Augustus stepped through the laboratory doors, carrying sabers in each hand, each of his steps accompanied by a wet splash. The place of restoration and healing got turned into a slaughterhouse. Blood splattered across the walls, causing sparks in computers, bullet-hole-ridden displays, and servers. Smells of shit and blood filled his nostrils, causing Augustus’ vision to waver from disgust and horror. He had always tried his best to avoid killing others, preferring only to injure them. And now… First his butler, then his mother, next… He stepped further into the room, leaving bisected and slashed corpses in the corridor behind him.
“Maximillian!” Augustus roared, slashing through the neck of a doctor… No, a thing who wore the poor woman like a flesh suit. He could see it—the horrible scars on the woman’s face, barely healed—the panic of a person locked in her own mind, visible through the glassy eyes. With a burst of violent aggression, the doctor aimed a scalpel at his neck.
The flesh of the woman’s neck turned iron, blocking his first strike. Augustus had to dodge both the scalpel and the doctor’s arm, which turned into a spear of steel, before he plunged the saber into her eye, making one violent twist to rupture the brain. Allowing the body to slump from the blade, he looked around, hearing the soft hiss of medical capsules being opened.
“No. Planet, please, no,” he whispered, seeing children, actual children no older than fourteen, climbing out of the capsules, their faces horribly scarred with fresh scars that reached all the way down their chests. Same panic in their eyes, same mocking smiles on their lips, flames and energy dancing around their fingers.
They were supposed to heal them! This place contained some of the most advanced medical equipment in all of Iterna. The Rho family announced a slash in costs, finally finding a way to slash the cost of the genetic modification. Everything, from paralysis caused by an underdeveloped spinal cord to a weakened immune system and even radiation sickness, could be cured here! These children were supposed to become healthy and herald a new era for the Rho family’s mastery over the body. Glory eternal and riches unseen…
And this scumbag ruined it all.
Augustus dodged to the side, evading a splash of lighting that scorched a kid behind him to the crisp. The twitching body fell to the ground, still trying to stand up and kill him. Not a single scream of pain left the torn lips. Horrified, Augustus struck with the point of his blades, destroying the brain and giving the poor child a modicum of peace.
“I am so sorry,” he tried to say, but only a whining sound left his lips. Steeling himself, he charged forward.
And started doing what needed to be done.
****
“Maximillian!” Augustus kicked at the door, stepping inside the director’s office. His body trembled with barely held back rage, his black business suit drenched with bloods of all those who tried to stop him from reaching this monster.
Maximillian Rho stood next to a massive window, looking down at the fires in the city, a black shape against a roaring pillar of fire, dressed in a perfectly clean white suit. His office, once filled with exquisite sculptures and paintings, now reminded him of a field of battle. Maximillian’s own bodyguards lay slain by his hand next to the police officers, the sculptures smashed asunder and gorgeous paintings carelessly torn apart.
“You turned into quite a killer. If I’d known you had it in you, I might’ve started trusting you a bit,” Maximillian said, drinking a glass of red wine and gesturing at the sole remaining table with a bottle on it. “Help yourself, Augusty.”
“Turn around, bastard.” Augustus hissed into the back of his father, coming closer. “Turn around, or I will cut your limbs and leave you bleeding like a pig.”
“Such hostility!” Maximilian chuckled. “Riddle me this. Why are you bothered so much about what I have done with the masses?”
“Turn. Around. Scum.” Augustus trembled with rage.
People always thought him cold, but deep down, he cared. He always cared about any disabled kid or homeless person being abused on the street and suffering from an easily treatable illness. His uncle used to joke that those who were given much were expected to give the world much in return. Augustus made this saying his own lifestyle, serving as a volunteer and trying his hand at becoming a doctor.
“Indulge this silly request of your old man. You know, in the Old World, even death row prisoners enjoyed one last request.” His father kept looking at the chaos below, raising a toast to people’s screams.
“These people trusted you, trusted us to heal them! How dared you! To abuse patients, to rob them of their will… It is inhumane, Maximillian.”
