Evelot's pace slowed considerably the further up the mountain she went. Following the winding, snow-covered path, her withered eyes gazed upon the towering rock to see that the peak was still a treacherous journey away. Unable to muster the strength to move through the shadows the rest of the way, as well as succumbing to the effects of her lingering fatigue, she considered a moment of respite to replenish her strength.
But thoughts of that horrid night that took everything precious to her away rekindled her rage. The shadows within her costume festered and hissed as her right eye blazed in a volatile red. How could she be thinking of rest at a time like this? How could she when that wicked woman is still up there on the mountain? Up there and still breathing?
She shook away thoughts of weakness and shuffled along the road, braving the snowy winds pelting her face. Even as frost and snow weighed upon her costume, she trudged through with fury in her eyes. She extended her grotesque, shadowy claws from beneath the costume, clawing into the ground and pulling herself along like a beast dragging itself out from fissures straight to Hell.
She imagined the ways she'd exact her revenge against the murderous mercenary. Picking just one would be unsatisfying. Should she start by twisting her precious limbs off, rendering the infamous Spring-Loaded Harriet unable to defend herself? Should she drown her in an endless sea of darkness, letting her sink deeper and deeper into the unknown as the surface drew further and further away no matter how hard she swam? Perhaps death by a thousand cuts?
Or perhaps a more suitable punishment should be rooted in the tragedy that brought upon this need for vengeance? She could concoct the deadliest potions and poisons in her arsenal, subjecting the mercenary to experimental torment and pulling her as close to death as possible, never giving her the satisfaction of the end until Evelot's bloodlust was finally satiated. She never considered live experimentation. It was too unethical for her liking.
Ah, but now she would have an endless slew of projects to test without letting such trivial feelings cloud her judgment. In fact, with the knowledge of her family's dark alchemy that she memorized, she could test her experiments on Harriet for as long as she desired, keeping the mercenary in a perpetual state of agony.
Oh, how did she not see the brilliance of Alibrand and Wigbrand's genius when they first crossed paths? She understood now why they loved keeping their victims alive. There was a certain artistry to the cruelty. A stroke of brilliance that made the monstrous actions magnificent!
"You're going to be my new favorite plaything, Harriet~!" Evelot hissed, her right eye blazing in its dark red aura. "We'll have so much fun together~. Exploring the endless possibilities of live alchemy~. What kind of discoveries will I make with your living corpse? Oh, what wonderous discoveries await me—"
"Is that the legacy…you want to leave behind? Truly?"
The Mimikyu stopped, eyes wide with surprise. She spun around with a jolt as someone floated up the snow-covered road. They were hard to make out at first, but soon became clear as they landed before her.
A half-metal Boltund and an ancient cube with an eye symbol on each of its faces.
"…" Evelot blinked twice. "C…Caractacus?"
Caractacus panted softly. "Alpha managed to fly me up here as fast as it could. Just so we could reach you in time." He scowled. "And now that I've reached you, I hear you screeching nonsense like this?"
"…" Evelot narrowed her eyes. "Caractacus…"
"Pardon my Kalosian…but what the hell has gotten into you, Faucher?!"
Hell broke loose near the base of Mt. Algus with land splitting open and rising in terrible quakes, swallowing the earth into the chasm below. From the distorted earth, Amos and Phoebe lunged back through the air on a gust of sand, eyes shaking fearfully as Absalom calmly walked through the sinking earth.
"Malicious Fog." He gathered darkness around his fist and fired a massive beam of dark fog straight at them.
Amos redirected his Sandstorm, snatching Phoebe out of the air and flinging themselves back toward the ground. Absalom waved his hand and curved the path of his attack back after them. In response, Amos aimed and fired a bullet into the ground, creating a brief shadow vortex that the two fell through. They disappeared right before the attack smashed down onto the ground.
Absalom examined his surroundings before swinging around and firing off a second Malicious Fog. Accurately predicting their point of exiting, Amos and Phoebe were caught up in the terrible storm of darkness with Amos being the most affected. The shadows tore at his resolve, unleashing a horrid pressure upon him that was lost on Phoebe.
The Aipom growled and pushed through the winds, running on all fours. She clutched her heated dagger in her hand tail and thrusted it into Absalom. The ghost ape took the attack to the chest, using the closeness to grab Phoebe by the throat and pin her to the ground.
"Silent Fury." He raised his fist, igniting it in his dark blue aura.
Phoebe thrashed in her grip before activating Metronome. Energy traveled into her tail, but it wasn't remarkable. Power-Up Punch, seriously?! However, before her skull could be caved in, she grabbed a discarded piece of rock and struck it with Power-Up Punch, firing it into Absalom's eye.
"Agh!" Instinctively, Absalom cancelled his attack and covered his eye.
