Chapter Nineteen
Lucifaad, Lucifaad Territory
The Gorge.
A piece of Vi would forever be lost in this wasteland of crumbling buildings and shattered communities.
Once, it was a mining district called Haven, controlled by House Lucifer and built to mine Griycium and other valuable materials for the war effort.
Once every speck of minerals was excavated, House Lucifer washed their hands of the project and left the workers to fend for themselves.
It didn't take long for Haven to fall into complete anarchy. Tribes and gangs began to form from its desperate population until all but one remained.
Her nose crinkled at the familiar taste of burning ash and the lingering specks of Sulpher still hanging in the air. She never once in her life wanted to return to the place where everything changed for the worse.
Vi could feel the terror of nearing the same ground once stained in Vander's blood. Her skin shivered as memories of his broken body once again consumed her thoughts and the cries of his…killer.
"I only wanted to help!"
That's all Powder ever wanted to do, but Vi was consumed by pain, and she lashed out in the only way she knew how.
"I told you to stay away!"
Terror turned into despair as she watched Powder's cheek morph around her knuckles. Their innocence died in that alleyway, and Vi's last memory of her beloved sister crying on her knees would forever haunt her.
There was no escape from her actions, and she could only hope there was still something left of her little sister inside the murderous creature called Jinx. A passing glance towards her unlikely companions revealed a pair of grim expressions and a stoic demeanor.
The Gorge was no longer a hospitable land to even Devils, the unrestrained mining of Griycium released toxic fumes that smothered lungs in thick tar. Vi spent the better part of their journey guiding her companions through these hazardous wastes, and there were a few instances where the noxious fumes wafted over them.
Caitlyn's and Ahri's inexperience with this rough terrain showed itself when they nearly lost their footing and fell face first into a puddle of toxic waste. Vi was surprised to find Cyrus foraging alongside her without hesitation or issues, leading to her questioning if he had been there before and in typical fashion, her inquiry went ignored.
A sideways glance to Ahri revealed an amused smile playing upon her lips, but she remained silent on the matter. The more Vi spent alongside the Kimaris and Vastayan, the more questions she had. They were such an odd pair that continually contrasted one another in both personality and actions.
Ahri was an unshackled soul whose freethinking nature put Vi at ease despite her otherwise irritating behavior. The Vastayan lived to make other people uncomfortable, either through close proximity or crass statements meant to garner a reaction.
Cyrus was an enigma that kept everyone, even Ahri who was constantly by his side, at arm's length. There was always this indescribable but no less terrifying look in his eye when he started scanning his surroundings. He regarded everything with such a passive expression that one would be forgiven if they believed him to be made of granite.
He seemingly gave nothing away to the outside world, and his control was so potent Vi had to keep looking in his direction to see if he was still there. It wouldn't be an understatement to say Cyrus was a dark void that consumed everything in his path.
A humourous smile crossed Vi's visage as she stared at the only normal member of their little group. Caitlyn's story was a simple one in retrospect, but somehow she was in the most danger of all of them.
One does not cross the Lucifuge clan without repercussions, and sooner or later, Bashalum's Infernal Guard was going to come down here to settle Caitlyn's treachery.
It was only a matter of time until the Underworld became a battleground once more.
Vi's breath faltered as she registered the immense structure lingering in the distance. Haven's distribution center was the heart of the mining district, easily towering over every building in its wake. Toxic vapors rose from its shattered windows, staining the sky in a green hue that poisoned everything in its path. Streams of hazardous liquids pooled at its base serving as a medieval moat of acidic properties.
The Raptors turned the distribution center into their base of operations modifying the first few floors to their specifications and leaving the rest of the structure to rot over the decades. It was an impregnable fortress, and only a fool would dare to test its faculties.
Cyrus didn't hesitate to step forward.
He separated from the group at a lax pace, his hands digging into his jacket pockets and gaze firmly set upon the Raptor Stronghold. The raiders didn't deal with anyone outside the confines of their home, so this meeting between Sevika and the Raptors would take place inside the hornet's nest.
The Kimaris didn't bother rousing the trio into a fervor because they all knew the game and their place on the board. Ahri was the first to follow in his wake, joined shortly after by both Caitlyn and Vi in a silent confirmation of their commitment.
There was turning back for in the next few hours, their actions would shake the foundations of not just Lucifaad but also the fate of all who walk the Earth.
