him from doing it, if he had to. For a moment, he'd almost hoped that Father Habaruku had been wrong, but that was nothing more than a silly fantasy. Being incorrect was something that happened to other men, men who had not been touched by God, and Father Habaruku had never been wrong in Ray's entire lifetime.

"Brrrotherrr Rrray?" A familiar voice said from the other side of the door, accompanied by a knock. It was Sinestre, one of Father Habaruku's twin bodyguards; he and Dexter had worked with Ray before, and they knew each other well, though he wouldn't call them friends. From what he knew of them, he doubted they had any; there were many paladins whose life was their work, but the Kimoto twins literally seemed to have no other thoughts but for their position. "The Arrrchprrriest says it is time. The serrrmon has concluded."

"Very well, Sinistre," Ray replied, staring at his own violet eyes in the sword's reflection for a moment more before wiping it on a rag he kept in his room for maintaining blade and armor. Standing, he set his helmet down over his head, sheathed his sword, and walked to the door. He opened it to meet the Kimoto Clansman, walking through without giving him a chance to look inside and see Gabriel's copse, and walked out. "As my father says, it's time."

"And you arrre rrready?" The bodyguard asked keenly.

"No," Ray admitted. "But I'm going anyways."

ARE YOU AND I SO ALIKE