Rope perched herself comfortably up on a rooftop that gave her ample visibility into the household that supposedly housed the rogue Servant Enkidu. Putting on a pair of highly specialised night vision goggles, she panned around and gauged the landscape.
"The layout of the house is quite big; I'd say a fifty-fifty distribution between open ground and the house itself. There seems to be a building tucked away in the corner, might be some sort of shed, can't tell without physically going in." She reported through the comms.
Standing outside the jeep, Gravel placed a finger to her comms and tapped the device as her mind bounced about to process the information. "Doing a simple drone shot gives me the impression that Enkidu must've hoarded quite the LMD to own this plot of land." She formed an impressed expression.
Ethan cleared his throat from within the vehicle, his feet supplemented on the dash. "I'd like to point out that intelligence reports from command say that this house belongs to some rich businessman. Looks like this is just one of his many homes in Lungmen, turns out he has a home in every district."
"Ohh? And what does this man have to do with Enkidu? I find it hard to believe a random Lungmen millionaire would simply offer up one of his houses to a homeless looking woman." The Zalak operator furrowed a curios brow.
Ethan licked his lips and pondered on the question, "For now I haven't the feintest clue, perhaps I can request command to give me more intel on the guy and get back to you." He glanced at Gravel who simply gave a reassuring nod.
"Do you need me to stay up here any longer? I feel like I might start attracting unwanted attention any moment now." Rope said nervously as she glanced around at the almost dead suburb.
"Relax, this place isn't exactly known to be the liveliest spot in Lungmen. There's a reason why folks avoid this area, mainly because it borders the wall separating the infected and the normal citizens." Gravel scoffed at the reality.
"Talk about unnecessary precautions." Ethan rolled his eyes.
"Can you please answer my original question, even if this place doesn't have many people I'd like to avoid standing out in the open for this long." Rope pestered them through the channel.
"What's the house activity like? Any signs of movement outside the residence, any patterns whatsoever?" She asked the ex-thief.
Peering through the device, the Cautus specialist mentally noted the most obvious signs and relayed them through. "The house itself it definitely not of the middle class, but it doesn't exactly scream rich as well. So far all I can see is one light turned on, I'd suspect it's the living room, can't see too much from here."
"You getting this?" Gravel glanced over her shoulder.
Busy jotting down his notes, the Savra nodded silently towards the senior leader.
"Should I relocate in order to confirm eyes on the target?"
"Negative, we'll withdraw for now and set up our base of operations. Let's establish a foothold before diving into more complicated operations."
"Understood."
Retreating from his relaxed position, Ethan quickly turned the keys for the vehicle and fired it up straight away. As Gravel climbed into the front seat, the sound of a small thud rocked the vehicle as Rope cheekily snaked in through the rear passenger window.
"Where to?" He asked.
"Looks like we'll stay at the most obvious spot in town, I'm referring to the hotel that Rope pointed out earlier. If anything, it'll give us the range and vantage point necessary for future missions." Gravel said sternly as she studied the notepad.
"Roger."
/…/
Pulling into the near empty parking bay, the trio got out and gathered their belonging from the lifted 4x4. Entering the building, the mood shifted into a calm soothing vibe that basically screamed a staycation.
"The Crown Hotel huh, what's a fancy place like this doing here? I would've expected it to be in the city of all places." Ethan remarked at the grandly decorated interior.
"Indeed, some of the stuff in here screams ultra-rich to me. I can't help but feel giddy on the inside looking at all the priceless valuables on display!" The ex-thief cried out in pleasure.
"Good evening, how may I help you for tonight?" A woman at the front desk greeted them with a warm smile.
"We're looking for a room that can give us a nice view of the district and city every time we glance out the window. Think you have any available at this hour?" Gravel politely asked with that cheery personality of hers.
"I have just exactly the place you're thinking of, since we don't get that many customers, we don't have to worry about reservations anyway!" The woman joked, to which Gravel happily went along with.
"And how many nights do you plan to stay for?"
"Oh, we're not sure just yet just deduct it from the card until we check out. Will that be fine?" The Zalak slid the piece of metal across the counter into the woman's hand.
"As you wish ma'am." She complied, "Here is the key to your room, I hope you have a pleasant stay with us at the Crown Hotel." She bowed with a gratified expression.
As the trio made it into the elevator with their excessive luggage, the doors rolled silently effectively isolating them from prying ears. Soft melodic music seeped out from the speakers, setting the ambient mood.
Gravel removed her earpiece and let out a tired sigh, "Just set up the basic equipment for tonight and we'll finish the rest tomorrow. After that, feel free to relax for the night." She told the two of them with a short smile.
"Sure, sure!" Rope sang happily.
Ethan wore a small grin on his face, "I wasn't expecting you to use your own finances to book us this fancy place Gravel." He ran his fingers through his slick hair.
Gravel merely glared daggers at the sneaky operator and gave him a gentle jab, "Think again young man, as if I'd waste my hard earned LMD in this 3-star joint. That's why corporation cards come in handy." She winked at him while sticking her tongue out playfully.
"Ack!" He reeled back in pain, "Huh, Kal'tsit gave you the business card?!" His eyes widened in shock.
A sly smile formed across Gravel's face, "Who said anything about her giving me anything?" Her eyes quickly shifted over to Rope who merely played an innocent whistle.
Instantly piecing the puzzle together, the male operator simply let out a stunned gasp as he couldn't believe what had transpired behind his back. "You serious?! We're going to get hanged on the bow of the ship when we get back!"
"No one will hardly know, besides, if we keep our spending to a minimum we'll slip by unnoticed." Gravel said confidently as she eyed him up and down with that bewitching gaze of hers. Her alluring voice sent strong feelings up his spine, as she leaned into him and practically breathed down his neck, "Surely we can also trust you to keep this within our circle?"
"The fact you two are so confident about this scares me." He swallowed a chunk of his saliva and shuddered at the various implications.
"Oh, stop being such a wuss." Rope punched his shoulder.
As the elevator mumbled a low ding, its doors glided open and paved a pathway for the group to their private escape. The first thing to hit the trio was the extravagant living room, the decorations and architecture came together to give off this rich vibe.
Chairs and couches dotted the floor, made of the highest quality leather and fabric that could roam this planet. Carpets hand sewn from the softest hide lay bar, ready to be trundled over and swallow any pair of feet in a frenzy of relaxation.
In the next room over was a decently sized kitchen with everything needed to make a simple meal to the fine dining experience in a five-star restaurant. And then there was the one master bedroom to complete the experience.
Although this posed a problem for the group since there were two women and one guy, and there only being one bedroom meant someone was going to sleep on the couch outside. The choice was already obvious from the get-go anyways.
"Ah yes, looks like Ethan will-"
"I'll take the couch." He quickly cut Rope off to avoid further humiliation.
"Then it's settled, you already know what to do." Gravel waved to them as she wandered off into the kitchen.
