The cold air of early dawn sent a shiver through Nathan. He stood amongst his friends and enemies as they waited for the arrival of a dangerous monster. The scarecrow kept watch on them from a distance, and no doubt he'd snap into action if Nathan and the rest made the wrong move.

And Watcher wasn't alone. By his side was a human who was strangely dressed in loose clothes. Her hair was tied in a long ponytail, and her expression matched Watcher's hardened look. A sword in her off-hand, a katana to be exact. This mysterious samurai looked relaxed, but Nathan knew not to underestimate those that followed the orders of the Bloody Tyrant.

They all gathered on an empty field, with nothing but grass and mountains around them. One could faintly see the city Nathan resided in if they looked hard enough. Would truly be a feat if you could indeed see it.

As they waited, Nathan checked in on his friends. Jonah carried his rifle with pride, his appearance was different as he wore a vest that carried extra magazines for his gun. The marksman even brought extra firepower just in case they needed it. As always, Jonah was armed to the teeth, but with the price of his speed. Though he was far more athletic than Nathan, even Jonah had some trouble with carrying his gear.

That was why Ivory did most of the heavy lifting. Her Sentinel origins gave her a superior level of strength, so she had with her all the essentials for Nathan and Jonah; food, water, ammunition, and others. The bag she brought was practically just as big as her, but to Ivory the weight was nothing.

They were ready for the job, focused, and eager to be done with it. Now, all that mattered was their target: Crow.

Crow, a name that was still a mystery to them. Though they had some semblance of his background, Crow was still an enigma. They knew little, which meant he was as dangerous as Watcher and the samurai. Maybe more so.

"I'm bored, like, super bored right now," Gluttony told them. "We've been here for a full hour now! And that no good freak ain't anywhere these eyes can see! I'm starting to think she stood us up!"

"G, if she did just leave us to dry out here, then what's their deal?" Nathan jabbed a thumb at two of Evie's goons.

"Maybe they just got done by their boss also. Hey, what if those two want to team up with us?"

Jonah allowed himself a tired sigh. "I'd rather not work with the guy who nearly killed me."

Gluttony grumbled at Jonah before she looked over to her partner. "Hey Nathan, give me your phone; I wanna play on it."

"I forgot it back home." He admitted with an awkward smile.

"How do you forget something important like your phone?" The little puppet clicked her tongue at him. "Honestly, we'd been prepping for this job and you couldn't bring your most important tool in your life. What if we get separated and gotta call the others?"

"We have radios," Ivory informed Gluttony.

"Oh… Well, I'm still bored!" In her quest for distraction, Gluttony thought up a grand idea. "Hey, Nate! How about we practice our act? We got a bunch of people here for a second opinion."

"I don't see why not." Nathan pulled Gluttony up and held her in his arms. "Say, Gilda, how was your weekend?"

"It was great! Built a nice bookshelf. But my only problem back then was that I accidentally nailed myself to it."

"That was lame!" Jonah heckled.

"You know what isn't lame? This amazing crowd! They're all so brave for coming to watch a dummy talk. Right, Nathan?"

Nathan scowled. "The dummy in this conversation better not be me, Gilda."

"Of course not! You're just the crazy guy who's talking to a puppet."

"People enjoy these?" Ivory wondered aloud. It seemed to be that Nathan's friends weren't easily impressed.

"You guys don't have any sense of humor, that's what!" Gluttony said as she pointed her wooden finger at them both. Nathan simply chuckled.

Jonah took offense at such an accusation. "I have no sense of humor? We all know I'm the comedian of the team, the funny guy who likes to make jokes and quips."

"You guys are ruining our act! Nathan, tell them to shut up!"

"G, I can't just do that. Come on, you're acting like a kid, don't start a tantrum."

"Tantrum!?" That was the thing that set her off.

She pounced at Nathan and sank her teeth into his face. The two struggled, while the others laughed at Nathan's pain.

"Gotta give it to you both, this is hilarious!" Jonah barely finished his sentence as he couldn't stop giggling like a maniac.

Ivory shook her head as she calmed down.

Satisfied with her work, Gluttony released Nathan and faced their audience with a triumphant glimmer in her eyes. "See? Nathan and I are the funniest ones on the team."

"Quite the perfect duo!"

Nathan and his friends went silent as soon as Evie spoke. When did she arrive? They don't know. What they did know was that she had not come alone. There were armed soldiers with the goddess, all dressed in gray and armed with standard guns. Their identities are hidden behind a dark face shield. The strangest part of this group of soldiers was that they were all the same height. A fact that didn't go unnoticed by the others as well.

"Finally!" Gluttony hopped off Nathan's arms. "You have any clue how long we was waiting for you? I think you should compensate us. Maybe a little extra pay for wasting our time? Sounds good enough."