Phoebe rolled Metronome again, this time getting something a bit more useful. "Cotton Guard!" She sucked in a breath and caused her fur to rapidly expand, turning her into a giant, purple fluff ball that threw the Annihilape off.
Absalom landed as the damage to his eye was undone. He swiped his fist across the ground, sending forth a wave of earth that blasted into Phoebe's fuzzy defense and catapulted her through the air. She hovered briefly on a sharp gust before the excess fur tore away. Phoebe grabbed her wind cleaver and channeled Metronome through it.
"Maelstrom Cleave: Cross Poison!" With a quickdraw slash, she fired a blade of wind laced in a thick coating of poison, slicing the ghost ape down the middle.
In the ape's brief daze, Amos rushed into the fray, fighting through his deteriorating fatigue. He unsheathed his pincer blade and sprayed a heavy dose of poison over it. "Maximum Venom Blade!" He went for an underhanded swing and stabbed Absalom through his chin, injecting the toxins into his partially poisoned body.
It seemed to work for a second, but darkness crawled up from the earth and revitalized the ghost ape despite clearly being poisoned. He lurched back to life and grabbed Amos by the face, attempting to crush it in his grip. Before that came to pass, Amos stabbed his tail into Absalom and blasted him with venom.
"Maximum Venom!" The high volume of poison rushing through Absalom's body caused blood vessels to burst with toxins and blood. It staggered the undead ape enough to free Amos from his death grip.
Phoebe, still freefalling from the air, gripped her wind cleaver in both hands and spun herself to build up speed. An icy mist wrapped around her as she closed in. "Maelstrom Cleave—" At the last second, she delivered a powerful slash on top of Absalom, cancelling out most of her falling momentum and slicing into the undead ape with a crackling blade of ice. "Frost Breath!"
The combined wind speed with Frost Breath created a disastrous wind chill on top of the ape's exposed wounds. A combined attack like this would've guaranteed a slow and painful death, if not instant death.
But they weren't ignorant to their opponent's potential.
The two immediately put distance between themselves and their violent adversary as darkness billowed up from the ground, undoing the damage to his body. As his wounds healed, the venom was forcefully ejected and spat onto the ground.
Amos scowled. What the hell's up with his body? I can't even poison him for too long. He doesn't seem too concerned about dodging, and his attacks can be avoided as long as we stay focused. He's nowhere near as fast as Babylas, but with that strength and tenacity…
After returning to his prime state, Absalom slammed his foot down and raised a section of earth ahead of him. The crumbling earth caught up with Amos, who was batted into the air. Absalom raced up the overturned earth like a ramp and caught Amos by the face. He rammed the Gligar through the earth and dragged him along, tearing up the rock with his face.
The rock toppled back to the ground, where Absalom jumped and chucked Amos straight down, his body punching a crater into the earth.
"GAAAAH!" Amos screamed, watching his own blood spraying over his face.
Absalom dove after him, aiming to drive his knees into the Gligar's chest, but was halted by a well-timed bullet to the head. The ghost ape lost his midair balance and crashed onto the edge of Amos' crater.
Phoebe reloaded her rifle and channeled Metronome through it. "Mystery Bullet!" She braced herself and fired one of her Force Bullets combined with Peck. It resulted in an intense blue beam of light with the vague shape of a bird's beak at the forefront.
By the time Absalom stood up, the bullet impacted, transferring all its ineffective energy through the super-effective Peck. It pierced through Absalom's right eye, leaving behind a bloodied hole the width of a wine glass.
Amos, catching his third or fourth or whatever wind he was on, righted himself up and slammed his pincer gun into the ape's back, unloading a barrage of sand bullets into him. He slapped his tail down and launched himself into the air with Sandstorm, barely avoiding a counterattack.
Phoebe switched out her rifle for her wind cleaver and rushed forward. "Maelstrom Cleave: Sing!" She swung, firing off a wind slash carrying a melodious tone across the air.
Absalom plunged his hands into the ground and tore out a wall of earth to disrupt the wind slash. His leg muscles expanded as he then charged forward with the rock wall.
Phoebe screeched and fired off a myriad of Maelstrom Cleaves into the rock. "Heavy Slam! Sleep Powder! Earthquake! Aqua Tail! Lock-On!"
Each of her attacks withered the rock down bit by bit, but couldn't save her from her fate. The moment his defense shattered, Absalom lunged and rammed his shoulder into Phoebe. The Aipom spat blood before being socked in the gut. She vomited bile and what little she ate onto the snow before getting kicked in the chin, flipping her through the air and landing on her back.
"To think Lord Rimmer was slain by the likes of you," Absalom said as his fists ignited in his aura. "He always seemed to believe technique triumphed over power. You must've been a worthy opponent by his standards." He pressed his foot down on her chest, putting stress on her ribs. "But it only furthers my point. I stand atop the hierarchy of power. I alone am the uncontested."
Phoebe wheezed, struggling to breathe. "Go…fuck yourself…!"
