Author's Note: Hello everybody. Hope you've all been doing well in this new year. So, it's been a minute since my last update. Got some stuff on the backburner that needs to be edited, so stay tuned for more story updates for the other content on my page. If you enjoy this, remember to follow and favorite. And feel free to leave a review; it is always appreciated. Without further delay, please enjoy!
The story has elements of both Dark War storyline and DemonxBunny's Masters of the Multiverse, so all credit goes to both Impact Wrestling and DemonxBunny. I do not own the characters. I own most of the OCs- 1 OC is owned by XoMissDaisyoX. The story is entirely fictional.
Characters may look and act different than they do in real life. This was done intentionally, and things will change over time in this story, so please be patient.
Rating: M, for violence, coarse language, and mature themes/events that will appear throughout this story. Remember, this is Femslash, so if that's not your thing, you may not like this story.
Pairings: Allie/Rosemary (DemonxBunny), others over time.
Aftermath of the Dark War Chapter 45: Costs of War by Jurassicfatt
Allie's POV, Observatory Grounds Near the Gates, Night
"Rosemary?" I ask weakly, my eyes tearing up. For a second, her left eye goes white, then turns back to black with a blink. A look of pure horror crosses over Mitchell's features.
"What… is that?" he questions. Cherry Bomb backs away, before hightailing it into the woods. Rosemary's hook is attached to a black chrome chain, wrapped around her arm and shoulder. Roughly ripping the hook from the bridesmaid's jaw and pulling the mandible off completely, Rosemary lets the body fall over, before tilting her head. Almost playfully. Then, she lifts her head up and screams, making a few of the soldiers tremble. Su and the maid of honour scream back, before unsheathing their weapons and charging for her with the bridesmaids.
"Su, don't!" Mitchell yells, but his command falls on deaf ears. Cal, in the meantime, uses his free hand to cast his magic on the bridesmaids, catching their feet with branches and making them trip. Mitchell shakes his head and tells them to heel. Reluctantly, they turn back, leaving Su and her maiden to fight alone. Su begins hacking and slashing at Rosemary, who expertly blocks her attacks with her chain, her arms twisting and moving around before she tosses it at Su. She's fighting like before but… there's something different. Something rawer about her attacks. The chain whips her face, stunning her and causing Su to grab her cheek. The maid of honour hits Rosemary, driving her to one knee.
"Rosemary no!" I call out. Rosemary groans, before slashing her face, drawing blood. The maiden tries to attack her again, but Rosemary dodges her. She knees her in the stomach, then stabs the maiden in the back with her hook, wrapping her in the chain so she can't pull away.
The maiden gasps for air, trying to batt her away and push her off. Su runs at her again, sword high, but Rosemary puts the maiden in front. Su hesitates and Rosemary rolls under them both, before grabbing Su under the arms and giving her a snap dragon suplex, smashing her head and shoulders into the dirt. Her katana falls away, the two now on the ground as the undead bride groans in pain.
"Guards, when you have a clear shot, fire!" Mitchell orders.
"Now!" a new voice sounds out. Mitchell turns towards the yell. Taking a glace behind me, I see a bunch of people with weapons riding on red horned dinosaur like creatures. Some of them have very intricate armor and weapons, while a few carry torches. In the front, I notice one Asian woman wearing black leather armor, a soldier from the arena to her right and a taller man with white and purple armor to her left.
"Assassins!" a soldier sounds out.
"Yes!" Chelsea mutters, Allysin starting to come to.
"In the name of the Vivian the 16th, you are dismissed Sergeant! Stand down!" the soldier yells, his loud voice projecting in the field.
"Attack! Defend the advocate!" Sergeant Keeril commands, marching towards the new adversaries. His legion of men follows him, firing crossbow bolts and pointing their spears in front of them. Several bridesmaids back track, surrounding Mitchell. Cal suddenly shocks the guards behind him, before casting a spell which creates an enormously bright light, blinding us.