"Of course! That is if you all lived to see the reward." Her usual wicked smile flashed. "We must hurry now, I want this show on the road!"

"Need us to come with, boss?" Watcher asked as he and the samurai approached.

"It's alright! The Scouts will be enough, not like I'd do anything. So how about you and Bianca go take a day off?"

"Wait, who are these guys?" Jonah asked his own question as he went up to one soldier. "I thought we were expendable."

"You all are, it's just that you bunch aren't as expensive as the Scouts. Don't mind them, they don't really talk much."

"Do they?" Jonah smirked as he prodded the soldier with a finger. They did not react at all. Evie simply watched with that deadly smile of hers.

Jonah was just too curious, so much so that he went after the soldier's face shield. He recoiled as he unraveled a disturbing truth.

"Alright, I had enough! Let's get to work guys!"

Evie would have laughed, but she preferred to move along as well. "Good idea, Bloodfield! Now, what I have in my hands is a portable Gate that will transport us to Vristan. We can't exactly take the local Gate because Vristan isn't connected to one, also I and my faction are banned from using them."

She placed the device on the ground and soon after, it came to life. The machine unfolded itself to reveal a glowing core. Nathan felt slightly lighter as if gravity loosened its hold on him. From the device, a bubble of energy grew around them. Right before their very eyes the world shifted and morphed into another.

It was Nathan's first time going through a Gate, even if it wasn't an approved version. It was strange. The experience was like a sudden shift of light.

One moment the sky was clear and blue, the next it was nothing but gray. Even the grass beneath their feet changed. Everything was cleared out, not even weeds grew anywhere.

It was like a wasteland. Signs of battle could be seen everywhere. Evie brought them to a cliff where they could see the vast empty world.

"So, this is Vristan?" Ivory said as she took in the sight. "This place was famous for its beautiful skies and cities. Until the Goddess of War got her hands on the planet."

"She had a whole planet to herself and she ruined it?" Jonah frowned at the scene. Nothing but destruction and ruins.

"Auntie Callisto wanted a place to test her weapons and war machines, so she bought Vristan. Luckily for the inhabitants, they all migrated to another planet which was owned by Justice." Evie explained to them.

"Tell me again why gods own a lot of planets?" Jonah asked the goddess.

"Religion." She answered simply.

With that done and their curiosity sated, Evie pointed over the cliff and down toward an intact building. Unlike those that still stood in the distance, this structure was cleaner and more stable. An incomplete fence surrounded it as if the owner did not care about intruders. The strangest part was that it looked abandoned. There was of course a single truck with a tarp over the cargo, but other than that, this place was as empty as the rest of the world.

"That is where our little bird lives, Crow had been holed up in that bunker since a few years ago. And he was such an annoying pest ever since he moved in."

Ivory stepped up. "And how do you suppose that we'd get in there? This base doesn't look easy to get through."

"Didn't you guys read the blueprints I gave you? Wait, right, forgot to tell you about the other thing. You see, this building has a flaw; a ventilation shaft can be accessed through over there." She pointed at the trap door located near them. "We've managed to get through recently but it is only a matter of time before the damn greedy Crow catches wind of my plans. So it is best if you bunch to get to work."

"This better be worth it, Tyrant."

"Of course, Ivory, all of your efforts will be rewarded nicely."

Ivory said nothing more as she led her team to the entrance of the tunnel.

"What are you gonna do?" Nathan asked curiously as Jonah and Ivory disappeared through the trap door.

"Oh, well I'm gonna go and talk to Crow. That way he will be focused on me instead of you guys. Your success rate shall increase that way."

"Thanks, I guess. Anyway, I'll be going now."

"Good luck!" Evie waited until the trap door closed before she looked ahead. "You followed us?"

******

"This place is kinda nice, wish we could live in a cool base also."

"The moment we get millions of credits, Jonah, the first thing we will do is buy an awesome headquarters," Ivory promised them.

"Yeah, and we'd finally get to have our own rooms!"

Gluttony chuckled from her perch on Nathan's shoulder. "Thought you love your little couch?"

"I do, yeah, but I'm sleeping on top of all my ammo. I'd rather not wake up one day and find out I died from one little spark."

Nathan gave Jonah a short glance. "Honestly, you should store those things somewhere else before that does happen."

The group stopped before a fork in the road. The ventilation shaft led exactly in three different directions.

Ivory suddenly flipped a coin. "Call it boys."

"Heads," Nathan said before Jonah could.

"Tails," Ivory told them. "Jonah gets to pick first, I'll go last."

"Then I'll go right," The marksman decided.

"Then I'll just keep moving forward." Nathan said.