Absalom scoffed. "Pathetic."
Right as he readied his attack, Amos suddenly jumped onto his back and viciously stabbed into the ape with his stinger. "Get off of her!"
Absalom swung his arm around and struck Amos with his elbow, throwing the Gligar off. Amos scrambled to his feet, but Absalom immediately rushed him down, grabbing him by the head and ramming his knee into his gut. Amos spat blood onto the ghost ape's face before being slammed into the ground.
"Are you in a hurry to die, Lancaster?" Absalom muttered. He stomped onto the Gligar's back. "How long do you have left? The threads around you. If only you could see how close to death you really are. Why do you keep putting yourself through this torment? All for one life? Death surrounds you. It's in your nature."
Amos clenched his teeth, pressing his pincers to the ground as he tried to lift himself, but Absalom kept him still. "I used to…believe in something. I had a shitty upbringing, but I believed…I could do some good…"
"And look where you are now. Fighting a hopeless battle. Why don't you give up?"
Amos tilted his head to scowl at the undead ape. "Why don't you?"
"…Tch." Absalom kicked Amos in the side, throwing him across the earth. "You don't know what I'm fighting for. What I fight for exceeds anything within the confines of the criminal underworld. Your war is nothing but a schoolyard squabble compared to my master's vision. And I'll do anything to prevent another Ten-Ways Invasion from happening again."
BANG!
Absalom stopped as Amos suddenly fired into his own stomach. A pink flash enveloped his body, rapidly undoing his injuries. He coughed and spat blood pooling in his mouth before shakily standing up. He wiped his face and glared at the undead ape.
"I don't fucking care about your war. Keep your moralistic bullshit to yourself. You manipulated Evelot. I don't need any other reason to tear your guts out."
Absalom scoffed. "Spoken like an Outlander." He rushed forward, fists blazing in intense aura.
"I'm not an Outlander. I'm a member…of the Dukes of Buzzard!" Amos inhaled before spitting up a cloud of toxic gas.
Absalom didn't think much of the action at first, but stopped as the toxic cloud suddenly whipped up into a whirlwind of sand, completely overtaking the immediate area in golden and purple sand. He stepped back cautiously, then felt a stinging sensation across his body. He examined his arm as the sand particles clung to his fur and spread along like an infection. He tried to brush the sand away, but more clung to him, soon covering half his body.
"What the—" Absalom grumbled.
"Maximum Venom: Abyss Storm!"
Absalom fired off a Malicious Fog to part the storm, but the concentration of sand made it too dense to punch through. "Tch." He punched into the ground, releasing a terrible shockwave that uplifted the earth around him. The pressure exuding from below fired smaller rocks through the air like bullets, guaranteeing a swift end to any flying opponents.
"Is this your plan, Lancaster?" Absalom mumbled. "You know you can't kill me. You can't run without compromising the safety of MacGyver either. You're just delaying the inevitable. Whether by my hands or your collapsing physique, you will die on this day."
"Didn't you know—" Absalom spun around as Amos appeared out from the storm, wielding his pincer blade covered in sickly green poison. "That Pokémon are far more dangerous when they're backed into a corner?!"
Absalom tried to counterattack, but a rush of sand blew into him and redirected his punch. Amos slashed into Absalom, tearing through his face as the additional Venoshock on his blade burned through the skin. He slapped his tail down and disappeared back into the storm.
Despite half his face melting into corroded mush, Absalom remained unfazed and chased after the fleeing Gligar. "Malicious Fog." He fired off four punches, mixing his darkness through the sandstorm to seek out the hidden scorpion.
"Don't forget, Absalom, I thrive in this environment. With all this sand flooding the air, there isn't an attack you can throw that I can't see."
Absalom recoiled again as Amos darted past his side, leaving another corrosive slash through his flesh. He tried to strike the Gligar down, throwing a punch that split the land apart, but Amos disappeared back into the storm in the nick of time. Absalom examined his side and watched his flesh rot.
"Potent, isn't it? With the sand already weakening your body, a direct hit from a concentrated dose of my Maximum Venon can deliver a debilitating effect to organic matter. What can I say? I've got a toxic personality! Shnee-heeheehee!"
Absalom wiped up some of his blood and glared at it. His regeneration was being momentarily hampered by the ongoing storm and poison coursing through his body. He scanned his surroundings again, noting that Amos was perfectly camouflaged within his storm even without the Sand Veil ability. On top of his sensory abilities giving him the edge in this environment, anyone else would've succumbed to this technique in seconds.
But the Incarnation of Wrath wasn't just anyone.
Absalom sighed and pressed his hands together. His aura concentrated through his fur, turning him a blinding dark blue as immense pressure rumbled around him.
Amos darted out of hiding again and tried to backstab Absalom, but was repelled on contact with Absalom's aura. The impact nearly stunned the Gligar, who stared wide-eyed at the power coursing through the ghost ape's body. "What the…?"