Letting out a synchronised sigh, the pair shuffled into the bedroom and sluggishly unpacked the surveillance equipment. Within minutes, the lavish room was littered with tripods, telescopes, and various other equipment, ruining the visual aesthetic of the place.
"That about clears up the most of the things, there's one bag left outside but you can take of that wont'cha?" The Cautus woman smirked before scrambling out of the area.
"Of course, I will." He rolled his eyes.
Stifling a tired yawn, he grabbed a nearby pillow and collapsed onto the couch with heavy eyes. Hearing footsteps approach his general direction, he glanced up and saw Gravel chewing happily with a bowl in her hand.
Her ears twitched excitedly as she ate her meal, "You should have something to eat, I haven't seen you eat anything since we left the base." She was genuinely concerned with his overall health.
"Heh, thanks for that." He grinned, "We don't exactly have raw ingredients now do we? I guess the MRE's we packed would suffice for tonight." His body left the couch and his legs dragged him over into the kitchen.
"Oh, I know, I'll go shopping tomorrow for some fresh food!" Rope happily suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea, although one of us will have to stay back and make sure the surveillance equipment is online and ready to go." Gravel put a pondering finger to her ear as she wondered who would take the task.
"Oh, I don't mind staying back if no one else will do it." He said casually, but deep down he absolutely did not want to do it.
"No, that won't do Ethan." The Zalak woman scolded him with a finger, "You and Rope can go out and get us our supplies tomorrow, I'll stay back and make sure everything is in order."
"Hooray!" The young Cautus was filled with bliss.
"Where is she?" A short Vulpo moaned in frustration as he strode around the gigantic mobile base.
Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Sussurro grew ever so worried as she gripped the clipboard in her hand tightly for comfort. The paper attached to it held the details of one of Rhodes Island's most volatile operator.
Coming to a halt outside a large metal door, she glanced at the keypad status and took a deep breath. Rapping sharply three times, she called out the name of the occupant on the other side.
"Reed! It's me, Sussurro, are you alright?" The medic asked calmly, although she was eagerly anticipating a reply of any sort. "You didn't show up for you regular checkup yesterday, did something happen? If it's serious then you need to let me have a look, I care deeply about your health you know?"
Nothing, not even the slightest hint of life was redirected back towards her. It was these types of responses that greatly alarmed Sussurro and she feared something terrible must have happened.
"Please tell me she's just not in, calm down Sussurro, she's probably training or something." Her tone grew ever worried as she reached for the control pad.
Before her fingers could even swipe the override access card, the small machine let out an authoritative beep and unlocked the door. As the metal barricade slid open with its hydraulics hissing in the background, only vague darkness could be seen as light poured in from outside.
"Huh?" The Vulpo medic mumbled in confusion as her eyes darted around frantically.
The lights flickered on with a low click, illuminating the barren room. It was as if no one had stepped foot into the room in the first place.
"Wait, this is her room isn't it? Don't tell me-" She cut herself off and immediately flung the locker doors open.
Finding nothing but emptiness, her hands frantically darted to the next piece of furniture and quick ravaged through the room. It was the same everywhere she looked, there was absolutely nothing.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Don't tell me she bailed, if Kal'tsit finds out who knows what she'll do?!" Her breathing became erratic, forcing the medic to stop and calm down. "No way, where the hell did she go?!"
"Sussurro, what's taking so long? Is Reed being uncooperative again?" Ansel's voice came in through the walkie talkie.
"Ansel, did Reed request a room transfer by any chance?" She asked with panic climbing in her voice.
"No….is something wrong Sussurro, you don't sound to good?" The Cautus asked worriedly.
"Shit, she's gone Ansel, Reed's gone!"
'What?!"
/…/
Sussurro collapsed into her chair with a tired groan, "I don't get it, why would she run away? Her Oripathy infection is miles beyond anything I've ever seen before. If it's simply neglected, she'll die sooner or later!"
"She doesn't seem the type of person to simply leave without mentioning something, although for her to act out this way means something must've happened." Ansel suggested as he leaned against the desk.
"Either way, I only hope she's taking care of herself while she's out there doing her thing. Man, I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm stressed over this." She groaned.
The doors to the room seamlessly slid open, revealing a slender figure. Striding into the room with a calm look on her face, her eyes darted around the place before resting on the two staff members.
"I got your report, are you sure she's not in her room?" Kal'tsit's voice interrupted the duo as she came to a halt with a pile of papers in her free hand.
"Doctor Kal'tsit!" She stood up to greet the woman, "I can confirm that all of Reed's belongings have completely disappeared from the room without any trace. Unless she has requested a transfer, then I was unaware of the request and wish to apologise for the unnecessary panic."
The senior official pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "Damn." Was all she could muster, "I can confirm that PRTS and fellow officers have lost track of Reed in the last 48 hours. Video footage last captured her on deck 12, which is the main hangar bay. Anything beyond that is anyone's guess as to where she would've wandered off to."
"If you don't mind me asking Miss Kal'tsit, do you perhaps have an idea as to why Reed would simply leave Rhodes Island silently?" Ansel brought forward the question.
Kal'tsit shook her head slowly, "If I knew I would've told you by now, but that woman refuses to speak about anything including about herself. Perhaps this place isn't to her liking, not that I can blame her anyway."
"Are you saying we're simply letting her go?" The Vulpo wore a shocked look.
The woman nodded quietly, "Unfortunately there's not much we can do about Operators who leave on their own volition. Once you break off contact with Rhodes Island without a formal resignation letter, we will simply cut ties with you, plain and simple."
"I suppose these rules were put in place to avoid legal repercussions yes?" Ansel caught on.
"Indeed, which is why I won't pursue this case any further as it is well beyond our control." Kal'tsit bluntly told them before turning around to leave, "Please resume your duties and try to forget what happened today."
"That's…." Sussurro hung her head low in defeat.
Noticing the downed Operator, Ansel simply put a comforting arm around his friend. "Cheer up, Reed's a strong woman anyways, she'll pull through whatever challenges she's facing right now."
"Ansel is right, Reed isn't just a normal being, she's a Draco first and foremost. Unlike her Lung and Vouivre counterparts, her species are known to be the one of the most resilient beings on Terra. To her, Oripathy is merely another inconvenience made to slow her down. But she'll keep pressing on no matter what."" Kal'tsit remarked in a revering tone.
"That's merely a reckless outlook on things if I may say so myself." Sussurro said.
The senior woman gave the medic a funny look, "That I can agree on, but this situation has evolved beyond our control. I can only recommend that you don't dwell on this matter too much, that's all." She turned on the spot and began to leave, "Don't overwork yourselves you two."
"Sheesh, talk about a reality wake up call." Sussurro groaned.
"Not everything goes as you expect in life, we can only wish the best for Reed from here on out." Ansel casually returned to his station.
"….yeah…"
The rain came down hard outside the high-rise complex, smashing into the windows akin to a low drumroll. Wind blew violently outside as the pressure zones shifted and rocked the structure in its place.
