Scene opens to Sam walking through Maxus' purgatory, though it appears to be greener with thicker trees. He is holding his side and sweat has lined his brow. He looks around confused noticing that the woods around him seem different. A faint conversation is heard in the distance. Sam pauses and crouches behind a tree. He peers around it to see two men speaking in heated tones but their conversation is too hard to make out.
Sam inches nearer and a closer look is shown at the two men. They seem out of place with older clothes that are centuries out of style. One is wearing a loose white shirt and dark brown britches. He has dark, longer hair and a beard and gray eyes. The other, Sam quickly realizes, is Maxus, in the same style of clothing and his hair is longer too. Sam darts behind a tree, now nervous at seeing Maxus there. After a moment he turns his head around again to watch the two men.
Maxus suddenly grabs the other man's throat. He grasps at Maxus, but his face quickly turns to an ashy gray color and he abruptly bursts into flames. Maxus stands, watching the body burn with glee. The fire dies quickly, and Maxus wipes his hands on his shirt, grinning. He then turns in Sam's direction walking towards him. Out of Instinct, Sam reaches for the knife at his side, but Maxus disappears before coming too close to him.
Pausing for a moment, Sam remains behind the tree. He then rushes over to where the other man was killed and sees just a pile of smoldering ash.
*Cut to Intro*
Text on Screen *Five Hours Earlier*
Dean is crouched over a screaming Sam. Sam is holding his wound, drenched in sweat and writhing on the ground.
"Sam!" Dean said gruffly. "Just breathe okay. It's going to be fine."
Castiel and Mallory appear behind them. Dean turns to glares at Mallory.
"What the Hell happened?!"
She bends down next to Sam, still holding the blade. Dean notices it in her hand, looking confused.
She places two fingers on Sam's forehead. His pain subsides and he stops screaming, now just breathing heavily.
"I'm sorry Sam." Mallory said quietly. Her eyes were filled with tears. She showed him the blade. "I was wrong. I killed Atticus thinking that would fix this."
"... What do we do?" Sam asked.
"I need to kill Azarias in order to free you. That's what Maxus told me anyways. I don't know what to believe anymore."
"He's been playing games with you this whole time," Dean said. "We can't trust him!"
"I never said we could!" Mallory countered angrily. "We don't know anything about how the blade works. Like it or not, Maxus holds the key to everything. We have to get as close to him as we can if we want to get Sam out of here."
"What did he say to you when you went to meet him?" Castiel asked.
"... He told me that I had to kill the one who had created the knife, so I killed Atticus. But if Maxus is telling the truth, I'm supposed to kill Azarias."
"Why would he lie to you?"
Mallory looked down at the blade in disappointment. "He wanted me to use the blade on someone. To want to use it again..."
"It's like the first blade- it deals with bloodlust" Dean said, knowing all too well. He looked at Mallory uneasily. "I remember you saying something like that."
Mallory nodded. "It was a good tactic for Maxus to use. If I was a human, the blade would no longer affect me and he could save Sam..."
"We're not doing that." Sam said forcefully. "I don't care what happens to me, you're not giving that son of a bitch your powers."
Mallory smiled tenderly at him.
"Then how do we destroy the blade?" Dean asked.
"I don't know," Mallory said, turning her attention to the eldest Winchester brother. "What I've told you is all that I know about the blade..."
Castiel furrowed his brow. "What do we do now?"
"First things first, we need to make sure Sam doesn't die in here." Dean said, taking command. "I'll stay here. Watch after him. You and Cas can try and find out what you can."
"Dean, you shouldn't stay in here for an extended period of time," Mallory cautioned. "Who knows what the physical and emotional toll it could take on you. We should take turns."
"Look, it's most important for you to find out more about the blade. You can't afford to stay here and babysit"
"Dean's right," Castiel said. "You're the only one powerful enough to take on Maxus. Dean and I will take turns watching over Sam."
Mallory mulled it over for a moment. "Fine. You okay with this Sam?"
Sam chuckled. "I don't really have a choice in the matter."
(Scene Change) Scene opens to a wide shot of a dirt road. It's pouring rain, and in the distance, a lights shine from a building. A carriage comes into the screen, making its way towards the lit building. Text appears *Outside of Paris, France 1794*
The carriage pulls in front of the building, it appears to be a well managed inn. A woman steps out of a carriage and enters the inn. Once inside, she removes her hooded cape, showing that it's Mallory. She is wearing a modest dress fit to the style of the times. Her hair is pulled up and curled. She sits at a table.