"God's Messenger of Wrath: Full Release."
A flash of blue erupted from Absalom's body and expanded outward. Amos, having no idea what was happening, wrapped himself in his sandstorm and ejected himself as fast as possible as the blast wave picked up speed. It rammed through the storm, tearing it apart from the inside. Amos felt the immense heat of the attack's release, strong enough to be mistaken for a Fire-Type move. He manipulated his sandstorm to pull him faster away from the blast, but the twisting and bending of the energy rushing after him distorted the currents beyond his control.
Unable to escape in time, Amos played his last trick, loading a Displace Bullet into his pincer and shooting himself in the shoulder. He teleported away from the blast in the nick of time.
On the ground, as Phoebe recovered from her injuries, she watched in horror as Amos' sandstorm was ripped to shreds by a massive explosion emanating from the center. The blast reached as high as the visible sky, and the shockwaves erupting from it traveled across the ground, pushing up piles of snow in the hurricane-like winds. Phoebe, unable to get up, braced herself as the wind and snow swept her off the ground, throwing her through the air.
The ruined earth continued to be dismantled under the intense weight of the explosion's power, scorching the earth and evaporating any snow that wasn't blasted away in time. Earthquakes rumbled with such intensity that snow on Mt. Algus could be seen rolling down into miniature avalanches.
The flash of the explosion eventually dissipated, the aftereffects of its activation leaving behind a lingering rumble felt through both land and air. In the center of the blast was the charred corpse of Absalom, his form barely recognizable as that of an Annihilape. The body remained in the same stance it took upon activating the technique.
When the rumbling settled, Phoebe pried herself out from the snow, gasping for air. She shook her head, trembling in desperation to get back onto her feet. She yelped as something popped up from the snow nearby, but relaxed when it was just Amos, looking just as bad as her.
"Agh…!" Amos gripped his bleeding shoulder. "D-Dammit…" He shakily dug around his bag for a Healing Bullet, but found he had used his last one in that last stunt. "Fuuuuuuck."
Phoebe picked herself up, gripping her arm while straining to catch her breath. "What…was that?"
"I don't…I don't know. If I got caught up in that blast, I would've been killed on the spot." Amos looked himself over for any injuries, then winced when he examined his mechanical stinger. Though the enriched elementium used to make it kept it from being destroyed, the stinger was white hot. Just grazing the snow caused it to boil and evaporate. "And that seems like an understatement—"
"Uh…Amos."
Amos, sensing the Aipom's alarmed tone, followed her hand back to the epicenter of the explosion. His eyes widened as the charred corpse of Absalom started to move, twitching back to life.
"N…No…"
Absalom's body took one step at a time as the charred skin flaked off. Darkness swirled up from the ground, causing mangled limbs to twist and spiral before realigning themselves back to normal. Shadows erupted and took shape around Absalom, replacing his incinerated clothes and resembling a jacket/trousers combo with twin tails flowing out from the back.
The last of the charred skin fell away, and a newly revitalized Absalom flashed his apathetic glare straight at the cowering duo.
"This…This is insane!" Phoebe cried.
"We can't kill him," Amos muttered fearfully. "There's no regenerative power in the world this strong. What's bringing him back to life?"
Absalom's stride gradually hastened to that of a fast walk, advanced into a brisk jog, and suddenly turned into an explosive sprint across the ruined earth. Each step left craters in his footsteps, the tremors being felt by the duo.
"Run."
"Huh?" Phoebe gasped.
"Run! JUST FUCKING RUN!" Amos turned and hightailed it to the mountain, Phoebe scrambling to follow after him.
Their minds and hearts raced in a blind panic, feeling the earth exploding behind them into pillars of dust as Absalom closed in on them. Running was almost completely pointless. There was no escape for them, and running toward the mountain only served to worsen their chances of reaching Evelot. The entirety of Algus could very well be turned to rubble if a fight escalated in the mountainous territory.
"FLY, DAMMIT!" Phoebe screamed.
Amos tried to get some lift, but couldn't summon up Sandstorm, a combination of his growing panic and the exhaustion wearing on his body. "Aghhhh…!"
Phoebe, realizing she was their best bet at survival, rummaged through her ammo bag and pulled out a Burrowing Bullet. She clutched it in her fist, channeling her energy through it. "Forced Drawing: Fissure!" She channeled the technique through the bullet, then whipped out her rifle.
Practically shoving the bullet in, Phoebe stopped and spun around on her knees. She took aim at the approaching ghost ape, aiming toward the ground.
"Mystery Bullet!"
She fired, her body flying back from the recoil. The bullet impacted the ground, releasing an insane burst of spiraling energy as it carved through the earth faster the speed of sound.
By the time Absalom heard the gunshot, he realized he had lost his footing.