At the very top, a large cordon of the building was converted into a luxurious penthouse reserved for the owner of the building. Inside, vast amounts of items of priceless value decorated the place as if it were common commodity.
Amidst all this, two individuals sat opposite each other in the vast living room. The lights were dimmed and the fireplace cackles endlessly as it kept the two beings warm. Silence lingered about before one of them spoke up.
"So, tell me Charles, what do you reckon about this whole situation with Ursus and failure to control the uprising in its own territory." A Sarkazian man smiled slyly as he lit up a fat cigar.
"I dunno mate, seems like those folks over there can't even keep their own citizens on a leash." His accomplice spoke in a thick Victorian accent.
Hermes chuckled before unleashing a cloud of smoke, "The timing of all this is a tad bit too suspicious innit? While trouble is being stirred over east, we've got problems breaking out all over the country and within our own goddamn government." He shook his head whilst gazing out into the dull scenery.
Charles twitched his ears and adjusted his suit, "Those goddamn Aslans can't even keep the country together at this rate, if you ask me, the Draco would've been better off ruling this joint."
Hermes raised a surprised brow, "If only they were still around you mean?"
"Oh, shut up you twat, you know damn well as I do that there's still Draco lurking about." Charles scoffed.
"Relax pal, I know that. But the fact that there's so little of them means that the chances of a change in government is so slim, you'd be better off asking Ursus for an arms trade." Hermes joked.
Charles took another whiff of his cigar, the tobacco hitting all his good spots and calming him down. "What an absolute fuckery this world has come too honestly."
As Charles was lost in his own thoughts, Hermes was promptly notified on his wrist watch with a bright red light indicating an emergency. Wondering what could spark such a response, he opened up the notification with a calm look.
It was only after he read the alert that his eyes widened in fear and his entire body sprang out of his seat. Startling Charles, his friend quickly noticed the alarmed look and quickly sprang to action.
"What's going on?" He calmly asked.
"Deimos has been breached."
Those four words alone was enough to send the duo into a frenzied state, alarm bells blared internally as they rushed to the elevator. Skyrocketing down the skyscraper, they immediately hopped into a vehicle and sped towards the designated location.
/…/
Five minutes, that's how long it took for them to respond to the threat. It was impossible for someone to breach the vault and get out within five minutes, it would take even the most skilled person ten minutes at best to get out.
"What the hell happened?!" Hermes barked out loud as he approached one of the security guards.
"We don't know sir; all CCTV footage has been wiped or corrupted prior to the vault being broken into. We've sealed off all exits but no one has come back up since, all staff have been forcefully quarantined and are undergoing interrogation as we speak." The man reported briefly.
Hermes gazed into the man's eyes and looked away, finding no false intentions within his words. But another worried idea lingered in the back of his mind, a thought he feared the most. "Stay here, have your men double their security on all exits, I'll head down there with Agent Sanchez personally to investigate."
"Wait, wha?!-" Charles could only utter a surprised mumble before being dragged to the elevator.
Entering the giant lift, the doors promptly shut behind them. As the mechanisms produced a low whirr, the metal box began descending and brought the two men deeper below the planet.
"The hell you idiot, shouldn't we bring backup Agent Ramirez?" Charles gave his partner a funny look.
"Scared Agent Sanchez?" He jabbed his elbow in his partner's side.
"Shut the fuck up, let's find out what kind of cunt decided to break into our own headquarters and break their necks." Charles growled as he loaded his hi-tech pistol.
"Indeed." Hermes combed his brown hair back casually.
As the elevator came to a sudden halt, it's doors slowly slid open to reveal a brightly lit hallway. There was absolutely nothing lining the walls and floor, only CCTV cameras lay dormant, watching every their every move.
Everything about the whole situation was suspicious from the get-go, yet there were no signs of forced entry or the likes. The question now remained, who on Terra could have simply waltzed into a highly protected vault and leave without a trace?
"Shit, shit, shit!" Hermes mumbled to himself as he darted across the floor towards the vault.
As Charles raced after his friend, the duo stopped outside the thick door and briefly examined the giant piece of engineering. Nothing, no signs of tampering or brute entry, as if the vault merely welcomed the visitor.
"No, this can't be happening." Panic rose in Hermes' voice as he moved to the keypad and punched in the 10-digit code.
Charles raised a suspicious brow, there was something his friend wasn't telling him this whole time. Throughout his entire life, he had never seen Hermes this worked up before, there was something he was hiding.
"Hermes, is there something you're not telling me?" He asked in a low voice.
"Not now!" He barked.
As the pin-pad happily accepted the code, it beeped three times before releasing the multiple layers of locking mechanism holding the vault door in place. With a loud hiss, the large cylindrical barricade popped out and revealed its contents to the duo.
As light poured in, Charles peered into the poorly lit storage unit and gazed around at the odd piles littering the floor. From stacks of papers to rows of books spanning one end of the room, the other side simple house a mountain of cash in various different currencies enough to compete with several GDP's of different nations all together.
Until now he had never seen the true contents of Deimos, he only knew vaguely what was stored within it's heart, but to see the vast priceless wealth of knowledge just sitting here was jaw dropping to say the least.
"The hell is this, aren't these Ursus weapon plans? How the hell did you get your hands on these Hermes!?" His hand waved the stack of papers.
His friend ignored his question, instead seemingly lost in his own trance. Watching him dig through another pile, he let out a gasp and fell awfully silent.
"What's wrong?" Charles tapped him on the shoulder.
Hermes tapped his horns and scratched the back of his head, "It's nothing." He replied before pulling away and stepping outside the vault.
"Hey, wait up!" Charles called after him. "What the hell is wrong with you, you look like you've seen a ghost."
The Sarkazian stopped in his tracks and let out a deep breath, "Maybe I have."
The Cautus man went in front and confronted his partner dead in the eyes, "What the hell are you keeping from me? That vault looks to have almost every secret on every nation on this planet, weapons, launch codes, cover ups, the whole lot!"
"I'm a collector at heart Charles, and you damn well know that. If I'm going up against an enemy, I damn well make sure I have all my cards ready in my hand, I make sure I'm never going to lose!" His brown eyes lit up in anger.
"Yet the look on your face tells me you've been dealt a losing hand." He scoffed, "So what is it? How much did they take from you?"
Hermes scoffed, "Money, not money , Information. All of our assets and operators, like you."
Charles gulped at the severity of the situation.
"Dig a trench my friend, and make it a deep one, because none of us are safe anymore." Hermes told him bluntly and began walking away.
"But why, why go through the trouble of this?"
"Don't you see the bigger picture you fool? It's about sending a message, and they damn well conveyed it alright."
/…/
"So, who the hell are these people?" Charles closed the wooden door behind them.
Hermes took his jacket off and threw it at the empty chair across the living room. Collapsing down onto the couch, he sighed and buried his face in his hands.