Cyrus kept his eyes forward as the distance between himself and the Raptor stronghold lessened with Ahri, Vi, and Caitlyn at his sides. The ground reminded him of a Covenant glassing a few months after the initial bombardment. Buildings were reduced to rubble, and whole swaths of civilization burned with scorching heat.
His mind was laser-focused on the task at hand, and he formulated a slew of stratagems of which many were immediately cataloged when they became redundant. To break the Raptor perimeter, he would have to rely on the skill and fortitude of those standing beside him.
You have formed a capable Lance.
The voice was clearer now. Its words were no longer a garbled mess of linguistics that Cyrus had trouble deciphering.
A passive look back confirmed the malevolent entity's words. Ahri was always a certainty considering her Vastayan nature, but the latter two were willing passengers on this crazy train Cyrus was conducting.
The gravity of his actions could very well throw the entire Underworld into an uproar. It was no guarantee that Silco's death would bring prosperity to the city, and in truth, Cyrus suspected that it would only lead to more anarchy.
But that was an issue for another day.
"They follow me out of forced servitude or vested interest." Cyrus retorted. "It was not my charisma but a lack of other options that brought them to my side."
Do not sell yourself short Reclaimer. You inspire these creatures to your banner, and there is no greater example than the soldiers you left behind.
To that, Cyrus had no reply.
His thoughts often strayed towards the 10th Cohort and their current whereabouts. By now, they had rejoined the rest of their Legion on the ramparts outside Lucifaad. Arkias would lead them well, and their continued survival would rest upon the Primus Legionnaire and his hardened Centurions.
"They are a means to an end." Cyrus proclaimed to the darkness. "Nothing more."
Your words are poison to the Earth, for they hold no truth to them. You cannot deceive me, Reclaimer, and there will be a time you cannot fool yourself.
Cyrus hoped to never experience such a moment.
A pattern of footsteps increased in frequency, and a trio of warm bodies matched his sedated pace. The Raptor Stronghold loomed just ahead, and his companions were seeking some type of strategy from his lips.
"So, do we have a plan?" Ahri questioned with tentative concern, her brows curling with mild interest even as Caitlyn and Vi stared at the back of his head as if he were consumed by madness.
The distance to the Raptor stronghold was diminishing rapidly, and soon the outer guards would spot the intruders treading on their territories. Vi didn't fancy throwing down with the raiders in these territories; the toxic wastes were a constant danger, and the Raptors knew these lands better than anyone in Lucifaad.
"I'm walking through the front door." Vi blinked once, then twice in genuine disbelief as she shared a glance with both Ahri and Caitlyn before confronting Cyrus.
"That's not a plan. That's suicide." She countered. "The four of us versus about two hundred Raptors and Satan knows how many Chem Guards protecting Sevika. That is bound to lead to disaster."
Cyrus spared the trio an even look. "Who said anything about four?"
A smog of darkness crept in from all angles, snuffing out the toxic waste in a wave of shadows. Ahri watched the creeping fog morph into creatures of the night, bearing fangs and claws that could cut through Griycium armor with ease.
Caitlyn's step faltered, but when he glanced in her direction, she picked up her pace and matched him step for step. Their relationship was still shaky, but it seemed to now be centered on Caitlyn demonstrating that she was just as capable as Ahri and Vi.
Cyrus led the women on a direct path towards the Raptor entrance, his mind racing with thoughts until a strategy finally began to take root.
"Pay attention. I'm only going to say this once." The women perked at his commanding tone. "Ahri, you're on the perimeter. If any of these fools try to flank us, it'll be up to you to turn them away. Vi, you're the spearhead. I want you cracking heads and keeping these Raptors off balance at all times. The more carnage you cause, the easier our time inside. Caitlyn, hold that Lance tight and keep your shots on target, prioritize officers, commanders, anyone that has a voice to rally these Raptors. We go in hard, and we go in fast. No hesitation, no mercy. Am I clear?"
"As you command." Ahri acknowledged while Vi and Caitlyn sent him stern nods of confirmation.
"Good." Cyrus flexed his muscles and pulled at every shadow within a half-mile radius. Spherical black wisps floated in the air, ultimately producing a Dubhra Garrach that littered the blighted landscape. The shadowy creatures manifested into a dozen different beasts of Hell, snarling and growling into the night.
