CHAPTER 28 - Cyrus
It wasn't a long drop to the bottom, but Arthur landed on is knees making it nevertheless unpleasant.
"I'm alright! I'm ok." He called up to ease the fears of the people above him.
"Are you hurt?" Mallory called down nervously.
"No, I'm alright. Just a little sore." He heard Seth say he was coming down and felt something heavy land close to him. Someone lit a match and Seth's concerned face flickered in the darkness.
"Are you alright, man?"
"Yes, I'm fine. We have to find a way up and out of here. If Cyrus is down here, he most certainly heard that and he'll be coming soon."
Seth nodded and gestured over his shoulder. "It's not a hard climb up. I think we should all stick to that room with all the light. At least we'd see who's coming."
Arthur nodded and took a few wobbly steps towards the rubble. With some help, he made it up onto solid ground where Mallory and Jean checked for any major damage.
"We can't stay here - lets find something to use as light before the sun goes down completely and start to strategize. We're running out of time here." Another low rumble in the basement cut Arthur's speech short and he stood up gingerly.
"We're already out of time." Dana mumbled. "He knows were here. He's going to play with us first - that's what he does. That's what your uncle does with things. That's what he did with us."
"Stop, Dana. This is hard enough, we don't need this on top of everything." Susan scolded.
The Angry Princess opened her mouth but a louder rumble and the sound of metal on metal cut her off. A foul stench rose out of the basement and surrounded the group. "I think we should MOVE!" Dana shouted, grabbing hold of Susan by the arm and tugging her towards the front of the house.
"Maybe we should lure him outside!" Luke shouted. "We're too closed in here - there's not enough room to dodge or move around."
"It's too late to turn back now. Look!" Arthur pointed to the front windows. They were already sealing up and all f the outside light was being cut off.
Seth brought his fish down upon one of the small tables. "Shit!! What the hell do we do now? We gotta think here!"
"We're in way over our heads.." Dahlia muttered. "We should have planned this better."
"Sometimes, even the most well thought out plans can be fucked up in the end." Dennis commented. "And Arthur's right, there isn't any turning back now. All we have to do now and take things one step at a time."
Broadway crossed her arms over her chest "Alright then. Step one - we get a light source. Seth, give me your sweater. Royce, your bat if you'd be so kind.."
Royce raised an eyebrow and handed his weapon over silently. Seth opened his mouth to protest as Broadway tore the sleeve of his sweater off, but shut it when she produced a small can of butane from on of the pockets of her cargo pants. She wrapped the sleeve around the top of the bat and shot a look at Royce. "Are you bound to this?"
"..No, only to my car."
"Sexcellent." Broadway carefully soaked the fabric with the fuel before producing a lighter from another pocket. She carefully flicked it open and set the cloth on fire. "Voilla! Insta-torch."
"Good show, Dolly." Royce said grinning. "I never would have thought of that."
The torch provided enough light to illuminate whatever darkness remained. Luckily, the roof of the house didn't seal up and the last streaks of sunlight was filtering in, casting a red glow on almost everything. Against the torchlight, it was an ominous scene.
The group stood around the seals of the Black Zodiac in the main room, watching as the gears clicked and spun together. The rumbling was getting louder and louder, and the whole house smelled like death. Bianca gagged and put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to save herself from throwing up. Before anyone could speak a malicious giggle rose from the ground beneath them and the center gears dropped away. Mallory ducked behind Dennis and clutched the Arcanum to her chest. The laughter died down to soft chuckling before an all too familiar voice rose from the ground.
"Well, well, well. Of all the people I though I'd never see again you, Arthur, were at the top of my list. And what about you Dennis? Dana, Susan.. Royce. Jean, what a lovely surprise. Come back to your master I see? I knew you couldn't stay away for long."
"This is where it ends, Cyrus. You're little ploy ends here." Arthur replied calmly.
"Oh, I beg to differ. It's you're little crusade that ends here, my dear nephew. You and your rag-tag little group of fools will all die here tonight. But not all is in vain; before you die you will all witness the single most powerful act of greatness in the history of mankind. Tonight the Ocularis will open its great eye and I will become the Mater of Time. The ruler of Fate and the Keeper of the Damned."
"Like hell you will!!" Dennis shouted. "You don't have that kind of power, Cyrus. You don't even have the Thirteen Ghosts!"
"On contraire! I have eight living souls right here at my fingertips! And five spirit on top of that! Not only have you aided me this time, but you've almost made things to easy!" Cyrus shot back.