Charles sat opposite of him, lighting up another dart and passing it to his mate. As his friend silently accepted the gift, he watched as he took one giant whiff and exhaled a large cloud of smoke.
"She has no name, at least, not that I can remember. No one knows who her real identity is, the only thing that is certain is that she's a Draco, a fucking powerful one at that." Hermes spoke softly, shuddering at the mental image in his head.
"Who's this chick that's got you all worked up? Surely she can't be that bad…..right?..."
The look on the Sarkazian's face simply said the opposite, "You wouldn't even know she's there until it's too late. But the fact that she's resurfaced now can mean a lot of things, but I have a fairly good idea as to why she's prowling about."
"Hold up mate, how the hell do you even know this woman?"
Hermes took another whiff and chuckled at the question, "I made the mistake of working alongside her a long time ago. Holy fuck its been a while since that memory's been brought back up, what the hell was I thinking?"
"Don't tell me you owe this bitch or something?"
Charles received a kick to his calves, "Language," Hermes chuckled, " I made sure to never find myself in the position of owning debt towards the woman, although the fact I kept tabs on her and collected information must've really upset her."
"Is that the reason why she raided Deimos? To wipe out any known information related to her?"
"No, she was after something else, her sister?"
"Sister?"
Hermes moved his hand and extinguished the cigar, "You heard me, her sister."
-KABOOM!-
The sounds of multiple explosions rang across the desert as craters were dug up left, right and centre in an instant. Analysing his handiwork, the horde of Uridimmu that had ambushed him were all but reduced to ash.
Glancing over, he noticed Reed had held her own against a surprising number of the vicious beast. Her use of Originium Arts and her combat style was terrifyingly efficient in cutting down the monster faster than they could overwhelm her.
Sensing another attack coming from his left, he spun around and launched a barrage of chains that quickly skewered the oncoming horde. As the spear tipped ends made quick work of the demonic monsters, Enkidu noticed how inefficient it was at dispatching large quantities.
While it was true he could simply summon more chains, it felt unnecessary to produce more when less could accomplish the same amount. Perhaps he would have to review his fighting style later after the fight.
As Enkidu waltzed through the battlefield and dispatched the enemy without batting an eye, Reed on the other hand was putting more effort to control her side of the field. Her chest glowed brightly, like the sun had taken residence in her bosom.
Wings coated in roaring flames emerged from her back as they burned with killing intent. Her spear was the same, engulfed in a holy light of fire, ready to smite the monster that plagued this land.
With one swift move, she was already airborne and barrelling down on the nearest Uridimmu. The poor monster didn't know what hit it as it's body combusted violently and exploded into a fiery blaze.
Emerging from the fire unscathed, Reed pressed on and swung her weapon in controlled movements, cutting down the next set of enemies. As their large bodies spontaneously combusted into balls of fire, the surrounding area was slowly turning into a hellish landscape.
As the sea of flames raged on, the demonic beasts began to pull back, terrified of the monster that approached them. But it was too late, their escape had been cut off by a wall of fire and they now were cornered like rats.
Eying her next set of kills, a large surge of flames congested into the palm of her hands and grew exponentially. Aiming her arm at the cooped up Uridimmu, all Reed had to do was think of incinerating them at the rest would be done.
And that's what she thought of, with a mere thought, all the congested energy in her hand was unleashed into a concentrated beam of fire. The surging flames propelled forward at insane speeds and instantly enveloped the monster.
Not even a scream was heard as the group was utterly annihilated in the blink of an eye. The trail of destruction that was left behind would serve as a reminded to the demonic beasts that they weren't alone in this land.
Essentially wrapping up the fight on her end, she glanced over at Enkidu who had also finished skewering the last batch of Uridimmu. Seeing him give a wave, she decided to call it quits for the day and retire her powers.
But her failure to notice a stray Uridimmu approaching her like a silent cat completely caught her off guard. It wasn't until that Enkidu had appeared right in front of her did she actually process the events.
-BANG!-
A surge of energy was discharged from the Chains of Heaven as the energy bolt completely tore a hole through the murderous beast. Blood spilled out everywhere and stained the two of them as the lifeless corpse crashed and tumbled into the ground.
"You alright?" Enkidu ignored the corpse and blood on his face as he checked on his companion. "Oop, hold still for a bit." Brushing her hair aside, he fully exposed her face in the sunlight and wiped the small droplets of blood off her face.
"Mmm, thanks.." She nodded.
"Good, let's get a move on before more of them show up." He wiped the stains off his face and dusted his clothing.
Leaving behind a desolate landscape, the duo quickly made tracks to their original destination amidst the barren landscape.
/…/
"Is that what I think it is?" Enkidu pointed in the distance.
Reed joined his side up atop a hill, "Mhmm, that's a catastrophe unfolding over there."
Feeling the breeze hit them, the pair felt the cold air wash over them while watching nature take its course from a far distance.
"This smell, we're close to the ocean." Enkidu sniffed the air and proceeded walking down the slope.
Within minutes they crested another hill and found the ocean waiting from them at the base. The sand shifted colour and the waves came in and out with a gentle rhythm.
"Beautiful….." Reed mumbled under her voice.
Enkidu quietly slid down the slope and dug his foot into the salty sand. As the waves crept up to him, the cold water kissed his feet sending an ecstatic feeling up his spine. Gazing out into the horizon, a small sad smile decorated his face as he realized something.
"Is something wrong?" Reed noticed his silent expression.
The Chains of Heaven raised a finger and gestured to a point beyond the horizon, "Uruk…..Uruk is supposed to be there. But it's not, the great ocean now claimed ownership of that place, a surprising turn of events I must say."
"You sound almost….relieved though?..." The Draco studied him some more.
Enkidu tilted his head and sighed, "Do I now? Huh, what a strange aspect of me then, interesting."
"Do you have fond memories of that place?"
"I won't lie, I do. But that's all in the past now, the Enkidu that roamed this earth many eons ago and died eons ago is long gone. The one that is standing here, wishes to live a separate life than what was written in the books, and he wishes to forge his own memories and adventures."
"I see….."
"Come on, let's head to our destination before the sun sets in, I'd like to set up camp before that happens." He happily said while tugging her hand.
"Ahhh! Sheesh, there you go again!" Reed exclaimed but her words fell on deaf ears.
/…/
Stopping at a small oasis, several palm trees stood strong and created a shade for any being wishing to escape the harsh sun. A large patch of grass and reeds littered the ground coupled with a large water hole in the middle offering refreshments.
It was the perfect spot to stay at, the only problem was that it also sat right next to a large pyramid like structure. Only one entrance could be seen, and that was the very front which was guarded by a man in tattered white robes.
Observing from a distance, the pair watched the man remain still throughout the time they spent watching him. It was as if he were a statue, whether he was guarding the temple or was just some worshipping nut job remained to be seen.
