Hey guys, another tough week I'm afraid. Not going to talk about it because I don't want to be the guy who lays out his troubles in an attempt to get publicity. So, review response time instead. Guest; well, you'll find out how the chapter goes down shortly. OutlastTheDark; it's those helmets I tell you, visors are too small! And hey, puns aren't Reaper's speciality...or mine actually. Now, on with the show!
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Chapter 22- Duel of Fate's
Soldier 76 stared at the hollow sockets of Reaper's mask, his fists tightening and unclenching as the terrorist slowly began to stalk forward, Death's Vice aimed at him. He knew it would eventually come down to this, but he didn't realise how hard it was going to be. This was his Team-Mate, is partner, his friend. If there was a chance that part of the man that was Gabriel Reyes still existed then he wasn't going to kill him.
"Don't do this Gabriel, it's not too late!" Soldier 76 pleaded, holding his hands out in front of him.
"What?" Reaper hissed, lowering his weapons slightly as he cocked his head to the side in confusion. "How do you know that name?"
"Because it's me, Gabriel..." Soldier 76 replied, lifting his hands as he slowly removed the mask covering his face, revealing it to Reaper.
Reaper stood up straight as he staggered back in shock, Death's Vice nearly slipping from his grip. "Jack?"
"It's me Gabriel..." Soldier 76 replied, letting the mask slip from his hand, the object clattering on the grating. "I didn't die in that explosion...just like you."
"You are nothing like me!" Reaper hissed, stepping forward slightly. "I fought to reveal the truth whilst you wanted to protect a lie!"
"Listen to me Gabriel! Ozpin wasn't responsible for what happened to Overwatch!" Soldier 76 reasoned, stepping forward himself. "Come with me, and together we can find out the truth."
"I found out the truth long ago, and you refused to listen to me!" Reaper hissed yet again, his eyes beginning to glow red. "Do you know what they did to those within Overwatch? What happened to those Ozpin framed? They butchered them and their legacy...so I'll butcher Ozpin's!"
"Do you even listen to yourself!" Soldier 76 shouted back, his arms held out either side. "If what you say is true, then this makes you no better then they are!"
"Don't act so high and mighty Jack!" Reaper spat back, his voice cold as he uttered Soldier 76's name. "How many innocent people have died by your hand in your quest for 'justice'?"
"Don't do this...please..." Soldier 76 finally pleaded, holding out his hand. "Before it's too late..."
"It's already too late, Gabriel DID die in that explosion. There is only the Reaper now." Reaper responded, his grip once again tightening on Death's Vice. "Besides, I've made an alliance with someone who will change the very foundations of Remnant alongside giving me Ozpin's head!"
Soldier 76's hands dropped to his side as his face suddenly became wrought with horror and shock. "What have you done?"
"You know, it's not too late for you Jack." Reaper then murmured, his voice almost sympathetic. "Join me, and together we can finally deliver justice on that Bastards head."
Soldier 76 stepped back slowly as Reaper held out one of his hands imploringly. When Soldier 76 looked up at Reaper's eyes, he saw eyes that still saw him as a friend...eyes of someone who didn't want to kill him. Yet despite this, Soldier 76 knew what had to be done.
"I'm sorry Gabriel," Soldier 76 murmured, quickly entering a fighting stance. "But I can't let you do this."
Reaper stepped back at this, his eyes filled with sadness. Yet the sadness was quickly overtaken by hatred as his body stiffened. "So be it...Soldier."
Reaper raised Death's Vice quickly and unleashed a salvo of bullets at Soldier 76, who quickly rolled backwards in response whilst drawing Helix Strike. He then unleashed a barrage of bullets from the Rifle at Reaper, he rolled to the side in response whilst firing his own shots at Soldier 76. Reaper then took cover behind the ventilation shaft, quickly reloading Death's Vice. He then broke cover, watching as Soldier 76 slid down the stairway and onto the second floor.
Reaper laughed to himself as he quickly activated his Semblance, his shadowy form easily slipping through the gaps of the grated floor. As he approached the next level, he deactivated his Semblance, becoming corporeal once again. He raised his weapons and scanned the level, yet saw no sign of the vigilante.
"Where are you?" Reaper murmured to himself, walking forward slowly as he scanned both the level he was on and the ones below him.
He then heard the sound of something light hitting the floor near a vent, and spun around to meet it, unleashing a torrent of blasts from his weapons till they ran dry. As he spent the last loaded bullet, Reaper paced forward, quickly loading explosive rounds into one of his Shotguns as he approached the vent. Raising the weapon, he circled the vent...to find not a single speck of blood.
