In which i beg for forgiveness on the delay in this chapter....
Dante opened his eyes slowly and even slower his mind supplied the information that he was still alive. He looked around the room he was in with a detached interest. He was hanging by his wrists from a set of manacles set into the stone wall of the room. His Titans were absent from his person as well.
"Welcome back." Zhalia murmured softly from his right. Dante turned his head slightly to see the rest of his team and Exiel in the same predicament as him.
"You always wake up last Dante?" Exiel asked, his voice echoing mournfully in the room. Dante swallowed a small chuckle, wincing when the action reminded him that he hadn't eaten or drunk anything since they left the nameless island in the middle of the sea.
"Not always. Usually its Sophie." Lok answered the Valkyrie Seeker with little of his usual exuberance.
"Where are we?" He directed his question at Zhalia but he knew it would be Exiel who would answer.
"Still in the mountain. It was hollowed out for some reason or other. Rassimov went to retrieve the Titan." Dante's guess proved right when the Organisation deserter answered him.
"What Titan?" Exiel leaned forwards to look at him past Zhalia.
"Nothing too special…Prometheus. Greek god who brought fire to Earth, supposedly. Decent firepower but amazing speed." Lok shifted slightly.
"If I had Springer I could get us out of this." He stated glumly. A small white blur shot through the glass of a small window behind them, showering Exiel with glass.
"Hey!" He hissed, unable to shout with his dried out throat. The white shape hovered in front of the Seekers and finally Dante recognised it.
"Cherit." The small Titan gave a small fanged grin before setting to work on Dante's manacles.
"You see what happens when you leave me behind?" He chuckled, letting the honey-eyed Seeker hit the floor and moving on to Zhalia who made the drop a little more gracefully. "Alice was none too pleased either." Exiel dropped to the floor beside Zhalia but didn't stand.
"Alice is dead Cherit." The little Titan laughed as he released Lok and finally Sophie.
"She seemed alive when I last saw her." He said in a slightly singsong voice, flicking his tail as he turned back to face the Seekers. "She's with Rassimov in the amulet chamber." Exiel bolted to his feet, almost head butting Cherit as he did.
"Then let's go." A confident air returned to the man with the news that his companion was alive. He moved to the door. "Touchram." And forced it off of it's hinges, crushing the Suit that had been stationed outside of it before heading to the small table that held a pouch of their Sorrow-Bonded Titans.
//
The amulet chamber had been carved into the mountain along with statues of gargoyles supposedly to keep evil spirits from entering, not that it had worked and other various entitles had been carved into the walls. Rassimov passed a hand across the carving of the three legendary Titans before straightening to look at the pedestal at the very front of the room and the altar that sat atop of it. "Chronos." He breathed, awe filtering into his voice to lie beside the accent. At each side of the altar were beautifully carved, stone hourglasses. The Organisation's new leader stepped up to the altar to read the passage carved into the stone. "Like sand time flows but like stone time remains."
"Rassimov." A clear, female voice echoed through the cavern and the man looked up to see Alice Astra framed in the doorway.
"Alice. I thought you were dead." He moved down from the pedestal, amulet already in hand.
"Yeah well. I'm just full of surprises. Iscariot!" The dark knight appeared at her side, daggers raised. Rassimov chuckled softly.
"You remind me of Dante." Alice smiled. "Kopesh!" The Anubis-like Titans came to life at Rassimov's side. "This shouldn't take long." Kopesh flew forwards towards Alice but Iscariot apprehended him, blacking the jackal-headed Titan's staff with his daggers and forcing him back. "Raypulse." Alice threw herself to one side to avoid the assault.
"You'll need to be quicker than that. Bolt Flare!" She yelled but Rassimov's shield quickly blocked the power's path.
Kopesh struggled beneath the heavily armoured Titan but froze in place as one of the knight's blades found its place in his side. Kopesh fled to his amulet causing a frown from his Seeker who raised another amulet. "Anubian!" While he was distracted Alice moved through the shadows to stand behind him. Within seconds of Anubian's summoning Iscariot was stricken down, back to the amulet in Alice's pocket. Rassimov span on the spot, looking for his adversary.
"Willowisp. Get in close and flare." The tiny flame grin it's ivory fangs glinting before flitting towards Anubian. Rassimov caught the blur of orange out of the corner of his eye, tracing it back to its origin, he saw Alice hiding in the shadows.
"Now, now Alice. You started this but if you wish I shall finish it." The spiky haired Seeker tried to flee her vantage spot and Rassimov grinned cruelly. "Dark Pulse." A wave of shadowy power shot from the man's fingers striking the woman in the chest and throwing her into one of the stone hourglasses, cracking it on impact.
Shakily she got to her feet, nursing the shoulder that had taken the brunt of the collision as sand began to leak from the statue. "Willowisp. Now!" She coughed as she yelled. The tiny Titan, which had managed to scurry into Anubian's armour, flared suddenly as a much larger orange flame, taking over the enemy Titan and sending it back to Rassimov and the safety of its amulet. Alice coughed again, this time tasting blood.
"Everfight."
"Dar-" Rassimov attempted to restart his assault on the woman but a glint in the falling sand caught his attention. "Why thank you Miss Astra. Seems you've done my work for me." She took on a bewildered look as the man pushed her to the floor, out of his way and picked up a blue-tinged amulet from the sand, scrunching his eyes as he forced himself to bond with the Titan inside. Alice cursed as five new figures ran into the cavern.
"Alice!" Exiel yelled, racing to his friend who remained on the floor, Willowisp flickering at her side. He pulled her into a hug, ignoring Rassimov entirely. "I thought you were dead." Alice pushed his arms from her shoulders, getting to her feet.
"Thanks Cherit." The little Titan saluted, grinning. "Ok, reunions later. Rassimov found the Titan."
"Why are you so worried? Exiel said it was only Prometheus." Lok jumped in and Alice scowled.
"Did you even read my notes? I ditched this mission because the Titan here was Chronos. The Titan of Time."
"You are kidding me." Exiel yelped, pulling the crumpled mission card from his pocket.
"No it says so right there." Dante pointed at the scrawled words over the other man's shoulder. "And you say Rassimov found it?"
"Dante!" Sophie's cry of alarm attracted the other Seeker's attention and they turned to see Rassimov floating a few feet off of the ground, dark purple sparks flying from his body and striking the ground, dangerously close to the other Seekers. Two sparks headed straight into the group and, reflexively, Exiel pulled Sophie out of the way as Alice dived, taking Zhalia to the ground.
"Got to stop meeting like this." She smirked, helping the midnight haired woman back to her feet.
"Yeah." Zhalia agreed, returning to Dante's side. "This is bad." Sophie rolled her eyes as the Organisation Seeker laughed.
"No really?" Rassimov raised the amulet to the sky in triumph.
"Chronos. Take your place!" Thunder and lightening rippled inside the cave, moving the floor and shockwaves flew through the air as a large hole opened in the space at Rassimov's side and an even larger form pulled itself through the hole. Chronos was at least twelve feet tall, humanoid in shape with an ivory helm that shadowed his eyes and matching ivory armour across his body. He held a single, golden hourglass in one hand. Lok sighed.
"We are screwed."
and Lok sums up their situation in one neat sentence.