He looked down as a massive chasm opened up below him due to the power of the Dig-Fissure combo. There was seemingly no visible bottom, just open darkness. Absalom sailed over the chasm with his forward momentum before plummeting down into the darkness.
Phoebe picked herself out of the snow, panting heavily, before scrambling to her feet and watching the undead ape just as he disappeared into the chasm. She smirked uneasily before shouting, "In your face, you asshole!"
BOOM!
It was a short-lived victory. Amos and Phoebe carefully peered over the edge and felt their blood turn to ice as Absalom used a Malicious Fog to blast himself into the sides of the chasm. He dug his hands and feet through the rock before racing up the side on all fours like a mountaineering Rhyhorn.
Amos grabbed Phoebe's arm and pulled her along. "We can't stop! Just—"
"Malicious Fog."
The ground exploded under them in a geyser of darkness. The duo screamed out in agony as rock pelted and sliced against their skin. Absalom burst out of the darkness, wound his leg back, and kicked Phoebe in the stomach, sending her crashing just next to the chasm.
Amos tried to fire a sand bullet, but Absalom grabbed him by the face and chucked him directly into the mountain path. Amos tried to rise, but was driven further into the ground with a heavy knee to the stomach. He vomited poison and blood, straining himself not to blackout from the pain.
Phoebe squirmed on the ground, blood trickling over her good eye. She weakly raised her hand as she watched Absalom loom over the helpless Gligar. "A…Amos…"
Amos breathed heavily, each breath feeling like he had glass in his lungs. He cracked one eye open, scowling at the Annihilape standing over him. He couldn't muster the strength to summon another Sandstorm, and his body wasn't responding to his commands. The mechanical pincer now felt like a lead weight holding down his arm, and he could barely do more than twitch his tail.
Absalom glared. "Do you know why I've taken on the moniker of Wrath?"
"…"
Absalom lifted his fist, surrounding it in his aura. "I am one of the few who remembers the Ten-Ways Invasion. Even though I didn't experience it, I saw the aftermath of its destruction. I, who sought to keep my home safe, failed to stop one man from destroying everything we worked towards. Don't you see, Lancaster? My wrath is for the ten kingdoms that plague this beautiful land. The ruins, the Outlands, the warring…all of it brought upon by prideful invaders who took everything from us. This anger has been following me for two hundred years, and it has yet to extinguish. My wrath is everlasting. I am the very symbol of wrath. The wrath of who have been scorned by the war. The Incarnation of Wrath."
"…"
"Even you have been a victim of this wrath. What consequences led you down this path? If you look back far enough, it's almost a direct consequence of that invasion. Everyone either had something to lose from the war or something to gain my profiting off that devastation. All that suffering, and you're prioritizing the life of a single creature who has been harboring a bloodlust rivaling even my own. That's why I can't stand criminal scum like you: you think too small. Too caught up in yourself to see the harm you cause."
"…" Amos growled. "The harm I caused? Yeah, sure. I've been peddling poison for Last Autumn. Yeah, I probably got a lot of good and bad people killed just because I was selling at the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm not free of sin. But you can't go around telling me I'm the scumbag when you're just as involved. It's like you said: my war is just a schoolyard squabble compared to the one you're fighting. I've been pushing poison. You? How many have you killed with your bare hands? All under the belief of justice?"
"…" Absalom curled his fist.
Amos coughed and wheezed, then smirked. "Did I…strike a nerve there? You're such a hypocrite."
"…" Absalom raised his fist, amping up his aura. "A hypocrite I may be, but that is all in the name of saving this region." His glare darkened. "You…are just an insignificant pebble in the currents of destiny."
Phoebe desperately scrambled to get back on her feet. "AMOS!"
Amos winced under the harsh light of Absalom's technique and closed his eyes, bracing himself.
"Of all the people who will change the world, you will never amount to anything."
Like a crack of lightning, Absalom brought his fist down and pulverized Amos into the earth. The shock from the impact cracked across the air, blowing back Phoebe's fur. She stared in horror as blood ruptured from the ground, splashing over Absalom's face.
She fell to her knees, shaking with tears running down her face. "A…Amos…"
Absalom stared into the crater of dust and snow, lifting his fist and brushing the chunks off his knuckles. "You were just a third-rate mercenary, Lancaster. That's all you will ever amount to in fate—"
The ape's eyes widened as the dust finally cleared. There should've been a bloodied corpse with a caved-in skull sitting in front of him, but it was nearly empty. The only thing inside the crater…were broken pieces of shell with a purple mist rising out from them.
Absalom touched his face as the blood that splashed on him turned into shadowy mist. "Wha…?"
"Oh, I don't know about any of that, Absalom."
The undead ape spun around with a start, as did Phoebe as she registered someone was standing behind her. Halfway emerging from her shadow and holding up a bewildered Amos by the poncho, an eyepatch-wearing Banette smirked at the flummoxed Annihilape.