"He seems….calm…" Reed struggled to find the right words to describe the person as she tilted her head curiously.
"I don't sense anything dangerous within the vicinity, he really is by his lonesome self out here." The demi-servant put a finger to his chin.
Standing up from his position, Enkidu approached the figure and signalled for Reed to stay back whilst he scouted out the area. Slowly but surely, he closed the gap between him and the mysterious figure. It wasn't until he was a good 20 metres away that the man moved all of a sudden.
Coming to life in response to the approaching demi servant, Enkidu watched him turn around, and pulled back his hood to reveal a young adult face. Greeting him with a warm smile, the man bowed deeply and said, "Welcome fellow traveller, you have entered the small oasis containing the last standing vault of my people. Have you come to seek out the treasures that lie within?"
"Vault? So that's what it is huh? I don't remember a vault being constructed here though, if I recall correctly, didn't Gil throw the key into some bush or something?" He pondered internally, "Perhaps, may I ask who you are?"
The strange man beamed happily and placed his hands on his hips, "I am Anshar, a watcher of the throne, but that was my past job, I now watch the vault. I merely keep the entrance to this place clean and free from bandits. It was the last order my King gave to me before he departed this land, only when he returns will my duty be relieved."
"King? Pardon my ignorance, but does your lord have a Kingdom nearby? We're travellers you see, so we're fairly new to the layout of the land." Enkidu said sheepishly.
"That is absolutely fine my friend, although I must say, my King and his kingdom is long gone from this land. Mmmm, yes, in fact, I am probably one if not the last survivor of his people still roaming this planet." He chuckled.
"Gone? You don't mean?-"
"Yes, you guessed that right." He nodded, seemingly alright with the situation. "Tell me kind sir, you look awfully familiar. I must say, the hair, the eyes and figure, and his robes too! You've got the whole package…unless…."
Enkidu cocked his head slightly, confused by where the stranger was going with his semantics. But something else caught his eye, throughout the time he has spent on Terra, he has never witnessed a pure human. But the man standing before him possessed no such animal traits, he was truly a full fledged human.
"Forgive me sir, but may I ask your name?" Anshar narrowed his gaze, cutting off the demi-servant's train of thought.
"….Enkidu….my name is Enkidu." The demi-servant answered the mortal.
At first the temple guard blinked a few times, unable to respond to the name. Then he simple closed his eyes and gazed up at the sky with a content smile on his face. "I see, so the time has come hasn't it?"
"What do you mean by that?" Enkidu raised a brow, having more questions than answers.
"Forgive me, you're after the key, aren't you?" Anshar bowed deeply, as if he were in the presence of royalty.
A cautious look decorated Enkidu's face as he wondered just who this man was. "How'd you know?"
Anshar chuckled softly, "I was told long ago that I'd meet a person with your description, it was said that with your arrival, my duty as gatekeeper would come to an end. All these years, I've waited and waited for the right person, and here you are." He sighed full of relief.
"I don't understand, how can you be waiting for me? Are you telling me that there have been people who've been keeping track of my existence?" The Chains of Heaven narrowed his gaze.
The man slowly shook his head, "Nay, forgive me but my memory is rather slow currently. Even if I were to answer all your questions, it'd take forever for me to answer it all. But I'm afraid time isn't on my side, I'm sorry."
Enkidu could sense something was amiss with the person before him, as if his source was slowly getting weaker by the passing second. Somehow, the magic source that had been sustaining this man's life had disconnected itself, he was essentially living on borrowed time now.
"Your energy, it's degrading at an alarming rate." The demi-servant pointed out, growing concerned for his health.
"Do not worry about me sir, I have merely served my end of the deal. I only ask that you proceed on into the vault and retrieve what you originally came here for." He waved at Enkidu, urging him to go.
"But-"
"I beg you sir, please go!"
Keeping his mouth shut, Enkidu quickly turned to Reed and signalled for her to come over. As the Draco quickly joined his side, he gave her a set of instructions to follow. "I'm heading in, please stay put for the meantime. Keep an eye on mister Anshar for the time being, I won't be long."
Reed nodded obediently, "Be careful."
"What's the worst that can happen?" He smirked before jogging away.
Anshar turned and watched the Chains of Heaven shrink in the distance; a content smile drew across his ageing face. "He walks among us, but as a different man just as the prophecy foretold. He has returned not as a ruler, but as a man with his own freedom and ideals, unbound by the laws of old."
"What does all that mean?" Reed asked him, curious behind the meaning of his words.
"Tell me miss, is he happy?" The question seemingly came out of nowhere.
"Happy?...I suppose so, but even then, who knows what he's truly feeling underneath all that." The Draco answered.
Anshar stroked his chin, "That is good enough for me."
/…/
The entrance to the vault was rather straightforward, a long winding corridor that kept going and going until the sunlight could no longer illuminate the interior. After that, ageing torches that were seemingly lit for centuries illuminated the rest of the way.
The pathway slowly descended into a deep step before splitting into a large room with ever abstract walkways. A chasm now presented itself, ready to claim its next victims, the walls expanded into the near infinite darkness.
Intricate patterns littered the ground as Enkidu continued along the obvious path, there was a familiar aura about the place, as if he had been here before. Before long, he found himself entering another room, this time with a much narrow displacement.
Compared to the previous room, it was more compact, but the simplicity and atmosphere screamed extravagant. Gold tones decorated the abstract walls and uneven surfaces of the floor while smaller scale pyramids were erected from the ground.
At the end of the room, a golden chest glowed a dim heavenly gold colour, inviting anyone to come closer and inspect its contents. But Enkidu completely ignored that and instead focused on the most bizarre object in the room.
He was gazing at the chains suspended in the air above him, all directed towards the chest and forming a makeshift barrier around it. Their faded colour indicated they had been here for a while, but it was the plea and cries for joy that drew his attention.
"These chains, they're…..mine…..impossible, how can they be here?" He asked himself as he stepped closer to inspect the inanimate objects.
Feeling his foot crush something, he glanced down and paused to find a shattered bone. Glancing around, he realised that several bones belonging to several corpses lay strung about like a display piece for the next wandering adventurer.
Simple looking at the worn-out pieces of armour and the age of the weapons, these people must've been dead for more than fifty years. But they didn't simply die of natural causes, so what could have killed them?
"The….m-mas-ter….returned…." The Chains whispered to him.
"Impossible?" He murmured out loud, studying the suspended weapons.
Before his thought could continue any further, the sound of metal brushing against itself echoed in the darkness. Turning his hand into an energy blade, a large sword emerged from the darkness behind him with the intent to cleave him in half.
-CLANG!-
Deflecting the blade to one side, Enkidu jumped back and enticed his opponent to come out. Doing just that, an armoured figure leapt from the shadows and landed on the dusty floor with a thundering noise.
Studying his opponent, the tall figure brandished its sword and silently prepared itself for another attack. The armour style was nothing Enkidu had ever seen before; the intricate patterns and styling was of pure artistic beauty.