So that meant Ivory was to go through the left path. "Remember, plant the bombs and make sure to check in every few minutes. Gas masks stay on until we're sure that there isn't any poison of any sort in the air. Keep the map on you at all times. If you get spotted, don't fight, retreat to one of us."

"Will do, boss!" Gluttony said as she and Nathan slowly lost sight of the other two. "Man, this is honestly exciting! Our biggest job yet! Maybe the reward is even bigger!"

"I mean, it'll cover the rent, and we won't have to worry about the groceries." Nathan smiled at the idea of just relaxing for the rest of the week. He hoped that this job would give him more time to have fun.

"And bet we could get a good brand of food this time! Kinda tired of buying knockoffs and cheap versions of junk food."

"Nathan, you and the Gluttonous Maw doing alright?"

They heard the radio come to life. Ivory was checking in on them. "Doing fine, just placed a few bombs on the objectives. I'm entering the prison now."

"Watch yourself, Jonah and I haven't encountered anyone ever since we separated. This place should be crawling with guards, so why aren't we seeing any?"

Jonah suddenly joined the conversation. "I even brought my suppressors! Wanted to do some top stealth kills but I feel robbed!"

Nathan stopped as he noticed something in the distance. Immediately he lowered the volume on his radio and passed it over to Gluttony who held it up to his ear. "Guys, I see someone in the prison."

"Do not engage," Ivory ordered. "If possible, try and avoid them. Is it our bird?"

"No, they are far too short. A Martian? No, their head is weirdly shaped, I think those are horns. Hold on, actually, it looks kinda like a Mau. Those weird short cat things."

"A Sentinel." Gluttony hissed. "The stench is just like Ivory's."

"Hold on, look closely, do they have five tails?"

Nathan looked at the figure and analyzed them better. "Yeah actually, they look like snakes."

"Do not engage and retreat immediately. That's not just any Sentinel, that's Lily Sunflower. I repeat, retreat immediately. Jonah, we need to-"

The sound of something loud erupted from the radio.

"Jonah!?" Suddenly everything went silent.

"I'll be honest, I don't feel like fighting right now." Nathan nearly brought out the Gluttonous Maw. This Lily Sunflower had suddenly appeared before him. "What's with the mask?"

Funny, her face looked like a mask. The horns turned out to be ears now that he had a good look at them. And now that Nathan had a good look at her, she was almost as tall as Sally. She had red fur instead of a sleek raven-black skin like the Sentinel he knew, but the mask was as white as a clean sheet.

The Sentinel wore only a tank top and cargo pants. She was far less fashionable than his friend, Ivory. Even her name was strange, Lily Sunflower. Despite that, Ivory was worried.

But what caught his attention were the five tails which were indeed black snakes. All of them eyed Nathan curiously as they surrounded him.

One thing Ivory wanted him and Jonah to avoid the most was battling a Sentinel. And if she was concerned about Nathan's encounter with Lily, then that meant this shorty was bad news.

"How about I escort you outside so you can leave? Please don't resist, I really don't feel like fighting today."

There was no room to run, and it seemed to be a foolish idea to do the opposite of what she wanted. "Yeah, sure, I'll follow."

"Great," Was all she said before she started to walk away. "I'm Lily by the way."

This could've been the chance he needed, but Nathan knew there was no point.

"Really, you're giving up so easily?" Gluttony was disappointed.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Yeah, I'm with her in this one. Don't really want to fight either."

"Who's that?" Lily asked about the puppet on Nathan's shoulder.

Before Gluttony could even introduce herself, Nathan quickly did so for her. "That's Gilda, and I'm Nick."

"Nick, huh? So what is she, some kind of possessed doll?"

"Puppet, actually. And yeah, she is. Hey, Lily, my pal Sam seems to be caught. So can I ask that you let him go?"

"Sure, I'll go tell Henry to let him go. Fighting the daughter of Kalasraast has been tiring."

"Henry? Is he Crow?"

******

Jonah watched as the man placed a phone on the table. "Looks like it's your lucky day, kid, my friend met yours and she wants me to be merciful."

"Oh thank goodness."

He was bound to a chair with his wrists tied together. The man that caught him was none other than Crow.

Unlike the picture, he was far more imposing. A single red glow came from one black lens which glared at Jonah with indiscriminate hatred.

"She asked me not to hurt you and let you go, she didn't say when. I have some questions, kid." Crow pulled up a seat so he could be comfortable for Jonah's interrogation. "Name, numbers, and plans. What are they?"

"I won't answer that!"

"Nah, you will. I don't like to hurt people honestly, and I'd rather not do so now." To show how serious he was, Crow unsheathed his boot knife. "I have plenty of ways to get answers, and going with the classics is way better than pumping you with chemicals."

"Alright, that's a convincing argument, we plan to plant bombs on important pillars that hold this base, there are ten of us, and my name is Hound."