At a nearby table, two men are sitting and talking in hushed tones. Mallory eyes them, focusing in on their conversation.
One man is older, with graying hair, but still of a strong build. He speaks to the younger, blond-haired man in German.
"When did you last speak to him?"
"Not two days ago. Before that, it was right after the Queen's execution. He's growing nervous. With the increase of the use of the guillotine and terror ruling the streets, he feels that he is losing his influence. The people are afraid more than ever." The younger man replied.
The older gentleman smiled greedily. "Foolish man. He doesn't realize that he signed his own death warrant when he helped bring upon the king's death."
"Perhaps not, but when he does realize, it will be too late. He wanted to much and will now pay for it."
They pause when a woman approaches them with more beer.
"Merci Beaucoup," The older man responds with a perfect French accent. The woman nods and departs. They return to their conversation in German.
"This country is in absolute shambles. Nothing can stop their descent into utter madness now." The younger man grinned. He swigged down his drink and wiped his lip.
Mallory watched them silently, then scanned her eyes over the rest of the people in the inn. There were only half a dozen others in the room apart from the inn owner and his staff. One man caught her eye and she lingered on him for a moment. He stood at the fireplace only a few feet away from the two German men, gazing into the lively flames. His tall body stood rigid and his head was slightly cocked to the side. Mallory smiled to herself because she knew that he too was listening to their conversation. The man at the fireplace looked up at her. He was dressed in a loose white shirt and thick coat with dark brown britches. His dark hair was longer, matching the beard that sat comfortably on his face. He regarded her with steely gray eyes. Mallory broke eye contact, realizing that the two German men had finished their conversation and were getting up from the table.
They made their way to the door then stepped out into the rain. Mallory casually got up from the table and followed them. The man at the fireplace left his place, heading towards the door as well.
Mallory rounded the corner of the inn, watching the men get into a carriage that carried them down the road. She stood against the inn to stay out of the rain. There were a couple of stable boys near her, shivering in the night, but Mallory stood unaffected without her cape.
"Il est une mauvaise nuit pour être sans cette (It is a poor night to be without this)," A voice said. She turned to see the man from the fireplace holding her cape out to her.
"Il est seulement pour les apparences. Je suppose que pourquoi vous portez votre manteau épais . On n'a pas vraiment besoin (It is only for appearances. I assume that is why you wear your thick coat. You do not really need it.)." She smirked at him.
The man gave her a cheeky smile, handing her the cape. Mallory took it from him, placing it back on her shoulders.
"Puis-je vous marcher à l'intérieur? (May I walk you back inside?)" He offered his arm and Mallory accepted it. They slowly made their way away from the stable boys.
"Vous n'êtes pas français , mais votre accent est remarquable (You are not French, but your accent is remarkable)," He commented. Instead of taking them back inside, he lead them to the other side of the building.
"je sais beaucoup de langues parce que mon travail (I know a lot of languages because of my work)" Mallory said. She fiddled with a knife that was concealed in the folds of her dress.
"And what is your line of work?" The man asked, now in English, but with a crisp French accent.
"I'm sure you are familiar with it."
The man pushed her up against the wall, a threatening look in his eye. Mallory remained calm.
"You are a hunter?" He asked. Mallory replied with just a smile. The man frowned and placed a hand on her neck.
"I don't have time for your interference," he hissed. His hand glowed a fiery red and he squeezed her neck. Mallory still remained calm and the man was surprised that he had no effect on her. She whipped out the knife and slashed at his wrist.
The man recoiled, the wound making a hissing sound.
"What are you?" He demanded.
"I could ask you the same thing."
(Scene Change) Cas and Mallory are back at the bunker. They are pulling out all kinds of random texts and books that the men of letters have. Mallory is standing over the table flipping through a book. Cas walks up behind her holding more.
"This is everything you found on ancient curses and weapons?" she asked.
"This is everything that the men of letters have collected over time. The creation of these blades is so intimate to Lucifer that there's a strong possibility that we will find nothing." Cas said bluntly.
"... That's what I'm afraid of...." Mallory looked up from the book. "I wonder what information we could find from Lucifer's crypts? He created a bunch so there's gotta be something in regards to the blade."
