Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 7
Chapter 35: The Zavrath Stratagem, Part 2
(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.)
Dean was concerned about my safety as he was combing tooth and nail to find me, but to no avail. After seeing that blast of light, he knew that I would be there as I was also targeted by both the Executive Division to abuse my raw power and the Red Inquisition who would force me to become Lucifer's vessel. He had to find me as my safety was all that mattered, for I was caught in the middle of this messy war.
"He can't be dead, damn it!" he yelled.
"Captain, he's alive," said Desna as he was also searching for me. "He… intervened in order to guide me towards Yavaro."
"Don't tell me that you had-"
"We did," said Yavaro. "If we didn't do it, Desna would've turned into an Askradi by now."
Dean noticed a marriage decree by proxy near one of the pews as he picked it up. He noticed my handwriting as I had to get both Desna and Yavaro together to subside the mating urge that the former had. He showed the decree to his subordinates as he had a gut that my meddling did more than just allow them to satisfy the mating urge altogether. It wasn't long until Nabaka showed up as she still had that Supernatural book in her hand. She was concerned for my safety as she wanted to find me before I was caught by the Red Inquisition. Even Azreen was worried as she was also fearing for the safety of the resistance that was trying their hardest to drive out the oppressors that have ravaged Zavrath, for dealing with the Red Inquisition was far more complicated than one thought.
"Please, Ardelir, protect our lord…," she said as she clasped her hands in prayer.
"Who's Ardelir?" asked Dean.
"He's my twin brother and the leader of the resistance that is trying to get rid of the Red Inquisition."
"Earlier, Minara left to find Sam, but the Red Inquisition ambushed them," said Desna.
"They better not their get their hands on Sam! They're adamant into forcing him to be Lucifer's prom dress!"
"Well your past self from the Supernatural books was earmarked to be Michael's tux," said Nabaka.
"We need to get out of here before some of those asshats in red show up. They don't take kindly to those who are adamant into protecting Sam, especially with the rest of us."
Desna spotted a trail of footprints as they had the residue of raw power in them. He was no stranger into tracking footprints as he saw the trail stop at an alleyway. To his shock, he noticed a member of the Red Inquisition dead on the floor as he noticed a stab wound through the victim's heart. He heard talk of Rafferty through our chatter as he was aware of the deadly culling that he has been doing here in Zavrath, for this wasn't the end of this terror anytime soon. By the time he reported back to Dean, he saw him near the altar of the abandoned church as there was a secret passageway near it. There was a discovery in that church other than the Winchester Gospel here as Dean wanted to know where it would lead to.
"Son-of-a-bitch!" he yelled as he saw a set of stairs below.
"This has never been here before until now," said Azreen as she saw the passageway.
"Minara's down there," said Desna.
"Seriously?" said Dean as he was getting a little irritated. "Why the hell is he here?"
"You're not too happy with him, are you?"
"As I recall, he kicked Sam's ass in which he was on the verge of going dark side,"
"For the record, Sam's past self also went dark side in When the Levee Breaks after being in for a panic room detox due to the demon blood he ingested," said Nabaka. "Nibori's not the only one who read the Supernatural books."
"We should get moving," said Yavaro as she saw a trail of residue at the bottom. "Hang in there, Sam. Desna owes you one…"
And so, Dean led the trail as he went downstairs to the unknown. As for what would happen next, it would get out of hand as I would end up being in the hot seat, for there was no end to this debacle just yet...
I was slowly drifting away into nothingness as I was starting to fall deeper into an ocean that was dark below. I was done for as I was feeling the pain that was engulfing my body. The gunshot wound and the surge of raw power took it all out of me as I was starting to fade away to the bottom. I was about to lose my life until I heard the sounds of Minara yelling at me to wake up.
"Wake up, Sam!" I heard him yell. "You need to wake up!"
"Wake up, My Lord!" said a woman's voice. "You need to wake up!"
