“Jack? Is that you? Coming in on your left!” he heard Sephy call over subvocal comms about five minutes later, as another patrol of Destroyer cultists found out why ‘trying to bumrush a human’ was a terrible idea. They were getting much more fierce and fanatic in their attempts to kill him, so Jack assumed he was getting close to somewhere interesting.
“Overcharge!” Jack called out, obliterating both the cover and the last remaining cultists that were hiding behind it, before he spotted a purple hand that shot out of one of the passages on his left.
“That you, Sephy?” Jack called out, and immediately the Skritta relaxed and walked out, with Nika following a few moments later.
“I guess this means the others aren’t with you?” Nika asked, and Jack shook his head, realising that Alora, Chiyo and Dante hadn’t met up with Nika and Sephy either.
“They’ll be fine!” Sephy tried to reassure them both before Jack came closer to their light and she saw Jack’s injuries. “What the hell happened to you? And where did you get the cool shades?”
“Got jumped by two batshit crazy drow that weren’t like the other bastards shooting at us. I assume that means they were probably in charge?”
“Probably,” Nika confirmed. “Drow nobles tend to stand out from the pack and they’re in charge by default.”
“Makes sense, they gave the same vibe as Izadora,” Jack reasoned. “I take it you had your own share of trouble?”
“Yup!” Nika grinned. “Commlinks record everything so we’ll show each other when we get back!”
“Guys, listen!” Sephy interrupted, and both Jack and Nika instantly fell silent. The sounds and echoes of fighting had died down heavily, and there was mostly an uneasy silence, with the exception of the occasional unknown bang in the distance.
“Drow have probably lost this one, they probably didn’t think they’d need to descend into the Gloom Paths either,” Nika whispered. “Question is - how much of the cult is still around?”
“At least two commanders are confirmed to be out of action.” Sephy reasoned. “But that’s not what I was talking about. Do you hear the hum?”
Both Nika and Jack strained their ears, and sure enough, just faintly they could hear it. It almost sounded like…
“Electronics,” Jack concluded. “Like a server room or something.”
“We’re close.” Nika nodded, testing a spin of her gatling laser. “You ready?”
“My Plasma Rifle got knocked hard fighting the drow,” Jack noted. “But I’m more in my element with my axe and Dominator anyway. At least I didn’t drop it this time. What about the others? If there’s no sounds of fighting…”
“They know how to handle themselves, they’re probably sneaking around trying to get to us. Chiyo should have a relative bead on our auras so they’ll catch up when they can,” Sephy pointed out.
“But do we want to push on without them?” Jack whispered back.
Nika seemed to ponder that for a moment before nodding. “This is still time sensitive and we don’t want to give the cult the opportunity to regroup. It’s not ideal, but we’ve got to push on while we have the advantage.”
Jack nodded, doing his best to trust his friend's judgement. He didn’t like the idea of going in with a split party, but they had made it this far…
He stayed in front, ready for a fight. His new shades had proven better than a simple fashion accessory, giving him a type of darkvision that outlined the dimensions of the dark caverns and tunnels in a faint purple and highlighted any would-be ambusher that had tried to take him out, and Jack used these to great effect as he cleared a path, though the resistance they faced as they followed the source of the humming was token. On the walls of the caverns and tunnels there were many red lights that gave an eerie glow to their surroundings, which built up the closer they got. Encountering no more resistance over the next few minutes, the three friends stopped in what had to be the penultimate room. Though it wasn’t the clearest to Nika or even Sephy in the low red light, Jack could more easily spot the many grooves in the pristine stone floor, forming numerous complex glyphs and wards that almost encompassed the entirety of the room, with several blank spots dotted amidst the mosaic. At the far end of the chamber lay a raised platform with a lectern overlooking an altar, and from behind it the group could see a much brighter red glow coming from an exit at the other end of the room.
“Magic sigils are never a good thing, especially something of this size,” Nika growled over subvocal comms. “Plus no resistance. Feels like a trap.”
“We can probably go around the edge,” Jack reasoned. “There’s something like a thin path all the way around the perimeter we can sneak around. If there’s anyone still in the next room they know we’re coming, but if we stay quiet we might still have the element of surprise.”
“Jack…” Sephy replied like she had just realised something. “That spot you pointed out where you said you woke up? I put a virtual marker there and it’s directly above us!”
“This could be a ritual room?” Nika questioned. “Not that we’d be able to tell. Definitely Chiyo’s field of expertise.”
“We could always come back,” Jack pointed out. “But if not, can we at least get a good look at it with a camera?”