"That would be a good assumption but only a few ever knew of the crypts whereabouts and they're all dead. Meg never told Crowley the exact locations of all of them. Even his knowledge is limited"
Mallory frowned. "Crowley... That's another douche bag that we have to keep track of."
"Have you ever met him?"
"Unfortunately I haven't, but I heard he's a real riot," Mallory laughed.
"If you're referring to the amount of chaos he has ensued, then yes I suppose he is."
Mallory rolled her eyes at Castiel's inability to understand the phrase.
"I'm guessing you guys have had a few run ins with him?"
"More than I'd care to admit. Though to be fair he has had his uses in the past. We currently have an... Understanding with him."
"What do you mean?"
"He played a part in Dean being freed from the Mark of Cain. These days he stays out of our business and we tend to stay out of his."
"Huh... Never thought there'd be some sort of alliance between demons and Hunters... Do you think we should warn him about Maxus? He's gunning for Crowley's throne after all..."
"That depends. Is Crowley the lesser of two evils?"
(Scene Change) Sam and Dean back in purgatory. They are sitting on the ground. Dean is carving something out of a stick with his knife.
"You know, when I first started to suspect that something was off with Mallory, I never would have guessed this. I mean yeah maybe she was sort of monster or cursed or something..."
"You weren't expecting her to be both?" Sam said.
"...This is some heavy crap."
"Yeah... What do you think will happen if Mallory can't find a way to get me out of here? Do you really think she'll opt for a showdown with Maxus?"
" It might come to that... Either she'll fight him or give up her power to save you."
"Do you really think she'd do that though? Give all that up just to save one person?"
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"... She killed Atticus without hesitation because she thought it would save you. Now she has to deal with the bloodlust of the blade because of that. I think she'd be more than willing to give up her power for you."
"But if she does that, our chances of killing Maxus are pretty slim. Dean, getting Lucifer into the cage and killing Abbadon was hard enough, but Maxus and Mallory are supposed to be them on steroids! Without Mallory in our corner this might be a fight we don't come back from. I can't have Mallory risking herself for me."
Dean looked down at the stick he was whittling. He didn't respond to Sam.
"What is it?"
Dean looked up at him then gazed off into the trees. "Honestly, I think our biggest problem right now is whether or not Mallory can control herself with the blade... If killing Azarias is the way to save you then we have to keep it. I've been there. I've felt what it's like to crave killing something. Anything. It doesn't have to be Mallory who kills Azarias but how much damage do you think she could cause before we get to him?"
They sat in silence both looking worried.
(Scene Change) Mallory and the man are standing out in the rain. She is wielding her knife, keeping him at a distance.
"An aversion to iron.. good to know but it hardly narrows down what you are." she said.
"How did you find me?" the man asked. Though he was at knifepoint, he stood composed and placid.
"Truth be told, I had spent the afternoon taking care of some werewolves. I didn't come to the inn thinking I would encounter anything else... But then I saw you... And I knew something wasn't right. You give off an usually powerful amount of heat. I've never experienced anything like it," She delicately stepped closer to him, pushing him out further into the rain. "I followed the Germans out because I knew you were listening to their conversation as well. I figured I would lure you out here and you'd be the dashing gentleman that you were. French men will always go out of their way to prove that they are quite the charmers."
"That was smart," he admitted.
"My only question now is why you were so concerned about the two men."
"I'm perfectly fine with telling you as long as you don't try to kill me."
Mallory laughed. "You don't want to just fight it out now?"
"I know when to stay away from a fight. My powers had no effect on you, so you apparently are not a human either. Why do you place yourself above me? Forgive my saying this, but you too are a monster."
Mallory lowered her knife slightly.
He continued. "I've never killed anyone. I've spent my life trying to stay away from monsters and hunters alike. I shouldn't be killed just because I am different."
"You tried to kill me... But to be fair, I was planning on killing you so I can see why you would feel threatened."
The man laughed. It was a warm and inviting laugh. "Please. If you put the knife away, I'll tell you everything you need to know. In fact you could probably help me."
"Tell me what you are first." She demanded.
"... I'm the Phoenix."
Mallory looked shocked and put the knife away. "The phoenix?" She scoffed, looking impressed. "I thought that was just a legend- The monster that all other monsters despise."
"I'm not very good at making friends," He said light heartedly.
"Monsters rarely make good friends. What is your name?"