I woke up as I found myself in a room in which I was also exhausted from using my raw power. The bed that I slept in was a basic military grade as I noticed that I had a quilt over me instead of an army blanket. To my surprise, I saw my right arm in a sling as I noticed a some bandages covering the bullet wound I sustained. It wasn't long until I heard the door open to my room as I saw Minara and the resistance fighter arriving to see how I was doing, for they were concerned for my safety after all that has happened. Sitting up, I was trying to be still as I felt the pain flaring up all over my body, for this was more unsettling for me than I could ever imagine.
"You gave us quite a scare, Sam," said Minara.
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"You were out for four hours. Thankfully, you saved Ardelir's life when you took a bullet for him."
"He was in trouble. His people were also in trouble."
"And you saved my life, My Lord," I heard Ardelir say to me. "Matriarch Ovidra is expecting you after she tried hard to wake you up the moment you used your raw power to stop some of the Red Inquisition's forces, including Rafferty, who fights for another day."
"Where are we?"
"We're in a rotgut room under the church of the Winchester Gospel. The Red Inquisition will not reach us here, My Lord," said a woman's voice as I heard her in my head. "I am contacting you telepathically in which I must talk with you alone in my study. You risked your life in protecting Adelir and his team in which your presence gave them an advantage."
I felt the pain wracking my body as I was unable to move once I laid back down in my bed. Everything was vague to me as I didn't have time to lay in bed. I had to get back out there to Dean's unit as I felt helpless after using my raw power earlier. I couldn't let Desna and the others down as I felt like failing them. I wanted to help. I wanted to do more. In the end of this debacle, I had no other choice but to sit it out as I felt Minara's hand touch at my forehead the moment I was bogged down with a fever. I was also thinking about Reiko as I wanted to see her once again in which I began to shed a tear. It wasn't long until I felt a lukewarm cloth pressed to my burning forehead as I saw Minara grab at my wrist while he was looking at the silver pocketwatch in his hand, for he was checking my vitals after what happened earlier.
"Your pulse is thready, but racing," I heard him say to me.
"Where's Desna? Where are the others?" I asked as I was panting harshly from the pain.
"They're safe," said the woman's voice in my head. "Their captain has found them, but he is angry at you for not doing as you're told."
"Out of the way!"
I heard Dean's voice coming across the hall as I slowly sat up in my bed. I had a feeling that he would be angry with me as I was about to be chewed out by him for not staying put. The pain in my body was too much for me as I began to lay back down the moment I heard the door open up loudly. It wasn't long until Dean crashed into the room as he saw me unwell and wounded in which he wasn't too thrilled to see me bedridden in this time of war, for he wanted me to return back to the slug roe home as soon as possible.
"You should've stayed put!" he yelled.
"Don't chastise him right now, Dean," said Minara cautiously.
"As I recall, you up and kicked his ass when the Order's main headquarters on Drakonus got ransacked."
"As I recall, if I didn't stab Julilla the first time, she would've sent in more reinforcements to destroy it."
"Enough, already!" I yelled as I felt a lingering migraine wrack my body.
"The two of you should take it into the meeting hall," said Adelir as he was not too happy with Dean and Minara arguing in front of me. "Our lord has saved the lives of me and my people, so I suggest that you remain quiet before you face the wrath of Matriarch Ovidra, is that clear?"
Dean and Minara didn't say another word as Adelir had the last say in this tangled matter. By the time two of them left the room, there was only Dean here as he was sitting in a chair next to my bed. He was more worried than angry as he saw my bandaged shoulder after all that has happened. What he didn't expect was that I was having a tough time sitting up while closing my eyes. My body was in intense pain as I was also exhausted from using my raw power, for I was finding it hard to stay awake because of the what I suffered from.
"You sure got yourself in a pickle, didn't you, Sammy," said Dean.
"You shouldn't be holding a grudge against Minara all the live long," I said.
"He kicked your ass and now it's kiss and make up?"
"He's lost loved ones, Dean. If you lost me or I lose you, then would either one of us get revenge against the ones who did the cruel deed?"
