Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 7
Chapter 18: A Risky Revolt, Part 1
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I was in an Order of Letters ship as it left Targaryen as planned in which I was heading towards Lannister, where the Sprawl was located. With Elise in tow, she was busy sharpening the tips of her arrows as she was happy to be away from Gareth's watchful eye for a while. Even though we had our work cut out for us, we also had to fulfill the mission that was given to us as the crisis in the Sprawl was at our dire attention as we speak. By the time we entered into the common area of the ship, we sat down on some chairs in front of a television as we had nothing better to do during our destination that was waiting for us on Lannister, for the time to overthrow Cesare Zampano was the tip of the iceberg for many moments to come afterwards.
"Space has its perks, but we can't put our jobs on the back burner," said Elise as she put away her arrows into her quiver. "As for the situation in the Sprawl, I heard stories from my Uncle Bruce and how most of the petty outcasts end up there under false circumstances or much worse."
"My mission to the Sprawl is not only to stop Cesare, but to help a relative," I said,
"It's that High Elf who ended up being one of the Terran God's prophets, isn't it?"
"Chitorin is one of Reiko's sisters, but she doesn't know that her lover is dead."
"Was it that Orianthan who had no chance to live?"
"According to James, she was extremely damaged in many ways while being slowly reduced to goop in which I had no other choice but to end her suffering."
"Even though you ended her suffering, you did a favor to allow her into the Grey Havens after what I saw in that hellhole. I bet that your brother wouldn't hear the end of it after what happened. As for the mission to the Sprawl, let's hope that our mission is successful, even if your brother won't agree with you going there to prove yourself worthy as a demigod in Terran's clothing."
"I won't let him know of my mission, for it's a private matter of sorts. He's got his own missions and duties on Shiganshina, for there's no need to add fuel to the fire."
I went towards the window as I saw numerous stars and meteorites passing by. Even though I was on my way to Lannister, I was doing it incognito as I was also most likely to tell Chitorin the truth about Veshka's demise, for she needed to know a lot more than the rest of us…
"He did what?!"
Dean was in his office in the slug roe home headquarters on Shiganshina as he finally got word of me leaving for Lannister to go towards the Sprawl. Anger flooded within him as he was ready to let me have it after hearing the message about me going towards that place full of outcasts and seedy dangers that lurk in plain sight. By the time he saw Desna arriving to file a status report, he remained calm as he also had to behave with civility in front of his subordinates, for he had to be collective when the chips were down.
"No one told me about this crap up front except for Dvora, but did he have to go there?!" he yelled.
"You're concerned about your brother, aren't you?" said Desna.
"Sam has no right going back there to that abrasive shithole 'cause it's nothing more than a hotbed of danger everywhere you turn."
"Is it the Sprawl?"
"That place was where Sam ran off to when he was little after we got into a small fight of sorts. He was still in preschool when he went there, only to get captured by that group of bandits who once ousted the Trelawney Family one time. Luckily, the bandit leader ended up getting killed when a piece of mortar fell and crushed him, only to end his short-lived reign. The strangest part of it was when my little brother was hiding on top when the leader got ganked, which was a good thing after all."
"You shouldn't worry about your brother too much, for he is capable of taking care of himself."
"If he's so capable of taking care of himself, then why is the whole frickin' enchilada after him? The Executive Division wants to abuse his raw power, the Red Inquisition wants him to be Lucifer's prom dress, and Hell's finest wanna turn him into Puppy Chow! He has to have protection 'cause everyone wants a little piece of him just to abuse with! If he's alone and unprotected, he's vulnerable and we'll end up losing this war altogether."