Reaper then turned rapidly as Soldier 76 then leapt from the shadows, catching the terrorist slightly off guard. He raised the loaded weapon to fire at Soldier 76, but the vigilante was faster, firing a round from his pistol, hitting Reaper in the shoulder and causing him to drop the weapon as he seethed in pain. Quickly shifting the other Shotgun into its Sickle form, Reaper backed away towards the wall as he dodged a lunge from Soldier 76, who had discarded the pistol and drawn Helix Strike, shifting it into its Machete form.
Soldier 76 followed through with the lunge with a clockwise strike which Reaper swerved out of the way of, slowly drawing closer to the wall. Soldier 76 then followed through again with an uppercut, Reaper ducking beneath the blow and kicking Soldier 76 in the gut, causing him to let out a grunt of pain as he fell onto his back. Quickly jumping up again, Soldier 76 charged again, their blades clashing against one another as Reaper grasped hold of Soldier 76's wrist with his free hand and planted his boots against his chest. With a swift tug, Reaper pulled Soldier 76 over his body, sending the vigilante over him, who rolled forward and spun around to meet him again.
Soldier 76 then stepped forward and swung his weapon in a forward arc, Reaper ducking beneath the blow and ducking once again when Soldier 76 performed a counter swing. Reaper then lunged forward with his first strike, his Sickle quickly becoming locked in Soldier 76's left arm as he used his other to push against Soldier 76's sword arm. After a few seconds of struggling, Soldier 76 managed to free his arms and push Reaper back, causing the terrorist to grunt in surprise as he staggered back, dropping his Sickle in the process.
Soldier 76 went on the offensive again, swinging his Machete counter clockwise though Reaper managed to push the blow back by the hilt, though was quickly forced to step back as Soldier 76 delivered a counter swing. Before he could complete the manoeuvre however, Reaper grasped hold of the butt of the blade and pushed forward, sending Soldier 76 spinning backwards. Reaper then shoulder barged the vigilante, sending him staggering even further. Soldier 76 let out a primal yell as he attempted to strike again, though Reaper caught him by his wrists and threw him to the side, though Soldier 76 quickly followed through with the momentum and rolled forward, quickly rising and turning to face Reaper.
Quickly shifting Helix Strike into its Rifle form, Soldier 76 unleashed a torrent of bullets at Reaper, who quickly activated his Semblance and sped for cover amongst the corpses of the Talon operatives that littered the floor. Quickly grabbing a circular Riot Shield from one of the cadavers, Reaper hid beneath the Shield and stalked forward as Soldier 76 continued to fire at him. Realising his bullets wouldn't pierce the Shield, he shifted Helix Strike back into its Machete form and swung forward, Reaper side stepping the blow as the Machete scraped against the Shield. Reaper then drew back his fist and punched Soldier 76 in the face, following through by locking his Sword arm against the wall with the Shield.
As Reaper drew his fist back for another punch, Soldier 76 struck first with his free hand, staggering Reaper back and freeing his wrist in the process. As Reaper staggered back from the blow, Soldier 76 grabbed him by the scruff of his robe and threw him against the wall. He then delivered a strike with his Machete, though Reaper managed to block the blow with the Shield, the weapon making an ear splitting scraping noise as Soldier 76 continued to apply pressure. Reaper then activated his Semblance and slid beneath Soldier 76's arm, before becoming corporeal behind him.
Soldier 76 turned to face Reaper, who still hid behind the Shield. With a growl, Soldier 76 lunged forward with an overhead strike, Reaper sidestepping the strike as Soldier 76 then delivered a clockwise strike, the blade scraping against the Shield. Reaper then thrust forward with a punch which was quickly dodged before Soldier 76 swung in a forward arc. Reaper also dodged the blow and bashed the Shield against Soldier 76 who staggered to the side from the blow. As Reaper circled the vigilante, Soldier 76 delivered a kick to his gut, causing the terrorist to stagger back from the blow.
Soldier 76 then thrust forward with his Machete, though Reaper sidestepped the blow and delivered another bash with the Shield which Soldier 76 spun out of the way of. As Soldier 76 backed away from Reaper, he leapt forward and thrust the Machete forward, though Reaper sidestepped the blow and kicked Soldier 76 in the gut, causing the vigilante to spin from the blow before he followed through with a thrust, the blade actually piercing the Shield. But as Soldier 76 attempted to pull the blade out, Reaper spun around clockwise, quickly causing Soldier 76 to lose his grip on the weapon. As Reaper stepped forward, he pulled the Machete free from the Shield and turned to face Soldier 76 again.
"Last chance Soldier," Reaper growled, swinging the weapon in his hand methodically. "Stand down, and MAYBE I might let you live."
Soldier 76 quickly held up his fists as he entered a fighting stance, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "I've been holding out on you so far buddy, I could do this all day long."