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Dean notices me slowly getting out of bed as I was creeping towards the bathroom. "You're taking a slow time walking over there just to drain the lizard, aren't you?"
"It's better than wetting the bed."
I closed the door behind me as I went towards the toilet to do my business. Lifting the seat up, I began to relieve myself as I really had to go before I soiled the bedsheets. Finishing up, I flushed the toilet as I put down the seat and crept to the sink to wash my hands. By the time I came out of the bathroom, I fell onto the floor as I felt the pain all over my body flaring up again. I was a wreck as I crawled to my bed in which I had no other choice but to rest up. I began to fall asleep as the pain took everything out of me. Dean never expected me to be in so much pain before as this wasn't the first time that I felt unwell after using my raw power. He had a gut feeling that I was hurting badly as I was panting from the pain I endured.
"C'mon, Sammy," I heard him say as he was squeezing my hand. "You gotta let me take care of you. Don't you dare try to fade away!"
It wasn't long until Dean heard the door open up as he saw a Draaza woman arriving in which she was concerned about my health. Dressed in matriarchal clothing, she was a beautiful one as she had a navy comb and blue eyes in which she was also wise due to her long years of giving guidance to the resistance that were living in Zavrath. When she saw me wracked with pain and fever, she felt my forehead as I wasn't doing too well, for she was concerned about me like the rest of us.
"The raw power has caused another fever within you, My Lord," she said.
"Hey, we should leave the room if we want Sam to get better," said Dean.
"Lord Minara told me about how your brother stepped in against the Red Inquisition, Captain Winchester. He even saved the lives of my grandson and his team in the resistance."
"Some of my unit saw the blast of raw power that shot up in the sky. As for what my subordinate saw, the Red Inquisition even kills some of their own for not falling into line with their orders."
"Conrad Rafferty is a psychopath, Captain. Ever since he came here, he had been ravaging my people to the point of becoming Askradi by making them impotent from their sexual passions. The Red Inquisition… killed my daughter and her second husband. They tortured my other grandson to the point of him being an Askradi that had to be put down. All I have now are Abelir, Azreen, and Jolene, who have a burning hatred against the oppressors who continue to cull my kind to the point of making them Askradi just to attract hunters to invoke mercy killings."
"I saw the evidence of what those asshats did."
"Rafferty fears the wrath of his superiors to the point of killing some of his subordinates if they harmed your brother. As for his base of operations, it is located in the middle of a lake near here, but it is guarded in which no one has ever escaped until I sensed the fate of Ibelir, who gave you the evidence of what his oppressors were doing."
"Yeah, and it cost him his life…" Dean clenched his fist as he remembered the evidence that he saw a few days ago. "Your grandson may have turned into an Askradi, but he didn't die in vain when he gave us the proof to shut down the Red Inquisition. Once we go there to Rafferty's compound, we'll do more than just borrow the crockpot. We'll be going in there with guns blazing."
"It won't be easy…, Dean," I said weakly as I slightly woke up in pain.
"Your body is still in pain, My lord," said the Draaza matriarch cautiously.
I opened my eyes as I saw the Draaza matriarch standing near my bed. She was aware of my condition as she felt my forehead in which I was still wracked with pain all over. The fever continued to creep up on me as it was hard for me to fight it off. Taking no other options, Dean grabbed me out of my bed as he dragged me towards the bathroom and pushed me into the tub. Turning on the cold water and inserting the plug, he was worried about me as I was slowly being submerged in the bathtub. The Draaza matriarch came into the bathroom as she saw me still suffering from the lingering pain inside of me. Running out of the room, she went towards a large freezer as she grabbed a bag of ice the moment she returned and emptied into the tub where I was in. With the water turned off and the tub filled with ice, I got up as I was gasping for breath the moment I got cold. Shivering from the pain and chill, I was up on my feet as I saw the Draaza matriarch getting me a towel to dry off, for I was freezing from my own folly indeed.
"You suffered from a high fever, My Lord," she said to me.