"Hound?" Crow twitched a little. "The Goddess of Destruction and Rebirth replaced the other guy?"

"Wait, you knew him?"

"Knew him? He was helping me with my research." A heavy sigh came from Crow. "What happened to him?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but it sounded like Evie killed him."

"I see." Crow returned his knife to his boot. "Well if that's all, then I'll just let you go."

Jonah was tossed aside suddenly. He looked over and saw the furious Crow that towered over him.

"I lied. My project needs participants, and you are healthy enough to be a test subject."

"Wait, I thought your friend wanted me to go free!?"

He laughed. "Yeah, nah. I may trust her, but sometimes I follow my judgment instead of others."

Jonah was pulled back up, and the binds around him felt a little loose. So he opted to play things cool and hoped that he could break free before this man tortures him with whatever madness he prepared.

The chair screeched as Crow dragged Jonah across the room. "You see, Hound, the daughter of Kalasraast, has been a thorn in my side for so long now. All because of my research. She wanted it for herself, but not enough manpower could take it from me, so I am guessing that's where the bombs come in. I knew there was something wrong the moment she asked for some of my time earlier. Good thing I kept it short."

"I guess? She hasn't told me anything other than the fact that this job pays well." Jonah tried to keep the conversation going as he shimmied his wrists together.

"Terrible choice, honestly. You're better off flipping burgers than being some weird mutant."

"Well I have the skills to kill, so I'd rather put that to use." Jonah was placed in front of a glass wall. Behind it was a curtain, and whatever was inside was something Jonah was about to find out.

Crow clicked his tongue at that statement. "We all have some talents, but sometimes it's just better to be boring. If I had a choice back then, I wouldn't be here."

"So, what's this?"

The curtain opened to reveal a strange creature chained to a wall. It snarled at them both and tried to attack, only to be pulled back by the chain as soon as it reached the glass barrier. It was difficult to describe. They weren't human at least.

"Holy moly! The heck is that thing!?"

"A Sentinel. His name was Hex." Crow sounded proud, it painted a bad picture for Jonah.

"What happened to him?"

Crow placed a hand upon the glass, the supposed Sentinel went wild just from the small action. "This was my little project with Hound, he helped me retrieve some specimens, Hex was the last one before he went silent."

"But what did you do? He's… feral…"

"Under enough stress, a Sentinel has the chance to revert to what they used to be, but through my methods, they become more like animals. Mindless, hungry, and irredeemable. We've killed this Sentinel a bunch of times, yet when he revives, he's still a beast. Makes things easier for me."

"You… Why the hell would you do something like this!?"

"Blood," Crow answered calmly. "Their blood is what I need to complete this project of mine. But angels don't just give those away for free, they are also very difficult to catch. So Lily and I thought by forcing Sentinels to return to their original forms we would be able to harvest their blood."

Jonah felt his blood boil, he glared at the man with newfound hatred. "This isn't right! What you're doing is wrong, damn it! This guy is a person just like you and me!"

"Your boss doesn't care, she wanted what I have, but now that she can't get it, she wants to destroy everything." Crow wrapped a hand around Jonah's throat. "And before that happens, you will help me achieve the final step of this project."

"W-what are you going to do to me!?"

A dark intent flashed in Crow's eyes. "You will be the first to be injected with the blood of an angel, and through you, project Babel shall come to fruition."

Jonah broke finally free and his hand reached for his hidden pistol from his back. Crow couldn't dodge quickly as he was shot right in the face. This gave Jonah enough time to remove the rest of his binds and escaped soon after. Quickly, Jonah ran for the exit.

He had not realized that Crow had recovered and was already on his tail.

"Guys, I need help!"

******

Nathan glared at Lily. "I thought my friend was going free!?"

Lily groaned tiredly. "Henry doesn't listen sometimes, but it's kinda weird he'd go after your friend. Maybe he said something Henry didn't like?"

"That doesn't excuse anything." Nathan turned on a heel and started to march toward where he assumed his friend was.

"Hey, don't make me do something! Come on, I wanted to just relax for the day!"

Nathan ignored her and simply kept walking further down the hall.

As Nathan took another step, he felt the ground shake as something massive was coming. The wall crumbled as a tank drove through and into the scene. Nathan realized the situation and quickly armed himself.

"I said I don't want to fight." The Sentinel slowly walked toward him. With a monster on one side and a tank on the other, Nathan was trapped. "But if you wish to go against my friend, I will have to get rid of you one way or another."

He said nothing.

Nathan bolted into action and charged at the tank. One quick slash rendered it useless. A mistake on his part for he was left open to his real foe.

