A/N: Hello and welcome to what is the finale of Dark Desires. Here at last. I'm sad to see it go, but I'll end it on my accord and free up a slot for its successor.
Dark Desires
Summary: When Reaver is bored in the throne room waiting for the king, he and the princess, Annabel, have a talk about her one day taking the throne. He didn't expect to help her in a bloody coup.
*Shadowlord*
One year after Queen Annabel successfully deposed of Logan, the attack came. The Darkness was swift, certain, and intent on destroying everything in its path. Soldiers willingly gave their lives to buy time for the mainland, even though it was pointless.
The mighty armies the queen had assembled for this very day were slaughtered like lambs.
The first city to fall to the Darkness was Aurora. Being the closest to the vile demons, they knew what was coming and Kalin ordered her people to take up arms in the hopes that they would crush the Crawler and its spawn. For their defiance, the people of Aurora were quickly wiped out. The desert city had fallen, leaving few survivors. Initial casualty reports estimated the lives lost to be in the hundreds of thousands.
Underneath the mask now adorning his new host, Jack of Blades smiled coldly.
'It's so nice to be able to enjoy a good seat and watch these pathetic little worms be crushed.' Jack slouched in his throne, letting fires dance and twirl over his fingertips. The girl really had no idea how much power was in her grasp, content to give her orders and more interested in pleasing her lovers than running a kingdom or leading a charge into battle. Such a shame. What was the point of having power if you didn't use it to bend the world to your will? Jack snorted condescendingly. The power of the Archons themselves running through her blood, only to fall to the sweet temptations of what he offered. Pathetic humans.
"Your majesty!" The throne room burst open and in stepped a tall and wide man dressed in the red uniform of Albion's officers. "The Darkness has reached Bowerstone!"
Jack let the flames disappear from his hand and stood. The old soldier froze as Jack slowly walked past him, hands behind his back. "Your concern is unnecessary. Everything will be well, in time. This land is mine and I won't give it up so easily."
"Y-your majesty...?"
"Is it selfish of me to desire my land remain standing?" Albion was of no use to him completely eradicated. He needed subjects to submit to his experiments. Those who lived would be tended to, like cattle. Wined and dined, living in the lap of luxury. Jack needed souls and people to bend to his will. His care would only go as far as they remained useful. Once they outlived their usefulness to him, he'd feed them to the minions of the Old Kingdom.
"Your majesty, what are you saying!?" the old soldier demanded. "What happened to being the ruler Albion needed, Annabel?"
Oh dear. He said that all out loud, didn't he? He got into character too much. That certainly wasn't part of the plan. Oh well.
Nothing that a little bloodshed couldn't solve. The girl had no problem dirtying her hands, even before he took over her body and threw her soul into the Void.
Jack chuckled and faced the old soldier, slowly drawing the Sword of Aeons. "Look at me, old man. Tell me what you see before you."
"No..."
Jack smiled cruelly and fully drew his sword. "Yes."
"No...you're supposed to be dead!"
"Beaten, but not killed." Jack spat. "Give it up, old man. The girl you raised and cared for so much is dead. As are you."
The Sword of Aeons glowed red and swung.
All hell broke loose.
Reaver saw the brilliant pillar of red light erupt from Bowerstone Castle, the Pirate King waiting on the front lines for the attack on Bowerstone to come with the Swift Brigade. 'The bloody hell is that!?'
Amongst the soldiers and those willing to give their lives in service to Albion was Alexander, the young blond man taking over the Bowerstone Resistance after the previous leader's unfortunate death in Reaver's manor. He followed Reaver's eyes and his grip on his katana tightened. "Reaver. What's going on in the castle?"
"I...I don't know." His ability to sense magic had waned in the years after Lord Lucien's defeat, but he still had most of his power left. He closed his eyes to get a feel for it and all he heard was a dark chuckle, followed by the smell of burning flesh. 'Annabel.'