"I bear no grudge against you, Matriarch Ovidra, but I'm freezing right now," I said as I got out of the tub. "As for my predicament and pain, I had much worse, believe me."
"Your body temperature was above the total death point. Your brother and I had no other choice but to bring your fever down."
"I can stand up…"
"C'mon, let's get you dressed," said Dean as he helped me towards the changing screen. "You saved the resistance's asses, but you still got a long way to go."
I was placed behind the changing screen as I noticed a dresser filled with Draaza clothing inside. Getting on some underclothes, I searched for a decent set of dry clothes as I noticed a cyan Draaza robe complete with a set of black trousers and light teal underrobe in the drawers. Putting them on slowly, I I was starting to lose my balance the moment the changing screen fell to the floor. With the robes still ready to be fitted, I noticed Dean removing the wet bandage from my shoulder as he grabbed a first aid kit and cleaned the wound I sustained. By the time I had a fresh set of bandages on the wound, I was still wobbly after being dizzy and in pain as I was finding it harder to keep my balance up. It wasn't long until Ovidra caught me in time as she steered me to the bed. With my robes brought to me, I slowly put them on as I was fully clothed until a problem arose from my own predicament. To Dean's dismay, he noticed my bare feet still there as he was adamant into putting on some socks and shoes on me. Before he did that, he opened up the nightstand as he dug out the thermometer and shoved it into my mouth. He wasn't letting me out of his sight as he later put on my socks and shoes the moment he heard the thermometer beeping.
"It's gone down," said Dean as he took the thermometer out of my mouth. "So far, you've got a temperature of 100.2, which is better than being at 107."
"I could've put my own socks on, Dean," I said as I was starting to warm up. "There was no need for you to do that, you know." I was still shivering from being submerged in ice earlier. "Dunking me in ice instead of subjecting me to an ice bucket challenge is not a way to go."
"It's better than having you at the total death point, My Lord," said Ovidra. "You may had your fever brought down, but you're still not in fine fettle right now."
I was ready to get up again as I saw Dean gently push me back down onto the bed. He was concerned about my health as he didn't want me to leave his sight, for he refused to let me wander off for too long. It wasn't long until Ovidra placed her hand on my chest as she felt my heart pounding the moment she detected the stressors within it, for she was no stranger into dealing with unusual ailments.
"Your heartbeat is too fast, My Lord," I heard her say to me.
"I was submerged into ice not too long ago," I said.
"The rest of your company are waiting in the war room, for we will be having sustenance with the rations that we pilfered from the Red Inquisition. As for your own trouble, you shouldn't overexert your raw power too much."
"What kind of rations?" asked Dean.
"There are canned beans, canned meat, packaged ramen noodles, some kimchi in jars, and stock that is made for cooking."
"You have the ingredients to make budae-jjigae, don't you?" I said.
"Come, we should prepare for supper for our unit here and yours, My Lord."
And so, I got up again as I was steered by Dean and Ovidra the moment we left the room. I was seeing the rest of the underground base as it was mainly like a bunker, but different. I also saw several members of the resistance supplying the storehouses with the items that they brought back as they were also fighting for the restoration here in Zavrath. I never saw anything like it before as I noticed Desna and Yavaro coming out of the war room to report for duty, for they were also part of Dean's unit so far.
"The resistance has an agenda like ours, but different, Captain," said Yavaro.
"I take it that you two were scoping out this bunker," said Dean.
"Lord Minara is busy taking care of the wounded, Captain," said Desna. "From what I gather, he is a new Elder of the Order, he's also back in the Medical Corps as well."
"I take it that he hasn't had an urge to go dark side yet."
"Minara hasn't had an urge to go dark side since the Sol-2 was destroyed," I said. "If I were you, I suggest that you show some leniency for him in which he also averted an attack on the Order's main headquarters on Drakonus."