"Ah! My eyes!" Mitchell and the guards say. I hear Cal casting spells and the bridesmaids groaning in pain. A hand grabs my arm, pulling me away from them. As the light diminishes, I notice Rebel grabbing my hand, pulling me away while Chelsea brings Allysin to her feet, helping move her towards the entrance.
"Allie, Rebel, come on!" she yells. Cal, meanwhile, tries his best to hold off 2 bridesmaids coming near him. His chest heaves, his breath laboured, while his arm leaks more black sweat. His white energy blasts connect, making the bridesmaids fall and contort, almost like a taser shot. He starts shuffling with us to the gate, before he falls to his knees, trying to catch his breath.
"Cal!" Going to him, I place his other arm around my shoulder, helping him stand and walk. He's heavy, but I'm not leaving him behind, Rebel giving me an extra hand with Cal. The five of us make our way towards the gates, going closer to the assassins fighting with the guards. We opt to go through the trees, staying off the path where most of the fighting is happening.
Making it further afield, some younger assassins run to us, forming a circle to protect us and asking if we're alright. Responding in kind, I turn to Rosemary, watching as both she and Su put their hands on the ground, pushing themselves up onto their feet. Su grabs Rosemary by the neck, punching her face and stomach, causing her to groan and yelp. As Rosemary bends down for a moment, Su kicks her face, knocking her back. Rosemary catches herself, but Su grabs her by the neck again, choking her. Rosemary grabs her wrists, trying to break the hold. Pulling one hand from her neck with both hands, she bites down hard on it, her teeth sinking into flesh. Su screams in pain, punching her to break it. But in so doing, she lets Rosemary free, who proceeds to give her a sharp punch to the gut. She follows that with a kick to the leg, causing Su to stagger. Seizing the opportunity, Rosemary tackles her to the ground.
The two roll around, punching each other over and over. Su tries to smack her away, but Rosemary continues biting her fingers, making Su scream once more. Finally, Rosemary grabs Su by the head, slamming the back of her skull repeatedly against the ground in sickening thuds. Su grabs her forearm and bites down, making Rosemary growl, before throwing her off. A bridesmaid wielding a small dagger comes near, trying to get the drop on Rosemary. Noticing this, the assassin swiftly punches her down and disarms her. Su grabs her katana from the ground and runs at her, point forward. My heart skips a beat as Rosemary dodges her, slashing her arm with the dagger and making Su cry out. Su tries to cut Rosemary, who parries her moves. She aims for her throat, but Rosemary dodges it, slashing her thigh.
"Argh!" Su yelps, looking down at the fresh wound. Thin rivers of crimson flow down her leg and onto her dress. Fuming with rage, she tries slashing Rosemary again, who moves to the side and kicks her arm. Su yells again, then goes for a forward strike, slashing downwards. Rosemary parries her, going around Su's attack. Su follows up with a quick cut, although with much less force.
"No! Rosemary, look out!" I yell, trying to warn her.
Shink!
Su smiles, the middle of her katana digging into Rosemary's flesh, cutting into her shoulder. Rosemary grits her teeth, the blood running down the cut before green vapers come off her skin. Their eyes lock, staring daggers at one another, but Su hasn't moved since. She stands in front of Rosemary, motionless, her smile suddenly falling from her face. She brings her other arm to her chest, clutching something.
"Oh my…" Rebel murmurs. Chelsea gasps and Allysin blinks in shock, still somewhat dazed.
"Holy shit." Allysin states. I move to another angle and finally see it. Rosemary's dagger buried in Su's stomach. Su's other arm goes slack, dropping her katana on the ground. Rosemary's head tilts again, before she turns the knife, making Su cry out in pain. Yanking it out, Rosemary stabs her again and again. Twice in the stomach and once in the neck, the final cut making Su gurgle and choke.
