Chapter 13: Change in Leadership.
Sanctuary Citadel
7:10 pm
Donnic and his team proceeded into the building where they were greeted by a young woman in an elegantly designed dress her hair-tied up in a ponytail. But as they were distracted by this girl's elegance, Malachi stepped into a small side room as sedation gas flooded the chamber and knocked out the four individuals inside...
" Nice work, Scythe." Malachi said.
" Just putting the chameleon tech to use." The girl said, transforming back into Scythe.
" Let's bring these spies to the Inquisitor." Malachi said.
" Let's." Scythe said.
Malachi pressed a button on a console right next to the chamber entrance, and it rose up to the very top of the citadel and into Inquisitor's office, where Korvac was currently discussing a matter with the man himself...
" What is the meaning of this, Korvac?" Inquisitor demanded.
" We discovered spies within our ranks after the bodies of four of our own recruits turned up in a dumpster in some back alley street in Atlas." Korvac said.
" How is this connected to your supposed spies?" Inquisitor asked.
" Because four soldiers had arrived earlier today, each claiming to be those deceased recruits." Korvac said as two soldiers were lining them up.
" You think these soldiers are the spies?" Inquisitor said, starting to believe him.
" Because I know who they are." Korvac said, removing Donnic's helmet as he came to.
Inquisitor came face to face with the leader of the team that had caused his organization to suffer so much thanks to their constant interference. He immediately instructed Korvac to take the other children out of the room, leaving Donnic at the base of his desk so he can have a little chat with them...
" Ugh." Donnic said.
" Now have you come to your senses." Inquisitor said.
" What the heck?" Donnic said.
" Korvac saw through your disguise, Donnic Peagus." Inquisitor said, taking off the mask over his breather.
Donnic looked to see that Inquisitor was actually pale white, with short cut red hair underneath the mask, and his veins were darkened. He set down the mask onto the table, and then sat down to be face to face with the young boy...
" It's more than just than that sickness in the lungs is it?" Donnic asked.
" The mutation is starving my own blood, so the armor basically alters the blood to survive." Inquisitor explained.
" Saw your city, pretty sights, like the ladies." Donnic said.
" I know that you are flirt with girls, but you're waiting for Miss Rose." Inquisitor said.
" How in all hell did you know?" Donnic said in a surprised tone.
" I've had eyes on both of you for a long time, too bad she had an interest in the Schnee." Inquisitor said.
" What, Schnee? Oh, I heard she was actually interested in more than the ice queen. That Jaune fellow is one of her other favorites. But that's not really something important to talk about." Donnic said, starting to sound angry. "So what point are you trying to get across?"
" You and your teammates are nothing but a bunch of children playing at war." Inquisitor said.
" This coming from the maniac who created human-Grimm hybrids just to hide them in an underwater city." Donnic said.
" There is more to this tale than you think boy, so shut up and listen to me." Inquisitor started. " When you walk on the surface, do you think that the world is truly at peace? The answer is no, the world has been in more chaos then ever before. The Grimm gain more territory every day, terrorist factions wage conflict against the people, and factions reach for power from the shadows. Now, to top it all off, The Maiden of Fall has been attacked and a portion of her power has been stolen. There is a faction that is conspiring to remove the central leaderships of the world, and they have stolen the power of the Maiden with an unlikely ally." He said.
" Wait, The Tale of the Maidens is real?" Donnic said.
" Yes, your precious General Ironwood has been part of a secret society that has been responsible for keeping their existence a secret." Inquisitor said.
" You know dude, I once nearly fell for a girl who said she was a season maiden just to try and get me in the sack." Donnic said, trying to deter from the maiden topic.
" What?" Inquisitor said.
" Sorry, getting off topic, how can a person's powers be stolen?" Donnic said in a confused tone.
" There are Grimm that are not known in existence that nobody knows about. There are some that hide in the shadows or on the shadow plains." Inquisitor explained.
" So why tell me all this?" Donnic said, still confused.