One of the snakes had him by the ankle and Nathan was thrown into the wall. Surprisingly, he still stood after going through the concrete. The Sentinel rushed at him, he couldn't get his weapon up in time as Lily slammed her foot on his face and nearly brought him down. But Nathan caught himself and countered by grabbing her by the ear. Thanks to the fact that he was larger, Nathan tossed the Sentinel aside which gave him enough room to activate the Gluttonous Maw's attack. One slash after another conjured waves of energy. The crescent light sliced across the air like blades. But Lily was not one to be defeated so easily.

She was quick and small. The Sentinel jumped through any gap big enough. Once she was in the clear, Lily dashed toward Nathan. The snakes threw several daggers as she ran. But only one managed to hit Nathan after he dodged the others. He would've been dead if it weren't for the gas mask, the only issue was that the dagger embedded itself in Nathan's right lens which blinded him on one side.

He had no time to pull it off as Lily was already on him. Nathan made sure to keep her in his sight or else it would end horribly for our hero.

A dagger nearly buried itself into Nathan's neck, but he was quick enough to step to the side. The massive sickle then went for Lily's chest only to be redirected by another dagger thrown right at his hand.

"That's the Gluttonous Maw!" She exclaimed. "You, you're the Champion of Kalasraast!?"

"Sorry I got your hopes up, but I'm not." Nathan said truthfully. "This is just apparently some goodbye gift from Evie."

"The daughter? I see, so are you instead her champion?"

He chuckled. "If I was then maybe I would've wiped the floor with you."

"Then why do you wield this Star Forged blade as if it was an extension of your soul?"

"No clue, all I know is that I have a job to do."

Lily watched as Nathan swung his weapon around carelessly. He appeared to be showing off, but Lily knew his true intentions. He was gathering energy for another volley of attack. Quickly, she dashed to his blind spot, but he ignored her and continued slicing his surroundings.

The Sentinel went all the way around to his back and prepared to bury a dagger into him. But the moment she was close enough, Nathan snapped toward her and unleashed a massive wave of green light. She couldn't dodge in time, instead, the Sentinel was pushed into the wall and through it. Everything burned, but not enough to kill her.

Nathan would've chased after Lily, but knew he had to prioritize his friend. Now free from the clutches of the Sentinel, he tracked down Jonah's location and hoped he could get to him in time.

"Jonah, where are you!?"

******

"I'm in the cafeteria!" Jonah ducked behind an overturned table. "This guy is persistent!"

Though he had been running for a while now, there was only ever one pursuer. The base was as empty as they had first believed. Even if there were more of them, Jonah was already having difficulties with Crow alone.

"Stop running, I need you intact and healthy to get a good result."

Jonah looked over his cover with a scowl. "Is that so? How about I shoot myself in the leg, what then!?"

"Now you're being stupid."

"I'm not hearing a no!"

"Funny, neither do I."

Jonah went pale. Slowly, he turned to look behind him, it almost sounded like his neck creaked as he did so. Somehow Crow was behind him. And before Jonah could react, Crow had his hand around his throat.

"You can't run. You and your team lost the moment you joined the Bloody Tyrant. Now you will reap what you sow."

Jonah felt a small prick on his neck. He was released after and Crow took a step back.

"Don't explode."

This was bad. Jonah felt his blood boil in his veins. His vision became red and distorted. As he sat on the ground, he couldn't help but notice something strange in the air.

"What did you do to me!?"

Crow held Jonah's head still and peered into his eyes. "Strange reaction, this didn't happen before."

Jonah struck the hand off him. "You're going to pay for this, I swear! I…"

"You have bigger problems." Crow chuckled. "Tell me, anything different?"

Jonah said nothing, his mouth clamped shut. Despite the strange experience he was having, Jonah was determined to defy Crow.

Everything was red, no matter where Jonah looked it was the same color. That is until he noticed a strange white glow. A white light emanated from Crow.

He couldn't hide the strange stare he gave, which confused Crow. Until he realized why.

"What do you see?"

"You… you're burning." From Jonah's point of view, Crow was engulfed with a burning aura. So intense, it was blinding.

"The blessings, you can see the holy aura! My project is finally finished! Hell yeah! I'm finally done, I've perfected this damn serum!"

Sadly his celebration came to an end when Jonah looked straight down.

The ground below them crumbled and out came Nathan. The Gluttonous Maw was ready to strike. But Crow kicked himself off of Nathan just as he was about to land a hit.

"And you must be the one who Lily found. What happened to her?"

"Gone, I hope."

"Man, you guys really brought gas masks, huh? Listen, I use poison to wipe out the battlefield, but I wouldn't use it indoors since it stays in the air too long. Sometimes it leaves a weird stink everywhere."

"Well, for a science guy, I expected a full-on accent." Nathan commented.

