Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8
Chapter 48: Assault On Skald Island, 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.)
Reiko was busy consoling the younger children as she was in one of the rooms of the Adam West. With some of the younger ones still in cots and playpens, they were surrounding Reiko as she was desperate enough to keep their thoughts away from the danger as she was more than likely to be telling them some stories to pass the time, for she didn't want them to be worried too much about the trouble above the surface. She was eager to console them as they weren't comfortable with the problems of the war on our doorstep in which the sounds of fighting was heard above the surface. Still, we had to be vigilant into making sure that the children were safe from harm, for there was no end to the violence above us.
"I'm scared of the boom-booms," said Sona as she was clutching at her dolls.
"I know, little one," said Reiko.
"What's gonna happen out there, Mommy?" asked Aora.
"Your uncle and the others will trounce the bad guys, but I'm gonna tell you a story so you won't get so worried too much."
The younger children gathered around Reiko as she was ready to tell them a story that she heard from long ago. She never expected to tell it to the younger children, but she also had to make sure that they were not too scared in which she sensed the anxiety from some of them, including Sona who was still holding onto her favorite dolls. It was a time of keeping the minds of the children off of the danger that was up in the surface, for Skald Island was in danger in this mess.
"Here's a story that I'm going to tell to you," said Reiko. "It was a story that my grandfather told me when I was your age, for it is a good one that I heard when I was a little girl. Once upon a time, there lived a humble nobleman who was blessed with good luck. He was a just and honorable man in which he loved one woman that he saved from a storm. He proposed to her and took her as his wife in which they lived happily in his castle, but one day, someone was wanting to destroy his happiness. The one who was wanting to ruin him was a woman who also wanted to have him for herself, but to no avail."
"What happened next?" asked Aora.
"The nobleman was confronted by the woman in which she trapped him in a room filled with stone and diamonds. He also didn't want anything to do with the one who put him there in which he declared that the only woman that he ever loved is the one that he saved from the storm. When his beloved came to his rescue, he was glad that she was there to help him, but the vain and selfish woman trapped her in a furnace and burned her into ashes. The nobleman was terrified that his beloved lost her life, but he was saddened by her demise in which a single tear from him dropped into the ashes in which she was resurrected in front of his eyes. He was happy that she returned to him in which she herself was a storm goddess who loved him dearly, which caused her rival to turn into a snake in order to devour her. In a single act of true love and courage, both the nobleman and his wife turned into dragons in which they killed the serpent and fled from her castle. After that, they became king and queen of the realm and ruled with a kind and just hand and they lived happily ever after. The end…"
"That was a good story," said Carly.
"I know, for the nobleman and the storm goddess loved each other till the end."
"Can you tell us another one, Mommy?" asked Aora.
"Sweetie, you can hear one more, but after this, you have to wash up in time for dinner."
"Okay…"
"It's best that we stay strong for those who are protecting this island. Everyone who lives here have
a say into protecting this place, for this is their home after all. We all have to protect it just like we protect Kanto Village on Alecrast. It is the most we can do for now..."
Reiko continued to tell the younger children more stories as I was watching in the distance. I was also happy that the children weren't scared too much as they didn't need to hear more of the danger from the surface, which was what I didn't what them to hear about. Still, we were resilient in all the danger that was there as we also had to liberate Skald Island from Liesel's forces, for they had overstayed their welcome so far. I also knew that the younger children weren't used to the dangers of war as it would end up taking a toll on them, for I also had to stop the invaders of Skald Island soon enough…
Liesel was near the castle as she was leading her forces inside of it. What she found was a place that was empty as she was wanting to display her prowess as a warrior that was more unhinged than any of the ones in the Executive Division's ranks. When she searched through the kitchen, there was no one there as she saw a knitted doily that was on the counter in which she picked it up and smelled the scent of whoever made it. She knew that I was there as she was willing to find me just to kill me on the spot, for she viewed me as a threat to the Executive Division while the rest of their ranks viewed me as the ultimate prize in this power struggle.