"You overreact every time Sam leaves to go on a mission, don't you? You can do whatever you want to stop him, but you can't play nursemaid forever, Dean. He's there at the Sprawl, for he also has a mission to complete. Have you ever heard of a man by the name of Cesare Zampano? He is the bastard son of Count Emiliano Zampano and his mistress, Elaine Penrose, whose family has close ties to the Old Guard. Throughout the union, Count Emiliano and his mistress defied the odds of the Rakuen Priesthood, but Cesare's arrival resulted in the death of his mother. The Rakuen Priesthood pounced on the decision to give the Count a different suitor in which he was forced to either marry her or face the wrath of Akio Ashizoka directly and he doesn't take too fondly to those who commit adultery in the aristocracy. Therefore, the Count married a Draaza woman, who he loathes, but she birthed his other legitimate children, who he calls bastards of the realm. He even cut them off of any form of titles against the Barathite royal court, which was heavily orchestrated by Cesare himself."
"Like father, like son to pull off a dick move on the rest of his siblings..."
"Count Emiliano is like the infamous king, Henry VIII, who likened his future heiress queen to being a bastard herself while being married to her mother, Anne Boleyn, who ended up having her head chopped off on bogus charges. The Count cared about one son and that was Cesare himself, but his other four sons have been displaced in exile with their mother, who lives in another outcast colony on Minas Tirith. For what it's worth, there will be a reckoning for both the Count and his prized bastard son."
Desna made his point clearly as he had no love for both Count Emiliano or Cesare respectively after all that has happened. As for my mission to the Sprawl, however, Dean was still dead-set on having a bone to pick with me as he remembered that severe lecture that he got from Dad and Cynthia years ago, for he never forgot how worried they were. Still, he couldn't do anything about it as he was fearing the worst, for he hated the vicious tendencies in the Sprawl the most. As for Dean's own predicament, however, he was remembering something from the past as he dreaded my return to the Sprawl, for it was also a reminder of the current disposition that we have today…
Many years ago…
Dean was hard at work doing his homework from school as he was also preparing for the Hunter Corps' exam that was destined to be his future. At age eight, he was more of a tactician like Dad as he was also wanting to be a soldier like him. By the time he was finished, he spotted me running into the study room he was in as he viewed me to be a nuisance while he had his homework. Still, I was too young and into the time of preschool as I wanted my older brother to be by my side more than anything, but this moment was something that was about to change us forever.
"What are you doing in here, Sam?" asked Dean.
"Cynthia told me where you were," I said as I got out a coloring book and crayons.
"This is private, Sammy, not your personal space to make a mess."
"But you promised that you would go and play with me after school. Cynthia said that you can't take your eyes off of-"
"Studying for the Hunter Corps exam is more important 'cause that's how Dad did his duties to protect everyone from bad things. There's no time for me to play with you 'cause this is crucial me to surpass Dad and excel in the future once I get older. You should know that playtime can't be out there for those in the Order and-"
It wasn't long until I sat there in one of the corners coloring in my book with some crayons as it only made Dean angrier. He was itching to let me have it as he threw an eraser at me the moment I continued to use my crayons in my coloring book. Getting a small pewter statue, he threw it at me as it hit my back the moment I stopped coloring and put away my things before I was on my way towards his desk, but my older brother wouldn't budge for nothing. He was getting angrier as he was ready to let me have it, for he wasn't about to lose to my playful whim anytime soon.
"Damn it!" he yelled. "You ruin everything for me, Sammy! You're nothing more than a freak who gets in the way all the time! Why can't you go play somewhere else and leave me alone for once?!"
"But I wanna play with you so I won't get lonely," I said as I had tears in my eyes.
"Can't you go play with Reuben for once?"
"Reuben's in bed for a nap and Cynthia would get mad at me if I woke him up… You're the older brother, Dean, and I wanna—"
"I DON'T WANNA PLAY WITH YOU ANYMORE!"
Those words from Dean's mouth caused him to lash out at me as I left the study room crying the moment I ran out into the hall where the elevator was. With Dean following me, he saw me get into the elevator as it closed before he got into it. Distraught and worried, he was about to get it as he dreaded one of Cynthia's stern lectures about keeping me safe. Breaking down in tears, he feared the worst as he went towards the elevator and stepped into it the moment he took it downstairs. Stepping out of it, he went into the kitchen as there was no one in sight until he saw the door to the basement levels opened up. He followed my trail as he saw one of the doors light up the moment he opened it up. When he entered into the room with the red rubber ball, he found that I was gone as he was in deep trouble for lashing out at me.