Reaver's eyes shot open and his face was wet and sticky. Blood was slowly dripping from his nose and he dabbed at it, frowning. Blood, fire, and death. Someone had just been murdered, and Annabel was behind it. But why? Why would she kill her own people after working so hard to overthrow Logan's tyranny? It didn't make any sense. The queen was ruthless, sure, but she was smarter than that. She wouldn't give in to that kind of reckless bloodshed, especially if it didn't benefit her in any way.
Something was very, very wrong.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Alexander muttered.
"Same." Reaver reached for his pistol. "The brigade should be able to fare just fine without us." Though Aurora had fallen to the Darkness, it was not in vain. Ships from Westcliff were enroute to look for survivors and heavy mortar fire had culled the infernal horde's numbers to half of the size of the armada that destroyed Aurora. "To the castle?"
"Yes."
Reaver and Alexander both made it to Bowerstone Castle, the pillar of red light reaching the very heavens themselves. It was eerily quiet, the only sound the rushing torrent of skyward light, and Reaver felt an uneasy pit sink into his stomach. The presence here was much stronger than it was in the city, and he shuddered. It was dark, cold, and reeked of blood. Though, as he found out when he pushed open the castle doors, he could see why the stench of death was so strong.
Scattered throughout the castle were the bodies of guards and servants alike, all of them lying motionless in pools of blood. Some suffered from horrible burns over their faces, making them almost unrecognizable. A beautiful golden katana lay imbedded in the stomach of a young brunette woman who lay slumped against the doors to the throne room, eyes frozen wide in shock and terror. Blood pooled out from the fatal wound and trickled down her chin, and Reaver recognized her as the girl Annabel had often fooled around with intimately. He yanked the sword out of the dead woman's chest and Alexander immediately hissed in displeasure.
She was dead, as was everyone else in the castle. It had been a slaughter. Reaver looked at the bloodied katana in his hands and realized this was the queen's personal weapon. She wouldn't have thrown something so valuable to her away. 'What in the name of Skorm happened here? Did she really do this?'
Annabel had no reason to kill her own servants, let alone someone she obviously carried affections for. He didn't want to be right, but the evidence was slowly stacking up against her.
"You came." Reaver's blood nearly froze in its tracks, the queen's katana falling from his fingers, and he looked up from the corpse to see Annabel slowly slinking down the stairs from the throne room. Blood stained the front of her armored bodice, and one hand cradled the severed head of Sir Walter Beck. She tossed the head aside and it landed somewhere out of sight with a meaty thump, the queen chuckling. "I wondered if you'd show up, descendant of Zuna. Have my pets been keeping you entertained?"
Reaver saw the porcelain mask on her face and his heart sank. The red markings over the top half, the glowing red eyes from behind the holes cut into it, and an ornate longsword dangling from her hip. 'Oh Annabel, what have you done?' He had assumed that the Hero of Oakvale destroyed it centuries ago, but the sight before him proved his assumptions false. Annabel had become the newest victim.
"It wasn't destroyed then," Alexander hissed and dropped into a low stance.
"Defeated, but not truly gone. Compared to you worms, whose existence on the surface of the world is but a fleeting moment, I am eternal," Annabel said calmly. No, it wasn't Annabel. The queen he knew and loved was gone. Standing with her sword pointed at him now was an ancient terror, reborn into a new host.
Jack of Blades was back.
"Your reign will be short-lived." Reaver aimed his pistol and fired two shots off. Jack of Blades merely titled his head out of the way, laughing while he did.
"Oh, are you going to be the one to kill me?" Jack of Blades sounded more amused than threatened. "I'd love to see you try. And know that when you fail, the last of the Heroic blood will rain down from this castle as I enact the justice your kind so greatly deserves."
Jack's sword lashed out and Alexander moved to block it, the blond man raising his scabbard up as a shield. He struggled for footing and Reaver aimed over the blond's shoulder, squeezing off six shots from his pistol. Jack of Blades shoved Alexander away and jumped up further back, making a 'come hither' wave with his hand. Reaver hissed and reloaded, Alexander taking off in pursuit of Jack into the throne room.