“I’ll take the rear and pick up as much of it as I can,” Sephy promised.
“Alright.” Jack nodded as he took point. “Let’s go and hope the others catch up soon!”
They moved in complete silence as they slowly and methodically moved around the room, not even talking over subvocal comms, keeping their senses wide alert for any dangers. But none came. As they edged ever closer, the electric hum began to drown out everything else, and Jack was hyper-focused as he finally got to the stairs leading up to the ominous next room, glancing at the simple stone lectern and not spotting any obvious notes or papers.
“Ready?” Jack asked the two girls, and both nodded confidently. “Alright. 3….2….1…Go!”
The chamber they entered was large and lavishly furnished, which struck Jack at first glance as looking like an extensive library, with many corridors of shelves containing dusty tomes and unusual-looking objects. Quickly taking full cover and assessing the situation, all three noticed the thick, ugly metal cables snaking along the ground that were the primary source of the red glow, which got much brighter further up ahead in what looked to Jack like the centre of the room, judging by what he could see of the ceiling.
“Close quarters, be careful and keep something close range handy,” Nika warned over subvocal comms.
“Get behind me if it gets really bad,” Jack added.
“Yeeeeeah, I think we should stick together,” Sephy agreed. “If we split we could get picked off.”
“Alright,” Jack confirmed. “Stay frosty.”
Neither Nika nor Sephy knew what Jack meant by that expression but they kept it to themselves as they pushed forward down the long row of bookshelves, checking behind them and through the shelf spaces for any hostiles, but there were none that they could see, and in a way that made things feel worse…
Jack stopped suddenly, and silently pointed ahead as they turned a corner. The central part of the room looked like a hacker’s paradise: a veritable battlestation of criss-crossing wires, numerous monitors displaying anything from streams of data to various news reports and wicked-looking devices connected to the side. Jack quickly noted one that included a seat with restraints.
Yet there was no missing the sole figure standing with their back to them, watching the various video feeds. Hooded in a black robe and carrying a black staff, they paid no attention as the three friends got closer, guns drawn and ready to engage.
“Welcome, Outsider,” the figure spoke. It was feminine, quiet and assured with an air of confidence. The three tensed up and prepared to open fire, though something about the voice seemed almost familiar to Jack…
“Turn around and drop the staff!” he ordered, trying to keep his voice steady and level.
The figure raised their arms high in surrender and slowly turned on the spot, completely relaxed and taking their time. They did not drop their staff, however…
“Drop the staff!” Jack ordered again, as Nika took an involuntary gasp on seeing the exposed red skin on the figure’s hands.
“Devil’s Daughter!” Sephy whispered. “Has to be!”
The figure still refused to comply with his demand, though made no hostile moves. Slowly and carefully with her offhand, she delicately pinched the fabric of her hood, slowly drawing it back and letting go, just enough for the hood to fall back.
Jack almost opened fire right away.
It took all of his willpower and discipline not to. He knew there was no way this wouldn’t end in a fight, but they needed answers. Still, the familiar face filled him with hate. Though her scars and bodily mutilation had been replaced by evil, wicked-looking cybernetics, there was no mistaking the Stygian woman who had been tormenting him in his dreams.
“Welcome back.” The woman smiled, still keeping both her arms in the air. “The Destroyer never lies. We knew you would return here, Outsider. Your destiny demands it.”
“Then you know why we’re here,” Jack snarled. “I want answers!”
The woman just cackled in answer. “You will answer his questions!” Nika ordered as she spun up her gatling laser.
“The One Who Hates.” The woman grinned a dark smile, refusing to elaborate.
“Who the hell’s that?” Jack asked. “The hacker controlling Dubakuu? Are they controlling you too?”
The woman kept her smile as she seemed to be examining Jack from head to toe, sizing him up. “Yes….yes yes yes…” she whispered to herself. “His prophecy is coming true!”
“Hey! Crazy bitch! Answers! Now!” Sephy interrupted.
The woman’s smile faded somewhat, as her eyes lazily looked to a newcomer.
“The End has come,” a voice whispered from the side, as a hooded figure slid out from behind a bookcase to their right, wearing a mask of simple, white pottery with the symbol of the burning skull, their twin sawtooth blades reflecting the crimson glow.
“Shit,” Nika growled. “Those knives…it’s the Skinsaw Slasher! Has to be!”
“The Avatar has arrived!” another voice whispered from the other side, as another robed figure stepped out, with the same blades and mask as the first.