Crow shook his head at him, clearly disappointed with Nathan. Being accused of a stereotype and such. "I didn't get into this whole science garbage until twenty years ago. Hell, I still use my notebooks since I can't remember everything."

Nathan looked over to Jonah but kept his guard up. Strangely, Crow watched passively as Nathan tended to his friend.

"You doing alright, J?" Nathan gasped as soon as he saw Jonah's face. "Your eyes…"

"What's wrong with my eyes?"

"A strange side effect!" Crow finally told him. "The serum changed the color of your eyes to gray."

"Jonah, can you see me?"

"Yeah, all the red is going away, but can you get that giant sickle away from me? It's too bright."

Nathan was silent. At first, he was furious that his friend was harmed. But then he realized that there was no point in being mad. Crow was an issue he couldn't ignore.

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I can. So what's the plan, Nate?"

"We run, doubt we can take this guy on."

"Run?" They heard Crow laugh. "You two aren't going anywhere, I'll need your friend Sam for further testing."

"Beat it!" Nathan pulled Jonah to his feet and the two made a break for the exit.

Crow shook his head disappointedly as he briskly walked after them. "You kids are about to learn why Evie had a hard time with me."

The two bolted through the hallway, they knew that their life depended on it. There was no telling what Crow had in store for Jonah. He'd seen what that madman was capable of. A broken Sentinel. Such a thing was unheard of.

They were always perceived as beings of defiance and strength. Hell, that was what they were famous for. Stubborn creatures that only wanted to do what they desired.

Yet Crow managed to break them.

Suddenly, the wall ahead of the two exploded, and out came another tank. This time, Lily was on top of it. All of her eyes glared at Nathan, she had not forgotten what he did and was fueled with vengeance.

Before either Jonah or Nathan could make a quip, Lily pointed her gun at them both.

The two split apart as she nearly got the both of them in a single press of the trigger.

They went around the tank, but Nathan knew they couldn't outrun it. And as they ran further into the base, they were followed by Lily and her war machine. This place was massive, yet empty. That was about to change as they realized that Crow was next to Lily.

Something was different about him though, his red eyes burned through the dark lens of his mask.

"Up ahead!" Jonah warned Nathan.

The ground started to snap open, like rifts into another plain of existence. And out crawled skeletons with charred bones, all armed with a diverse set of weapons. Those with blades and clubs charged at them with a war cry said in a language alien to them. While those with firearms aimed.

Jonah and Nathan were in a pinch.

When the first skeleton came, Nathan swung his weapon across. Jonah took the chance and landed some shots on the farther skeletons.

The marksman relied on his friend as he was exposed to any close-quarter combat. And Nathan relied on Jonah as well. They were swarmed by skeletons and it was up to Nathan to keep them off. Not to mention that they were still pursued by Crow and his henchwoman. And the damn tank.

As they slashed their way through the horde, their momentum started to slow down. And at this rate, they would get sandwiched with bones and metal.

"Ivory, do you copy!?" Jonah used Nathan's radio to contact their friend.

"What's the status, boys?"

"We really need a miracle! Crow summoned a lot of skeletons and we'll be squished under his tank soon!"

"What level are you? I'm at the entrance."

"Ground floor!" Suddenly the army of the undead blew up. Jonah looked back and realized that the tank was aiming right at them. "We need help over here!"

"I'll hotwire the truck, get to me as fast as possible! The bombs are ready and we'd better get out of the blast zone!"

"What's the news, Jonah!?"

Jonah glanced over to Nathan just as he tore a group of skeletons apart. "We need to get to the entrance, Ivory finished the job and we're still here!"

Another explosion consumed more skeletons.

This only strengthened their resolve.

Nathan had decided the best course of action was to go through this maze-like building. Wall after wall, the Gluttonous Maw tore through concrete and rebar alike. It was time-consuming and dangerous as it slowed them down greatly. But there was a silver lining.

The tank stopped in its tracks as Crow realized that they couldn't follow without further destruction to his property. So instead, they followed on foot with the army in tow.

"Ready!" Gluttony told Nathan.

This prompted him to turn on a heel, nearly snapped his ankle doing so, and faced the horde behind them.

"Catchphrase!" He shouted as he pulled the full weight of the Gluttonous Maw across the air.

A massive wave of energy decimated all in its path. Their enemies ducked but not the skeleton army which in turn was destroyed in a single decisive move.

As Nathan ran, he noticed the strange look from Jonah.

"Really, catchphrase?"

"I don't have one, and I wanted to make it fancy."

"I agree with brass-head,"

Nathan sighed. "Not you too, G. You're not even helping me with this."

The two were already out of the base. They didn't waste any time and went over to the truck where Ivory was waiting.

"Hold on tight, boys! I've never driven before!"