A single Dubhra Garrach assumed the shape of a Cerberus pawed at the ground, and with a guttural tone, it howled into the shadows. A Raptor watchman entering the second hour of his guard duty felt a deep sense of fear crawl into his bones.
He stepped forward, eyes scanning the environment while his arms blazed with infernal fire.
"Dargath?" The Raptor whispered to his fellow watchmen. "Did you hear that?"
"How could I not." His companion replied, their arms grasping at the ram shackled machete strapped to his waist. "We should alert, Zorken."
The firey Raptor nodded in reply, his feet stepping down from the ten-meter watchtower on the Gorge's perimeter. A creeping silence overtook all specks of his awareness, and he could feel dozens of eyes bearing down on him as he reached the base of the observation tower.
"Orgal!" The Raptor jumped at his companion's voice. "Be quick about it. There's something out there."
Orgal took a deep breath, dismissing the gathering flames from his palms, and focused on his elevated heart rate. It wouldn't do to present himself in front of his boss in such a panic, so he closed his eyes to the world and fought down his beating heart.
In his delirium, Orgal missed a muffling cry of terror from the watchtower, and when he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a snarling set of razor-sharp fangs.
"Ah!" The Raptor shot out his arm, basking the shadowy creature in flames that did nothing but amuse the beast. His composure broke, and he stumbled backward into a lithe arm wrapping around his neck.
Orgal's were silenced as Vi snapped his neck in two, cutting the Raptors strings and letting his body slide to the ground. Her only acknowledgment of the Raider's existence was spoken in a single word directed towards an onlooking Ahri.
"That's one." The Vastayan rolled her eyes at the Brawler's bleeding confidence and flashed her a bloodied dagger.
"We're tied, far hands."
Cyrus gave the pair's byplay a single glance before ordering his Dubhra Garrach forward.
"Find, Sevika." The Spartans voice was low and guttural, but the shadowy creatures understood every word he spoke. "And kill the rest." The beasts growled with approval and scaled the towering structure with ease, dipping into the unattended windows and quietly slaughtering those they found inside.
Caitlyn scouted ahead, ascending the stronghold's main rampart and peaking inside the main facility. Dozens of Raptors occupied the main floor and upper levels, but their attention was focused upon a makeshift arena where two of their number were undertaking a rite of passage in a gladiatorial fashion.
The Sharpshooter zeroed her Lance on a Raptor barking out directions to his new initiates. Her eyes dilated, her breath fell into a steady pace, and with one burst of arcana, a beam of ionized plasma slammed into the ganger's throat.
A jarring silence overtook the rowdy Raptors as they watched one of their leaders fall on his face, blood squirting from his severed throat.
Shock turned to anger as all eyes trailed from the dying Raider towards his killer. Caitlyn's brows crinkled with interest when Cyrus stepped forward, his hands still buried in his pockets and an even expression upon his visage.
"Where is Sevika?"
The barest of smiles played upon the Spartan's lips when the Raptors answered his query with steel.
Violence was always the answer.
Sevika whirled in suspicion at the clawing noise growing in the background. Her instincts pulsed with an uncertainty that her Chem Guards picked up, so they maneuvered themselves onto her flanks.
Varnal, the Raptors Leader, sneered with disinterest and ordered one of his underlings to handle the disturbance. The scampering Raider departed the spacious conference room that previously belonged to the mining town's nobility.
Now it played host to the detestable creature Secika was forced to parlay with.
"My apologies, Sevika." Varnal announced with overzealous gusto. "Our gladiatorial games can often lead to a rowdy disturbance. I'm sure my Lieutenant will subdue their noise so we may finalize our transaction."
Sevika gave the Raider a glance of mild contempt but continued surveying her 'merchandise' with a keen eye.
Her fingers grazed across crates of Griycium crystals bearing the mark of the Infernal Legions.
This arms deal was critical in bringing the Raptors into the fold. For years the raider gang had been a leading competitor in the Underworld Black market, and it was only because of several Inquisitorious raids that the Raptors were opening a dialogue with Silco.
The only material they lacked in abundance for their illegal arms trade was Griycium crystals. Silco monopolized the mining districts in and around the Underworld and made sure to keep any other hands out of that particular business.
Silco played his hands on the calculation that one day the Raptors would finally run out of Griycium crystals and would have to come to him for supply.