"Matthias."
"I'm Mallory."
Matthias smiled. "A pleasure. Now if I may, what are you?"
"I'm afraid my answer is a bit more complicated..."
(Scene Change) Mallory and Matthias sit at a table in front of the roaring fire. There is no one left sitting at the tables or standing behind the bar, indicating that they have been there for a long time.
"... You are a child of Lucifer. Is that what you call yourself?" Matthias asked.
"I prefer a Child of Purgatory. I'd rather think of being in that awful place than be compared to the devil."
"I can understand why. What happened to you brother, Maxus? Does he not hunt with you?"
Mallory was quiet for a moment, as if it was a hard subject for her. "No, we went our separate ways centuries ago."
"But he rescued you from Hell."
"It didn't take me long to realize that he had become cruel. He wasn't the same man that I had grown up with in Purgatory. There, he did everything he could to protect me. When he rescued me from Hell, I felt as if I was supposed to succumb to his anger and bitterness at the world and our family. He wanted them to pay for abandoning and manipulating us. He didn't think Lilith was fit to rule Hell after capturing me. He even spoke of wanting it for himself."
"And you don't know where he is now."
"No, but I want to believe that there is still some good in him."
Matthias smiled at her. "Not everyone has your ability to see the good in the bad."
"You do." She stated. "It is obvious that you care for your country in a way that most humans never could but you don't owe humanity anything.."
"Nor do you, and yet you hunt monsters to protect them."
"Then we are not living up to our greatest potential," Mallory said with a sad smile. "Tell me, why was the Germans' conversation important to you? They were talking about the turmoil that France is currently in, but why?"
Matthias' eyes shone with excitement. Out of his coat, he pulled out a small notebook. "I have lived in France longer than I have anywhere else. I've been here for almost seven centuries, but only recently have I been tracking down the tyrants trying to destroy what I would consider my homeland." He opened the notebook, showing an extensive family tree written in beautiful calligraphy.
"What tyrants? I thought France's conflicts was between the rich and the poor. Do the poor not consider the rich and powerful to be the tyrants, or does it go deeper than that?"
"It always goes deeper than that." He pushed the notebook towards her. "Do you know anything about the Frankenstein family?"
(Scene Change) Castiel stands alone at a table in the bunker, overlooking sacks of books. He looks around not seeing Mallory. He walks away from the table, looking for her. Mallory is sitting atop of a staircase. She has the blade in her hands, and she is looking over it with a furrowed brow. Cas appears behind her. She isn't surprised that he is there, and she continues to hold the blade.
"The books won't help," Mallory stated.
Cas looked down at her, eyeing the blade with worry. "Should I reach out to Crowley? Perhaps he did pick up some information from the crypts and just didn't know what the context was. He could be of some use to us."
"That is probably our best bet."
Mallory stood and slid the knife into her jacket. She noticed Cas looking at her weird. "Cas, I'm fine."
"We're not sure what effects the blade will have on you," he said in a matter of fact tone. "Apart from a looming bloodlust, we're not sure what to expect. Especially with your powers. The results could be catastrophic."
"I am not a being susceptible to corruption like a human or demon. Nor am I a slave to orders like an angel," She replied with a harshness that would have offended anyone else. Cas remained stoned face. She sighed, leaning against the railing, rubbing the mark on her neck. "I'm sorry. I just... don't get involved for a reason. I'm tired of seeing people get hurt."
Cas stood there awkwardly. "That is one of the vices of immortality."
Mallory laughed bitterly.
"... That mark on your neck. What is it?"
"A reminder. We each received one after we were born. It's Lucifer's mark, his own special GPS, so we could never truly conceal ourselves from him and only he can remove it. I told Dean that my dreams were caused from a witch's curse, but they're really just an effect from the mark. Maxus has the dreams too."
"Lucifer really did take the necessary precautions with you and your siblings."
"He was thorough, I'll give him that.... Could you contact Crowley?" She asked, wanting to change the subject. "We should pay him a visit."
"Let me see what I can do."
(Scene Change) Back to Mallory and Matthias.
"A family that has controlled major events in Europe's history for the last several centuries?" Mallory asked incredulously.
"Yes! They have capitalized on chaos and fear for years. Whispering lies into the ears of politicians and royalty, starting wars, causing uproars. They have more power than most kings, ruling countries, unseen from everyone else."