"SU!" Mitchell bellows. His hands turn green, two contracts forming in mid-air. They look like long paper scrolls, emitting a faint red-orange glow around the edges, before burning into black smoke in his grasp. Seconds later, massive tendrils burst from the ground near Rosemary and Su. Black and pink with a spike at the top, their flesh looks putrid and rotten, similar to a steak that's been left out in the sun. They are as thick as a light post, and just slightly smaller than the trees. Rosemary growls, letting Su fall to the ground before grabbing her katana. A tendril smacks Rosemary, and would have killed her, had she not blocked the attack with Su's sword. The hit sends her flying, Rosemary rolling on the ground. The tentacle grabs Su and tosses her towards the advocate, leaving the wounded maid of honour and bridesmaids on the ground.
Suddenly, the ground shakes and cracks form beneath our feet. I back away quickly as 5 more tendrils surround us. Their tops point downwards, following our movements like a predator watching their prey. They begin attacking us, crushing and whacking the young assassins. The assassins scream and fight, some landing blows while others cast magic spells at the monsters. One tentacle bends over, having been stabbed straight through with a spear. It glows green, before exploding into chunks, heaps of rotting flesh showering down on us.
"What in the- they explode?!" Rebel questions. Chelsea covers Allysin with her body while Cal pulls away from us, Rebel grabbing onto me as the drippings fall onto our skin. Cal uses his magic to form a barrier around us, a whispy energy field protecting us from harm. The tentacles begin hammering down, attempting to break through the barrier. Try as they might, the beasts can't penetrate his shield, leaving them exposed to attacks from the younger assassins. Several more are killed, the assassins backing up as the creatures blow into more rotten chunks. The barrier takes a toll on Cal, his right arm turning black and thick black sweat pouring onto the ground below. His body shakes, the shield diminishing in intensity every few seconds. Rebel and I grab him, trying to help him stand.
"Cal?" I ask, my eyes tearing up as I hear him fight for air. He doesn't look good at all. He's burning up and his breath is ragged. And yet, he's still trying to keep us safe.
Mitchell uses green magic to grab Su mid-air, albeit sloppily. She slowly descends, before her body hits the ground hard. He brings her close, the woman coughing violently, blood from her wounds staining her dress and neck. A silver and red Cadillac drives into the lot, the name 'sinister minister' written across the front. Opening the door, he places her inside the back, before getting into the front seat. I notice one of the assassins gazing at him, before shooting blue energy spells at the car, hitting his bumper. He revs the engine, the entire car firing green energy blasts in all directions. She and her supporters take cover as the onslaught continues. Once finished, the Cadillac speeds off into the dark, avoiding the renewed blasts from the head assassin. Rosemary comes back with Su's katana, slower than before as she cuts the tendril to ribbons. The being shrieks in pain, before collapsing on the ground, Rosemary putting some distance before it explodes.
A weak gasp escapes from Cal as he collapses, his barrier falling immediately. He grabs his arm, his body shaking as he tries to breathe. "Cal! Cal!" I grab him, trying to hold him as Rebel grabs his arm. The black sludge-like sweat goes onto her hands as we lay him on his back. I can feel the tears stinging my eyes as he begins coughing sputum. "Cal… you're going to be okay. We're going to get a doctor." I tell him, turning to the assassins. "Help! We need a doctor! Somebody please, help us!" The tears flow down my cheeks, watching Cal suffer in my arms. Rebel sniffles, trying to cradle his head. Chelsea keeps Allysin up, covering her mouth with her hand while Allysin's blue eyes show sympathy and emotion, looking at Chelsea and then back at Cal. I hear fighting in the distance, so I turn towards the other side of the field. "ROSEMARY!"
Rosemary freezes in place, immediately turning in our direction. I watch as she runs towards my call, carrying the sword in her right hand, blade pointed away from her. Catching up to us, the assassins point their weapons at her. I look at her, my eyes pleading for help.
"I don't know what to do…" I tell her in a hushed tone, sniffling again. Stabbing the sword into the ground, she slides down to check on Cal. Her eyes are now two colored, the right one red and black while the left is white. She places a hand on his arm, rubbing the black sweat with her fingers.