"Sammy?" he said as he was desperate to find and make up for his bad behavior. "Where are you? Cynthia's gonna be pissed at me for not protecting you enough!" He sees the door close from behind as he saw the red rubber ball glowing. "Wherever you're going, I'll find you, Sammy… Just wait and see..."
The ball stops glowing as Dean opens up the door and finds himself in a place that he never went to before. Even though he was on Lannister, he saw dozens of people from different planets going about their daily business as he was on the prowl searching for me. He was heavily concerned for my safety as he also dreaded the wrath of Cynthia yelling at him for not keeping me protected from harm. After a long search, he was desperate and distraught at the same time as he saw the sun going down just in time for dinner. What he didn't expect was that there was a revolt coming from one of the villas as he saw dozens of citizens clamoring towards a group of unsavory folk that were being chained and humiliated after the downfall of someone in their ranks. Dean didn't expect was that the citizens carted off a dead body in a stretcher as if it were crushed by something, but from what, exactly? He wanted to know more about what happened here in this place of outcasts as he spotted me emerging unscathed with a group of children that were victims of abduction, including a familiar High Elf girl who will change my future someday. When he spotted me, he was angry with me as he was ready to chew me out for running off, for my safety was also his future responsibility in this nest of a galaxy.
"You had me worried, Sammy!" he yelled.
"But you don't wanna play with me anymore…," I said as I had tears in my eyes and snot running down my nose. "You said that I ruined everything and I'm a freak and I would rather play alone!"
"Sam, if Cynthia found out that you ran off, she would chew me out for this. And another thing, we need to get back to the room with the red rubber ball or else we'll both be grounded, are we good?"
It wasn't long until Dean hauled me back to where we came out of as we were glad to be alive and safe. With the door closed behind us, we saw the ball glowing as we were home free. What we didn't expect was that the Elf girl who was among the children kidnapped was sitting in a corner as she was staring at me for some odd reason, but she was glad to be safe from harm after all that has happened earlier.
"Thank you for helping me earlier," she said.
"That meanie who kidnapped us was about to sell us off, but our climb up to that marble thingy was dangerous," I said.
"Grandfather is very worried about me… That cruel man wanted him to pay a ransom, but he refused."
"What are you talking about?" asked Dean.
"There was a cruel Terran by the name of Count Gonzalo Cecco who was taking away children for ransom. Sadly, that man met a tragic end..."
"What happened to that guy?"
"The statue we were perched upon broke and a part of it crushed that meanie," I said.
It wasn't long until we were all back on Alecrast as Cynthia was not too happy with us for running off without telling anyone. What we didn't expect was that a certain Elder of the Order saw us to be safe and unharmed as he noticed the High Elf girl running towards him, for he was glad that she was saved at the last minute.
"Grandfather," she said as she was happy to see him.
"Your parents would turn in their graves if they saw you become fodder for selling at the Sprawl on Lannister," he said. "It also seems that Count Cecco met an end that was set in marble after all."
"And what do you have to say for yourself, Dean?" asked Cynthia as she was not too happy with him. "Your daddy had to keep an eye on your younger brothers when I was looking for you, only to run into Ippei, who refused to pay a ransom for little Reiko's safety."
"Cynthia, it's alright," he said. "What truly matters is that Sam is safe, even though he surely knows how to climb."
"John taught both him how to climb and he knows how to get higher than the rest of us."
"It's getting late, but we'll meet again once you come of age, Sam." Ippei fishes out a book of lore as he gives it to me. "You're a brave boy, for your raw power will be our salvation in the end."