"I know that I shouldn't bear a grudge against him, but after what he did to you, he—"
"He felt guilty for his actions. If you think his battle against me was bad, the heated fight between our past selves was worse before the Apocalypse in the Elder Days. This time of war isn't a time for arguing or holding past grudges on our allies, Dean. You should do better at having humility first before you do a lot worse."
My words put Dean in his place as he didn't say a word. As for being here in the resistance's bunker, we had another unit fighting for us against the Red Inquisition as we all had to get rid of them before they turned Zavrath into a further junk heap. Just as we were about to follow Ovidra towards the dining area, we heard an alarm blaring as I sensed danger coming. Dean, however, ran into the war room as he saw several members of the Red Inquisition encroaching on the abandoned church in which they were ready to attack us from above, for it was also starting to get a little unsettling indeed…
A Sohma vehicle arrived in Zavrath as it was near a dilapidated and abandoned mosque that was ravaged heavily by the Red Inquisition. The place itself was a wreck as Nibori stepped out of the Sohma vehicle to see the damage inside of it. She noticed it clearly as she saw the littering of needles and syringes strewn all over the place. Like most places of worship on Earth, the mosque itself was littered with garbage in which it hasn't been used for prayers for years. It was hell inside as Nibori assessed the situation the moment she saw a Devil's Trap painted on the ceiling. The mosque wasn't abandoned, but partially vandalized due to what was put there to entrap or ward off possible demons. By the time Kevin and Deejatra stepped out of the Sohma, they also saw the mess of dirty needles and trash littered everywhere as the mosque itself was once a grand place of worship, only to be ransacked and dilapidated during the occupation of the Red Inquisition.
"This place smells like Walter White's ass," said Nibori.
"Talk about disrespecting the integrity of whoever preached on a Friday," said Kevin as he saw a placard on the wall. "I just wish that people should treat places of worship with a little more respect and care instead of turning it into a drug toilet."
"'In memory of Imam Musa Abdallah Qusar, whose Devil's Trap has protected his flock against demons,'" said Deejatra as she translated the placard from the Arabic language on it. "I've heard of him before in which he was one of the best hunters on Essos, only to be a preacher in his later years."
"And this Imam's place of worship gets damaged by drug addicts…"
"Once we meet up with Sam, the better we clean up this one-horse town," said Nibori. "I've heard about the big three religions of Earth being monotheistic, but having their places of worship being damaged and abandoned?"
Without warning, Deejatra heard footsteps approaching as she noticed a member of the Shigan Army stepping into the mosque. With an air of suspicion looming, she remained on high alert as she saw the officer displaying a cold smile on his face, for there was something wrong indeed.
"It's been a while, Deejatra," he said coldly as his eyes flashed black. "The last time we met, you were shaking in your boots while I was in your mother's meatsuit on Trost."
"You undid my mother's conditioning," she said as she was trying to maintain her composure.
"It seems that Sam Winchester is here with Abelir and his group in the underground, but they will have their location compromised soon enough. As for you, my dear, it seems that you still suffer from the trauma stemming from what I did to your mother."
"Don't toy with me!"
"Hey!" yelled Nibori as she saw the demon approaching further while warning Deejatra. "Don't let that him get to you. Demons sure love to twist things to their advantage on the vulnerable just to psych them out!"
"Excellent deduction," said the demon. "Therefore, I'm not finished with the sniper who tried to expel me from Danae's body on Trost, for I'm also not too thrilled to see the silver-haired harbinger finish the job!"
"I've had enough of this!" yelled Deejatra as she pulled out her sniper rifle.
The demon that was possessing the Shigan Army officer continued to step forward as he was ready to cause more psychological damage to Deejatra. With Kevin and Nibori armed with their own weapons, they noticed the demon being trapped the moment they saw the Devil's Trap set into motion in order to exorcise it. In that point of memory, Deejatra remembered Danae being possessed by the same demon who is housing the Shigan Army officer as she also refused to bog down to his scare tactics, for she had to do something immediately.
"Well, Deejatra," said the demon. "Still ready to choke like B-Rabbit on Mom's spaghetti?"