"Where is he?!" she yelled.
Liesel began to tear the kitchen apart as she threw dishes all over the place. She was getting angrier as she even threw some of the pots and pans everywhere. On a whim to satisfy her rage, she rushed into the nursery as she drew out a knife from her holster. It wasn't long until she saw the bassinet where Kazuko and Giles slept in as she was ready to go for the kill the moment she stabbed what was nestling in there. What she didn't expect was that the "dead children" she stabbed turned out to be two bags of rock salt that replaced the babies that were in the bassinet. Liesel was now in meltdown mode as she was angry that she didn't get to kill anything, for she was adamant into tearing the castle apart in this assault.
"Sam!" she said as she had her knife in her hand. "Come out, come out, wherever the fuck you are!"
It wasn't long until Liesel tripped on a wire as it triggered a trap that consisted of a large foam hand swatting her like a fly the moment she landed into the wall. What she didn't expect was that she heard footsteps in the distance as she was wanting to kill whoever was running around in the castle. Hiding in the distance was Drusus as he was desperate enough to protect the castle in which he was scared to death of Liesel and her forces. Still, he had to hide as he had to stay out of sight in which he was worried to the brink. He was shaking with fear as he felt his heart pounding beneath his ribs. He was just a simple cook—no, he was also a prophet of the Lord as he wanted to prove himself worthy to save the castle and the rest of Skald Island before it was too late.
"I got a bad feeling about this…." he said to himself as he was hiding in one of the empty rooms.
It wasn't long until Liesel and her soulless dolls caught up to him as they were in the room where he was. They were looking for him as they were looking for survivors to kill in order to find where he is, for his luck was about to run out.
"You can't hide from us, whoever is playing possum here!" yelled Liesel.
"No, no you can't," said the soulless dolls in unison as they were armed with guns.
"Come out! Show yourself! Have you decided to hide in the shadows, Sam Winchester?!"
Drusus heard the whizzing sound of a sniper bullet kill one of the soldiers as he had a gut feeling that Desna was there. When he saw Liesel getting angry, she ordered her group to aim at the window as they fired, but to no avail. She was throwing so many things all at once as she was wanting to kill the one who was sabotaging her efforts to subjugate Skald Island to the likes of the Executive Division. It wasn't long until one of the soldiers spotted Drusus hiding in the closet as he was totally screwed after trying to protect the castle from the intruders. When the closet door was open, the soulless doll grabbed him out of his hiding place as he was staring at Liesel, who was exuberant into getting ready to kill him, for she enjoyed killing people just as much as she liked war.
"Looks like we have a little Draaza mouse in our midst," she said as she held the knife to Drusus' throat. "Your pathetic hand trap may have worked once, but not the second time!"
"You're wanting to go after Sam, aren't you?" he said. "You don't even know where he is right now!"
"I bet that you might tell us where he is!"
"I won't give away his location! You think that I would turn on him 'cause he's far gone from this island."
"Don't lie to me!" Liesel inches her knife closer to Drusus' throat as he felt the blade pricking at his skin. "I know that you're hiding him, so tell me where he is or I'll fucking kill you on the spot!"
It wasn't long until Drusus heard a high-pitched sound emanating all over the place as he saw Liesel's soldiers having their eyes melted out of their skulls the moment he saw the two usual suspects coming to his aid. When Liesel fled with her remaining forces, the castle was safe once again as Drusus was relieved that Zaphariel and Alcmene came to the rescue at the last minute, for they were worried about him due to his status as a prophet of the Lord.
"Thanks for helping me," he said.
"You should've came with us," said Alcmene as she was angry with him.
"I had to protect the castle. I couldn't let Liesel walk all over this place. She even made a mess in the kitchen not too long ago."
"This place isn't safe for you, Drusus. It is our duty to escort you to the desert where you belong."
"And chow down on Oscar Mayer wieners all day over there? Not a chance. I can't sit by and let Skald Island be a bloodbath for that bitch in lingerie. She even tried to kill me earlier."