Yet at the same time he could understand the words engraved on some of the bracelets and shoulder plates. The horned helmet with its ever-extravagant wings on top coupled by the various symbols dotting the chest plate and pauldrons all screamed of Sumerian inspiration.
"Tiamat? No, that armour is a visual design depicting the great mother and her children, the horns all the way to the engravings and symbolism. All of this tells me it is of Sumerian make, just who on earth can craft this sort of masterpiece?" The demi-servant asked the tall warrior.
Silence was all the hulking figure could produce, the dark empty void within its helmet indicated that no one was home. It moved its feet, gearing up for another attack.
With a light kick, the armoured mass leapt forward and swung its sword for a critical blow. Enkidu, already anticipating the attack, summoned a flurry of chains and immediately bound his target in mid-air.
With an audible snap, the armoured warrior attempted to break free but to no avail as its body remain suspended in the air. "A simple automaton? But why go through the extra lengths of decorating it with such expensive pieces of equipment?" Enkidu wondered as he approached the wild entity.
Pausing in his steps, his presence detection screamed a series of warnings as it fed the details towards his brain. His eyes widened in shock, this feeling, it belonged to no one else. "No, why is he here?!" He glanced towards the ceiling.
Distracted by the revelation, the demi-servant failed to notice to armoured warrior fling his sword in a flimsy manner towards him. Dodging at the last minute, the blade zipped past and clamoured onto the stone floor with a loud echo.
Glaring daggers at his bounded opponent, a split second of raw killing intent filled his head and his arm moved on its own to skewer the humanoid figure. Just as his hand was about to pierce the intricate helmet, the warrior disappeared in a blinding flash of light.
"He broke free from the chains, how!?" He screamed at himself, shocked at the possibility of such a thing.
-KABOOM!-
Loud explosions erupted from outside, rocking the chamber to its very core. "Kingu." Enkidu grimaced as he felt the faker right make his debut.
Hearing movements from behind, he sidestepped and watched as sharpened metal grazed his hair and slammed straight into the ground. Cleaving a giant cut into the stone floor, Enkidu slammed his foot down on the blade and locked it in position.
Sending a fist towards the helmet, his hand smashed into the metal casing and sent the heavy brawler flying backwards. Before the lumbering figure could hit the floor, his body disappeared into a flash of light again.
Stunned by the same move, the warrior reappeared in front of Enkidu a split second later with its hands grasping the handle of its sword. Retrieving the weapon from the floor and ready to strike, it swung its blade again.
Adapting to the newfound attack, the demi-servant quickly deflected the blade with a precise hit and exposed the brawler a counterattack. A wave of chains appeared all around the figure, firing from all directions and skewering the resilient figure.
Piercing the armour with ease and turning the temple guardian into a second-rate pin cushion, its body grasped onto whatever inch of life it had left before falling limp.
/…/
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Reed asked, slightly worried about what awaited her friend inside the structure.
Anshar stifled a small laugh, "Young lady, whatever the vault throws at him, he will overcome it with ease."
Reed felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, a worrying sensation filled her mind as her gut instinct told her to run. Gripping her spear tightly, she glanced around anxiously for any signs of the threat.
"Look out miss!" Anshar cried out as he shoved her away with his brute strength.
"Ack!" The Draco groaned as she was sent flying a few metres away from her last known position.
Hearing the sound, a high pitched wailed, it instantly reminded the woman of screaming missiles barrelling down on her position. Glancing up, a white flash was all her eyes could render as the next second shocked her ears.
-KABOOM!-
She braced for impact as the sand was whipped up into a flurry mess, creating a pseudo sandstorm in the process. As her jacket fluttered violently, the shockwave had well and truly passed over and the dust began to settle.
Fanning the haze aside, her eyes widened in shock as her mind suffered from a recognition crisis. Through the clearing of the dust, she saw him, Enkidu. No, it wasn't Enkidu, far from it at best, yet her mind knew the difference, but her emotions couldn't handle the news.
It was the Doctor, or rather, a being taking the form of both the Doctor and Enkidu and making a mockery out of their name and figure. Her hand gripped the spear tightly, but she couldn't move, her feet absolutely refused to take one step closer towards that thing.
But amidst the chaos, Anshar had survived the blast and was standing toe to toe against the faker with a long blade in his hands. His tattered cloak had all been reduced to nothing, exposing a his combat gear.
"You are far more resilient than I thought, as expected of the Royal Guard." Kingu smirked, slowly circling his opponent.
"I'd recognize this feeling anywhere, to think someone like you survived the great scouring is a feat on its own. This world does not need you wasting its precious oxygen, you should've died all those millennia ago like your brother.
Kingu frowned, "I can say the same for you, you're a man out of time, you should be dead. Your remains would be nothing by now in this day and age."
"To think you'd imitate our great Leader with such great mockery, it makes me sick to the core." Anshar brandished his blade.
"What can I say, I quite like this figure!" Kingu flouted his arms, a smile spread across his face.
Anshar didn't say another word, instead he pushed his feet off the ground and lunged towards the faker. He moved his arms, hell bent on cutting down the heresy that stood before him.
Kingu saw the attack and patiently waited for the man to close the distance. Morphing his hand into a blade, his blade clashed with his opponent's and sparks flew violently from all ends. The two fighters broke off, their blades clashing repeatedly within a short time frame.
Kingu jumped back, a taunting expression decorated his face as he indulged in the warrior puppet that tried its luck. Anshar didn't share the same expression as his face was decorated with pent up anger and hatred against his opponent.
The two clashed again, sparks flew violently as more shockwaves were sent across the ground rippling the sand and stirring up clouds of dust.
In the distance, Reed watched on, unable to interfere with their intense duel as she couldn't even offer a lending hand if she tried. She could only watch on in awe as the duel between a mere mortal man and a living servant unfolded before her.
"Man, what a drag." Kingu yawned as he casually parried the blade back easily.
Anshar stumbled backwards, unfazed by the block. He knew he was outclassed in every way, but he wasn't expecting to win this fight, he was merely stalling for time.
"Waiting for Enkidu to finish his business down there? That's why you're fighting me right? To stall for time so that your precious friend can come up and finish the business here?" Kingu folded his arms, unimpressed by the obvious state of things.
Anshar was taken aback, but simply put on a grin on his face. "So, what if I am stalling for time? I'm doing a pretty good job so far." He panted heavily, readying for another bout.
Kingu scratched the back of his head and sighed in a disappointed manner, "I suppose play time is over then isn't it?" His purple eyes flared with murderous intent and a wall of golden portals appeared behind him.
"Shit!" Anshar muttered.
Without uttering a word, Kingu unleashed his barrage of chains in a concentrated effort to butcher his opponent in one swift strike. The metal chains clamoured on as they rocketed through the air and came barrelling down on their target.