“There were two Skinsaw Slashers?” Sephy tensely questioned, as both girls moved closer to Jack and covered the flanks.
“No,” Jack replied in a grave tone, as more figures emerged, all with the same robes, masks and blades.
“Such strength and power, a true force of destruction!” another of the slashers added.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“A perfect vessel of entropy!” a deep growl resonated from the small gathering.
“The time of the Destroyer begins...” another whispered from behind them, as the woman simply looked at them.
“When I give the signal, run back the way we came. We can bottleneck them in the corridor,” Jack muttered just enough for their subvocal comms to pick it up, both Sephy and Nika quickly acknowledging.
“The One Who Hates desires your death, Outsider,” the woman purred. “But I answer to The Destroyer, and I will answer to His Champion.”
Jack, Nika and Sephy stepped back in shock as the Skinsaw Slashers took to their knees and bowed to Jack.
“Your arrival has been long foretold.” The woman raised her voice to address the room. “One worthy enough to be the first Hero of the Destroyer! You arrived in our midst! Delivered to us by the Destroyer! The One Who Hates wants you dead? Accept The Destroyer’s power and wipe them out first!”
The electronics behind the woman flashed a darker shade of red in response, but only Jack spotted out of the corner of his eye one of the Slashers twitch slightly.
“Get ready to move,” Jack whispered to the other two.
“You will be the first, and you will be the last!” the woman yelled, licking her lips. “The Harbinger of the Apocalypse! Our time has-”
Suddenly, right in front of them, the air shimmered as a circle of hellfire burned into the ground. The Slashers reacted in a mixture of confusion, anger and joy, thinking this to be a sign of the Destroyer.
But not the woman in front of them. She sneered at the interruption as four forms appeared as the smoke cleared. Chiyo, Dante and what could only be a transformed Alora were clearly ready for a fight, but Jack’s focus was entirely on the other Stygian woman in front of him.
The real Devil’s Daughter wasted no time and struck out at the imposter with a magical ray of hellfire, who cast a shield to block it.
Then all hell broke loose.
“CONSCIOUSNESS OVERRIDE COMPLETE, ASSUMING MANUAL AVATAR CONTROL!” the Slashers all screeched in unison as they jerked upright and rushed forward. “SECONDARY THREATS DETECTED! TERTIARY SYSTEM COMPROMISED!”
“Come on then!” Nika yelled in a challenge as the Slashers rushed forward with blades out, charging directly towards Jack and Devil’s Daughter.
Devil’s Daughter wordlessly blinked forwards to engage who Jack now assumed was ‘The Prophet’, the two women slinging magic at one another as their fight took them further away from the others. Dante barked furiously as the group felt the air around them turn static, noticing that their movements quickened as they immediately opened fire into the slashers while moving back, trying to keep their distance from the close-range weapons.
“Get behind me!” Jack called to the others as the Slashers shook off shots that would have easily killed anyone else, dashing into melee range. “Aegis!” His shield burst out and he used it to batter the slashers back, desperately getting whatever shots off he could, before yelping in pain as he received a brutal cut from the sawblade sword of one of the slashers, who had dodged his counterattack and lunged past his defence.
“Fall back!” Nika yelled to the others, as a blast of her shotgun finally took one down. She allowed Chiyo to lean on her as the ilithii desperately tried to keep the bulk away from them with her abilities, but she was quickly faltering.
Alora yelled out a word of power as she quickly lashed out with a lance of holy power, splitting from the group as she charged forward and skewered one of the slashers with a spear of light. “YOU WILL NEVER KILL ANYONE AGAIN!” she yelled with righteous fury, as she flew back to avoid a nasty slash from a taller slasher that nicked her ankle.
“Get away from them!” Jack yelled in panic, taking some nasty cuts to the back as he turned to batter a duo of slashers that were rushing at Nika, Sephy and Chiyo as they moved back to the corridor of shelves to avoid getting swarmed, catching one with his now-drawn axe, easily forcing the unforgiving blade through the flimsy block and burying it deep into the slashers shoulder, leaving their arm uselessly hanging at their side.
The slasher didn’t even flinch.
The counterattack from the slasher's other sawtooth sword scraped Jack’s shield as he quickly brought it round to try and defend himself, moving in an arc to further block any additional attackers on his flanks.
Jack knew he couldn’t keep playing defensive for much longer. It was too slow!
He gave a quick glance to Alora, who was busy tearing through slashers, and knew she had the right idea.
And that was the problem in his mind, wasn’t it? He didn’t trust the others to be able to hold their own without him.
