((Author's Note: On this chapter, when I was writing it, I couldn't remember what the heck you were supposed to do in Michael's chapter and stuff. So I'm REALLY sorry at how short this one is, guys XX I've been too lazy to correct it.))

Chapter 21: Ashes to Ashes

1991 A.D. Middle East

"Wherever disaster and death lurk, there is likely to be an Ancient, just beyond our senses, waiting. They prey on our misfortune, and exploit it towards their own twisted ends. When hundreds of oil fields are set ablaze on the heels of war, the Ancient's grip tightens, knowing that lives will be forfeit, and resources squandered. But a few people make a difference. People like Michael Edwards, a Canadian industrial firefighter hired to put an end to the insanity at the end of the war. Ironically for him, the insanity was just beginning…"

"How's the temperature in there?" a voice crackled over his radio. Michael Edwards snatched it from his belt, shouting over the roar of the flames. Another oil well had been set ablaze by Sadam's soldiers, and it was up to his team to put this one out.

"It's hotter than heck here! I'm getting a little nervous about this one! It feels more out of control than the others! More powerful! And I don't know how else to describe it!"

He watched two of his men in protective suits run to the well cap, preparing the explosives. "This is the safest way to blow out these things. You've done this enough to know that. It's by the numbers. It's all good, so relax…"

"The silicon cloth and the water spray are there, so you're probably right. We've got 400 pounds of 80 percent nitro-glycerin grade dynamite all in place. We're good to go!"

"Edwards! You can pull your team back now! Get your team to a safe distance, and we'll try to kill the fire!"

Michael watched his team begin to run back, but one had stayed a bit longer working on the explosives. "Sure thing! Coming back now!" he called back to the helicopter pilot over his radio.

But something caught his eyes. Something looked wrong with the explosives. Suddenly, the pilot's voice came over the radio, frantic now. "We've got a pressure increase at the well cap. It's gonna tear itself apart! Get your team out of—"

Without warning, the explosives went off prematurely, blowing a massive hole through layers of rock in the ground. Michael only had time to register what happened before he was falling down into the darkness.

He didn't know how long he had been out, or if he had ever been knocked unconscious in the first place. But as soon as he stood up, he saw the bodies of his two friends and comrades a few feet away. "What the heck happened? They're all dead! McCormick… Patterson… All gone…" Michael looked around as he took off his gear, leaving on only a sleeveless muscle shirt and his overalls. There was a giant stone pillar, and on the sides of it, two torches illuminated a nightmare. People had been cemented into place; their faces showed expressions of pain and fear. "Looks like they've been buried alive… under tons of concrete…"

To his surprise, some sort of ghost appeared in front of him with a strange object floating between its semi-transparent hands. "Take this," he beckoned. "Guard it well. Many have perished for it. Take it. Take it to the ruins of Ehn'gha." A vision passed before his eyes of a great city with towering buildings and spires. "At the ruins, a Gathering of Light…" This time, the vision was of a large mansion. The sign in front said Roivas, and Michael somehow knew the exact location of the house.

"You want me to take this…" he gestured towards the object, "to some ruins under a house in Rhode Island?" he asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

The ghost held out the object. "Take it! Save us… all!" As soon as the last word left his mouth, the ghost vanished.

((Too lazy to put the rest of the chapter in ))

Michael set up the C4 explosives, the spheres of blue light that served as his shield still flying around him. He focused on casting a 7-point Ulyaoth Enchant Item spell on the explosives, and they began to glow with blue light. "This should do it," he whispered to himself, setting them down in the middle of the bridge that crossed over a large abyss. The timer was set for three minutes. He was sure he could get out of there before the bomb went off.

Michael hefted the assault rifle and ran as fast as he could out of the room, heading over the electrified floor and loosing a few spheres that protected him. As he rounded the corner, a massive Horror attempted to prevent his escape. Michael barely even thought about aiming as he snapped up the rifle and emptied the entire clip into the Horror. As soon as it fell to the ground, he was running past it and through the door. Beyond that were three zombies, slowly trying to reach Michael to attack.

There's no time to fight all of these things! I'll just have to run through them!

