**************

Abraham Ulren

I dive for the satchel as Virgil is thrown beside me, the man tumbling as he catches himself. We see eyes for a moment, and he nods as lashes of shadow come from him and propel himself back at the other two marionettes he was fighting a moment ago.

The bag is ripped open as I tear into it, looking for anything that may help as my Nightmare fights only a few feet from me. It pulls, rips, and does everything within its power to keep Dakster's marionettes from me. Meanwhile, I cringe as I hear another groan of pain from Bonfire, his knees hitting the floor from Dakster's strike now that he is not cloaked in fire anymore.

I try to ignore him as he fights for his life as I scramble for anything in this bag. Finally, tossing aside daggers, blow darts, and garrotes, I find a small derringer already loaded.

Without any other option, I turn and aim the pistol at Dakster right as her hand is cloaked in that famous shadow of hers, plummeting for Bonfire's heart. Squeezing the trigger, I see her hand enter his chest like a knife into bread.

"NO!"

The bullet flies the instant her hand pierces his heart. But the lead of the derringer isn't the first thing to hit her, no. Bonfire had one last trick up his sleeve.

An inferno is birthed from the man's chest, all the fire from his veins banished immediately. A column of black conflagration engulfs Dakster, the woman also getting struck with the shell from my derringer. A howl comes from her as the woman's hood and clothes are lit ablaze, her face no exception. Her body tumbles backward from the eruption as she flips and lands on her hands and knees.

She turns toward me, and beneath the dark fire, I see her face for the first time ever. With her skin melting and burning, I notice she doesn't look all that much different from me. Pale, skinny, and gaunt, the latter two opposites of the race we are supposed to belong to. But the woman only seems to be spurred onward by the fire burning her alive as strings from her floating Marionettist wrap around each of her limbs as she foots toward me.

Somehow, the threads are immune to Bonfire's blaze, and each thump of her burning legs against the scorched dirt causes my heart to skip, another Nightmare in the making. My eyes flutter over to Johnny, the man finally gaining an advantage over Ray as the latter seems to be trying to escape, slowly gaining more and more distance. I then look over to Virgil, locked in combat. But, unfortunately, even my Nightmare is blocked from saving me as Darkstep, the terrifying spy, approaches me.

Each step she forces with her threads makes her movements smoother as if it takes time to use the skill correctly. Finally, she stands just a foot from me, her hand once more covered in darkness even under the fire as her motions eventually turn normal, her control over her skill becoming perfect.

The woman doesn't speak any words of mocking or vile intent. At this point, it is all professional, with no hints of personality left, just like her puppets. Dakster crashes her hand toward me, seeking to splinter my heart with her darkness.

Seeing my life come to an end, there is nothing else I can do but eke out a short Override, extending what remains of my life.

I tried my best. But it just wasn't good enough. Even in a three versus one, with Bonfire Combusting himself, she destroys us. I'm... just never enough.

****************

Johnny Caldwell - A second prior

Sweat pours down my face as I stare at Ray, the Fortuned Son, fallen by the Manipulator. He has done everything possible to make this fight take longer as if he is only here to distract me. And whenever I try to escape the conflict, he yanks me back into the battle with any means necessary. Any time I even try to look away to help with Glitch, Ray comes for my life as if he was expecting it.

The frustration of Fate Sealer being unable to strike him other than just a few times is palpable. But the rage at seeing others get injured and approach death is even more physical.

However, it seems that Ray is finally backing away. I don't know why, but it appears that the man immune to harm wants to escape. And I let him do so, turning my attention to Abraham, Bonfire, and Darkstep as I lower my Colt from Ray. That Manipulator had to of brought him just to distract me. Darkstep is going to kill Abraham, so I need to help.

My eyes immediately turn gold as I go for it all to continuously Glitch Abraham and Darkstep, keeping the two effectively frozen in time as Accelerate bursts me with movement toward them. I can't afford Abraham somehow messing this up. I would have done the same to Ray, but Glitch doesn't work on him unless I use increments of ten seconds, each only attributing a short lapse in the man's time.

But I only take two steps toward them, almost a dozen feet disappearing from my speed as Ray tackles me to the ground. Shock fills me as I see his crazed eyes, bloodshot whites now red.

What the hell!?

I try to push him off me, aiming Fate Sealer at his skull, but the man draws a dagger and thrusts it for my heart. Twisting my wrist, I catch the blade with Fate Sealer's trigger guard and yank it to the side. Ray then jumps backward and draws his own gun, shooting it at me.

Knowing that dodging is useless, multiple bullets buried in my flesh from doing so earlier, I try to match his shots with mine. Fate Sealer guides my hand to be faster as my six shells strike his, tertiary bangs resounding from our initial shots.

"What are you doing, Ray? I thought you wanted to leave!?"

The Fallen glares at me, speaking succinctly before darting back at me.

"The plan is ruined, so I'll kill at least you."