" Because the story of my life is coming to an end, but my legacy will live on." Inquisitor said.
" You actually believe you are going to die today?" Donnic said.
" I know I am, but I will not sit around and wait, I wish to die in battle, like a true warrior." Inquisitor said.
" So you want me to fight you?" Donnic said, having figured it all out.
" Yes, otherwise your friends and you will be executed." Inquisitor said.
" Well just unchain me and hand me my true weapon so we can get started." Donnic said.
" Look in front of you." Inquisitor said.
Donnic looked down to see his restraints gone and Valhalla's Bane in front of him, and right after he grabbed the weapon, Inquisitor grabbed him by the throat and sent him hurtling out a window and into a small arena. Inquisitor jumped down with his cane sword in hand, completely without its sheath.
" Who knew we'd be fighting in my personal arena?" Inquisitor said.
" Apparently, you did." Donnic said.
He transformed Valhalla's Bane into its longsword form, and both he and Inquisitor raised their blades in a manner in which seemed related to a duel. Inquisitor struck first in which the duel began, and Lucy entered the observation booth to watch it unfold. Donnic watched as Inquisitor went toe-to-toe with him, in a battle that Inquisitor knew immediately was going to end with him being slain. They quickly conversed when their blades clashed...
" Do you think you and your friends will survive this?" Inquisitor said, antagonizing him.
" Well we both know you won't." Donnic responded, breaking the clash.
They fought hard as their swords clashed, sending sparks from Donnic's sword as his semblance began to manifest. The Inquisitor sensed this and activated a device on his suit. The sparks being flown out immediately absorbed into his suit.
"What?" Donnic asked, shocked at this.
"My suit is absorbing your semblance. I know how your semblance works. It starts absorbing the electric energy around the air to increase the power of your attacks. When you absorb enough, you can create lightning bolts or even create lances from the electricity."
"What? You want to overpower me?"
" I want you to fight with your will alone. Your semblance hasn't really been too stable since that incident two years ago. Hurting Celeste in the ring... why, you haven't really trusted yourself with the trust of someone you could love."
" Shut up!" Donnic thrusted his blade forward in an attempt to stab him, but the Inquisitor was faster than that. He dodged out of the way before tripping the young man up.
" Your emotions get in the way of your better judgment. Your anger when your past is brought up. Your self-doubt gets in the way of your ability to take anything seriously. And you hide behind that persona of yours that acts all smart-ass when I know the real Donnic was less a smartass and more a true huntsman. You are hiding behind an illusion, and you will never be the huntsman you are meant to be until you accept that."
Donnic was on his knee, panting hard. "You supposed to be a psychiatrist?"
" I am destined to die. IT is inevitable. But I would rather die fighting against a noble huntsman than from a slow and painful disease. And most certainly not from a boy who cannot accept who he really is."
Donnic panted, looking to the floor. "I know that I do not accept my past. I know that I hide it from everyone. I am a shattered mirror, hiding my sorrows behind a pieced-together shroud. But you know what? I am still the huntsman I trained to be. And I may be a shroud, but I am still myself. I just need to accept it, like you said." Donnic stood up, drawing his weapon again.
" Then come forth, huntsman, and show me your honor." Inquisitor swung fast at Donnic, to which he blocked it, pushing back until the Inquisitor had been flung into a wall, bouncing back. Donnic, using the last of his strength, swung his sword upward, mortally wounding the sickly Inquisitor and sending him stumbling onto his back. Donnic got up and walked over to him...
" You (cough) granted my final (cough) wish." Inquisitor said.
" Yeah, I guess I did." Donnic said, feeling a little emotional.
" I knew that your honor was (Cough) still within you. Tell(cough) Lucy(Cough) I'm...sorry." Inquisitor said before finally dying.
" Farewell, William." Donnic said.
Donnic was beat and exhausted, so he looked to see a young hybrid girl carrying a teddy bear walking up alongside Lucy. The young girl walked over to Inquisitor's lifeless body, and calmly closed his eyes while Lucy helped Donnic straighten himself up...