I followed everyone out of the room with the red rubber ball as we had enough of running away for one day. Still, I had a long way to go, but I would soon come to the Sprawl again as there was a hint of uncertainty waiting in the wings, for it wouldn't be my last visit there anytime soon…
Meanwhile, back in the present…
The Order of Letters ship arrived at the Sprawl on Lannister as it landed near an ocean port by the harbor. Getting out, I was there to complete my mission with Elise in tow. The Sprawl itself was a place of exile for those who had their reputations tarnished for no reason. It was also a hotbed of seedy activity due to its desperate notions of thrift shops thriving to survive in such a hostile environment. By the time we arrived at an inn, we saw numerous people dressed in similar gang attire and apocalyptic biker gear as they came and went while doing their daily business from time to time. The sight of those who were displaced by false circumstances were a mainstayhere as Elise and I sat at a table in the inn we entered into. Ordering our meal that consisted of Lannisterian mackerel with rice, we were most likely to be discussing our plan to overthrow Cesare and rescue Chitorin as his days were numbered, for it was also a revolt that could cause a shake-up at the Sprawl if we weren't careful right now.
"The place is similar to such biker joints on Essos, but the food is good," said Elise as she took a bite of her mackerel. "What this Cesare guy is doing goes against the decisions of the governor of this place and she wants him to go."
"It won't be easy to flush him out so readily, but we have to be careful around here," I said cautiously. "Cesare may gain the upper hand, but he has crossed the line with Olivia Trelawney one time too many, whose family runs this colony. From what I read on the file, Cesare has his manor heavily warded due to his several brushes with the angels who demand Chitorin to be released from his harem of handmaids."
"Are you talking about Cesare Zampano?" asked a middle-aged woman with silver hair and blue eyes as she was holding a shotgun in her hands. "You're itching to oust him after all the shit he pulled here while parading his whores in front of everyone here in the Sprawl."
It wasn't long until Elise got out her bow and arrow as she was itching to shoot at the woman with the shotgun in her hands until I stopped her. Staying her hand, she put away her weapons as she saw the middle-aged woman do the same in which she stared at me for some odd reason. What she also sensed was that I was there for a reason as I had a mission to fulfill due to the task that was there in front of me, for she has had enough of the target that lived here in the Sprawl altogether.
"So, you're the man who did away with my father, didn't you?" she said to me. "In a way, he had it coming after what he did to my mother and sister when he burned them alive to appease that demon. In a bizarre sort of way, he got what was coming to him when he destroyed the Order's main headquarters on Alecrast and took out two towns on that planet."
"You're General Wetzel's daughter, aren't you?" I asked.
"My name's Tabitha Wetzel and I severed my ties with my father after what he did. As for being here, I have a loathing for Cesare for his treatment of the women he stole as property after his wife was unable to give him a son due to him beating her up and causing a miscarriage because of it. He already has two daughters, but I see him parade his harem that he collected by forcing them to abandon their sexual orientation and bear his children for his already damaged and barren wife."
"We're looking for Chitorin Mitani. She's one of Cesare's slaves, but she must be rescued."
"I would tell you more about Chitorin, but she's under strict watch from Cesare's servants after she gave birth to his son. The baby may be a Half-Elf, but Cesare prizes him more than anything while some of his harem bear daughters against his wishes except for the ones who have lesbian roots."
"Corrective rape is a crime on all planets," said Elise. "My family has a way of dealing with those who force those who pine for the same gender and that is by shooting them with arrows. We should be made as equals, not pariahs who get the short end of the stick."
"The governor of this place has gotten fed up with him maltreating those women and their children they bore him and she wants his family jewels torn off and displayed as a trophy for those to see while coming here to the Sprawl. If you get there to his villa, then you better have some backup handy. Around these parts, there are those who want a piece of Cesare and all that he's squeezed from this place in which the Trelawney Family want him gone." Tabitha looks at me briefly as she was grateful for my presence. "I know that I get roped into the 'honor thy father and mother' thing, but the man who was my father was nothing more than a monster. It was high karma for you to take him out after what he did, for it was a huge thing to avenge the deaths of my mother and sister. Still, I heard good things about you in which you once travelled from planet to planet until you vegged out on Gehenna till you left the nest. It seems that you're already a god in the making, but you have a long way to go. As for your business with Cesare Zampano, I hope that you do more than bust his balls."