It was just as bloody as the rest of the castle. The headless body of Sir Walter lay at the feet of the throne itself, blood running down and staining the carpets. The stench of urine, blood, and death filled Reaver's nostrils and he covered his mouth with one hand, firing with the other at the Void demon. Jack threw his hand out and summoned a magical barrier in between them, stopping the bullets in their tracks.
"You'll have to do far better than that," the Void demon mocked. Alexander came in from the left, springing his sword free and slashing at Jack's legs. Jack's sword spun to block it, his barrier faltering for a brief moment. Two of Reaver's shots broke through, pinging off of his host's armor. Both knocked the wind out of him and Reaver slammed the butt of his pistol into Jack's jaw, Alexander kicking him forward into Reaver's fist. Spittle flew out of Jack's mask and he quickly shoved them aside with a Force Push spell.
Reaver slid back along with Alexander, both of them keeping their balance and splitting as Jack came at them again. Reaver had heard that Jack was incredibly strong, but this was just ridiculous! His experience over the eons and Annabel's own skills made him an extremely dangerous enemy. He had seen the queen fight and knew how she attacked. She relied on her fire magic and her swordsmanship, sending wave after wave of fire at her enemies before dashing into the fray as a whirlwind of death. She did not mock her foes and most certainly didn't fight like a berserker. Jack came after them with a furious roar, his sword a blur of motion as he lashed out at the two men.
Alexander came up and tried a quick stab, only for Jack to grab his wrist and fling him over his shoulder. Alexander crashed facedown with a grunt of pain and Reaver fired at Jack, the demon spinning his sword to deflect the bullets aside. Reaver reloaded as quickly as he could, jumping out of reach of Jack's swings. One blow would cut him in two and the lack of drawing any significant blood was beginning to irritate Jack. He was too used to his foes simply falling before him like slaughtered cattle and his frustration was showing. His movements towards Reaver became sloppy and his eyes burned with hatred. The pirate smirked as he continued to bob and weave his way around Jack's blows while he reloaded, doing a mocking bow.
"Am I proving too dexterous for you to hit?" he asked in fake concern. "As your host will so fondly tell you, I have the stamina to keep going for days."
Jack sent a fireball after him with an annoyed snarl.
"I guess she didn't. Oh well."
Alexander rejoined the battle and dropped into a low crouch before spinning and slashing like a cyclone. Jack managed to block it and raised his foot up to kick the blond in the chest. He caught Jack's foot on his scabbard and slammed his fist directly into his crotch. Jack's eyes bulged behind the mask and let out a noise somewhere between a squealing kitten and an angry roar. His free hand glowed orange and he cast the fire spell, catching both Reaver and Alexander with the blast. Both men rolled to smother their smoldering clothes and Reaver lost his top hat and white coat in the scuffle.
Alexander looked far worse, with burns along the left side of his face and blood dripping from two gashes in his side. The blond man didn't give in to the pain and spat out a mouthful of blood, sheathing his sword and holding it in its scabbard for now. "Cheap bastard."
Reaver rolled his eyes. There was no such thing as a clean fight and he brushed dirt off of his buckled shirt. "I was rather fond of that coat."
Jack of Blades spun his sword into a reverse grip and swung at Alexander's head, looking over his shoulder briefly to distract Reaver by conjuring two minions. The demons were terrible and ancient creatures, bred to be efficient killing machines by the Wall-Guards of the Old Kingdom. Wardogs were the variant summoned by Jack, each of them wielding a large double-bladed sword and covered in rust-brown armor. Their jackal-like heads focused onto the Hero of Skill and he cursed. "Oh bloody hell."
Both wardogs leapt at him, slicing the air as they made every attempt to separate Reaver's head from his shoulders. He jumped back, shooting when he could get a shot off, only to watch in disbelief as rounds designed to take down a balverine tore through armor and flesh, yet neither demon fell. Reaver leapt up, grabbing one by the throat, and he relished how it looked at him in shock as he crammed the barrel of his pistol into the wardog's mouth and squeezed the trigger. Bullets tore its mouth to shreds, exiting out of the back of its head and splattering him with its blood. He shoved the body off of him, grabbed its double-bladed sword, and stabbed it into the chest of the other when it leapt at him from behind.