"And yet you defy your masters…, again! For your information, Drusus Trelundar, you have a duty to—"
"—Uphold the safety of the castle?" said Zaphariel as he stared at Alcmene. "Drusus has his reasons to stay put after he had the courage to set a few traps earlier. You should know how stubborn he is in which he gets this nature from his ancestor who spent four months or forty years in Hell at the time. He may have Trelundar blood, but he also carries the blood of the Winchesters as well. His abilities to place rock salt bags to replace the babies in the nursery was genius, for he also cares about the vulnerable. We should be off, for we have prior engagements in mind."
Both Zaphariel and Alcmene vanished without a trace as Drusus was left with a mess of corpses on the ground. When he heard footsteps approaching, he had a gut feeling that Liesel would come back to finish him off until he saw Desna coming with his sniper rifle in his hands. He was glad to see his brother as he couldn't hold back tears of joy the moment he ran towards him, for he was safe for now.
"You're a sight for sore eyes!" he yelled.
"I heard a high-pitched sound earlier," said Desna.
"It was a pair of angels wanting to snag me and take me to the desert."
"You always had a knack for trouble, but being a prophet of the Lord made you a bigger target."
"That's a little brutal, bro…"
It wasn't long until Dean burst into the room as he never expected Drusus here until now. With some of the carcasses of the soulless dolls on the floor, he had to assess the situation as he also had to make sure that no one else got hurt as he was also aware of Liesel's escape, for he had to find and stop her before it was too late.
"Something tells me that Liesel got away," he said.
"She tried to make mincemeat out of me earlier, but those angels saved my bacon," said Drusus.
"She made a mess, but she won't get far," said Desna.
"Where could she be?"
"Liesel isn't stupid, but she won't give up until she pulls this island asunder."
"The fog has returned," said Damien as he burst into the room. "From the looks of it, a divine force has dissipated it just in time for us to turn the tide."
Dean and the others rushed towards the window as the protective fog returned without warning. Still, the group had to find and get rid of Liesel as she was still at large in which she was in for a rude awakening. When they went into the kitchen, they saw me assessing the damage as I was also busy cleaning up the shattered plates and glasses that were broken on the floor. With a broom and dustpan in my hands, I was sweeping the mess as I threw away the glass and ceramic shards that littered the floor in which I later noticed Drusus grabbing a broom and dustpan to help me clean up the mess that was left in the kitchen, for we also needed some new dinnerware and glasses soon enough.
"I can't believe that Liesel left this mess for us to clean up," said Drusus.
"She's still at large, but we can't let her get away anytime soon," I said as I cleaned up the rest of the mess. "I'm glad that the rest of us are safe, but Liesel and her forces are still at large on this island."
"We're not alone in this fight, Sam," said Dean. "We had our fill of going up against monsters, ghosts, demons and dick angels, and our worst foes who happen to be the Executive Division. If we're made to make a first impression, there are no second chances ever. It's how we work and—"
BOOM!
Without warning, an explosion blew a hole in the wall of the castle as we all got out of the way. When I rushed outside, I saw Liesel armed with a rocket launcher as she was ready to blow another hole in the castle. She was in full meltdown mode as she was targeting me to the fullest. She wanted me to surrender as she wouldn't stop until I did. It wasn't long until I saw her in the harbor as she was loading up her rocket launcher for another round of mayhem, for she wasn't about to give up until I ended up bending the knee.
"Sam Winchester, we finally meet," she said to me.
"You have nowhere to run, Liesel," I said. "There are people here who would defend this island till the death."
"And you're the one who will lead them to an early grave! For the record, I want you to surrender yourself; body, mind, and soul to the Executive Division. If you do that, then I'll call off my troops and leave this island alone. If you refuse, then you can say goodbye to everyone who lived on it. You can't win, Sam. I won't let you. I am the one who will propel the Executive Division to the finish line and your raw power will be a boon to us."