“Nika? Can you guys manage without me?” Jack called back as he tried to finish off the slasher he’d crippled.
“We’ve got this, Jack!” Nika called out as she expertly extended her bo staff, fending off three of the slashers at once at the opening to the corridor, allowing Chiyo to take a breather and lash out with her power.
“Yeah! Go crazy!” Sephy yelled out from somewhere. “Help Alora and Dante!”
*****
“CREATURE ANALYSIS COMPLETE! OUTSIDER STATUS CONFIRMED!” the slasher growled as Dante dashed forward to evade the attack, yipping in pain as the tip of a blade caught their flank, before a jolt of electricity jumped along the blade and stunned the slasher in return, who fell to the ground with a thud before stirring once again. Dante did not hesitate, clamping his powerful jaws around the exposed throat of the slasher, quickly ripping it out before looking around.
Dante’s family were really nice, even the grumpy blue one! They gave Dante his name, and they gave him food, drink, a den and lots of fuss! They did good things and stopped bad people that wanted to hurt them! That was why the Shining Lady sent him to help them! He loved his new family, and would do anything to keep them safe from the bad people!
He saw Mistress Alora back in her strange new form fighting bad people, and more were coming to try and hurt her! Dante barked loudly as he channelled his divine magic, blasting the bad people with chain lightning that forked through a bunch of them, but not killing any! How?! They were badly hurt though, and he could see Master Jack running right at them! Dante knew Master Jack had this, so he quickly went to look for the others.
He was a good boy.
*****
Sephy was at a disadvantage. She knew how to strike from the shadows with her knives, but against people who knew how to do that themselves she wasn’t going to risk it, especially with these numbers.
What to do?
Oh!
“Don’t die, you two! I’m going high!” Sephy grinned as Nika flicked out her bo staff and covered the entrance while Chiyo assisted at range, igniting her psiblade for quick use. Sephy quickly used her wings to help propel her up the bookcase until she was able to squat precariously on the top. Taking aim with her pulse rifle, she tried to see what damage she could do!
Seeing the bright bolt of blue, Sephy knew Dante was holding up alright. Alora was still tearing through slashers as best she could, who were trying their best to coordinate their efforts into bringing the Eladrie down. Sephy could see that Alora had taken several hits but didn’t seem to show any pain as she continued to strike out while Jack made his way to her.
“Still, might as well thin the numbers!” Sephy grinned to herself as she took aim at an exposed slasher, and took its head off completely!
Huh?
How were they still moving? They continued moving carefully forward despite lacking sight, and it was only when Sephy put another burst into their legs did they stop being an immediate threat. She looked up further ahead, and saw that Devil’s Daughter was still engaged in a battle with The Prophet, with a few dead slashers nearby. She spotted a live one sneaking about to try and get the drop on Devil’s Daughter, but a quick burst from Sephy sorted that out! Her burst caught the slasher’s centre of mass, and this time it seemed to do a lot better, dropping the bad guy before he knew what hit them!
Devil’s Daughter quickly glanced towards Sephy and gave a quick wink and a nod.
Well…in Sephy’s mind she did! It was a lot better than the reflexive assessment of the potential threat that was the reality!
“Chiyo!” Sephy called down. “Why are they shrugging off hits? I just took one’s head off and it kept going!”
Their minds and personalities have been overridden by another consciousness! Chiyo warned There’s barely anything left of the original person!
Chiyo steeled herself as more of the Slashers emerged from the other end of the corridor of bookcases before charging. Chiyo quickly used her telekinetic power to throw books at the Slashers to try and slow them, though she was loathe to damage them. She wanted to read them later!
She called upon her power, sending a bolt of telepathic force down range, and completely ruptured the first slasher it hit, obliterating them as the lance continued, knocking the next slasher down in much the same way.
But two of them were able to dodge, and Chiyo didn’t have the power to do that same attack twice in succession. She floated up and raised her psyblade, trying to remember all the lessons Nika had taught her.
How would Jack do this? He’d just go crazy…
Wait…that gave Chiyo a crazy idea!
Quickly drawing as much of her power as she could Chiyo tipped the nearest bookcase over, which fell on top of the two slashers, scattering books and debris all over the place. Mentally wincing at all the dust and rubble covering the already flimsy-looking tomes, Chiyo quickly floated towards the downed slashers, finishing them off with her psyblade, though taking a very painful gash in her leg from where she couldn’t move away in time. Stumbling back she leaned against one of the bookcases, no longer bothering to float since she needed to refresh as much of her power as she could, and the cut had dug deep!