With the wardog impaled on its kin's sword, Reaver flung it away and reentered the fight with Jack in time to catch Alexander before he could be tossed out the throne room and down the stairs. The blond was bleeding all over him and he grimaced, holding himself upright. "Thanks for the save." He groaned, holding his bloodied side and wobbling. "He's one tough bastard."
"Any ideas would be nice."
"Divide and conquer."
Reaver nodded and ran to pick up one of the wardogs' fallen swords, holstering his pistol to pick up the weapon. With a quick slice, Alexander severed it in half and left the pirate with two swords as opposed to one, and he grinned as Jack came after them. "Now this is more like it." He threw one aside as he blocked Jack's swings, knowing that one of the disadvantages of dual wielders, aside from the skill required to even try it, was the fact they couldn't brave their weapon with both hands when they needed to. It left them open to being overpowered. It was a heavier sword than he was used to, preferring a cutlass in a swordfight, but it would do for now.
His sword and Alexander's both clashed against Jack's, the Void demon smirking behind his mask as the two men struggled to overpower him. "Is that really the best that you can muster? How disappointing." His blade came up and knocked both of them back a few feet. The crossguard of Jack's weapon smashed into Alexander's cheek and he followed through with an attempt to cut Reaver in half at the waist. The Hero of Skill moved his sword into play to absorb the blow and winked. A meaty fist collided with Jack's stomach and spittle flew from his mouth, spraying over Reaver's ruined outfit. Alexander came in from the right and his sword sang as it came free from its scabbard. Steel cut through Jack's guard and drew blood from his chest, blood spraying from the wound. It was a glancing blow, but one that did its job of infuriating the demon.
"Enough!" Jack snarled and stabbed his sword into the ground. A bright red flash erupted from it and sent out a shockwave, throwing both Reaver and Alexander aside. The blond man fared worse, being sent crashing into one of the stone pillars of the throne room. He slumped to the ground, his sword rolling out of reach, and he dragged himself to his fallen weapon on his forearms. The left side of his outfit was ruined, and he roared in pain. One of his arms was broken from the blow and the skin around one of his eyes was charred. Even if they lived through this, he'd be blind in that eye. Reaver's sharp eyes could see how narrow and red it was; he couldn't imagine the pain of keeping it open, let alone fighting through it. He had a lot more willpower than Reaver initially gave him credit for.
Reaver tumbled into a suit of armor, and he had about two seconds to watch the blasted thing begin to rock back and forth. "Oh for-"
The suit of armor came crashing down on him one piece at a time. He was able to remain conscious through it, and he shook his head violently to clear the stars dancing at the edge of his vision. He reoriented himself in time to dive to his left, just missing a swing of Jack's sword. The pommel of it came rushing to meet his jaw and Reaver's pistol came up, blasting a full magazine into Jack's body. His barrier faltered and fell, and Jack touched the bullet wound from a shot that pierced flesh.
"I see why the Shadow Court are so enthralled by you," Jack said in amusement. "Your skill is fascinating. However, that won't save you here." His sword lashed out again and Reaver jumped back. A flicker of movement behind Jack told him to duck and he did, though the sound of a sword being flung at him gave Jack all the warning he needed too.
Jack parried the blow and sent it flying overhead, eventually stabbing into the throne. He sent a bolt of lightning crashing into Reaver's chest, throwing him back twenty feet and leaving him spasming. The king of pirates shook violently as the magic coursed its way through his body, temporarily paralyzing him. The jolt of pain had him briefly fearing his heart would give out and his teeth gnashed together as he shook. While Reaver was out of the fight, Jack stalked over to the wounded Alexander and sank his sword through the blond man's stomach.
"This is where you die. The last of the Daichi blood will fuel my power." Jack twisted the sword.
Alexander spat out a mouthful of blood, some of it splattering onto Jack's mask, and he clutched the weapon buried in his gut, grinning despite the fatal wound and driving it further into his stomach.