Jean shook her head. "You have no power of us anymore, Cyrus! The Black Zodiac won't apply to us anymore - it's power not longer hold true!"
"Oh PLEASE, Jean! Save me your idle banter!' Cyrus cackled once more. "You have no idea how powerful I am, do you? This has nothing to do with the Black Zodiac anymore; I have the freedom to use whomever I wish. Including you five ghosts!"
A silent horror swept throughout the group at Cyrus' words. Broadway felt very dizzy and clutched Royce's arm to steady herself. "This can't be the end!" She whispered. "There has to be something we can do!"
"There is!" Dahlia replied. "We're the Divinities, Broadway. We have the power to stop Him!"
"Yeah, but do we have enough power? Two out of four..?"
"We have to try something! ANYTHING!"
"Cyrus cackled once more. "Yes, yes, little children. Try what you must in your feeble attempts to stop me; you will fail. If you feel the need to prolong the inevitable, then go. Knock yourselves out. I have all night to kill you."
"I'm getting really tired of listening to you run your mouth!" Seth shouted angrily. "We came to finish this, and that's what we're going to do. You're going down Cyrus! This is the end."
"Fools." The slight amusement had vanished from Cyrus' voice and the center panels began to rise once more. "You really have no idea what you're doing. You have no idea what I have become! Greatness requires sacrifice - and I made the greatest sacrifice of all. I gave my soul! And in return, I have been granted such power. Now, I grow weary of you all wasting my time. You're right when you said that it ends here, but it's you that will face the consequences."
The room got very hot and an unseen wind nearly extinguished the makeshift torch. Broadway handed it off to Arthur and clenched her fists. She expected a feeble old man to rise to the center platform, but felt her breath catch in her throat and he blood turn cold when Cyrus appeared in the center of the room. His head and torso was human enough, but his back legs were those of a goat, covered with brown scales and ending in cloven hooves. His arms though were the most terrifying. They were stretched and disproportioned, hanging down to the ground. They were the colour of ash and his hands had been replaced with deadly sharp talons, each one gripping several taught spike studded chains. A row of bone spikes lines his bare arms and shoulders, and a snake coiled itself around his stomach. Anything that was or had been normal up to that point just went flying out the proverbial window. They were facing a monster.
It wasn't a long drop to the bottom, but Arthur landed on is knees making it nevertheless unpleasant.
"I'm alright! I'm ok." He called up to ease the fears of the people above him.
"Are you hurt?" Mallory called down nervously.
"No, I'm alright. Just a little sore." He heard Seth say he was coming down and felt something heavy land close to him. Someone lit a match and Seth's concerned face flickered in the darkness.
"Are you alright, man?"
"Yes, I'm fine. We have to find a way up and out of here. If Cyrus is down here, he most certainly heard that and he'll be coming soon."
Seth nodded and gestured over his shoulder. "It's not a hard climb up. I think we should all stick to that room with all the light. At least we'd see who's coming."
Arthur nodded and took a few wobbly steps towards the rubble. With some help, he made it up onto solid ground where Mallory and Jean checked for any major damage.
"We can't stay here - lets find something to use as light before the sun goes down completely and start to strategize. We're running out of time here." Another low rumble in the basement cut Arthur's speech short and he stood up gingerly.
"We're already out of time." Dana mumbled. "He knows were here. He's going to play with us first - that's what he does. That's what your uncle does with things. That's what he did with us."
"Stop, Dana. This is hard enough, we don't need this on top of everything." Susan scolded.
The Angry Princess opened her mouth but a louder rumble and the sound of metal on metal cut her off. A foul stench rose out of the basement and surrounded the group. "I think we should MOVE!" Dana shouted, grabbing hold of Susan by the arm and tugging her towards the front of the house.
"Maybe we should lure him outside!" Luke shouted. "We're too closed in here - there's not enough room to dodge or move around."
"It's too late to turn back now. Look!" Arthur pointed to the front windows. They were already sealing up and all f the outside light was being cut off.
Seth brought his fish down upon one of the small tables. "Shit!! What the hell do we do now? We gotta think here!"
"We're in way over our heads.." Dahlia muttered. "We should have planned this better."
"Sometimes, even the most well thought out plans can be fucked up in the end." Dennis commented. "And Arthur's right, there isn't any turning back now. All we have to do now and take things one step at a time."
Broadway crossed her arms over her chest "Alright then. Step one - we get a light source. Seth, give me your sweater. Royce, your bat if you'd be so kind.."