"I'd say Fate hasn't had its fill of the Broken Glass Alchemical Company's shenanigans quite yet~."
The silence hanging between Evelot and Caractacus was palpable. As the cold wind howled around them, sweeping across their clothes, as they locked tense stares. Evelot's gaze was hollow and hate-filled while Caractacus' was cold and bitter.
After a moment, Evelot turned her back to him and continued her journey up the path.
Caractacus scoffed and followed after her. "The silent treatment? Where's that usual whimsy of yours, Faucher? You suddenly too proud of yourself to speak to me?"
"We have nothing to discuss, MacGyver."
"Oh goodie, we're both going the formal route." He shook his head and groaned. "Look, just stop. You're going to get yourself killed if you continue like this. It's for your own good."
Evelot's glare darkened. "That's what everyone says. It's all for my own good. Tch. You're treating me like a child, too."
"Well, you're not helping your case by acting like a spoiled brat. That's what it means to be young, right? Thinking you're invincible? Well, you're not a child in age, but you're acting no different to stupid kids making even stupider decisions. What was your plan again? To kill Harriet?"
"That's the idea."
"Do you have an actual plan?"
"I don't need one, not when I have this power to back me up."
"Based on what? You have the same power as Babylas because you two share a link? I don't know the exact circumstances, but I will hazard a guess that you both got these Inherited Wills from the same source. You do realize that power hasn't fully matured yet, right? Just like Abel warned? You're not strong enough."
"That awaits to be seen—"
"I'm the arrogant one here, Faucher, so don't go acting like you can pull that card on me!" Caractacus snapped. "For science's sake, think for a moment! You didn't even kill her the last time you rampaged, and that resulted in you dying! You died twice in one night! If I were a man of faith, I'd say that's a good excuse to turn tail and live the life of mundanity because the universe seems fixated on correcting the unnatural order!"
Evelot spun around and scowled at him. "You have no idea what that woman took from me!"
"She massacred your family for seemingly no reason. I think I have a pretty good idea what you have against her." He scowled back. "You had it easy and lost everything. I had nothing to begin with. And the one time I felt like I could be happy, I screw it all up with my paranoia, and the worst-case scenario takes everything from me in an inferno of my own design! We're Outlanders! You're issues aren't an excuse!"
"You said it yourself: she murdered my family for no reason!"
"Well, I'm exaggerating because your family was one villainous takeover away from being mob bosses! Of course they would have enemies! The only people your parents treated with kindness were their own kids. Face the facts, you're getting yourself into trouble when you can just walk away. You rejected Babylas' offer to escape Virdis because deep, deep down you wanted that woman's head on a pike."
"…" Evelot looked away.
"Look at yourself. You were so full of kindness and hope. What happened to all of that? So what? Absalom showed you the truth of that night, and now you feel like you have to take revenge on their behalf. I get that, alright? You think I don't want to murder the bastard that's been hunting me for weeks and did this to me?" he shouted, pointing at his metal jaw. "But I'm not obsessed over killing him. I was more worried about protecting myself. Why do you think I went into hiding? I wanted to be as far away from that monster as possible. Now, look at you. You're walking toward danger because you believe you can kill one of the most wanted mercenaries in the region."
"…" Evelot clenched her eyes shut.
"Evelot. She will kill you if this fight is allowed to happen. Why are you so persistent about—"
"Because I gave up, alright?!"
"…" Caractacus narrowed his eyes as the Mimikyu trembled in place.
"I…gave up. Absalom didn't just show me what happened that night. He showed me everything. He showed me images of the past. I saw things. Horrible, uncomfortable things. I saw everything that made Virdis into what it is today. I've seen wars. I've seen genocide. I've seen slavery. I've seen torture. Virdis and all its history were created through the warring of these kingdoms. It never got better. It just keeps getting worse."
"…"
"I had hopes that, if I was just kind to people, they would become kind, too. I hoped that I could make a difference if I just held onto hope that love and kindness could change the horrors in this world." She clenched her eyes shut. "But…it's too much. This world is rotten and diseased. There's no saving anyone. We're just going to keep doing this over and over and over again until someone decides to destroy the world on a whim. I just…I just can't anymore. I've accomplished nothing."
"…"
Evelot sighed. "You were right, Caractacus. You were always right. Life's unfair. The world turns toward the whims of a selfish desire. I'm deluded thinking that the world will ever change just because of a kind word. And now that I've gone down this path, I'm no better than all the other monsters in the world."
"…" Caractacus looked away unsurely.
"No matter how hard we strive for a better future, all we're doing is deluding ourselves with hope…"
A tense standoff howled between the warring parties. Absalom, with his aura blazing off the tips of his fur and fists, glowered at the cocky Banette that emerged from Phoebe's shadow.
Babylas dropped Amos onto the snow and dusted his cloak off. His smirk grew. "You look unhappy to see me, Absalom. Were you unable to predict my being here?"