Tabitha put away her shotgun as she made her point clear the moment she saw me and Elise pay for our meals and leaving the inn. By the time she resumed her services to the other shady customers, she noticed an unusual woman with red hair arriving as she was dressed in a long black dress and matching pointed stilettos the moment she sat at a table near the window. Tabitha was aware of the woman to be a suspicious one as she was ordering a glass of whiskey while she was looking into a book with an inverted red pentagram etched into it. With a smile on her face, she was looking away at that dark book as she was sitting there without causing further distraction, for she was sensing something that piqued her interests really carefully.
"It seems that a mere giant with silver hair came here earlier," she said as she sipped her whiskey.
"You shouldn't be nosy, Rowena," said Tabitha. "The guy's on business into putting a stop to that prick, Cesare. Ever since he came here, he is taxing those who have loyalty to the governor, but he doesn't believe that women should rule their own due to what he calls fragile and delicate."
"Cesare's presence may spurn the ruling family, but that giant's presence will spurn the forces that want to squander what power that he was born with. I was there when his father and James Farragut were serving their planet during the First Galvanic Uprising in which the wayward latter was ordained to help sire the wee little demigod into the world."
"John Winchester was an honorable man until he was truly set up by my father to be killed by that monster that even left his kin without a man of the house. What the real kicker was when Sawney Masbath kept stealing your magical trinkets just to keep tabs on his victims, including Sylvanus."
"Sawney had it coming when he plundered my lockboxes of my craft, but prison life won't be enough to hold him off. He is a part of this problem and he will stop at nothing to get at that giant of a demigod due to him being a threat to his agenda. Still, little Samuel has the whole galaxy on his shoulders, but he can't do this alone in this fight against such enemies who threaten it."
Without warning, Tabitha saw an abrasive man enter the inn as he was staring at the customers who came and went in the Sprawl. The man himself was someone that was heavily loathed by the public as he had black hair and beard complete with the blue eyes that were similar to those who lived in the ranks of the Zampano Family. The customers were glaring at him as he even had two women with him in which one of them was holding her baby. The sight of the man coming in here made Rowena suspicious as she also loathed him like the rest the moment he forced one of the women to expose her breasts for no reason.
"He's already been fed, Cesare," said the woman as she was trying to cover up her breasts.
"My figlio needs nourishment or do I have to beat you again!" he yelled as he seized the woman by the arm. "I demand respect from you the moment I burned off that tattoo on your arm and cut off all your hair to be a proper woman." He exposes the woman's breast as he forces the baby to latch onto her nipple. "You see? He needs to be fed or else he'll wither and die."
"Are you trying to suffocate the wee bairn after he was fed?" said Rowena as she stood up at her table. "You're high and mighty to parade such a High Elf woman after what you did to her lover by pawning her off to have her soul harvested."
"Such tough words for a strega who left Earth when most of her kind chose to stay behind to help repair that fragile planet, but they are hollow for someone who hides behind a puttana who continues to spurns the father who made her."
"I want your ass out, Cesare, and take your whores with you!" yelled Tabitha. "And you want me to honor the man who was my father?! You have no idea of what he did, do you?! He killed my mother and sister, he set up John Winchester to be killed, he raped many women and disgraced a member of the Medical Corps, and he went too far to destroy the Order's main headquarters on Alecrast. It's a good thing that he's dead, which is karma for someone who made a deal with a demon! As for the ultimate prize in this debacle, he's here and he'll do more than just bust your balls!"
"I heard so much about the uomo dai capelli argentati coming here to cause trouble, but his past self is far more troubling than he was in the Elder Days when he started up the Apocalisse. I have a bigger pene e testicoli than the freak with the long capelli d'argento! I could do more damage if I was like that strega with all her liquore and her magia. As for the prized ancelle, they do more than just bear bambini, for they satisfy my pleasures very nicely. As for the uomo dai capelli argentati, he's good as dead the moment he sets foot to my villa! That vicious uono is the one who will forever be known as the bambino who destroyed Count Cecco with a piece of marble crushing him, for he is known to everyone as none other than… Sam Winchester!"