Royce raised an eyebrow and handed his weapon over silently. Seth opened his mouth to protest as Broadway tore the sleeve of his sweater off, but shut it when she produced a small can of butane from on of the pockets of her cargo pants. She wrapped the sleeve around the top of the bat and shot a look at Royce. "Are you bound to this?"
"..No, only to my car."
"Sexcellent." Broadway carefully soaked the fabric with the fuel before producing a lighter from another pocket. She carefully flicked it open and set the cloth on fire. "Voilla! Insta-torch."
"Good show, Dolly." Royce said grinning. "I never would have thought of that."
The torch provided enough light to illuminate whatever darkness remained. Luckily, the roof of the house didn't seal up and the last streaks of sunlight was filtering in, casting a red glow on almost everything. Against the torchlight, it was an ominous scene.
The group stood around the seals of the Black Zodiac in the main room, watching as the gears clicked and spun together. The rumbling was getting louder and louder, and the whole house smelled like death. Bianca gagged and put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to save herself from throwing up. Before anyone could speak a malicious giggle rose from the ground beneath them and the center gears dropped away. Mallory ducked behind Dennis and clutched the Arcanum to her chest. The laughter died down to soft chuckling before an all too familiar voice rose from the ground.
"Well, well, well. Of all the people I though I'd never see again you, Arthur, were at the top of my list. And what about you Dennis? Dana, Susan.. Royce. Jean, what a lovely surprise. Come back to your master I see? I knew you couldn't stay away for long."
"This is where it ends, Cyrus. You're little ploy ends here." Arthur replied calmly.
"Oh, I beg to differ. It's you're little crusade that ends here, my dear nephew. You and your rag-tag little group of fools will all die here tonight. But not all is in vain; before you die you will all witness the single most powerful act of greatness in the history of mankind. Tonight the Ocularis will open its great eye and I will become the Mater of Time. The ruler of Fate and the Keeper of the Damned."
"Like hell you will!!" Dennis shouted. "You don't have that kind of power, Cyrus. You don't even have the Thirteen Ghosts!"
"On contraire! I have eight living souls right here at my fingertips! And five spirit on top of that! Not only have you aided me this time, but you've almost made things to easy!" Cyrus shot back.
Jean shook her head. "You have no power of us anymore, Cyrus! The Black Zodiac won't apply to us anymore - it's power not longer hold true!"
"Oh PLEASE, Jean! Save me your idle banter!' Cyrus cackled once more. "You have no idea how powerful I am, do you? This has nothing to do with the Black Zodiac anymore; I have the freedom to use whomever I wish. Including you five ghosts!"
A silent horror swept throughout the group at Cyrus' words. Broadway felt very dizzy and clutched Royce's arm to steady herself. "This can't be the end!" She whispered. "There has to be something we can do!"
"There is!" Dahlia replied. "We're the Divinities, Broadway. We have the power to stop Him!"
"Yeah, but do we have enough power? Two out of four..?"
"We have to try something! ANYTHING!"
"Cyrus cackled once more. "Yes, yes, little children. Try what you must in your feeble attempts to stop me; you will fail. If you feel the need to prolong the inevitable, then go. Knock yourselves out. I have all night to kill you."
"I'm getting really tired of listening to you run your mouth!" Seth shouted angrily. "We came to finish this, and that's what we're going to do. You're going down Cyrus! This is the end."
"Fools." The slight amusement had vanished from Cyrus' voice and the center panels began to rise once more. "You really have no idea what you're doing. You have no idea what I have become! Greatness requires sacrifice - and I made the greatest sacrifice of all. I gave my soul! And in return, I have been granted such power. Now, I grow weary of you all wasting my time. You're right when you said that it ends here, but it's you that will face the consequences."
The room got very hot and an unseen wind nearly extinguished the makeshift torch. Broadway handed it off to Arthur and clenched her fists. She expected a feeble old man to rise to the center platform, but felt her breath catch in her throat and he blood turn cold when Cyrus appeared in the center of the room. His head and torso was human enough, but his back legs were those of a goat, covered with brown scales and ending in cloven hooves. His arms though were the most terrifying. They were stretched and disproportioned, hanging down to the ground. They were the colour of ash and his hands had been replaced with deadly sharp talons, each one gripping several taught spike studded chains. A row of bone spikes lines his bare arms and shoulders, and a snake coiled itself around his stomach. Anything that was or had been normal up to that point just went flying out the proverbial window. They were facing a monster.