" Who's the little girl that just closed a dead guy's eyes?" Donnic asked Lucy.
" That's my little sister, Olympia, she's had a strange emotional complex after mom died." Lucy explained.
" How'd she die?" Donnic asked.
" Bulkhead failure in one of the wards, took us days to drain it out, but we found out she drowned after she tried to evacuate a group of troopers who were trapped." Lucy said.
As they were talking, Olympia pulled out a small drive from Inquisitor's pocket, and walked over to her older sister and started to tug on her sister's sleeve in order to show it to her...
" What is it?" Lucy asked.
" Its for you." Olympia said in a soft tone, handing her big sister the drive.
" A data drive?" Donnic asked in a suspicious tone.
" Let's check it on my father's terminal in his office." Lucy said.
Inquisitor's main office
7:19 pm
Lucy, Donnic, and Olympia returned to Inquisitor's large office that overlooked a large coral reef that ran along the trench for miles, and was home to many different varieties of fish...
" (Whistling) Nice view." Donnic said.
" He always liked that view, says it reminded him that despite terrible things are needed to keep the world's gears turning, that there is still some good in the world." Lucy said.
" Sounds like he was a philosopher." Donnic said.
" Daddy was always fighting himself, saying he was "indifferent." Olympia said.
" So your father was morally grey?" Donnic asked.
" He actually hated some of the things he had done, but he knew they were necessary for Sanctuary's protection." Lucy said.
" Necessary? Having to relieve yourself after an 8-hour ride to Vacuo is necessary, but there is no excuse for terrorism and kidnapping." Donnic said.
" I know what you- what the?" Lucy said as she looked at the terminal.
" What is it?" Donnic asked.
" My father's bio-metric analyzer came on just after the codes on this drive went in." Lucy said.
Lucy put her hand on the bio-metric scanner, causing it to register her into the database, with a follow-up message involved...
DNA VERIFICATION COMPLETE, INDENTITY CONFIRMED AS INQUISITOR LUCY DARNELL.
" What?" Lucy said.
" You're the new Inquisitor?" Donnic said in surprise.
While they were shell-shocked by the discovery of Lucy being called the New Inquisitor, a message appeared onto the monitor so they had read it...
Dear Lucy,
By the time that you are reading this, I will be dead. The note is going to explain that the organization, all associated revenues, the troops, and the city I leave to you and Olympia and when you read this, the bio-metric scanner has authenticated your DNA and declared you the new Inquisitor. The name I gave myself is actually the title of Sanctuary's leader, but I stained the title enough with my heinous crime of attacking the surface. So that is why I am leaving the city and title to you, as I know you can be the better Inquisitor than I ever was.
Take care of your sister, and be the leader I could not.
" That was...deep." Lucy said.
" He's left the entire city to you." Donnic said.
" He's also left the military troops and his organization to me." Lucy said.
" Does Korvac and the others know about this?" Lucy asked.
" Oh, we know." Korvac said as he entered the room.
" How long were you standing there?" Donnic asked.
" I was tipped off." Korvac said, tapping his bracer. " Scythe and I will follow you, so will Malachi and Firefly, but Kaia's reckless and she took off." He added.
" Good, because we got a peace agreement to sign with Atlas." Lucy said.
" Yes, ma'am." Korvac said.
This chapter concludes with the fall of Inquisitor William Jacob Darnell, and the rise of Inquisitor Lucy Darnell. Following his death, he left the entire city of Sanctuary, his organization, and his soldiers to his young 17-yr-old daughter with her only 9-yr-old sibling. The next chapter is the conclusion of the story, and the next thing to follow will be a sneak preview to Templar and Shadow, in which four friends are trapped in Remnant after they are dragged across an interdimensional breach, and they try to unravel the mystery behind the breach, before resorting to a dark path in order to take down a ruthless criminal and her colleagues as they conspire against the people of Remnant with a friend with the ability to watch their events from small but unstable tears in the fabric of reality.
WAIT AND SEE.