In response, Reaper lunged forward with the Machete, Soldier 76 easily dodging the blow. Reaper then followed through with a reverse strike, Soldier 76 catching him by the wrist and bending the arm back slightly, causing Reaper to hiss in pain as Soldier 76 then kicked him in the back, causing him to lose his grip on Helix Strike and stagger onto the ground. As he slowly rose up, Reaper then flung the Shield at Soldier 76 like a Frisbee, the vigilante ducking beneath the projectile as Reaper then went to grasp for his Sickle again.
The two then charged forward again, their weapons clashing against each other as they then began scraping against one another. Soldier 76 then delivered a kick to Reaper's gut, sending him tumbling down onto the ground in a crumpled heap. Soldier 76 then charged forward and punched Reaper in his mask, creating a large crack alongside the right side of the mask before backing away again. Reaper began to hiss in pain as he rubbed his free hand against the fracture, pulling it free and revealing a portion of his face to Soldier 76.
Soldier 76 staggered back in shock as he looked upon a small portion of his face that was visible. His right eye and the area around it was now visible, the iris having turned blood red whilst the sclerae was as black as his pupil. His skin was an ashy grey colour, the outline of his socket also visible as black veins ran across his face, a small cut gushing blackish red blood on his cheekbone where Soldier 76 had punched him.
"Like what I've become?" Reaper chuckled, his visible eye narrowed as he continued to laugh.
"You're a monster!" Soldier 76 growled as he recovered from the initial shock, quickly grasping Helix Strike with both hands.
"We're all monsters Soldier." Reaper quickly retorted, tilting his head to the side as he watched Soldier 76's face scrunch up in anger. "It just takes some of us longer to realise it then others!"
Soldier 76 then let out a roar as he charged forward, swinging his blade in a counter clockwise arc. Reaper rolled out of the way of the blow and quickly rose from the ground, both of them once again clashing blades with one another as Soldier 76 pressed forward, forcing Reaper to back away. Reaper lunged again though Soldier 76 quickly parried the blow and kicked Reaper in the gut, causing him to grunt in pain as he slammed against the wall again. Soldier 76 then thrust forward with his Machete again, Reaper dodging the blow as he backed away.
Soldier 76 tugged his blade free and advanced on Reaper, quickly swiping in a forward arc with the Machete which Reaper parried. Soldier 76 then counter swung with the Machete, the blade once again clashing with the Sickle. Soldier 76 then delivered a number of strikes against the Sickle, though Reaper parried them all. As Soldier 76 shoulder barged Reaper, he side stepped the body blow, allowing him to elbow the vigilante in the face. As Soldier 76 staggered back, Reaper grasped him by his left shoulder and raised his Sickle to deliver a strike.
Before he could deliver the blow however, Soldier 76 thrust his arm forward, causing Reaper to miss the blow whilst also losing his grip. The two then continued with their assault, neither one tiring as their weapons endlessly clashed against one another. As Soldier 76 pressed forward, Reaper once again grasped his left arm, though Soldier 76 pulled himself free from his grip and slashed forward erratically, causing Reaper to quickly back away. As Soldier 76 recovered from his attack, Reaper quickly grasped him by his face and slammed him against the wall, causing the vigilante to let out a muffled grunt of pain as the back of his skull hit the metal wall.
Soldier 76 quickly freed himself from the lock and grasped Reaper by his head and head-butted him, causing the terrorist to stagger back. Soldier 76 then thrust forward with the blade pressed against Reaper's neck, his other hand grasping onto his weapon hand. Reaper managed to keep the blade at bay with his free hand, where he quickly flipped backwards over the vigilantes Sword arm and pressed his feet against his chest. Using the momentum, Reaper then threw Soldier 76 away from him, the vigilante tumbling onto the floor before he regained his footing, looking up to face Reaper.
"Face it Soldier, you've lost!" Reaper panted, his visible eye narrowed as he held out his hands either side of him. "I can't die!"
Soldier 76 sighed slightly as he lowered his head. He was beginning to tire now, and Reaper was right, nothing he could do could hurt him. As Soldier 76 looked up he remembered something that Winston had said. He could easily heal wounds, but a large discharge could potentially kill him. His mind then went back to the Talon operative he had thrown over the edge and the grisly death that had followed when he hit the generator. With a grim smile, Soldier 76 laughed without humour as he swung his Machete in his hand.
"I'm willing to take the risk." Soldier 76 announced, his eyes narrowed in determination.
Reaper growled as he then lunged forward, Soldier 76 parrying the blow with a strike of his own, causing the Sickle to fly out of his hand as it clattered onto the grating. As Reaper watched his weapon fly from his grip, Soldier 76 delivered a ground level kick to Reaper's legs, causing him to fall to the ground flat on his face. Reaper then rolled out of the way as Soldier 76 thrust down with the blade, only for it to become lodged in the grating.