"Let me remind you that my raw power hasn't recovered after I destroyed Project Amaterasu. I'm already struggling as it is. I'm useless to you anyway and no, I won't surrender. I won't fall victim to your senseless violence whatsoever. I suggest that you leave or else I'll make you do so. I may not be up to full, but I won't let you harm the civilians here."
"You're lying! I know that you're up to full it's because you're faking your disability just to keep your enemies away from you!"
"No, I'm telling you the truth." I see several of the Norsefolk armed with their weapons as they were ready to defend the island. "You can't attack us anymore, Liesel. The fog that was once dissipated now returns to protect us from our enemies once more."
It wasn't long until Liesel put down her rocket launcher as she drew out her knife the moment she let out a huge scream. When she lunged at me, I was defending myself as I was unarmed in which I dodged her attacks, but to no avail. I had no hope until I was pinned to the ground the moment Liesel held her knife to my throat, for she was ready to kill me on the spot.
"For the record, Sam, I really don't give a fuck about your raw power being not up to full," she said to me as I felt the knife being pressed against my neck. "All I wanted was to kill you and after that, I'll go after the wife and kids next. Oh, seeing you in such a weakened state is such a turn-on for me in which I wanted to gut you for the death of Tobias Wetzel, Julilla Paxton, and Sawney Masbath. Your angelic BFF was also responsible for the death of my brother in which I wanted more than justice for them, but an unquenchable thirst for war! Oh, how it turns me on! Oh, how I feel intoxicated by the sounds of gunfire and people screaming for mercy, just to see blood everywhere on the streets!"
"You're sick!" I yelled. "No one ever gets a rise from war, only trauma and regret!"
"No more tricks! Your death will put an end to this war just like your birth brought down the First Galvanic Uprising!"
"You're insane, you know that, don't you?"
"I love war and I get a rush from it. As for you, Sam, you won't live to see another victory here in the Ashizoka System, for you will be put in the grave once I kill you!"
"Those who crave war will meet a fate worse than death. Those who want war to end will live to tell the tale in the end.'
I was about to meet my death as I saw Liesel being lifted up in the air and being thrown in to the ocean. When I got up on my feet, I spotted Maro in the distance as he wasn't having in which he also had to defend Skald Island like the other inhabitants, but I sensed something else that he was defending in mind. What I also noticed was that some of the soulless dolls in Liesel's group were being pushed back by everyone who lived on the island as they had enough of what was going on. They were ready to defend this island as they were there to lay down their lives for everyone who lived here. When I spotted Liesel in the distance, she was in a lifeboat as she was going back to her ship the moment she was defeated by everyone here, for she swore vengeance on us soon enough.
"Hail the defeated lingerie model out to sea," said Maro as he came to my aid.
"She may be defeated, but she will end up retaliating if we're not careful," I said.
"We may have stopped Liesel, but her forces are still on the island ransacking it."
"Then we have to stop them. The lives of the civilians come first."
"Fair enough, but Skald Island's inhabitants have seen battle since the bulk of Skalvarg sank into the ocean. It's also a stark reminder of the time of the Dark Awakening nine hundred years ago in which the Maladendrum ravaged this place. The monster is still sealed away, but there are those in my own ranks who demand to let it out, but it's better that you keep it far sealed away as soon as possible."
Maro was concerned about the resurrection of the Maladendrum as he knew of it very well of all the monsters that Asmodeus the First once unleashed on Earth before he was punished by Lucifer at the time. He was also concerned about Liesel's next move as he spotted the Sol-4 floating over Valinor. He wanted Project Helios to be destroyed like the rest of us as he also had to make sure that the job didn't remain unfinished, for it was the last one on the docket of the Sol Project after all…
Gary and Styre were in the Tsubaki District as they were on patrol looking for more of the soulless dolls that came to the island with Liesel. Even though they hid away earlier, that didn't mean that they were pushovers as they saw a patrol of the soulless dolls coming their way. Gary knew of the manufacturing of where his vessel came from as he knew of them too well in which he tricked out what he had to wear. He even had to bulk up just to be different from the others as he was also relieved that he yanked out the control device that all soulless dolls were equipped with. Still, he and Styre had a job to do as they were ready to get rid of the intruders who landed on Skald Island, for they also had to steer clear of Abaddon's wrath as well.