Bracing himself for the worst, Anshar met the first few projectiles head on and deflected them with his sword. More and more came, he kept swinging and swinging but the amount was too much for him to keep up with.
The speed at which they came at intensified even further and they broke through his stalwart defence and pierced his legs and arms.
"Arghh!" He groaned in pain before collapsing to the ground.
"Don't you like it?" Kingu paused his attacks, "This is the most optimal way of defeating an opponent, by simply overwhelming them with attacks until they can no longer cope with it."
The millennia old guardian collapsed to his knees, unable to support himself any longer. Using his sword as support, he panted and wheezed as blood seeped into the soft sand around him. "Not yet, I can't fall now, I still have some time left!"
"I suppose it's time to put this little pup out of his misery." Kingu grinned coldly.
"No!" A feminine voice protested, catching the attention of the faker.
Anshar turned and yelled at her, "Don't involve yourself in this Miss, it's too dangerous, leave while you-ack!" He clutched the sides of his stomach, revealing a deep gnash.
"Oh? I completely forgot you were standing there, are you his exquisite pet by any chance?" Kingu eyed the Draco up and down curiously.
Reed ignored his words, but her emotions kept toying with her mental state. But now was not the time to indulge in who's who and just focus on engaging the threat in front of her.
"Huh, not the talkative type eh? I suppose I'll finish off your friend here and deal with you later."
Summoning a wall of chains, he fired all of them simultaneously towards the bleeding Anshar and expected a bloody paste the next second.
-CLANG!-
As the chains that was supposed to skewer his opponents were deflected promptly, he raised a curious brow as to who could've interrupted the process. Seeing the same woman, he was talking to earlier, she now blocked the path with a fiery attitude.
Flaming wings sprouted from her back as her spear was engulfed in holy fire. A battle-ready expression decorated her face as she gripped her weapon firmly.
Kingu smiled, almost as if he were excited about the next set of events that were about to unfold. "Now this is interesting, so the pet has finally decided to play?"
Reed said nothing and ignored his taunts. Pointing her spear at her target, she manipulated her arts and fired a concentrated beam of flames.
Excited by the aggressive approach, Kingu dodged the ranged attack and glanced upwards. Seeing the Draco descend before him with killing intent, her flaming spear met his bladed hand.
The duo clashed ferociously as flames were sent flying everywhere and littered the ground. If they fought any longer the landscape would turn into a fitting lair for Satan himself.
Parrying and blocking, Kingu grinned even harder as he wanted to see more from the Draco warrior. "More! I know you're holding back, aren't you afraid of using your full potential against me? You know you'll have to, you're no match against me in this state!"
Responding to his words, the temperature abruptly increased in their vicinity as Reed used more of her arts in her combat style. Twirling the flaming lance, the temperature it was burning at far exceeded normal limits and could potentially melt steel at this rate.
"Wonderful! I love it!" Kingu praised her before diving in sporadically to battle her in close quarters
Executing a barrage of attacks, his hands could nowhere penetrate the stout defence the Draco was putting up. Slightly frustrated by this, he refused to change his attack patterns and instantly regretted it.
As Reed baited his hand for a forward jab, she elegantly moved his feet and swatted aside the arm to create an opening. Seeing her chance, she thrusted her blazing spear forward and straight towards Kingu's face.
"Shit!" Kingu muttered as he quickly sidestepped but was too late for it.
As the spear grazed his cheek, it left a deep cut and the wound itself remained on fire. It was the attack that came next that would severely change his perception about the Draco woman.
Not even a second had passed when Reed had inflicted the wound and he felt his entire face turn into a miniature sun.
-BOOM!-
A medium sized explosion erupted from the wound Reed had inflicted upon him earlier causing the blast to engulf Kingu and sent him stumbling backwards into the ground. While it was a solid hit, it wasn't enough to down the faker.
A black mark decorated his left cheek before it returned to normal. If it were simply any other being on the receiving end of that attack, they would've surely been reduced to ash by now.
"I must say, that stung quite a bit." He applauded her, brushing the sand off his robes as if nothing happened. "An error on my part, I underestimated you and paid the price for it. But I must say, in a pure close quarter fight with my blade I don't think I would've stood a chance."
Their eyes met briefly, there was only violence and killing intent lingering in Reed's eyes as that's all she focused on. Any other thought that drifted into her consciousness was merely a noise that failed to garner her attention.
"I like it, your anger makes me happy, it draws out the real monster from within!" He exclaimed happily. "Now then, enough playing, I shouldn't hold back now!"
With a light tap of his feet, the imposter closed the gap between them in an instance. Gasping at the sight, Reed brought her spear up but felt nothing hit her. Glancing around, Kingu had appeared next to her with his foot ready to slam into her sides.
Using the shaft of her weapon, the object took majority of the blow but sent the Draco skipping away in the sand. Before she even had the chance to recuperate, a pillar of dirt erupted from the ground and slammed into her back, stopping her in her tracks.
A chain manifested itself, wrapping itself around her waist and flinging her into the sky. Meeting the Draco at the top, Kingu slammed his foot down into her abdomen and promptly propelled her back down with a loud noise.
"GAH!" She coughed, wheezing and panting as her body screamed in pain as it slammed into the earth. As the millions of cells rushed to repair the damage, the tremendous amount of pain was close to sending her into a shocked state.
Sustaining multiple cuts and bruises all over her body, she remained still, unable to move for a bit. But her sheer will, and stubbornness pushed her on to keep moving, she wanted to live, to survive!
"Sheesh, you're stubborn." He groaned as he watched her stand up.
Her open wounds were cauterized automatically by her flames, as if some sort of underlying regenerative factor keeping her going for the meantime. Wiping the blood stain away from her lips, she readied her weapon for another violent session.
A sly smile crossed Kingu's face as he planned the most painful way in finishing off his target, it was something he would indulge in for the days to come. Leaping forward, he closed the 50 metre odd gap between them in a split second and was about to deliver a crushing blow.
Before his foot could even reach Reed, a large golden spear appeared out of nowhere and instantly impaled his chest. Stopping him dead in his tracks, he lay motionless in the air as the giant weapon buried itself into the ground.
"Wha-!" He coughed up a pool of blood, stunned by the surprise attack.
Seeing a figure out of the corner of his eye, he reacted far too late as Enkidu came barrelling down on his position and slammed into him with full force.
-BOOM!-
A giant shockwave rippled through the sand and travelled for a few hundred metres amidst the erupting chaos that unfolded. As the dust settled, a small crater was left where the sandy dune once stood.
Groaning in pain, Kingu pulled himself to his feet and spat out a healthy supply of blood. Glaring at Enkidu, there was nothing but seething hatred and anger that burned ever so brightly in his eyes. Clutching the gaping hole in his chest, the wound began to slowly stich itself up, but it left him vulnerable for the time being.
"I suppose my timing was off then." He chuckled, attempting to start a conversation with his alter ego.