“Humanity? You dare speak to me about humanity? Humanity is nothing more than a cesspool filled with hatred, bigotry, and lies. We found a way for them to live to the centuries to come, and deep beneath their skin, each and every one of them is still filled to the brim with fear for others.” His father turned around, looking like an ancient deity coming into this world. His suit barely hid the massive muscles; curling blonde hair lay loosely on his shoulders. The beautiful face, without a hint of wrinkles or scars on it, looked at his son mockingly. Flashing perfectly white teeth, Maximillian asked, leaning against the window, “Tell me one thing honestly. Whom do you really hate? Me for using them like the materia they are, or yourself for leaving them in my care? Because let’s not dance around the bush, sonny. Deep down, you always knew what sort of person I really am.”
“Both,” Augustus spat.
“Yet here you are, choosing to stand against me for their sake instead of ending yourself. Do you think they will ever accept you after tonight? Or do you think that by killing me, your self-hatred disappears?” Fire erupted behind the window, creating a halo of flames around Maximillian’s head. “We will always be alone.”
“It is not about acceptance, forgiveness, or any other thing.” Augustus kept looking into his father’s eyes. “You hurt patients. This is enough for me to end you for this crime against humanity.”
“Fight for your precious humanity, then, and die for their sins.” Maximillian made a step toward him.
Anger and pure hatred overwhelmed him, but he wasn’t foolish enough to think that he could match Maximillian fair and square. Even back when they were somewhat resembling a family, Maximillian always won their every fencing duel, weaving around Augustus’ strikes like a ghost, barely blocking and always outspeeding him. Now that madness had overtaken the creature that once was his father, Maximillian had truly become a monster, even without counting his power.
Augustus threw a flash bang into his father’s face, noticing how Maximilian smiled pleasurably when a blinding light hit him across the retinas. Augustus closed one eye, allowing his second eye to suffer. He struck, two slashes, no cuts, he could not take any chances here. In a single fluid motion, he sent one saber aimed at the neck of his father, while the second was closing on Maximillian’s ribs. Thrusts could be sidestepped. A single slash could be dodged.
He made his attacks flawlessly, with desperation and rage empowering the skills he had been honing for long, grueling years. He felt taps on his shoulders before the blades scratched against the window, breaking it and allowing the cracking flame to come into the office, setting ablaze scattered papers and rich rugs on the floor. Augustus froze, opening his good eye but failing to see the remains of his father.
“Ever too weak to make a difference,” the voice said behind him, and pain speared Augustus’ right arm, causing him to jump away in a maddened attempt to survive.
Maximilian had the power to remake anything within a certain range with his touch. A mere touch of his limbs could break even the hardest alloy or destroy a grievous wound, healing it with calories inside a human body. During his work as an Elite, Maximilian would often unleash clouds of acid by snapping his fingers, bringing dangerous criminals to their knees. But now the maniac used no power. He simply made a chop at Augustus’ shoulder, breaking his clavicle and grabbing the humerus.
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Augustus howled in pain, feeling his right arm being torn away like an insect limb. He rolled on the floor, the wondrous biology of his body struggling to close the hemorrhage. Standing on his trembling knees, he received a kick that shattered his jaw and sent him through the wall.
“I quite liked your idea, sonny,” Maximillian said, coming through the crack and throwing the arm away. He touched his left temple, and his eyes exploded, reforming instantly to their pristine condition.
Augustus jumped to his feet, making one desperate thrust with the saber. His father grabbed the blade above the cutting part, the metal dissolving before the explorator’s despairing eyes, leaving just a useless handle in his hand. He threw it at Maximilian, trying to retreat, and found his father’s hand wrapped around the wrist.
So fast. Maximillian twitched his hand, shattering every bone in Augustus’ wrist and ravaging muscles and veins with the broken bones. Letting go of his son, Maximillian jumped, bringing his legs to Augustus’ knees, shattering them without mercy and bringing his son down.