"…" Absalom tightened his fists.
Amos pulled himself up. "B-Babylas?"
Phoebe clenched her teeth. "I don't get it. When did you get here? How did you find us?"
He snapped his fingers and laughed. "Ah yeah, that's relatively easy to explain." He snickered. "Actually, I've been hiding in your shadow since yesterday."
…
…
…
…
…
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
Phoebe seized Babylas by his cloak and angrily shook him. "You mean, this whole time, you've been hitchhiking under our feet?! Do you have any idea what we went through?! Why didn't you step in to fight Plouton?! Or save Magni?! HUH?!"
Babylas looked aside with a lopsided grin. "Evelot did quite a bit of damage to me. I was in the midst of recovery. I simply didn't have the strength to—"
"That was yesterday, you buffoon! And don't say something stupid like you were asleep! I know you can't sleep!"
He shrugged. "Well, you all managed well without my aid, so I figured there was no reason to step in."
Phoebe scowled. "You still could've intervened to save Magni! He died protecting us, you jerk! What did he do to deserve that—"
"You were saving your strength for this fight, weren't you?" Phoebe paused just as Amos picked himself off the ground. He panted heavily before glaring at Babylas. "You…couldn't risk giving yourself away, and you knew that Plouton would've been a problem had he invaded your domain."
"…" Babylas closed his eye and sighed. "I am truly sorry I didn't step in to save him. To be clear, I was tagging along inside Plouton's shadow. However, with all the commotion going on, I wasn't able to get any closer until…well, yeah."
Phoebe frowned. "You mean…"
"Endless Darkness allows me to project and link darkness together. As you can imagine, in the state I was in, I would've wasted a bit of my energy on a risky rescue." He gently removed Phoebe's hands and glared at Absalom. "Amos is correct. I needed to be in top fighting condition because I knew he would be here. If I did step in to aid you, I might not have been in the best shape afterwards."
"…" Amos glared. "You prioritized getting even with this asshole than saving us? You really are greedy."
Babylas chuckled weakly. "Whether or not you take my word for it, I think you understand why I need to be at my peak for this."
The duo glared back at Absalom, who simply waited for them instead of going on the attack. Or was that hesitation they were seeing? Absalom didn't seem particular enthused by the Banette's sudden appearance. Then again, that was a common feeling whenever he showed up.
Was Babylas really just saving up his strength? Or was he scheming something?
Regardless, he brought their attention back onto the mountain, saying, "I suggest you hurry. I can sense that Evelot is amidst a conversation with Caractacus. You might be able to catch up with them if you hurry."
Amos felt his legs giving out under his weight, but Phoebe swooped in and pulled his arm over her shoulder. She scowled at Babylas. "I still say you could've saved Magni."
"…" He sighed. "I've lived the last few years being selfish. I guess old habits die hard. So, with what little honor I have left, allow me to redeem myself. Reach Evelot. Save her. And I'll dispose of this monster myself."
Phoebe hesitated, but a nudge from Amos brought her back to her senses. "Magni was already pushing himself. Whether or not Babylas' interference could've changed what happened, let's not let Magni's sacrifice be for nothing."
"…" She sighed before getting the Gligar onto her back. "My turn to carry you now." She bent her legs and glared at the path. "You better not backstab us, asshole."
Babylas narrowed his eye. "Go. Now."
Taking a deep breath, Phoebe kicked off the ground and sprinted for the mountain path, with Absalom still blocking the way. The undead ape scoffed, igniting his fists in his aura and charging headlong at the Aipom.
"You really think I'm just going to allow you to—"
Liquid shadow swallowed up the duo up, and Babylas suddenly appeared before the undead ape. He caught his wrists, leaned back, and threw Absalom overhead. The Sin of Wrath flew through the air, watching as Babylas swapped places with Phoebe and Amos again, giving them free access to the path.
Absalom landed and attempted to chase after them, but sensed movement and dodged a swing from Babylas' poison dagger, Fangs. His eyes darted back toward the path as the duo got further and further away.
"I believe that's the second time you've let someone get past you." Absalom returned his glare to Babylas, who lazily juggled his dagger in one hand. "You're getting slow, old man."
"…" Absalom glared. "You said you were saving your strength to challenge me, correct?"
"Indeed, I was."
"So, what made you step in now? Why give away your position to save him?"
Babylas smirked. "You going to berate me, too? I'm not a good person, Absalom. I've always been motivated by my own desires."
Absalom stepped back unsurely. Of all the sins, Babylas was the one that made his skin crawl. There was always something off whenever he tried to foresee the Banette's future. It was constantly in flux, as if the future itself couldn't make sense of his path. Plus, on top of being able to fight on par with the Fairy Knight, Babylas had a cunning mind.