"He needs a healer." she states grimly, looking up at the warriors. "Are there any with you?" They shake their heads, telling her most of them are either in battle or back at the Colosseum. "We need to get him to one. Time is of the essence. Help us put him on your steed and bring him into town." Rosemary commands, the assassins nodding and helping move Cal onto one of the giant dinosaur creatures. An assassin carrying a spear quickly mounts it, before riding to the Colosseum. Two by two, we get onto their steeds, Rosemary taking an ox-sized red dino for herself. Rebel and Chelsea go with the other assassins, Chelsea keeping an eye on Allysin. They secure her onto the ride, tying her to the assassin in front. Some assassins walk to their fallen comrades, closing their eyes and taking their weapons, their drooping faces and tears showing their pain. Going behind Rosemary, I cling to her for comfort, my arms wrapping around her waist and face against her shoulder as my tears continue to fall. She bristles at the contact, then yells to the beast, the creature beginning to run towards the Colosseum.
Allie's POV, Several hours later, Early Morning
We sit outside of a healer tent, on a cot provided for us by some of the assassins. I feel the soreness in my arms and legs from the fighting and running, but my thoughts are on Cal. When we rode into the tournament grounds, most of the enemy soldiers were either dead or captured, many on their knees with their hands behind their head. Rebel and Allysin were taken to other tents to receive treatment, Chelsea staying with the latter. We were told that the healers were unsuccessful in fixing Cal's arm, so they prepped him for surgery. Do they use anesthesia in the Undead Realm? Surgical tools? Dark magic? I don't know, and right now I don't care. So long as it helps Cal.
My eyes are bloodshot. Tear stains cover my cheeks, dirt and dry blood my clothes. I smell like a mixture of sweat and rotten meat. My hands shake, holding the cup of coffee for dear life. I can barely sip the damn thing. Rosemary has stood guard over me the entire time, never having left my side, Su's sword still in hand. She used a few spells to heal my minor injuries, and tore clothing to make me a bandage for my scraped knee and her arm. She even healed herself before cleaning my face and hands with her handkerchief. Even so, there is definitely something different about her. I told her how glad I was to know she was alright, but she merely bowed and kept guard, explaining that we will talk later. I left it at that for now, but I will ask her what's the matter when we get back to our tent. A few soldiers use a stretcher to bring some injured demons to the adjacent tent. The tent's flap is opened immediately, a physician checking their wounds and admitting the new patients. The assassins brought medical supplies with them, but not enough for all the injured and there are only so many healers to go around. Contributing to the lack of medicine is that Sergeant Keeril's soldiers burned several healer tents, destroying their stockpiles all over the Omni Sports Tournament.
Was… was all of this my fault? Are these people suffering because of me? Did Cal almost die because of me? Everywhere I go, these… these evil fucking bastards follow. I thought I was safe here. All the security. The protection. The night guards. Rosemary. Even with all that, they almost got me. It took everything we had to barely survive. Braxton. Rosemary. Rebel. Cal. Hell, even Allysin. How many of my friends have to be hurt or killed before they stop? How much longer do I have to keep running? Is that my only option? It can't be. Running and hiding isn't enough. There has to be another way. Just as I place my coffee down, Rosemary turns around, growling at someone behind me. I turn to see, and sure enough, the female assassin from earlier is looking down at me. Her black leather armor set is more textured in the morning light. She has her hands up in surrender.
"Apologies if I scared you, Assassin Rosemary. I came by to see if your friend needed some healing?" she offers. Her kind brown eyes stare at me as she goes to one knee, putting her hands in front of her. "I'm Gail. Assassin with Arihota academy." she states with a smile, conjuring blue magic with her hands.
"I'm Allie. And this is-"
"Rosemary. Yes, we know each other. How have you been?" Gail asks.
"We are fine. But don't confuse us with your preconceived notions, assassin. If you so much as give the girl a sunburn, we will skin you alive." Rosemary barks out. Gail's face furrows in confusion, giving questioning eyes to her.
"Rosemary! What the hell? I'm so sorry, Gail. She's not usually like this." I explain away. What the hell is going on? Why did she have an outburst like that? She's not usually so aggressive with assassins. It must be the amulet.