"Ligamen mutationem," said Nibori as she saw the demon clutch at his arm in which there was a binding link on it that disappeared. "As I recall, you can't escape after all because the link that you have is no longer there."
"And that means that you're trapped in your own folly for what you did to my mother," said Deejatra as she began to recite the Rituale Romanum. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus; omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio; infernalis adversarii, omnis legio omnis et secta diabolica."
"Bitch, please!" yelled the demon as he was struggling to hold onto his host. "That dog trick won't work twice!"
"Don't listen to him!" yelled Kevin cautiously as he wanted Deejatra to continue the exorcism at hand. "He's baiting you! Don't let him!"
"Ergo draco maledicte, et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te," she said as she resumed the Rituale Romanum. "Cessa decipere humanas creaturas; eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, Satana; inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge; invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate serviere te rogamus, audi nos. Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse virtutem truderit et fortidudinem plebi suae. Benedictus Deus, Gloria Patri!"
The demon possessing the Shigan Army officer was expelled from his host as it was gone from him. As for Deejatra, however, she felt relieved after exorcising the monster that forced her mother to cause havoc on Trost as she was happy that she faced her fear after all that has happened. Even Kevin and Nibori were grateful for the Devil's Trap that was painted on the mosque's ceiling as it was also an advantage to exorcise the demon before it was too late. With the Shigan Army officer coming to after being possessed, he was up on his feet as he was shocked to see what became of him, for he never saw it coming.
"Who are you guys?" he asked.
"We're from the Order of Letters," said Deejatra.
"My superior was possessed by a demon, but it ended up killing him and possessing me instead."
"You're safe for now," said Kevin. "As for Dean and his unit, they're mainly busy pegging off the Red Inquisition here in this town."
"Is Captain Winchester or Captain of the Order's Hunter Corps around?"
"Dean is, but as for Captain Luvik, he's mainly going after vampires that have been a nuisance," said Nibori. "Luckily, I have my witching blood in play 'cause I noticed the binding link that the demon put on you earlier. Binding links are tricky in which the Sam Winchester of Old was once possessed by Meg in Born Under a Bad Sign."
Without warning, the three members of the Order spotted a Medical Corps unit arriving as it was led by a female Mirkosian. Nibori recognized her directly as she was mainly the oldest of the T'Chauli siblings. When the Mirkosian spotted the Shigan Army officer still reeling from the demon possession, she alerted her subordinates to cart him away as she was meeting with the trio that was there to retrieve me on the spot, for this turn of affairs was about to get complicated.
"You're looking well, Nibori," she said. "As I recall, you got laid off from Dad's workplace on our homeworld and made it into the Order after all."
"Nevka," she said. "Your timing is bad, but you could at least take time to tend to the wounded."
"I take it that Imam Musa's place of worship was ransacked by drug addicts due to the paraphernalia strewn around like a trashy trailer park."
"As soon as we get rid of the Red Inquisition, the better we get this mess picked up in this mosque and other places."
"This mosque is sacred, but it's all littered into disrepair except for the Devil's Trap that the late Imam painted on."
"We're looking for Captain Winchester," said Deejatra.
"Funny… Those bastards in red robes are also looking for him, but to peg him off after we arrived to aid Captain Luvik to put a damper on them. As I recall, Minara Mitani up and took the silver-haired savior on a joyride by stealing the Impala and parking it near the camp."
"Minara was there at the base in the Dabb Mountains, but he up and took Sam here," said Kevin.
"Earlier, we got reports of a blast of raw power coming near the church of the Winchester Gospel, but the resistance here is taking losses due to the Red Inquisition still turning this place into their personal meth lab." Nevka stares at her tracking device as she sees the location of the church being attacked. "Damn it!" She gets out her radio as she calls out to her subordinates. "Attention, there's been an attack at the church of the Winchester Gospel. Alert Captain Luvik that Captain Winchester and his unit are under attack by the enemy!"