Michael braced himself and ran through the small group, shoving them out of the way to get to the door. He felt his grip on reality slip, and he saw blood trickling down the walls. Shutting his eyes against the illusion, he pulled open the door and slammed it shut behind him. Taking a deep breath, he cast a 7-point Xel'lotath Magick Pool spell before running through the ruins once more. Monsters filled the corridors he had cleared earlier, determined not to allow his escape. Michael was bringing down this cursed place, and the beasts wanted to make sure he went with it. The floor shook beneath his boots as he ran, dodging past terrors left and right. Rocks trickled from the ceiling, and there were places were tons of debris had fallen in the time it took him to return here from setting the C4. What kind of monstrous force was attempting to keep him here? He barely had time to think about it as he scaled up a ladder nearby.

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"Ahhhhh… Sweet Alex…" Alex gasped, recoiling as the hand of the ghost beside her touched her face. It wasn't her grandfather at all. She was sure of it. "Many centuries I've waited for you… You are mine! Don't disappoint me now… I've waited such a long time, Alex…"

Alex knew exactly who this was. Pious Augustus was here again. "Never!" she shouted. "I know what you are… I've seen what happened!" She put her head in her hands, and a chill passed over her back and shoulders as he whispered in her ear.

"You can try and fight me, but in the end you shall succumb to my desires, just as Danielle will…" Hs voice changed, becoming deeper and stronger. "My foolish child… You don't even know your own destiny…" He pulled his arm away.

Alex clenched her fists, seething. "Get… away from me!" She swung her fist at him, catching a glimpse of Pious's skeletal form just before he vanished. Alex stared silently at the place he once occupied, thinking. Why did he mention Danielle? Was he planning something that had to do with her? Alex didn't know, but she wasn't going to let Pious hurt Danielle again. Her anger slowly dying away, she went back to reading the page.

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The angry hisses and roars of the monsters behind Michael grew louder as he neared the exit. Sweat dripped down his face, and adrenaline pumped through his system. He knew that his time was quickly running out, and he wasn't entirely sure if there was an exit nearby. Debris had closed off the previous way he entered into this place, not that it really mattered. There was no possible way that he could escape by going back to the room with the pillar. His only hope was to continue through a newly-cleared path.

As Michael shoved open the double doors, he felt a surge of relief flow through him. There was a ladder just up ahead with a shaft of light shining down onto the dusty tiles. This was it. He was finally free of this nightmare! Michael scaled up the ladder quickly as the monsters came through the very doors he just walked through. Their claws reached up to slash at his legs, but they missed each time, and he escaped to the surface. Even though he was exhausted by all that happened, adrenaline gave him an extra boost of speed, and he ran as fast as he could into the desert away from the well cap.

He had long since lost track of time as he ran, but soon he was shoved to the sand by a massive wave of sound and air. Michael closed his eyes as a cloud of sand rushed past him, but when he opened his eyes once more, he saw the massive plume of smoke and sand that rose up from the well cap. Michael let out a deep breath, falling down into a sitting position in the sand as the dust settled. It was finally over…

Not yet. I still have one more thing to do…

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Back to Civilization

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A few years later…

Michael shifted the brown package under his arm a bit as he walked, eyes darting towards the shadows. His footsteps echoed into the dark night. He noticed an elderly man standing alone with his back to Michael up ahead. This had to be the guy. As the man turned to face him, Michael spoke up.

"Thanks for coming. I didn't think you'd show," Michael said quietly, still glancing around.

The man, Edward Roivas, looked confused. "Look, I have no idea who you—"

Michael cut him off quickly, his voice urgent. "I think you do. Just as much as I know, you know. Let's be quick. The Guardians know where I am, and I won't last the night. But that's not the point." He handed the package to Edward, who was obviously not sure what was going on.

"What's this?"

"Something you need. Don't open it here, only in privacy. They can sense it, if it's not shrouded," Michael warned.

"Is it… one of the artifacts?"

Michael shook his head and took a step back. "You must leave. There's something I need to do before they get to me… I can't protect you if they find us." He turned around, starting down the sidewalk once more. "Good luck!" he called over his shoulder as he walked away, aware that this may be the last night of his entire life.