He wasn't hiding in the shadows just to screw with the company until the last second. He was plotting something, maybe even as far back as their encounter with Plouton. That's what made Babylas so dangerous.
The day he took the Sin of Greed for himself, Absalom never trusted him.
Babylas smirked. "This fight is meant to be, Wrath. You and me. An immortal versus one who seeks immortality. A duel to the death."
Absalom scoffed. "I acknowledge your skill, Greed, but you won't have any better luck killing me than those two. That's why I've always been Wrath. I can't die. I always come back. You? You can only die once. And if I were to wager a guess, after that stunt you pulled with Lancaster, you only have a limited amount of Shedinja left to take a hit for you. Three, correct?"
Babylas snickered, grabbing his eyepatch and throwing it off. He cracked open his special eye, the purple vortex of stars staring back at the undead ape. "You really take the fun out of the surprise." He snapped his fingers, and his three remaining Shedinja appeared from behind him. "But three's more than enough." He snapped his fingers again, and they vanished back into his shadow.
Absalom raised his fists. "Then that's how many chances you get, Greed." He bent his legs before bursting forth at great speed.
Babylas' eyes widened as the undead ape flew faster than he expected. He attempted to dodge, but Absalom reached him and punched through the Banette's chest. Babylas coughed blood, hanging off the ground with blood dripping down his back.
Absalom huffed. "That's one Shedinja down."
"…" Babylas' head went limp, yet a haunting smile remained on his face.
The undead ape glared. "You should know better than to test a knight's power, fool—"
"Gateway…to the Underworld…" the corpse whispered.
Absalom's eyes widened. "Huh—"
"Shadow Play."
A surge of darkness erupted from beneath Absalom's shadow, and a heavy blow cracked across his back. "GAH!" Absalom stumbled forward as the Banette impaled on his arm melted into shadow. He staggered forward before spinning around, finding Babylas standing behind him, though barely visible within a cloak of shadow.
All except for his majestic eye and that wicked grin.
"What's the matter, Absalom? Afraid of your own shadow?"
Absalom waved off the residual darkness from his arm and scowled. "Impossible. You can swap places without a Shedinja?"
Babylas snickered. "Who said anything about swapping places? I just left my shadow behind." He narrowed his eyes. "If you stare too long at a shadow, you may end up seeing it somewhere else. Freaky, isn't it? You must remember what it was like, right? Being a kid?"
SHING!
Absalom's eyes widened as the arm he punched with was suddenly ripped to shreds by pink, whirling slashes.
"See, some people treat the darkness like this evil, manipulative force. Something only the truly alone or irritable feel at home in. A place of despair and gloom." Babylas snickered as his form melted away, his voice projecting over the area. "But we all have shadows. Since the day we were hatched. We all have shadows."
Absalom sensed something and ducked another whirling series of slashes. He spun around, spotting Babylas behind him, and backhanded the Banette's head. The Banette collapsed into darkness.
"Haven't you ever felt like someone was following you, but you could never get away no matter how far you run?" Babylas' laughter echoed all around. "And then, just when you think you're getting away, you see that someone out of the corner of your eye. You can't help but turn around, scared of the monster right on your toes."
That was just a fake. I dodged, but it wouldn't have actually hurt me. I reacted without thinking.
Absalom felt his shadow ripple and jumped back as a shadowy Babylas emerged from below, nearly slitting his neck with Fangs. He landed far from the Banette and fired a Malicious Fog. It struck, tearing into the Banette who once again collapsed into shadow. Absalom spun around, spying the shadow-cloaked Babylas standing behind him.
That last one didn't look as realistic, yet I still reacted to it on instinct. The longer I stare at him, the more lasting the illusion is? No, it's not just that. I felt his presence in those shadows. I felt his energy. What's going on?
"All that panicking of being followed, and you ended up jumping at the sight of your own shadow." Babylas grinned. "Gateway to the Underworld: Shadow Play. I can leave behind a shadow of myself and relocate behind my opponent. The more wary you are of me, the more lifelike it looks. It's not as instant as trading places with my Shedinja, and it's not suited for direct combat since I need to stand still, but…"
Absalom looked around and saw dozens of Banette had surrounded him, each of them staring back at him with those same wicked smiles.
"I've always been about outwitting my opponent. A fight where every little movement makes the difference."
Absalom channeled darkness through his severed limb and regrew his arm. He growled, eying the many Banette as they swayed unnervingly.
"I told you, I've been preparing for this fight. A warrior such as yourself should know that a single mistake can be costly. Our base instincts betray us. The very shadows under our feet can turn on us. Isn't that funny? Something as simple as your own shadow—"
Absalom's eyes flickered toward an attack on his right and punched the attacking Banette. The impact felt real, but his senses betrayed him as a whirlwind of pink slashes rushed up his back, tearing through flesh and bone. The shadow vanished, and Babylas hovered above the flayed Annihilape with a cackling grin.
"—can scare you to death!"