"You are defective, you must be eliminated," said the soulless dolls in unison as they spotted Gary.
"And once again, you're full of shit!" he yelled as he got out his gun.
"You are defective! You are not one of us anymore!"
"Well, thanks for the sour persimmons, jackass, 'cause I'm gonna rain on your parade!"
"Sorry, turkeys, 'cause your punk-asses are grass!" said Styre as he felt his left leg glowing through the thermal underwear he was wearing. "Time to put 'em out of commission."
"Agreed! I can't wait to put Liesel in her place!"
And so, Gary fired several shots into some of the soulless dolls that were in his way as they weren't stopping. Styre, on the other hand, used his telekinesis to lift some heavy objects at the intruders as they were still standing to no avail. He was running out of options as he felt the imprint of raw power glowing more than ever in which the tapping of his foot spelled doom to the soulless dolls that were standing in the way. The tap of Styre's foot caused the soulless dolls to be broken and shattered to bits as they instantaneously became a mass of blood and bone on the cobblestones of the Tsubaki District. Even Gary was astonished to see Styre stepping up to the next level as he was glad to have the backup, for the battle was nearly over the moment the other soulless dolls began to retreat.
"So long, turkeys!" yelled Styre.
"And don't come back!" yelled Gary.
It wasn't long until the Valinorian Army arrived to take out some of the fleeing soulless dolls in which they never expected an imprint of raw power to be used to take out some of their brethren earlier. It was a huge victory as everyone fled the island and back to the seaship that Liesel commandeered the moment it was ready to go once they retrieved their leader. Even though it was a grand victory, Gary and Styre had to hide in the shadows as they also didn't want to arouse any suspicion due to their status as renegade demons still in hiding from Abaddon. When they regrouped back to the slug roe home, they noticed Rikken there as she was sitting in a rocking chair in which she was waiting for Maro to return, for she was wanting him to be alive and safe.
"Thank the maker that the two of you are safe," she said.
"Maro's on his way, but a certain 'jive turkey' had to tap his foot just to clear away the Tsubaki District," said Akemi as she came out of the kitchen. "The fog that the Arbiter tried to dissipate returned with a vengeance in which Pendragon will be looking for her just in time to punish her for trying to meddle with the Destiny of Worlds."
"At least we flushed out the Ken dolls," said Styre as he was blushing out of embarrassment.
"For the record, you and Gary made a good call, but the Arbiter will be licking her wounds once her Father comes to enact a far worse punishment than what he gave Chuck in the Elder Days. Before the creation of the universe, Pendragon and his wife, the Matriarch, loved their oldest child in which she had everything until the rest of her siblings came along, which caused one massive rivalry. She also had the gall to manipulate everything in her favor the moment she set things in motion when Chuck gave out the blueprints to make the world and other planets. It's also been said that Gadreel allowed Lucifer to seduce Adam and Eve to eat the apple of Eden, thus caused their banishment, but the real culprit was the Arbiter herself. She set up Gadreel to take the fall in which he blamed himself for doing it."
"Looks like the Arbiter had the gall to act more like a mean girl than a Mother Teresa," said Gary.
"I went toe-to-toe with her once and I nearly lost my life. When I received the angel tablet fragment, I gained long life and aged slower than any human on Earth, but dealing with the Arbiter isn't a walk in the park. What she also didn't like was that Chuck was paying attention to the many humans who were born on the planet, but she was also the one who spoke to Noah instead of Him just to cause the Forty-Day Flood that wiped out most of the population. Why did she do that, one could ask? She also believed in balance in which she also told Noah to round up any male and female animal of any species and seal them in his Ark just for her to drown what Chuck created. The reason why she did that is because He loved most of the humans who started out as amoebas instead of the angels he crafted."