Nika growled as she swung her bo staff around in wide arcs, making sure to change the pattern of her swings in order to keep the enemy guessing. She had taken several hits already, but she had managed to hold her own, using the powerful strikes of her staff to keep the slashers at bay and break their bones with devastating counterstrikes, the kinetic force strike modules she implanted into her weapon intensifying the power of her impacts.
“Come on!” She grinned. She was in her element as she spun and swept at an exposed leg, relishing in the sound of shattered bone, her momentum unhindered. “Who wants some?”
Behind her bravado, she just wanted to keep the heat off her friends. Jack could definitely hold his own, and Alora and Dante apparently could too, but she knew that Sephy and Chiyo didn’t have the advantage here in close range, so until the numbers of the slashers were thinned she wanted to hold the line to cover the others while they did their thing.
Besides, it wasn’t like she was lacking in assholes to take down!
She swung her staff in quick loops, keeping the slashers back while she considered who to strike next!
A burst of plasma fire smacked into one of them, and Nika didn’t hesitate to take advantage, the tip of her staff smashing the white mask and taking part of the slasher’s face with it. Another slasher was picked up off their feet with telekinetic power, and with a wicked grin Nika slammed her staff into their chest with a sickening crunch. Dante quickly dipped in and bit hard on the ankle of another slasher, filling them with deadly electricity, and Nika wasted no time in following through with a lethal swipe.
And with that, Nika’s opponents were down.
“Thanks for the assists,” she called out with a cocky smile. “But those were all my kills!”
The slashers are focusing on Jack and Devil’s Daughter! Both they and Alora need help!
“Devil’s Daughter’s come for Jack, so let the slashers go for her,” Nika replied grimly. “Sephy, when we eliminate all other hostiles, I want you to have her in your crosshairs. I’m pushing up, you and Chiyo stay here and cover us!”
“Alright,” Sephy replied unhappily. She was a fan of Devil’s Daughter’s antics, but she would not let her harm Jack!
*****
Alora grunted in pain as she vaguely felt another cut wrack her celestial form before she raised her hand and blasted the slasher with radiant fire until they dropped to the ground. Her celestial form wouldn’t be able to take much more, but she was determined to stay in the fight for as long as it took, and deal with the residual pain after!
“TERTIARY THREAT LEVEL INCREASED!” the prone slasher growled as they slowly expired, as Alora stabbed them in the throat to shut them up.
She flew up into the air with her summoned wings, spotting another slasher charging towards where Jack was rampaging and dove down, pinning them to the ground with her shining spear, then yanking it back out to stab down again. Jack rushed past her yelling like a maniac, bleeding from many cuts all over his body as he chopped, shot and stomped any Slasher that rushed in to desperately try to kill him. Alora quickly came to his aid, flying high and shooting what spells she had left at the few remaining slashers as Nika rushed in to back Jack up. They headed towards Devil’s Daughter and The Prophet, who were still slinging spells at one another, trying to rip through the other’s defences. While Devil’s Daughter was powerful, she also had to fend off the attacks of the slashers, and was clearly badly wounded from their attacks.
The Prophet held on as she saw Jack approach, and gave him a mad smile.
“Accept his blessing, human!” she growled as she fought to maintain her shield. “Become the Hero of The Destroyer and bring about the end!”
“Overcharge!”
Jack’s blast smashed into The Prophet’s shield and shattered her remaining protections. The last look she gave him as Devil’s Daughter’s spell melted what remained of her natural body was one of utterly confused shock and horror at being completely wrong.
Devil’s Daughter gave a visible deep breath and began to turn around before she noticed Nika and Jack levelling their guns straight at her.
“I’ve moved position and got eyes on her,” Sephy called in. “Chiyo and Alora look badly hurt and Dante’s limping towards you.”
“Shit,” Jack muttered under his breath before focusing his attention on Devil’s Daughter.
The warlock stared at him in silence, not moving as the others approached, stopping behind Jack.
Except for Dante.
The ‘dog’ casually limped past them towards Devil’s Daughter with a wagging tale, heedless of Jack’s quiet order to stay put, before standing in the middle of them, looking at both of them and giving a single bark.
Jack felt his rage calm on seeing the dog’s behaviour, as Devil’s Daughter gazed down at Dante too, before visibly relaxing and looking back up to the group with a warm smile.
“Greetings, friends,” she finally spoke. “And be at peace, all of you. I am not your enemy.”