"But why?"
Matthias shrugged. "Some humans will do almost anything to feel that they have control over their world. Regardless of how cruel it is."
"But they have been made themselves into monsters by killing people and enhancing their abilities. They are hardly human anymore."
"True, but they still have the carnal desires of humans: greed, power, a lust for more that what they currently have."
"... Not just humans struggle with such things... How did you discover them?"
"My initial knowledge of the family came during The Great Plague. I caught word of a German family that was unaffected by the sickness. I found that they were human, but there was still something unnatural about them. I didn't think too much of it. Those who knew magic used it as a way to keep death from their doorstep during that time."
He continued "But when political strife started to rise in France, I recognized familiar names and faces."
"They resurfaced." Mallory interjected and Matthias nodded.
"Who do you think riled up the poor? Or convinced them to kill the king and queen? It's more than the French Revolutionaries wanting a change. They're merely puppets in the hands of the Frankensteins. This country is nearly at the mercy of neighboring lands and yet they're still too preoccupied with killing each other to truly notice. The Frankensteins have their influence in all of it."
"Then what do you plan to do? Their position in society seems too vast and powerful to really make much of a difference."
Matthias looked defeated. "I don't know. Because they use figureheads to do their bidding, I've only been able to find one one man that I know for sure has fallen to the family- Robespierre."
Mallory raised her eyebrows in surprise. "He's one of the most influential politicians involved in the revolution."
"And even he is being manipulated. If I find Robespierre, I could find the whereabouts of the Frankensteins. He travelled into Paris today."
Matthias' eyes held such a fiery passion to them, even with Mallory's doubts, she had to help. "Then tomorrow we will go to Paris."
(Scene Change) Dean and Sam in purgatory. Close up on Dean who's face is splattered with blood. He looks angry. Camera pans out to show a couple of dead monsters at his feet. He turns and goes over to Sam who is leaning against a tree.
"Come on Sammy," he says, putting one of Sam's arms around his shoulders. They stopped when they saw a man leaning against a tree in front of them.
"Well you certainly know how to make a mess," he sneered at them. He was tall and lanky with greasy hair. "You know, before you guys came along, the suckers in here just kept to themselves. Why bother killing each other when you just pop up again... and again... and again? It all just gets so boring."
"What the hell do you want?" Dean asked him. The man flashed his eyes black and smiled.
"I just wanted to see the famed Winchesters."
Sam looked at the demon in confusion. "Why would a demon be here? Wouldn't you just poof back to Hell?"
The demon made a face. "Everything that Maxus kills makes it's way here, regardless of where it came from- monsters, angels, demons. Doesn't matter."
"Why'd he gank you?"
"Oh, he didn't. No, some hunter did."
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"That's the thing with Maxus, he's put a lot of thought into this. Think about it, if you were raising an army of demons against Crowley, you wouldn't want them to return to Hell if they were killed. You want them to be safe. Crowley can still get to them there. Here he can't. I'll eventually be out again, but I'll still be out of his grasp."
Dean looked angry. "So you're one of Maxus' minions?" Dean pushed Sam's arm off of him and sauntered towards the demon. "What do you know about the blade then?" He said, inching closer to him.
"What blade?" He seemed genuinely lost.
Dean shoved the demon against the tree. "Don't play stupid."
"Look, I support Maxus. He seems like he's got everything figured out, doesn't mean I actually know everything."
Pulling out a knife he held it against the demon. "Are you sure?"
The demon laughed. "Go for it. I'll still be here."
Dean sunk the knife into the demon. The blade crackled and the body fell to the ground.
"Welp, that wasn't very helpful," he said, putting away the knife.
"Actually, he may have just given us some good information without realizing it," Sam said, smiling.
"How so?"
"Think about it... Atticus was probably sucked in here after Mallory killed him. He knew about the blade. He's probably our best shot right now."
"True, but who knows how long that will take? We don't have that kind of time and you can hardly fight."
"We need to try. What else are we going to do?"
"Well for one, you could actually take a freakin' break!"
"Dean, my wound's gonna be here, regardless of what I do. Come on, we can take down some black eyes, see if they know where Atticus is."
Dean groaned and put Sam's arm around him again.
"You know, I think it just might go faster if you just carry me," he said with a smirk.
"Do you want me to leave you here? Cuz at this point, I'm perfectly fine with that."