"Is that... what you think?"
Reaver got back to his feet, the spell's effects worn off, and took aim before squeezing the trigger.
Jack looked behind him in shock and couldn't yank his sword free in time. Two of Reaver's bullets slammed into Jack's mask, shattering pieces off. The next three hit him in the chest, and Jack fell to his knees, blood pooling from the holes in his body and his sword remaining embedded in Alexander's body.
"How... pathetically weak." Jack laughed bitterly and spat out blood. "To have come so far, only to be bested by the tactic of denying me my own weapon. Well played."
Reaver checked his pistol to see he had one bullet remaining in the chamber and took aim at Jack, refusing to look the demon in the eye. If he did, he'd only see Annabel and hesitate. He couldn't afford to. Hesitating meant Albion's destruction. 'I've done a lot of terrible things. I let the Shadow Court destroy Oakvale. I tried to betray Queen Sparrow. I helped orchestrate a coup and the eventual execution of King Logan.'
He was not about to add, 'Aided in Albion's destruction' to that list.
One final shot rang out.
The Darkness came, as it was foretold so many years ago. The being leading the shadowy horde had laid siege to Bowerstone's walls, only to be driven off by the might of the Swift Brigade. Initial casualty reports listed the death toll to be upwards of one million lives lost in the war, most of those being soldiers who fought and bled for a chance that Albion might live. Victory came, but at a bitter price. So many had fallen on this bloody day. Sir Walter Beck, Alexander, Kalin, and countless civilians who were unable to do a damn thing about the Darkness. All of them gave their lives in service to Albion and her people.
Jack of Blades was gone, his mask destroyed by Reaver after he removed it from Annabel's body. Striking it with the Sword of Aeons sent it back to Void, yet the Pirate King couldn't feel any joy in ridding the land of Jack's presence. That war was won, but at what cost?
The queen had perished. He saw fit to make sure that the truth about her being corrupted by Jack was suppressed, many believing she had sacrificed herself to buy the Swift Brigade the time it needed to stage a counterattack and drive the Darkness out. Annabel died as she lived, respected by her people. The people deserved better than to know that she had fallen victim to the darkest desires of her heart.
Reaver let out a sigh and slowly dragged a thumb over the jagged dark seal that now lay in his lap, swirling a goblet of wine and feeling a certain emptiness that he hadn't felt since Oakvale burned at the hands of the Shadow Court. This was the price of victory. He just wished Annabel could have lived to see it. She had grown from the first time he ever spoke to her, turning from a polite princess to a cold and cunning leader who knew what she needed to do in order to ensure her nation's survival. He'd never see her again, nor feel her touch. He wasn't sure when he realized their relationship went deeper than a quick roll in the hay, but he felt a loneliness that couldn't be washed away, no matter how many goblets of fine wine he imbibed.
'Our kind...doesn't belong in this world anymore. Maybe Albion really is better off without Heroes and our problems.'
Reaver put down his goblet and looked at his faithful Dragonstomper .48. The pristine handgun shone brilliantly, showing no evidence of it being in a fight that dictated Albion's very existence. The Shadow Court demanded payment for his bargain, but this was the second time he had suffered a loss like this. The first was just after he made his deal for eternal youth and beauty. What had he been fighting for?
What was he even living for?
Reaver didn't know, but he had no desire to end his life with a whimper. The Dark Seal pulsed in his lap, and he made his choice.
"Just you and me, Shadow Court." He chuckled bitterly.
"Just as it should be."
A/N: And that is the end of Dark Desires. It has been...an interesting story, to say the least. I left it like this as it really is an ambiguous ending. With Jack gone for good this time, Albion can rebuild without things like a monarchy or Heroes around. The land survived for hundreds of years before being a kingdom and could do so again.
Honestly, I liked writing Reaver more than most. He's just such an asshole that you hate but love at the same time. So, what will replace this?
I have a few ideas rolling around in my head at the moment. I'm not sure what will be out first, though. An RvB fic, or a new RWBY AU that starts off in Atlas.