The woman with the baby in her arms gasped in shock as she was aware of my presence the moment she wanted to see me. Roiling in disgust, Cesare took the two women out of the inn as Tabitha was getting fed up with his presence altogether. With business returning as usual, she resumed her services as she noticed Rowena paying for her scotch and was ready to take her leave. With dusk settling in, she went towards the window as she saw me and Elise going to our hotel for the night. She also feared the worst as she noticed some of Cesare's servants watching our every move we make, for this would get ugly if we weren't careful…
I was in my hotel room as I was busy taking a bath in which I was exhausted after travelling from Targaryen to uphold this mission to put a dent in Cesare's stranglehold for power. The hotel I was in had a rustic flair in it as I found it to be soothing after my trek. By the time I finished my bath, I drained the water from the tub as I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist. I was getting ready for bed the moment I went towards the sink and brushed my teeth until I rinsed them off before leaving the bathroom. With my dirty clothes and towel in the hamper, I got dressed into my nightclothes I went towards my bed until I saw the closet door open up in which I spotted Dean standing in front of me with a look of anger on his face. He was ready to let me have it as he couldn't stomach the fact that I was there in the Sprawl of all places, for he was itching to bring me back home for no reason.
"I can't believe that you would come back to this place, Sammy," he said to me.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.
"Dvora told me about this mission that you're undertaking, but did you have to fulfill it here of all places?"
"You're supposed to be on Shiganshina, Dean. You can't abandon your subordinates all because of me going off on my own!"
"That's the reason why I'm calling off this mission for your safety."
"The governor of this colony is having trouble with a banished noble by the name of—"
"—Cesare Zampano? I heard about that prick and how he beats his women and Dad taught us to show respect for them, even the ones who act like prisses."
"Chitorin is there, but she's one of Cesare's handmaids just to bear his bastards to satisfy his legacy in the form of the Zampano heir. Even though this place is filled with outcasts, there's one good apple who resides here and she hates her father for the crimes he committed."
Without warning, I saw Dean stunned in his tracks as I sensed something wrong indeed. I had a feeling that witchcraft was at work as I noticed a small brown pouch near the window. Getting up, I grabbed the pouch as I went into the bathroom towards the sink the moment I saw some matches in the medicine cabinet. Lighting one up, I torched the pouch in the sink as it burned quickly in which I turned on the water and put the small fire out in the porcelain that remained unscathed while throwing away the ashes. Turning off the water, I left the bathroom as I saw Dean moving once again, but he was still dead-set into forcing me to abort the mission that I had, for he was concerned for my safety for a number of reasons.
"What the hell happened here?" he asked me.
"You were paralyzed by a hex bag," I said.
"There's a witch here, isn't there?"
"There are dozens of outcasts that thrive here, even witches."
"You can't be on this mission, Sam."
"And you can't play the helicopter parent, Dean. You can't just keep me under wraps while the galaxy needs my help. I know that there is bad blood between Olivia Trelawney and Cesare Zampano, but I won't let my mission go to failure. I know that you also want to protect me, but I can't just sit on the sidelines forever."
"You should've had backup, Sam. You know that the whole enchilada is out to get you, but you refuse to back down when it comes to your missions. Well, not this time 'cause I'm officially pulling your ass out before it all hits the fan."
It wasn't long until I saw the door to my hotel room open up as I noticed Elise bursting in while she was armed with her bow and arrow in her hands. What she didn't expect was that Dean was there, but she wasn't about to let him off the hook yet. Still, I also didn't want to let my older brother off the hook as I wasn't too happy with him trying to pluck me from the mission at hand, for it came first more than anything in particular.