Jonah had taken the passenger seat while Nathan climbed on top of the truck. He even looked under the tarp to see what was carried. It was certainly a frightening sight as there were warning symbols all over it. It was even more worrying that the cargo was made of glass which showed Nathan that it was filled with a strange liquid.

He nearly fell off the truck as Ivory swerved to the side.

"Watch you're driving, blank-face!" Gluttony complained for Nathan.

Before Ivory could even shout back at Gluttony, she noticed a little stowaway latched on the side of the truck. Jonah nearly screamed as five snakes wrapped themselves around Ivory. But Ivory held on to the wheel and did her best not to crash.

"Ivory, been too long."

"You know, I liked you better as a mass of rats!" Ivory snapped at Lily.

"Nice to see you too, old friend!" She tried to pull her fellow Sentinel out, but Jonah held Ivory in place as best as he could.

Ivory growled deeply at her foe. "Little help, Nathan!"

Lily paused for a second. "Nathan?" She muttered aloud.

Thankfully, Lily's hesitation left her open for Nathan's attack. Just as she uttered his name, Nathan drove his blade through her snakes which separated Lily from the truck.

Ivory watched Lily crash into the earth through the mirror. With the help of Jonah, they got the snakes off her completely.

"Nathan?"

Nathan snapped around and discovered that Crow was at the other end of the truck. Hand tightly wrapped around a knife.

"Am I correct that you're Nathan White?"

"How do you know that name?"

"I was told by your friend that you died, but it looks like he was a liar. Where have you been, kid?"

Nathan took off his mask just to show how confused he was. "You know who I am?"

Crow stared at him for a second before he did the same action. The mask he wore let out a hiss as he pulled it off to reveal… that he wasn't human.

His face was flat, and his skin unreasonably pale. Three sharp eyes that were as red as a crimson moon. His mouth was filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. Finally, there was a thin line at the center of his face which started from the forehead and ended on his chin.

"You don't remember me?" Crow sounded a little hurt.

"No, and I doubt I'd want to remember someone cruel like you." Nathan saw him in a terrible light. This was the man that harmed his friend, Jonah, and he was willing to do further harm as well.

"I'm the cruel one? Wait, you're not Nathan. Who the hell are you?" Strange, he didn't frown, not even a scowl. Crow only smiled as he believed that the man in front of him wasn't the real Nathan White.

There was a partial truth in that. He wasn't the real Nathan, simply someone else. The memory of the original was long gone.

Crow chuckled deeply. "I don't like looking at you. So how about we finish what we started?"

He returned his mask and conjured a handgun from thin air.

"You who wear the face of Nathan White shall now be a clear message to your demonic master." His weapon pointed straight down at the container. Nathan couldn't stop him in time as Crow shot a few rounds through the glass. It did not shatter, instead, a thick white smoke started to spew out of it. "Listen well, you face me, the Whispering Crow, Champion of Callisto, Goddess of War!"

"He's a what!?" Jonah exclaimed from his seat.

"Damn it…" Was what Jonah heard as Ivory cursed under her breath.

"You knew!?"

"I didn't want you guys to feel discouraged! I needed you both at your fullest!"

Nathan was hesitant. The last time they battled a champion, they nearly lost horribly. Once again they were faced with uncertainty with such a violent being.

He wasted no time and went for a decisive blow. But his weapon couldn't land as something blocked it. From out of nowhere, a man in a formal long black coat stopped Nathan's attack with his sword at the handle of the Gluttonous Maw. The only part of Nathan's weapon where it was safe to strike.

Crow simply stood there as this new enemy fought for him.

This swordsman was skillful in his craft. Nathan barely knew how to fight properly, and his enemy knew it. Like a clumsy fool, Nathan's attacks were deflected every time. When he thought he had an opportunity to finally land a hit, Crow blindsided Nathan with a heavy punch.

He staggered a little but managed to get his footing back, only to be rushed by Crow once again. Nathan couldn't block the punch, and he nearly fell off the truck. Only to be caught in Crow's hand. Held by the neck, Crow pulled Nathan close to his mask.

"See, this is why you're not Nathan, he can fight better than you do. And if he was the one using that farm tool you call a weapon, then maybe I'd have a harder time."

Jonah tried to shoot from the window of the truck, but his bullets were deflected by the swordsman. "Nathan!"

Crow pulled Nathan toward the end of the truck where the cloud kept spewing. "You see this? That, my imposter, is one of my successes. The white cloud would be mistaken as simple smoke, but in actuality, this chemical causes internal burns in your lungs. I've used this to clear out threats in bunkers and buildings. Pretty useful when I need to walk in then out of a job."

Nathan tried to bring up his weapon, but Crow immediately grabbed his wrist.