Nibori sees a plume of smoke where the abandoned church was as it was a sign of dread indeed. She also had a gut feeling that I would be put into harm's way. She had to get to me as I was also in danger of the Red Inquisition due to their attempts to force me to become Lucifer's vessel. She didn't want it to happen as my life was at stake in which I was also the ultimate prize in a power struggle that no one had wanted, for this excursion wasn't over yet…
The alarm was heard all over the secret passageway as everyone in the resistance was on high alert with their weapons aimed. Desna and Yavaro feared the worst as they were in the secret base's war room the moment they saw images of Red Inquisition soldiers on the screens. They also spotted Rafferty arriving as he was ready to do his worst while he was outside above. He was there to cause damage as he was also looking for me in which he was overwhelmed by a desire to make me Lucifer's vessel. Desna was fearing for my life as he saw Rafferty on screen searching for the secret passageway until he saw one of his subordinates fire a rocket launcher onto the ground.
KA-BOOM!
The secret bunker shook from above as Desna ran out of the war room and into the main hall where he saw a gaping hole in the ceiling. He spotted Rafferty and his subordinates from above as they were firing their guns at the resistance, who were firing back. It wasn't long until Minara spotted the invaders as he wasn't about to let them take me away, for he wasn't about to let them do so.
"Conrad Rafferty," he said. "Once part of the Army here on Shiganshina, only to be led astray as one of the Red Inquisition's top enforcers."
"Minara Mitani," he said as he unsheathed his sword. "As I recall, you lost your first wife and her father; my condolences."
"Your presence here stains the integrity of this holy city, only to allow it to be turned into squalor that is littered not only your cronies, but monsters and drug addicts."
"I'm not here to hear your drivel, Minara! I'm here to claim what's rightfully Lucifer's."
"Don't you dare come near Sam!"
"As I recall, I got the info from a demon who once housed Danae Trelundar in which he bears a grudge against the ultimate prize for that exorcism that he endured on Trost. He told me where to go, only to be exorcised the second time by those three who are also after Sam. For the record, I won't leave until I claim what is rightfully our to use as Lucifer's vessel!"
It wasn't long until Rafferty unsheathed his sword as he was ready to attack some of the resistance below. Several of our allies were firing their weapons at the Red Inquisition as they pegged off a few of them from above. Anger flooded Rafferty as he yanked the rocket launcher from his subordinate's hands and began to fire further at the resistance. The shot blew several members of the resistance into pieces as Minara glared at his aggressor the moment he used his Nephilim powers to destroy the large weapon in his hands. He wasn't about to let the Red Inquisition get away with what happened as he was ready to stop them until he saw a barrage of diamond projectiles shooting at them. Minara spotted Dean taking charge as he didn't want our enemies to snatch me up, for he was itching to put Rafferty in his place after all.
"Get Sam out of here!" he yelled.
"Where's your backup?!" cried Minara.
"They're coming! Just do as you're told and take him to safety!"
"On it!"
Minara rushed out of the warzone as he was looking for me. By the time he saw me, I was still weakened by the surge of raw power as I was unable to move. With an opportunity to keep me safe, he rushed towards me as he was ready to get me out of harm's way until we saw the wall shatter to reveal a member of the Red Inquisition standing in front of us. Armed with a gatling gun, the steadfast soldier in a red robe started to fire at us as Minara quickly grabbed me and got me to safety. By the time we fled the ravaged bunker, we made our way towards the sewers as we saw them to be littered with garbage over the years. The stench of it made me want to vomit as I used my long silver hair to cover my nose and mouth while Minara used a gas mask over his face.
"The stench is unbearable!" I heard Minara yell.
"That's what you get for being in a sewer," I said.
"Let's hope that Dean is alright… We may have our differences, but I can't see him fall in this ongoing war right now."
"Dean's no stranger to going into the battlefield. He's made it out alive with the skin of his teeth told the tale afterwards."