"And the one He loved the most was Lucifer," said Styre. "We all learned from our brethren on how he got his ass handed to him by Michael in which the other angels were wanting to start the Apocalypse."
"The events that circulated over the centuries and the ones leading up to the Elder Days: Azazel opening up a portal to Hell, the shattering of the Sixty-Six Seals, the death of Lilith, the return of Lucifer, the start of the Apocalypse, Sam losing his soul and later abandoning Dean in Purgatory, and Chuck destroying everything was all caused by one deity, the Arbiter. She held the keys to fate and is revered by all and feared by all. Centuries later, her grip is slipping after her failed attempt to go back into time and release the Akrida backfired in which she fears the Destiny of Worlds happening right in front of her and she is scared of the consequences. She also loathes the fact that the Sam Winchester of the present is now a god and it burns her ass to no end. That's why she wants the Executive Division to win the war while finishing what she started be even trying to let out the Maladendrum, but to no avail. With Pendragon hot on her heels, she can't hide from him forever."
It wasn't long until Maro returned in which he was glad that Rikken was alive and safe. Still, the battle was over as the remainder of Liesel's forces fled the island in droves after what happened earlier. Even though he had to bunk with Gary, Styre, and Akemi, he viewed them as a family the moment he was willing to protect them, even if it meant by going up against his own demonic brethren and other threats who would harm them. Staring at Rikken, he was adamant into protecting her as she was also carrying his child in her belly, for this was a start of keeping his newfound family safe from harm…
The Arbiter was hiding in the distance as she was seeing Liesel returning to her ship in a lifeboat. Her plan to help cause the chaos failed as she saw the fog returning. She wasn't too happy with Pendragon interfering with her meddling as she also feared his wrath more than any other monster she ever faced or manipulated to her own whims. Still, the influence of the Destiny of Worlds remained strong as the Arbiter feared it due to the fact that it interfered with her work on keeping everything under her thumb like a steel mill. In the end of it all, she hated the Winchester Legacy because of what it stood for in which it lived by the motto of "Saving people, hunting things, and upholding the family business." She also wanted to get rid of the future in which she would go back in the past to unleash what she wrought once, for she wanted things her way or nothing.
"You have no right to rule the Ashizoka System, Sam," she said as she spotted me standing at the dock in the harbor. "I manipulated your past self into abandoning things once and I also manipulated Chuck just to keep his books going, but it all went sour in the end. That was why I travelled into the past to stop the future, for this is my way of ruling things."
"It's such a grandiose speech you made, isn't it, Rita?" said Ferdinand as he appeared out of nowhere. "Father is coming in which he's not about to let you ruin things again like you've done in the past. I knew about how you travelled back to the Middle Days in which you even let out the Akrida to take over everything in Lawrence, Kansas, just like an alien invasion. You can't run or hide from our father's wrath, no matter what you do. I did a lot of mayhem in my heyday until I got along with Chuck a little better until he broke bad under your influence."
"Sam Winchester and Reiko Mitani are a threat and I won't stop until they're eliminated! I won't stop until everything falls back into place where I want it!"
"Stop your bellyaching, Rita. It's over. Father will come and punish you in which he has had enough of your shenanigans all over the place, for he will be here soon."
"Father is not here! Father is not everywhere!"
"For your information, daughter, I am here!"
The Arbiter noticed Pendragon behind her as he was burning with an aura that glowed brightly than the sun. He wasn't having it with her anymore as her constant interference into meddling with the Destiny of Worlds and nearly letting out the Maladendrum from its prison was the last straw. It wasn't long until the Arbiter felt a burning sensation as she felt a collar being put around her neck as punishment for causing panic near Skald Island, for he wanted the protective fog to do more than just keep enemies at bay, for he also wanted to keep the Maladendrum in its prison before it caused widespread havoc all over again.
"You're making this difficult!" cried the Arbiter as she was struggling to remove the collar on her neck. "History will be returned to the hands of man, not gods!"