"I thought that you were supposed to be on Shiganshina," she said as she put away her bow and arrow. "Do your subordinates know that you're shirking your duties against Sam's wishes? Does Desna know that you left your base on that planet or did you get the go-ahead because of the presence of a witch here?" She fishes out a brown pouch as she shows it to us. "This was also found in my own room, but it's a hex bag, plain and simple."
"The witch who snuck those hex bags to stop you knows what you're doing, doesn't she?"
"The hex bag is crafted by someone else, but the magic of it was pilfered from a witch who lives here on the Sprawl. From what I heard, the woman is none other than the crafty witch from the Elder Days, whose son was once the former King of Hell. According to the locals who live here, her name's Rowena MacLeod and she was once bound by her coven superiors from using her magic freely until a page from an old Grimoire book unbound her in the Elder Days. It's a shame that she hasn't any eye of newt or salamander tongue to work with after her magic stashes got pilfered and plundered by those who abuse it, including Sawney Masbath."
"Why did it have to be witches…?"
It wasn't long until I went towards the window as I spotted a woman with black hair rushing out of the hotel in which she was returning to the Zampano villa. What I didn't expect was that Rowena was going after her as I had to see what was going on. Opening up the window while getting my sword, I left outside as I jumped onto an awning all the way down. Carefully getting onto the ground, I pursued them as I had to know what the matter was. By the time I caught up with them in an alleyway, I saw the woman draw out a knife as she was ready to cut at Rowena, for she had loyalties to the one that Olivia Trelawney wants to get rid of.
"Stay away from me, you vile strega," said the woman as she was ready to attack.
"Ye think ye can steal from me and threaten the giant here, then you're mistaken, dearie," said Rowena. "I know that your master's time here is ending soon and the ruling family don't like competition coming from a conceited noble's bastard son."
"You speak of Lord Cesare like the plague when he is bringing blessings to his flock. He brings praise to us and treats us fairly."
"That insolent bastard had never treated you fairly nor does he juggle that poor High Elf with a Half-Elven bairn in her hands."
"It is the will of Lord Cesare that those he had stolen just to correct become one with him and bear his blessings under the grace of God."
"What about the women he forced into just to bear the unwanted bairns in his villa? Do they deserve to be corrected by that monster?"
It wasn't long until I noticed Rowena get out a rune as she was ready to use it on the woman who dared to go against her. She wasn't about to fall backwards yet as she was like most of the inhabitants who lived on the Sprawl who got fed up with Cesare Zampano directly. Just as she was about to do so, I saw a familiar face appear as he used his vajra wire to entangle her in which the woman who stole her magical items got away before more trouble came along. It was Yashamaru as he wasn't too happy with Rowena with jumping the gun in which she was in risk of being caught by freelanced hunters without knowing of the consequences of her actions. Even though she was struggling to get free, she was no match for Yashamaru as he remained stern-faced and calm in this fight in the alleyway.
"Unhand me, Four-Eyes, or I'll cast a curse on you!" she yelled.
"You're causing a racket, Rowena," said Yashamaru.
"That little tart who worships that infernal tyrant in his villa stole some hex bags from another one of my lockboxes from my safe rooms and I won't stop until she is punished dearly, If you don't mind, I suggest that you unhand me or else I'll put a curse on you."
"A witch's magic may work on people, animals, divine beings, or even other monsters, but it won't work on a being from the Middle Ground. As for the situation about Cesare Zampano, he's a threat to everyone in which the angels want his head for stealing one of their prophets."
"Is it that High Elf woman with the bairn in her arms?"
"Chitorin Mitani must be returned to the Holy Guild at the behest of the maintainers of it. Most prophets who are chosen by God have no other choice but to remain unscathed with their souls intact. One prophet in particular had his soul sucked out of him by the Darkness in the Elder Days, but the inner power of the Demon tablet ended up corrupting him further in which Castiel had no other choice but to erase his work from his mind."