"It's fine, Allie. It's been a long day for everyone."
Still staring at Rosemary, I turn back to Gail. "You're telling me. Went from walking through the flowers to running for my life in seconds." I admit, not looking into her eyes. We need to go through a debriefing session tomorrow, to give people time to grieve. And Rosemary already told Orelios what she knows. Plus, I'd rather not spill the details twice.
"I'm sorry that this happened. This is the worst Warlord attack I've seen in a while." Gail tells me. She gives me a small smile. "Right now, you should worry about getting some rest. Your wounds are healing nicely, and the bandage work was well done." she compliments.
"We could have told you that." Rosemary murmurs sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner. Do you need to go lie down? We're setting up some temporary shelters near the arena."
"We are perfectly fine standing, Gail." Rosemary answers.
"I'm fine, thank you. And our tent wasn't burned. My friend Cal is in the healer tent undergoing surgery. I'm not leaving until I know he's okay." I explain. Gail nods in understanding.
"I'll leave you then. I wish your friend and both of you speedy recoveries. You know about the debriefing tomorrow?" I nod. "If you need to talk. About anything. Just tell one of my recruits and they'll escort you to me. Okay?" she states, squeezing my hand comfortingly. Squeezing back, I smile and nod again. I nudge Rosemary, who, begrudgingly, does the same. Standing up and letting go, Gail tells us goodbye and walks towards the Colosseum. I stand up, turning towards Rosemary.
"Rosemary, what was that?"
"What was what?" she asks with attitude. "We don't understand."
"Your behaviour just now. Gail was trying to help us." I explain.
"We did not need nor ask for her assistance. Her presence suggests she was here for alternative purposes. Information, most likely." Rosemary declares, peering over her shoulder with an accusing look. "She's lucky that her magic did not harm you. She would have regretted it instantly, had that happened."
"Rosemary, enough! I care about you, but after everything, we need to take a breather. Your amulet isn't glowing but you're speaking as if it is. Here, breathe deeply with me." I go to grab her hand, smiling, but she shakes her head and pulls away.
"That's not going to work, Bunny." she argues.
"What do you mean?" I ask. This always works. Sometimes it takes a bit longer, but I've always been able to calm her down. Before I can figure it out, Rosemary puts her hands up.
"We'll explain everything after, when we return to our tent." she states.
"But-"
"No buts. We'll talk after." she argues, cutting me off and giving me a look, her two-colored eyes staring into my soul. Unlike her mesmerizing wispy blues or natural light brown eyes, these colors seem distant and authoritative. I nod, sitting back down. She looks and sounds exactly like before, except for the We and Us pronouns, but her whole demeanour and behaviour is off. I need to know what happened after her meditation in the observatory. Did the Shadow do this? As I mull over my thoughts, one of the healers from Cal's tent comes outside, checking around for us. Standing immediately, we go over to him. His green pointy ears twitch and his yellow eyes lock with ours as we approach him.
"Ms. Allie and Assassin Rosemary?" he asks, his tone firm but assuring, as some doctors are.
"Yes? What's happening with Cal?" I question. Rosemary stands by my side, staring at the doctor.
"He's stable, for now. He's in an induced comatose. The poison is unlike anything we've seen in some time. It's old… but not incurable. We used different medicines and dark magic to flush his system, but ultimately part of his arm was unsavable." He gestures to the arm. "The poison seemed to have been caused by a wound in his hand. It had spread quickly and it began to attack his body and nerves, melting the arm into that black mass you told us about. In order to save him, we cut here," he shows under the elbow, "right below the forearm. We've bandaged him and are keeping him under observation. If the markings go down in intensity, we can continue flushing his system free of the toxin. But, if the arm continues to remain at it is, or if at any point it becomes infected, we will have to amputate the remainder. You understand?"
"My God." I say aloud, taking a deep breath as tears form in my eyes. "Well, i-if that's what's needed…" Rosemary pats my back, and I cling to her, holding her and sniffling into her shoulder. She remains rigid, as if she's unsure what to do besides give me head pats. I turn back to the doctor. "Do what need to, to save him."