Pain. Augustus writhed on the floor, feeling his tongue dangling from his broken jaw. He felt worse pain once, when he fell off a mountain. He could endure pain. Unable to speak, he looked at how his father leaned down, thinking feverishly that maybe some humanity had awakened in him. That maybe he’ll help…
A tearing sound made Augustus gurgle in pain. Maximillian tore his remaining arm, then went for the legs, tearing each one with almost maniacal glee. Flaming tongues licking the building gave a hellish impression to Maximillian’s eyes, as he himself sang a tune while ravaging his son beyond recognition.
“Why?” Augustus gasped, barely forming words with the broken jaw.
“Why?” Maximillian punched, breaking through Augustus’ teeth, pushing his hand deep into the mouth, and grabbing the tongue. Choking on his own blood and teeth, Augustus heard cracks in his jaws as the large hand strained them. “To right all the wrongs and make humanity finally worthy of this world!”
He pulled the tongue out. And Augustus’ world was shattered with pure agony.
****
“My father created the Numbers,” he told Kayleen. “We learned of their existence too late; these creatures were all around Iterna by then. With his minions, he staged the most massive terrorist attack in the entire country, becoming the only Elite to betray his oaths. Just imagine this, Kayleen: clouds of poison released in the air, lakes turning acid, flames erupting in the cities as the generators became overloaded… And amidst all this, he appeared on the displays around the country, announcing his plans for genocide and daring anyone to stop him. I learned of his betrayal and rushed to meet him, all alone. I cut down my traitorous mother and anyone who stood between me and him. At the end, he easily ruined me.” Augustus quickly told everyone about the beating he received and how his uncle had found his ruined body, rushing him to the hospital.
“Really? Little boy Maximillian made the Numbers?” Kayleen sat on all four, her ears perking with curiosity.
“Little boy?” Ratcatcher asked.
“The name we gave to him and whinny Argus was after the Blessed Mother kicked their asses,” Kayleen explained, and Augustus had to stop his smile. True, in the past, when Maximillian and Argus were still young, they engaged Ravager together, surviving only because of Artificer’s help. “Who stopped the little boy? Was it Redeemer or…”
“You serious?” Smar stood up. Kayleen looked innocently at her. “You are not messing with us, right? How? How could you not know who stopped the Numbers or how they came to be? This was the crisis that threatened humanity for Spirits’ sake!”
“Smar, Kayleen was born outside of Iterna…” Ratcatcher tried to interject.
“The Wolf Tribe is not dumb!” Smar stopped, looking at the surprised group. “I mean, Kayleen is the first member of the Wolf Tribe I met, but I mean, I made an inquiry about her tribe. It’s only natural, right? Abnormals are all so interesting, and the Wolf Tribe’s culture is so mysterious, cruel, yet amazing…”
“And their fur is quite awesome. It’s quite soft to touch and gleaming, despite the harsh regions where they live,” Elirob quickly added.
“Yes, that too! Wolfkins consider the black fur by default the greatest, but in my opinion the spots are what make an amazing coloration!!”
“Smar, Elirob,” Ratcatcher started asking carefully, “Are you two furries by any chance?”
“What? No!”
“Who are furries?” Mardiyya dared to ask.
“This is quite an interesting topic.” Elirob turned to her, reaching for his terminal.
“For another time.” Augustus stopped him, turning back to Kayleen. “Maximillian was killed by my uncle. And ever since then, the Numbers have tried to resurrect him. I am fully understanding all resentment directed at me for this.”
“I am not a freaking furry, Ratcatcher!”
“Hey, I am not judging, everyone has their own kinks…” Ratcatcher leaned back, raising her hands in a gesture of peace at the sight of the embarrassed medic. Augustus spied Raaji’s smile at this scene.
“Well, I don’t care about your birth or anything,” Kayleen shrugged. “Actions are what ultimately matter. You could’ve let the Naturalborns ravage the village and let our guides die…”
“Any other choice would not benefit the mission,” he told her plainly.
“But you didn’t,” Kayleen finished, watching Augustus calmly.