"Defiant," Crow hissed. "Well, I guess this is it. Can't say I enjoyed your visit."

Suddenly in the distance, a huge light flashed and caught everyone's attention. Then it happened, a powerful wind slammed into the truck accompanied by a loud thunderous boom. Crow's swordsman was tossed off the truck, but he was unaffected by the sudden shockwave. Even after the truck nearly fell over, Crow kept his balance.

His grip around Nathan's wrist loosened, which gave our hero the chance to break free. The Gluttonous Maw slammed into Crow and freed Nathan from Crow's grasp. Before the madman could recover, Nathan was quick to follow up with another attack. His blade sailed over his head and down at his target. Only to bounce off the mask.

Crow saw him stagger back, so he went for the kill. Only to be struck with something. Before Crow even knew it, he was pushed off by a mysterious force. Jonah cheered as his friend was victorious, Ivory even congratulated Nathan for dispatching a champion of the gods.

Meanwhile, Nathan stood there slightly confused. His weapon bounced off of Crow's mask, and that monster was about to punish Nathan for his mistake. Yet something got him in the end, and now Nathan was alone on top of the truck.

He passed it off and believed that it was his luck.

Soon after the little skirmish, Ivory had brought them to their destination where Evie and her grunts waited.

"My, you're all alive!" Evie said as she was proud of their work. "I knew I could trust you guys! Test results are quite promising today!"

"Test?" Jonah scoffed. "First, I'm gonna stop looking at you since you're very bright in my eyes. Second! What the hell do you mean test!? We almost got ourselves killed dealing with that guy, and you knew who he was! You and Ivory!"

"Jonah," Nathan placed his hand on his shoulder. "I think you need to rest, whatever it was he gave you, it's still in effect."

Jonah said nothing, he scoffed at Evie one last time before he closed his eyes.

Evie chuckled a little. "So you experienced what Crow does to his toys? Well, I can't say I'm different. Hound would know."

"Just get us home," Ivory demanded.

"Sheesh, you guys are no fun at all!"

"This isn't over yet, Ivory," Jonah told her. "You knew who that freak was, and should've warned us."

"I wanted to, but as I said, I needed you both to focus. Knowing who we were up against would demoralize the team."

Nathan gave Ivory a soft smile. "It's alright, but we still deserve to know. It could've helped us back there."

"Right, guess I should've trusted you two. Better to go in knowing death is behind the door." Ivory patted both of them on the back for a job well done. "Anyway, boys, since we did amazingly, let's celebrate!"

Jonah wanted to stay mad but knew he couldn't with Ivory. "Alright, but you're paying this time. I still have to send stuff back home."

"Let me," Nathan was quick to offer. "Right after we visit the hospital, your eyes need to be checked by a doctor as soon as we get home."

Jonah went on to explain what had happened to Ivory. How his encounter with Crow almost changed his point of view.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the empty plains of this planet, a tank rolled up to Crow's body. Lily was quick to inspect Crow for any signs of life. Thankfully, he was alive and well despite his little tumble.

"Where's Nathan?"

Crow scoffed. "That wasn't Nathan. And they escaped."

"You lost them!? How!?" Lily was surprised to hear the news.

"Blame her," He pointed at seemingly nothing. Until the air warped just to reveal a mechanical ghost that took form. "Wicked, I thought we had a deal."

"We did, but Nathan is my prey."

"What did you say!?" Lily almost attacked Wicked, but Crow held her back.

"You're fighting for someone dead, Lily. He wasn't Nathan." Crow dusted himself off and climbed back onto his feet. "What do you mean he's your prey?"

Wicked's eye started to glow intensely. "A billion credits to the one who kills him. A little extra if you bring him in alive. Why, you interested?"

"I'm no bounty hunter, but this is personal." Crow pulled out a gun from thin air and emptied it at Wicked. The bullets were of smaller calibers, so it was useless to the machine. "Huh, you placed flexible kevlar around your joints?"

"You've met the human who favors firearms? He taught me a clear lesson, one that will be his downfall." She was shot at, yet Wicked continued their little conversation. "I've wasted enough of my time, I will need to prepare for my next encounter."

"You're not gonna apologize for shooting me? Falling off a speeding truck is quite a painful experience."

Wicked only laughed as she slowly vanished from existence.

"What do we do now?" Lily asked once they were alone.

"You can do whatever you want. I'll meet up with Tempest and tell her the bad news. See you soon, Lil'."

Lily watched as Crow marched toward their ruined base. There was nothing to go back to but the monsters they created. Her mind lingered on Nathan, how she had not realized beforehand who he was. The gas mask kept her from learning the truth. Though Crow claimed that the man wasn't Nathan White, she knew something was amiss.

With the permission to do as she pleases, Lily set off in search of Nathan.

***