Fast forward five years, and that prediction came to pass with yet another cornerstone of the Underworld falling under his sway.
This was a moment of triumph that should have been celebrated.
And yet, that's not what Sevika felt.
She easily recalled the underlying panic behind Silco's stone-faced visage. The Underworld mogul took to the spire district with more than a dozen Chem Guards for more 'pressing' business. Sevika wasn't one to argue, but this sudden departure left his empire in an odd flux.
Silco rarely delegated his duties and preferred to keep his hands on the reigns of his fledgling empire. Sevika found herself somewhat inadequate of running the entire enterprise and heavily relied upon embedded Lieutenants to maintain stability.
It was a tenuous balance, but it would improve once the Raptors added their forces to Silco's queue.
Now all Sevika had to do was get the bastard to sign on the dotted line.
A Raptor stepped out of the towering crates with a pensive expression, and his eyes burrowed into each compartment for any deviancy. Once his due diligence was completed, the Raider turned towards Varnal and gave him a stern nod.
The Raptor leader clapped his hands in delight, his detestable violet eyes turning towards an inertly annoyed Sevika. "Our business is concluded, my dear. Give Silco my regards…."
Any cordial response on Sevika's part was muted by a Raptor storming into the room with blood running down his forehead. One of her half dozen Chem Guards on escort duty slammed their hand on the Raider's shoulder and prevented him from rolling into the spacious room.
"…What is the meaning of thi-" Vargal's words were interrupted by a black claw tearing through the Raptors stomach. The Chem Guard helmet pivoted in surprise, only pierced by a second claw through its glass bowl and slash through the Devil's eyes.
"ARGHH!" The Chem Guard screamed in anguish, and Vargal could only watch in terror as both he and the Raptor were pulled out into the darkened hallway.
"TO ARMS!" Sevika's martial instincts kicked in just as a stream of Dubhra Garrachs poured through the doorway. A faux Chimera broke through the thin wall separating the conference room from the hallway and let out a throaty roar that echoed across the chamber.
Chem Guards activated their shimmer, and time slowed to a noticeable crawl. Their bulky hands slammed against the frontal lobe of a dozen Dubhra Garrachs. Their tempered steel smashed through the rigid carapace, crushing the shadowy creatures until nothing but dust remained.
Two Chem Guards hacked into the meat of the Dubhra Garrach mob with razor-sharp wrist blades soaked with vile chemicals. The shadowy creatures gnawed and tore at the titans without hesitation or fear. A sentiment that could not be mimicked by the Raptors screaming in the background.
The Raiders beat a hasty retreat from the collapsed section of the conference room, hacking and slashing at the Dubhra Garrachs that nipped at their heels.
"Help!" A pinned Raptor begged for assistance while a monstrosity teethed at his exposed neck. "Help m-!"
His pleading was interrupted by a set of fangs tearing through his throat, splashing blood across the concrete floor. A pair of Raptors hacked at the exposed gaps in the creature's armor, cutting into its vitals and killing the beast before it could run amok.
"Kill them!" Vargal summoned a pair of tempered broadswords and drove the oversized blades into a Dubhra Garrachs torso mid-air. "KILL THEM ALL!"
Sevika's right arm pulsed with a deep purple hue brimming with demonic energy. She lifted the limb just in time to slam the crown of her fist into a Chimera's throat, breaking the beast's trachea and killing it in a single blow.
While the upper levels turned into a free-for-all as Raptor and Chem Guards alike collided with the creatures of the night. Screams of the dead or dying echoed through the fortress, smothering the clash of steel and bones as Cyrus and his companions tore through the raiders populating the lower floors.
Caitlyn stuck to the fringes of combat accompanied by a pair of wolf-like Dubhra Garrachs with explicit orders to remain by her side. The shadowy canines barked and snarled with bloodthirsty desire but remained in place instead of charging headlong into the melee.
Her sights centered upon a grizzled Raptor rallying the disorganized mass to his side. A beam of ionized plasma slammed into his torso, punching a hole through his left clavicle and incinerating his heart.
"Beautiful shot, cupcake." In any other situation, Ahri's teasing nickname would have earned her a sharp retort, but Caitlyn was far too focused on sniping a Raider firing down a stream of demonic bolts from his Griycium Lance from the overhead rafters.