He only stood up, taking the first and only watch for himself. It hardly mattered what he did or didn’t do. Some things you just can’t fix. You can only live day by day and try to do what is right.
****
Raaji stretched his arms, seeing Augustus’ figure on the horizon. The man asked him briefly what he was doing away from the group, and Raaji explained that he simply wanted to take a leak. Finishing with his bodily urges, he heard Mardiyya’s steps behind him.
He could always differentiate her steps from the steps of the other people, even before he took his little sister on their first hunt. Truth be told, he did not know where this bond came from; their family always stayed together, but only he and his sister instinctively knew when one of them was in trouble or needed help. As rebels, they would always strike in unison, one faking weakness and the other claiming the life of a Changed who tried to stop them.
“You wanted to talk?” Mardiyya asked him.
“Yes. about the recent attack.” He looked at the sands, remembering all the friends and comrades they had buried over the years. Are they in a better world? “Sister… focus on the mission.”
An elbow hit under his ribs was the answer. Raaji grimaced and turned around, taking her by the shoulders.
“I am serious. You jumped to take the hit meant for me…”
“As you would have done for me!”
“It’s not the point!” He lowered his voice, trying desperately to find the right words and noticing Augustus looking at them. Taking a breath, Raaji continued. “Sis, you have a family name. It is your duty to keep on living for our father’s sake…”
He gasped, receiving a hit in his solar plexus. Sliding backward, he dodged another hit aimed for his chin and grabbed Mardiyya’s hand in an armlock, throwing her on the sand. With a low kick, she toppled him, and for a moment, they looked calmly at the darkened sky, remembering days of peace from their childhood.
“And why the hell is it not your duty to survive too, Raaj?” she asked quietly.
“I am not looking for death.” He grinned, folding his hands behind his head. “Yet, out of us both, you need to survive. The legacy of our household, the duty to lead our people and help our father. Sis, you must grow up. I’ve seen the looks you throw at Elirob. My best wishes and all…” He slid to the side, evading an elbow aimed at his head, and responded with a kick, sending his laughing sister rolling away.
“I am serious!” he told her, rising on his knees and dusting off his clothing. “You are a grown woman, Mardiyya. Start acting like one. We swore to live for our people. Yes, Iterna promised to help our village, but we have to do everything we can to get into their good graces! Grab this Elirob if you like him, start a family, or stay single, but live, dammit! You have a duty to survive. I am not expendable, but should anything happen to me, promise me you’ll see the mission through. For the people’s sake!”
Raaji felt foolish, sitting against his sister and hitting his knees like a petulant child. As a child, he envied the people with family names—the ones who were free to choose spouses for themselves, free to make their life choices… And then his little sister was born. Hearing her cries healed the envy and worry in his soul. Yes, freedom—true freedom—is denied to him. But he has a loving family and people to care about. And for Raaji, this was enough.
“I swear,” Mardiyya told him, and they stood up, ready to join the group.
****
Fromir kept observing the group from afar, cursing to himself slightly as he burrowed deeper and deeper in the sands, feeling the annoying critters gnawing and biting his flesh. Twice, the strange-looking man in the insect-looking armor nearly noticed him. Such shrewdness freaked him out a bit. At first, Fromir had thought to sneak into the camp and capture the group. They seemed like a careless lot to him; they had not checked the surrounding area properly and spread a bit too far. A few cuts against their arms, capture the locals, make the locals treat the wounds... Simple, really.
Then he noticed that several people, the three whom he designated as fighters, always kept the others in their field of view. Judging by the ease with which they moved, the Iternians were difficult prey. The two locals? He cared not for him; Fromir would’ve gladly let them go. But he must capture the Iternians.
Fighting in the open field might leave him injured or even crippled. Should this happen, either Gaexus or maybe Ahya would steal his precious prize from him, claiming Mother’s favor. And going back to Mother was not an option either.
Fromir’s lips spread in a smile. If they are heading where he thinks they are heading… He just might have a way to equalize the difference in numbers.