"You have gotten your way for the last time!" yelled Pendragon. "For centuries, your mother and I have indulged you at birth in which the greatest mistake was that you ended up spoiled and happening to get your way, but not this time!"
"There will never be a Destiny of Worlds, even if I have to let out the Maladendrum if need be!"
"You will hold your tongue, Rita!" yelled Ferdinand. "Father has punished you and you will adhere to his will by not interfering with the affairs of those who want to live out their own stories!"
"Let me remind you that free will breeds chaos! Chaos breeds anarchy! Anarchy breeds disobedience! Disobedience breeds defiance! Defiance is rebellion! Heed my words, for one day, everyone will know that I was right all along!"
"Enough!" yelled Pendragon. "For your crimes, daughter, you are hereby banished from the Ashizoka System and your powers will be limited just like your Brother's! You will live on Earth for the rest of your days, for my judgment is final!"
The Arbiter was transported out of Valinor as she found herself in a different place the moment she recognized it clearly. It was Earth as she recognized the Statue of Liberty being nearly submerged with only her head sticking up. There was no one here as she let out a piercing wail that was heard all over the planet. The place she was in was mainly skyscrapers that were submerged in water due to climate change over the years before most of the human population left for other places, for it was her punishment to be there after all…
Dean was surveying the damage to the castle as it was later deemed unsafe to live after that rocket launcher attack earlier. With Liesel's forces fleeing the island with the help of everyone ridding it from them, everything was in shambles as it was also a time to rebuild it. Dean had a gut feeling that the hole in the castle wall was more than just a warning shot as he never saw such damage since the fort on Gehenna. Still, he had to do his part into helping to rebuild as he later did his best to clean up the debris all over the castle. What he didn't expect was that I was there directing the cleanup effort as I was also worried about the state of the kitchen due to the dinnerware being shattered. All of Liesel's efforts to damage the castle did a number on it as Dean followed me to the nursery where I noticed the bags of rock salt in the bassinet. I even noticed the large foam hand sticking out as it was a useful trap in which I never expected to see such a mess like this before, for I also had to do my part into cleaning the mess soon enough.
"It's a shame that the nursery has become the typical poo cocktail supreme due to what happened in here," I said as I was armed with my broom and dustpan. "I just wished that Drusus would find a better way to set a trap somewhere else."
"He did what he had to, Sam," said Dean. "Like all of us, he didn't want the homicidal lingerie model to ransack this place or else everyone below would've been toast."
"And I'm stuck with the mess to clean."
"Hey, you're not cleaning up this one-horse town by yourself. That's why we're on the cleanup committee."
It wasn't long until Damien arrived in which he removed the tripwire and large foam hand out of the nursery. He was diligent in helping out as he left with the trap while leave the nursery. As for me, however, I was mainly ready to pick up the rest of the mess, but I was barred by doing so as I saw Dean taking away the broom and dustpan from my hands. He wasn't letting me do the rest of the work as he was ready to take on my workload for now.
"Take a load off, Sam," he said to me. "You can't just play servant forever."
"I was used to it over the years, but I can't stand seeing a mess like that."
"Do what the captain says, My Lord," said Damien as he entered into the nursery with a broom and dustpan. "We'll handle the mess. It's what we do, for you're still weakened from what happened to you nearly three years ago."
I reluctantly agreed as I left the nursery. Still, I wasn't in fine fettle as I also had to make sure that the castle wouldn't be attacked again, for I had a reason to protect everyone here. When I returned outside, I saw everyone cleaning up everything in which Skald Island was saved the moment I saw the fog returning. It was a huge relief, but there was also the terrible consequences of war that came on Skald Island's doorstep. To my woes, this was just a taste of what was yet to come as I saw the Sol-4 floating above in Valinorian airspace. I dreaded it very well as I was also tasked to destroy Project Helios, but I wasn't up to full right now. Still, I had to sit back as I also had no other choice but to allow everyone to do my work, which worked in my favor after all…
Chuck entered into the home where the Table of the Gods was as He was glad that the fog returned. Still, he wasn't too thrilled with the Arbiter's meddling as he looked at the table that displayed the fog once again while protecting Skald Island. With a twist of fate, He grabbed the figurines that resembled Liesel and her forces as they were far away from the island in which He also didn't want them to cause havoc in the form of one headache that was better off sealed away in the bottom of the ocean. He remembered the Maladendrum very well as it was one of the worst monsters of the Shedim that ever crawled out of its prison unnoticed. Sighing heavily, He was glad that the seal of the Maladendrum was reinforced as He was also thankful that the fog returned, for He was hoping for me to finish what I started in the first place.