Enkidu frowned visibly, "I didn't expect you to come out all this way, were you after the contents inside the vault as well?"
The imposter cocked his head slightly, confused by the question. "Vault? You must be mistaken, I couldn't care less for what was inside the vault, I'm after something else you see."
"The fact that you're here means I can end this feud once and for all. I ask that you surrender yourself and return the soul that you have hijacked back to me." The demi-servant asked wholeheartedly, but the chances were slim to none.
"Tch, you don't get it do you? Your friend is dead, I am the new Kingu, we are one now! Can't you get that through your thick skull? Your Doctor friend is long gone, you're looking at the new him now." Kingu gestured, as if he were some kind of royalty.
"I can guarantee you right now, the Doctor would never act this way." Enkidu gritted his teeth in visible frustration.
"Oh, don't like the truth now do you? I have to thank you for this after all, after all the only weakness you have is anything to do with the soul. I have to say, that friend of yours had a rather energetic soul, hence why I picked him." He giggled, further taunting his adversary.
The demi-servant let out a long sigh and hung his head low, "Diplomacy is out of the question then? I really wanted to avoid beating the shit out of you despite my urge to pummel your stupid face into the ground."
"Oooh, becoming rather ambitious now are we? Well you'll have to try harder than that!" Kingu cried out sporadically before lunging forward with his bladed hands.
As Enkidu moved to parry the blow, his hand struck Kingu's blades but instantly shattered them giving rise to the fact he had been baited by a clay doll. Sensing something from his rear, he spun around and found himself in an even worsened situation.
"Ah, ah." Kingu waved a finger, prompting him to not take a further step closer.
With one hand wrapped around Anshar's neck, the imposter held the ageing guardian in the air and slowly tightened his grip around the man's windpipe.
Seeing the man gasp for air, Enkidu was about to move when Kingu further tightened his grip, "If you come any closer, I'll break this man's neck." He said in a cold tone.
"I swear to Anu I'll-!" He gritted his teeth angrily, ready to whip out all manner of weapons to butcher his target.
"You see Enkidu, I didn't come halfway across the world to go after some lousy vault, instead I'm after something that this stubborn pup of yours has been hiding this past millennia or so."
The demi-servant kept his battle stance ready, simulating hundreds of attack vectors that would guarantee Anshar's survival. But despite thinking of every possible solution, the chances of Anshar surviving any of them were slim.
"It seems I'm running late; I suppose I'll stop toying around and collect what's rightfully mine then." Kingu quickly ran his free hand through the man's chest and shuffled around as if he were collecting his organs.
Ripping out a golden chalice with ease, he tossed the corpse to one side and admired the item with a cruel smile. All this happened within a heartbeat, the time frame was so short that even Enkidu had to do a double take on all this.
"The holy grail, how!?" The demi-servant stared in awe.
"Oops, my bad, didn't he tell you?" He giggled like a psychopath.
"Anshar!" The words slipped out of his mouth as he darted forward in pure rage towards his target.
With such animosity dotting his eyes, Kingu merely bid a silent farewell and instantly disappeared from view with a sharp blink. The only thing he left behind was fragments of dust, a magic technique that was unfamiliar to the demi-servant.
Immediately diverting his attention to Anshar's motionless body, he picked up the man and gripped him tightly. But no matter how tight his finger clung onto the man, he felt lighter by each passing moment.
"Don't go, not yet! I need to know; how do you know about me? Why am I so important to you, to the point that prophecies would predict my arrival?" His words barraged the dying man, but they all fell on deaf ears as it was merely noise for Anshar. "Why…..why am I important?..." His voice broke.
A content smile decorated the dying man's face, "In due time…all will be clear….stand tall Enkidu….nay, my lord…" He mustered whatever strength he had left to leave those parting words behind. "I'm so so…happy…I can rest now….."
With one final breath, his chest rose before coming to a complete halt. With that, his body slowly pulsed with a warm golden light before dissipating into a shower of smaller golden particles. Leaving behind a pair of empty hands, Enkidu could only grip nothingness now.
At least, that's what he thought as he felt a pair of warm hands fill the empty void he tried so haplessly to grab a hold of. Shifting his gaze, he found a pair of ocean blue eyes meeting his own. Despite the tired look they gave off, they radiated a sense of warmth past all that.
"I…couldn't save him….." He murmured.
Reed kept quite and gripped his hands, "You did your best, that's all he could have ever asked for…." She spoke softly.
"But I could've done more, I should've done more! A perfect weapon like me shouldn't have made such a simple mistake, this isn't right, I-"
The Draco placed a finger over his mouth, "But you're not a weapon, you're a living breathing being. And as normal people, we're not perfect, we all make mistakes."
"But-"
"In a way you saved Anshar, he's been suffering for far too long, staying alive well past his due date." She sighed heavily, unloading the harsh truth. "He was happy, to be finally set free from the chains that bound him to this planet."
Enkidu kept quiet, he hung his head low as his mental state was left in shambles at the moment. He felt like they had gained something out of this journey, but lost more in the process. One step forward, two steps back was the literal representation that could describe his mindset.
"None of this makes sense, why did he call me Lord? Why was he waiting here this whole time, for me specifically? Something doesn't add up, I need to get to the bottom of this." He stood up and clenched his fist determinedly.
"Where are you going?" The Draco asked.
"Home, you coming?" He extended a helping hand towards her.
"Gladly." She accepted his offer.
Kal'tsit stood quietly at one of the desk skimming over the daily logistics report while sipping on a cup of coffee in the usual late-night hours of her shift. Signing off the paper, she placed on the collection point for tomorrow's staff to sort out the filing.
Hearing the door to her office slide open, her ears perked up curiosity as she turned around to greet the person sane enough to be awake this late and to enter her personal domain at this hour no less. Truth be told, she already detected his arrival long before he even reached the door to her lab.
"You have something for me Fives? I can tell by that excited look underneath that mask of yours." She took another casual sip.
"You know me so well Ma'am." He chuckled while waving his arms.
"So, what is it?"
"I've gotten word from some of my contacts in Victoria, it seems she's resurfaced once more and is on the move."
The woman narrowed her gaze and placed down the warm mug, "You're serious about this? Any ideas as to why she would make a move now?"
"The current political climate the world is facing right now is probably one thing I can think of." He pointed out the obvious.
Kal'tsit promptly moved over and smacked the back of his head with a clipboard, "I am well aware of that you sausage, I'm asking about the specifics."
Fives scoffed, "You'd have better luck asking a fortune teller that question if you want a definite answer."
"Fuck." The woman groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You know as well as I do how well this woman covers her tracks. The fact we even managed to narrow down her gender was a miracle."
"We didn't uncover that, she deliberately left it out in the open for us to look at it."
"So, what's the plan boss?"
"We do nothing, this doesn't concern us at the moment, right now Rhodes Island has bigger problems to take care of."
"Very well, I'll report back if anything significant develops."
"You know where to find me." She waved.