"Well, that prophet in Cesare's harem was last seen in Tabitha's bar, but the bastard paraded her by even forcing her to feed that bairn even after he was fed. Still, he treats those women like cattle that get traded against their wishes, but he keeps the children in his care separated from them. The last one who confronted him gave him a warning that Samuel will come and cause his downfall and she's no stranger to dealing with-"
It wasn't long until Yashamaru heard a sound in the distance as he spotted me after he released Rowena from being tangled further. He was now aware of my presence as he was also not too happy with me for going alone on this dangerous mission. Still, I didn't want anything getting in my way as I had my reason to overthrow Cesare at the behest of the governor, for he had to go before his tyranny continues to fester.
"Where's Dean?" asked Yashamaru.
"He's at my hotel and I don't need backup right now," I said.
"He is here at the behest of those who demand you to have protection at all times."
"He's doing nothing more than hindering my mission! He even wants me to get pulled out of there and leaving it unfinished!"
It wasn't long until a gunshot rang out as I saw the young girl armed with a gun in her hands. She was determined to stop us, but I had the upper hand to subdue her as I turned the gun in her hands into crystal the moment it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. Even Rowena was ready to do her worst until I stopped her from causing trouble, for I didn't want anyone else to be woken up in the middle of the night like that. Just as the young girl tried to get away, she was stopped as Yashamaru used his vajra and silver wire to entrap her, for she was not about to flee anytime soon.
"You are enemies of Lord Cesare! Stand down now!" she shrieked.
"And you were the one who stole some hex bags from my lockboxes again," said Rowena.
"I won't listen to the words of a strega like you!"
"Vera Orsini of the Vesper Guild," said Yashamaru. "From the look of it, you disappeared from your family's villa on Stohess in which you were taken away by Cesare against your will."
"I chose to go with him willingly unlike the others in his harem! You don't know what it's like to be in love with a powerful noble, for he will overthrow that governor and rule the Sprawl!" The girl stares at me as she was ready to do her worst. "I know who you are, Sam Winchester. You're the one who destroyed the Elect on Alecrast and stopped the Executive Division from enacting the divine wrath that was taken away from them."
"That 'divine wrath' is a factor that must be destroyed," I said. "As for your so-called noble, you may think that he displays such kindness towards you, but those in his circle who live in his villa live in fear of him due to the harsh treatment he displays. The ruling family of the Sprawl wants more than just giving Cesare an eviction notice, but they also want his head as well and he has overstayed his welcome here in this place on Lannister."
It wasn't long until we saw the young girl break free from Yashamaru's vajra wires in which she fled into the further unknown. I had a gut feeling that she was going back towards Cesare's villa as I followed her to where I had to get to. Even though I was hiding in the shadows, I had my cover blown as I heard footsteps approaching. Drawing out my sword, I turned around as I noticed Elise standing there as she was armed with her bow and arrows in which she wasn't about to let me go alone, for she had her reasons to protect me like everyone else in this ongoing war.
"You left without backup again, Sam," she said to me. "Dean told me about how you keep wandering off and going it alone without backup again. I know that you wanna fulfill your mission, but if you took off and faced Cesare, Dean will have your ass!"
"Dean needs to be back on Shiganshina with his subordinates, not spend his off-hours worrying about me," I said. "He can't play the role of helicopter parent forever in which he has his duties on Shiganshina like his troops in his squad."
"And what would your past self say to you? He would chastise you for going it alone in which he ended up going dark without his brother by his side in the Elder Days. I read the books, Sam. I even read in the prologue of Black in which your past self was hell-bent with a side order of being a psychopath after the Angel Expulsion. You know that brotherly love can bowl over being alone because of the fact that one can't fight without the other like losing a shoe."
"One of Cesare's women is on her way to the villa after she fled. I just found where it is."
It wasn't long until we followed the trail to Cesare's villa as we were ready to put a stop to him once and for all. Little did we know was that Yashamaru and Rowena were waiting in the distance as they had business of their own, for they also had a loathing for Cesare and his harem that were encroaching on a power trip against the Sprawl's leaders in the distance…
To be continued...