"I aim to please." The Sharpshooter retorted, displacing from her perch and sprinting along the right flank. A Raptors shattered body smashed into the metal railing along her path, and the indents submerged into his cracked skull came courtesy of Vi's bludgeoning knuckles.
The Brawler was in the closest thing to heaven a Devil could ever hope to experience. Cyrus's direct assault was straight up her alley, and the complete disregard for restraint was music to her ears.
The only factor preventing Vi from turning to deflect a bladed axe was a gust of wind brushing her left cheek as she slammed her fist into a Raider's skull. Cyrus wrapped his arm around her attacker's throat and pulled the Devil's jaw in a grotesque invert, snapping his neck and snuffing out his wretched life in a haze of darkness.
"Kill him!" A solitary raider charged towards Cyrus in a drug-addled rage, enticing a group of other Raptors to his cause.
A black tendril extended from the Nobles wrist, burrowed into the bandit's torso, and tore through skin and bone. Cyrus flexed his wrist up and to the right, using the pierced Raptor as a humanoid battering ram and slamming him into his fellows.
"ARGH!" A pair of Raptors tried to push his exposed flank, but Vi snapped out a heel that crushed the top of the first Raider's skull. Her foot was withdrawn just in time for her to duck beneath a mighty swing from the second Raider and bury her fingers into his abdomen.
A focused pulse of arcana gathered in her fingertips and pierced the Devil's guts, disemboweling him where he stood. Vi upped the ante and drove the soles of her boot into the Raiders sternum, sending him flying backward in an orgy of gore.
With three dead in as many seconds, the surviving raiders fell into a reckless charge. Lances were leveled, and demonic blades were flashed with killing intent, but their fury was a minuscule wave in a tsunami of darkness.
"Having fun?" Vi quipped as she and Cyrus fought back to back.
"You and I have very different definitions of fun." He sidestepped a demonic spear and drew its owner into a clothesline that shattered his jaw. The injured Raider was immediately set upon by a single Dubhra Garrach slipping through the mass of bodies and had his life snuffed out by a single bite to his neck that snapped his spinal cord in two.
"Come on sunshine, anything that gets the blood pumping-" Vi parried a fury of strikes from a dual-wielding Raptor, catching her left blade by its handle and driving the crest of her forehead into the Raiders nose. A spurt of blood was joined by a gasp of anguish when Vi broke her left hand and slammed her knee into the bandit's stomach. "-Is a good time as far as I'm concerned."
"Less talking, more killing!" Ahri flashed by on a beam of light, a trio of ki daggers slamming into a group of Raptors and detonating in a cloud of piercing arcana that tore through their skin with ease.
The Vastayan swerved between the mass of Raptors and Dubhra Garrachs, picking off Raiders that put up stiff resistance and kept large groups from forming into a cohesive force. Vi or Cyrus easily dealt with those few that managed to slip past her and made a beeline for the upper levels.
The main level was swinging in their favor, with the sheer volume of Dubhra Garrachs overwhelming the disorganized mass of Raptors putting up a spirited resistance.
But it didn't last.
"There breaking." True to Caitlyn's words, the Raptors made a retreat for the upper levels, but a trio of Dubhra Garrachs constantly harassed their withdrawal. Cyrus put down a wailing Raider whose guts were being devoured by a Chimera not out of mercy but because his shrieking was aggravating.
"Ahri." The Vastayan slid to his side with a pleased smile, and specks of blood splattered across her visage. He had a feeling that none of it belonged to her. "Take Caitlyn and secure the building's lower levels. No one leaves this place alive."
"Consider it done," Ahri replied with a grin. "Come along, cupcake. We're hunting Raptors."
"Aren't we already doing that?" Caitlyn's inquiry went ignored, and Vi watched the pair disappear down a hallway along with two dozen Dubhra Garrachs. The remaining mass of shadow vermins skittered across the ground, gnawing at the deceased Raptors left behind.
"What are we doing?" Vi asked while wiping specks of blood from her cheeks.
Cyrus glanced towards the upper levels, where the screams and shouts of combat still echoed in the darkness.
"Hunting."
All my current fics were in need of an update and this was the perfect time to do it because I hate April 1st for this site. Too many fics do meme chapters and it is annoying as hell but take heed for I will never fall to those hijinks.
This isn't a complete return because I am in the final stages of my projects and I am so close to finishing off all the hard shit for school.
So keep an eye out for more chapters in the next two weeks.