"The sewer system leads towards a waste disposal and water treatment facility." Minara fishes out a tablet as he views a map of our location. "By the time we get out of here, we'll be heading towards Prospect Street. As for the Red Inquisition's commander here, his compound is in the middle of the lake in which he calls it the Spillway. The Hunter Corps can take care of the rest, but we have to get the hell out of here."
Minara and I traversed the sewers as we were looking for the exit that led to Prospect Street. The roiling stench of the sewers was starting to get more pungent as we noticed less water and waste on the ground. Still, we had no choice but to stay firm on the trail as we also had to worry about the Red Inquisition following us, for they were looking for me in this squalid town…
Dean and his unit were holding off the onslaught of the Red Inquisition as he noticed Desna and Yavaro firing their weapons at them. They were concerned about the rest of our allies as some of the resistance were taking losses. Dean was getting too exhausted until he spotted Jolene armed with a rocket launcher just in time to take out the rest of our enemies in Rafferty's group. Firing a shot at them, Jolene pulled no punches as she saw our aggressors falling flat. Even though the battle is over for now, everyone had suffered losses and injuries as Dean spotted Rafferty and the last of his subordinates leaving the scene before backup arrived. Running up the stairs, he was above ground as he noticed a Sohma unit pulling up towards the church from outside. To his surprise, he spotted the rest of his group arriving as they also had the Medical Corps with them, for they were here at the last minute.
"Took your sweet time, didn't you?" he said.
"Nithra and his unit are coming to assist you," said Nevka as she came out of the Sohma vehicle.
"Well, the resistance took out the rest of Rafferty's group of asshats not too long ago."
"Where's Sam?!" cried Nibori as she got out of the Sohma vehicle.
"He fled, but Minara's with him."
"We can worry about Sam later," said Nevka. "Right now, we need to bury the dead and heal the wounded."
Dean saw several members of the Medical Corps arriving to assess the damage in the middle of the abandoned church. Clenching his fist, he swore to put an end to the Executive Division as he was also worried about my safety. The carnage on both sides was horrendous as he saw the Medical Corps bringing the dead back in body bags for burial. For a while, he has seen his fair share of war as he was also concerned for my safety on the sly, for he was making sure that I made it out of harm's way safely…
Minara and I made it to the waste disposal area as we were on the right track into looking for a way out. Making it out towards further levels, we were clear of the sewer stench for now as we spotted an opening. We found the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel as we finally made it out towards the top in which we made it out of the sewers. It wasn't long until we saw a Sohma vehicle coming towards the direction of the church as we got out of the way for now. We were lucky to get out of there as we had to lay low until the storm cleared, for it wasn't over by a longshot.
"This is getting more complicated than I thought," said Minara.
"After being in the sewers, we're taking a long bath after this," I said.
"Let's hope that your brother's unit's okay…"
Without warning, we saw Rafferty standing in front of us as the rest of his group restrained us in which we were caught. Both of us were in the doghouse as we were dealing with the remainder of the attackers who harmed the resistance earlier, for we couldn't escape this time.
"Well, well; I finally caught the silver-haired savior," we heard Rafferty say to us. "Lucifer will be pleased to see this vessel returned to him once we return to the Spillway."
"Your attempt will end in failure," said Minara sternly. "You should also know that Sam with his raw power is immune to possession, both demon and angel. He'll never say yes to Lucifer, for the only one he'll say yes to is my sister, who is waiting patiently for him to come home."
"Waiting for the savior to come home, you say?" Rafferty walks up to Minara as he punches him in the face. "The only one who is waiting for him is Lucifer! He demands Sam to be his vessel, for it was recorded in the time of the Elder Days. Tonight is a full moon and when we perform the ceremony, Sam will belong to Lucifer. We're going to the Spillway with the savior. As for the High Elf who defied me, he'll be the first one to be eliminated once Lucifer snaps his finger in his new vessel! Let's go!"
We were taken away by Rafferty as we were on our way to the Spillway. Our capture was not a great one as we had no other choice but to be taken away, for the Red Inquisition were up to no good so far…
To be continued...