"Let's hope you put the Executive Division in their place…," he said.
"You know that you can't rush things, Chuck," said my past self as he came into the room.
"It had to be you, didn't it?"
"Look, my current self almost got his ass handed to him, but there's still a long way to go in his recovery."
"Says the guy who shot me once…"
"Look, the Arbiter has been banished to Earth, but her powers are limited after what she tried to do by meddling with the Destiny of Worlds."
"I see, but I also want your current self to rule just to stop the Executive Division from causing too much mayhem. As for what my older sister did, her arrogance into letting Liesel and her forces go into Skald Island and lifting the fog once nearly caused the seal of the Maladendrum's prison to weaken. If Father hadn't stepped in and brought back the fog, then the Maladendrum would've poisoned everyone all over again. I'm also glad that I'm not listening to her anymore 'cause I'm going back home to watch some movies. I just added Enter the Dragon onto my list of movies in one of my streaming services."
"Let's hope to Jack that my current self sticks to his convalescence. He can't just go up there in his weakened state in which Project Helios can wait for now."
Chuck watched my past self leave as He was alone with the Table of the Gods. Still, he was tempted to meddle with it, but backed off as he wanted me to recover from what happened to me, for I was in the long and grueling furlough that I had to adhere to after all…
Later on in the evening, I returned to the basement where the Adam West was embedded in. When I caught up to Reiko, I hugged her warmly as I was glad that she was safe in which I also cared about her just like the children in our care. It was a calming moment for me as I was also wanting to go upstairs to see what was going on, for I wanted to protect the castle here more than ever.
"The battle is over, but there's a mess to clean upstairs," I said.
"What happened?" asked Reiko.
"Liesel and her forces fled after the fog returned. As for our castle, it's in shambles, but it'll be cleaned up after what happened here."
"I'm glad that everyone is safe, but I hope to the gods and the Matriarch that Skald Island recovers after all that has happened."
"Liesel may have fled, but that doesn't mean that she not capable of going on board the Sol-4 and activate Project Helios on the sly."
It wasn't long until I spotted Drusus armed with a cart full of cleaning supplies. After all that has happened, he wasn't about to let another incident like what happened earlier occur again as he was ready to do his part into cleaning up the mess that he made, for he also had a hand into tricking Liesel's forces once. I didn't blame him as he was eager to help with the cleanup effort, for he wanted to do his best to clean up the nursery after setting a few traps in there.
"You're very busy," I said.
"After I put the bags of rock salt in the twins' bassinet, I can't just leave the nursery a mess," said Drusus. "I was raised to clean up my messes, not cut and run."
"And the enemies fled the island," said Reiko.
"Everyone was talking about how a single toe tap caused some of the Ken dolls to blow up into pieces. It even caused the rest of Liesel's forces to retreat after the fog returned. There's even a cleanup crew picking up the gorefest that was on the cobblestones in the Tsubaki District."
"Whoever caused them to cut and run did all of us a favor," I said. "With the island saved and the fog returned, we all have to pull our weight in order to end this war. I may be weakened, but there are those who are willing to keep up the fight, for I'm not alone in this."
I made my point clear as I was still adamant into stopping the Executive Division, but I had to focus more on my recovery right now. Still, we had to deal with our sworn enemies, but with the island still standing, there was no rest for them as the worst was yet to come soon enough…
To be continued...