"We will do what we can. There is a good chance that no more surgery will be needed, and he will be able to heal using normal medicinal plants and solutions. But it cannot be completely ruled out."
"Please keep us informed, healer." Rosemary tells him.
"I will, and I will tell healer Carmen to do the same." he assures us, bowing. Bowing to him respectfully, I ask Rosemary if we can go check on Rebel, Chelsea and Allysin before going to the tent. She nods, letting me ahead of her. We walk a few tents over, waiting in line with hundreds of others to see our friends and family members. Please Cal. I can't deal with losing anyone else.
Gail's POV, Colosseum, Morning
Staring out at the mass of people, I lean against the ledge of the arena, hand under my chin. My thoughts go over everything I saw before and during the attack against the traitors. There hasn't been a Warlord attack like this in years. Conspirators? Turncoats in the Brokers guardsmen? Demons coming out of summoning cauldrons? This was a planned out, sophisticated attack. They hit the healing and communications centers. Trying to inflict the most damage and prevent people from calling for help. I hear someone walk up to me, coming to my side and leaning against the rafters. Turning, I see Daisy staring at me.
"How's the damage?" she asks.
"More civilians dead then in the whole Western Regions assignment. It's at least 500 by now."
"Holy fuck." she barks. She brings her hazel eyes up, pausing before asking. "How many of ours?"
I bite my lip, digging my nails into the handrails. "12. All recruits."
"Fucking bastards. Got away too." she says. I stare into the crowd, seeing the injured Realmers and demonfolk. "It wasn't your fault." she tells me apologetically.
"*Sigh* Sure feels like it." I argue, rubbing my eyes. Changing the subject, I ask, "How's the cleanup and interrogation going?"
"All the sectors are secure. Mike and Matt are holding patrols to keep things safe. All the entrance points are either blocked or under heavy supervision. The soldiers aren't talking yet. The demon commander we captured is speaking bullshit. He's a bit more bruised than before." Daisy states nonchalantly. Giving her a look, she furrows her eyes. "He tried to bite me when I took the gag off. He's lucky I didn't stab his ass." I chuckle lightly, Daisy following up. "Did you get a look at the leader?"
"You mean the Warlord?" Daisy nods. "When I saw who it was… I couldn't believe my eyes."
"Who was it?"
"Mitchell."
Daisy scoffs. "Yeah right." I stare at her, conveying the seriousness of my answer. "No way. The advocate? He's been dead for centuries. There's no way, Gail."
"I can't be certain, but… You didn't see the way he was conjuring magic. He made those tendrils and a vehicle firing magical blasts appear out of nowhere." Her eyebrows shoot up, before she blinks a few times, a puzzled look on her face.
"How could it be him?"
"I don't know."
"How the fuck is he still alive?" Daisy asks again.
"I don't know." I repeat with a harsher tone. I notice her stare and rubs my eyes again. "Sorry, Daiz. I didn't mean that."
"It's okay." She leans forward, gazing at her girlfriend in the Colosseum center. Maria is handing out supplies to the soldiers, who start bandaging up the wounded and handing out rations. "What now?"
"I don't have all the answers. But I think I know who does." I turn my head. "I want you and Matt to keep digging. Get as much information as you can out of these renegades we caught. I need to meet with Officer Orelios and Vivian again. Try and retrace what happened here."
"Okay. On it, Gail." Daisy responds, heading towards the stairs.
"Daisy." I call out, and she turns back. Still staring, I give her another order. "I want guards and assassins posted near Assassin Rosemary's tent at all times. They're not leaving until she and her friend Allie speak to us."
"You think they were involved?"
"They know something." I lock eyes with her. "I want to know what it is they're hiding."
"I'll let Matt know." Nodding, she walks off, as I continue to survey the damage. When word of this goes out, the whole Realm is going to be shocked. Maybe that's what Mitchell wanted. A statement to mark his return. Or maybe something else entirely. Whatever it is, I'm going to find out. And I'm going to put him in the ground for it.