As Soldier 76 attempted to dislodge the Machete, Reaper delivered a kick to his chin, causing Soldier 76 to lose his grip as he staggered back. Reaper then jumped into a standing position as he pressed his advantage, punching Soldier 76 with a right hook to the face, quickly grasping his shoulder with his left and delivering a gut punch, causing Soldier 76 to keel over in pain as he then grasped hold of the vigilantes head and kneed him in the forehead. Soldier 76 staggered back as he rubbed his face, a small cut dribbling blood on his forehead. Reaper then grasped him by his face again and slammed him against the wall again, drawing his left hand back to deliver a left hook.
Soldier 76 quickly dodged the blow and shoulder barged Reaper, quickly crushing him against the wall as Reaper attempted to claw at his arm. He then pushed his head against the wall and dragged it along, a sickening scratching sound following as Reaper attempted to push the vigilante away. Soldier 76 then threw Reaper against the floor, who quickly spun around to face the vigilante, the left side of his mask now adorning fresh scratch marks. Reaper turned to crawl away, quickly spotting his Shotgun he had dropped at the beginning of the encounter.
He grasped hold of the Shotgun's grip as Soldier 76 grabbed him by his ankle and flung him against the barrier that separated them from the generator. As Reaper rolled onto the floor, the weapon once again slipped from his grasp, where it landed next to the Machete, as Soldier 76 rapidly approached him. He then grasped him by the scruff of his robe and pressed him against the barrier, his hands now clamped around his neck. Reaper attempted to push away from Soldier 76, though the vigilante didn't so much as flinch as he drew closer to the generator. In a last ditch effort, Reaper grasped hold of his shoulder and dug one of his clawed fingers into the arm, causing Soldier 76 to yell in pain as Reaper's finger wormed its way through the clothing and into his flesh.
Eventually, Soldier 76 managed to push Reaper to his side, freeing him from his grip before he grasped hold of the back of his head and threw him forward. Reaper stumbled forward as he spun around to meet the vigilante, who quickly kicked him in the gut where he fell to the ground next to his Shotgun. Reaper lunged for the weapon, though Soldier 76 quickly pinned his hand down with his boot. Soldier 76 then pulled the Machete free from the grated floor as he held it up above his head.
"Any last words before I split you in two?" Soldier 76 panted, his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Go rot in a sewer..." Reaper growled back, his visible eye narrowed as well.
As Soldier 76 readied himself to deliver the finishing blow, Reaper's finger managed to find purchase on the Shotgun. Tilting it to the floor slightly, Reaper pulled the trigger, the explosive round hitting the floor and detonating, sending both flying backwards as the small explosion consumed the small segment of the walkway.
Soldier 76 slowly picked himself up off the floor as he coughed up a large amount of smoke before spitting on the floor, a small trace of blood dominating the saliva. Soldier 76 spun around to see no sign of the Reaper, the walkway covered in small patches of fire with a gaping hole in the middle. Soldier 76 turned to face the generator, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw no sign of damage. Soldier 76 then slumped forward in front of the hole as he wiped his forehead, the small cut that he had received from the fight having grown larger.
"I'm getting too old for this shit..." Soldier 76 murmured as he took deep intakes of air, quickly retrieving Helix Strike from the floor. The weapon had been irreversibly damaged from the brawl, it was completely useless now. He would have to salvage what he could from it before making a new one. Fortunately, he knew a guy that could help.
"Jack?!" a high pitched voice suddenly shouted, causing Soldier 76 to turn in its direction. "Where are you?!"
"Ruby..." Soldier 76 whispered to himself as he remembered what Winston had told him only minutes ago. She still sounded like she was some distance away, no doubt either having defeated the remaining Talon forces or had managed to slip past them unnoticed like he had.
As Soldier 76 rose from his position, he froze. He wasn't sure, but he swore he could hear...whispering.
He then gasped in pain as he felt something sharp pierce his right shoulder and go through his chest. He looked down and saw the end of a Sickle poking out of the right side of his chest. As he fell forward, a hand suddenly grasped him by the left shoulder and pull him back. When Soldier 76 turned, he gasped as he saw Reaper stood behind him, his clothing and armour tattered and scorched from the explosion, his visible eye narrowed in anger.
"Don't worry," Reaper murmured quietly into Soldier 76's ear, twisting the Sickle around in the wound, causing Soldier 76 to let out more pained grunts. "You'll live long enough to see her die!"
Reaper then kicked Soldier 76 in the back, pulling the Sickle out as well as the vigilante fell through the hole, landing with a pained grunt as blood slowly began to pour out of the open wound. Reaper then muttered in disgust as he backed away from the hole, leaving the vigilante to dieā¦
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Well shit, that escalated quickly. Next week, the penultimate Chapter! Will Ruby finally get her revenge, or will the Reaper triumph? Find out next week! As always, leave a review if you liked it and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me and I'll answer them whenever or leave in your reviews and I'll answer next week.
Raging Archon out.