Not understanding his words, I let him come close to me before I Glitch myself, the Power fully realized as an Angel now affecting anything on my person. And as such, the cylinder of Fate Sealer is reloaded. I haven't done this before, for it's one hell of a trump card.

And so, he bursts at me once more, his speed befitting that of an Angel as we fight up close. I use my revolver to deflect, parry, and strike Ray physically as he tries to kill me with his daggers. He's fast, very much so, and quite similar to me.

We both specialize in guns, his skills allowing him to hit any target just as my aptitude with firearms does the same. One by Ether, the other through practice. He is also, in contrast, immune to almost any ranged or projectile attacks, the Fortuned Son capable of diverting it all. But that is only at a distance. If I get close enough, I can end it all.

He doesn't know my gun is loaded, as every other time I've shot it, it has taken a while to reload due to its old-fashioned model.

But time is running out. Darkstep is attempting to pull out the Marionette of the bleeding-out Abraham. If I wait any longer, I won't be able to save him. Time for a gamble. Ah, where are you, Earl? I could really use your... expertise.

Instead of letting Ray take the lead, I press on him, straining to take the man to the ground. The only problem is that he's strong, very strong. His time as an Angel has given him many more opportunities to hone his Ether. All I have on my side is my speed with my hands.

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So, we go back and forth, and he gets a strike on my gut, knocking the air out of my lungs. I let his force compel me backward into the ground, but as we fall, I move the Colt and place it against his gut. Now that the man is finally willing to tussle, I can end it all.

He smiles as I go to pull the trigger, his fist heading straight for my face, likely to smash it entirely. His voice is gloating, fragments of Darklight spiraling out of his mouth.

"You're out of ammo!"

I only return the grin and unload the cylinder into his gut, chest, and midsection, blood spewing out his back in a fountain from the sextuplet of rounds. He spits blood, and his hand hits my face but lacks any power. Pushing him off me, I draw a dagger from my hip and slice his throat before he recovers.

"Once, I was."

Ray, the Fortuned Son, a Fallen, quickly bleeds out from the six fist-sized holes in his chest and the Cheshire grin I embezzled into his throat. Yet, I make sure to finish him, using another Glitch to reload and promptly unload all several rounds once more into his head, removing it from existence. I don't waste any more time and run for Abraham, restarting the Glitch between him and her. After all, I don't want him to bleed out before I get there.

Simultaneously, I brush my hand against the steel of Fate Sealer, using Clad, my newest Sigil skill, to imbue my flesh with the properties of steel. It may not turn my skin to steel, but it vastly strengthens me for a few minutes based on the object touched.

And Fate Sealer's steel makes me more agile with faster reactions, my legs bringing me right beside Darkstep, but I don't get too close in case of the flame wafting off her. I don't wait even a moment before pulling the trigger of the Colt against her skull. My left eye reaches blindness and goes dark from the constant use of my Power as her body sinks to the floor with most of her skull missing. It'll be a while until that eye comes back. I share a glance with the knocked-over Abraham as he shouts at me.

"Bonfire!"

Shit! I forgot! I spin around as fast as I can, Ether swirling in my right eye and flakes of gold drifting about in my vision as I focus on Bonfire. I feel a fragile connection as I lock onto his form. The man lies barely alive, even with his collapsed heart. The only thing keeping him in this plane is the fire inside, the embers of his skill giving him energy while simultaneously killing him. Time is ticking, but good thing I can reverse it.

And I do so, using the entirety of the remnants of Golden Eye to pull Bonfire back from his death. I can sense the river of gold within my eyes rip him almost a full minute backward, all the way to before he even ignited himself at all. I try to push it a bit further, sending him back to the wagon with Heath, but I hit a block that keeps me from doing so. It must be my Power straining against Abraham's burgeoning one. Had I not been so tired, I could overpower it, but it's probably fine how it is.

Bonfire is alive and well.

A sigh of relief comes from behind me as I pause. Another sound joins Abraham's sigh, Virgil and Abraham's Nightmare still fighting. Wait...

I whirl toward Darkstep's body, a bullet already leaving the barrel of Fate Sealer, but I hear no impact of flesh.

No. No. No. She was dead!

Frantically, fear entering my heart, I Temper my hearing, a rough landscape taking shape from my hearing as I fail to sense Darkstep.

Where did she?

Dammit! I should have used Glitch to make sure! Wh--!

Pain erupts in my left calf as I whip around, shooting at where she must have been, but nothing is there. Another flash of pain stings my side, and I put my hand against it to feel a sharp blade slick with my blood and some other sticky substance.

A voice comes from one of the puppets I recognize as being close to Virgil from before I went blind.

"Not so tough without your eyes, huh? Took me a while to work out how you did what you did, but in the end, you're all the same. Overconfident and easily tricked. If I open myself up and play dead, even you, with how much preparation you love to do, would lower your guard. That wound you left me will likely kill me once my Ether runs out. But, of course, that is if I don't advance after killing you. So, Johnny, how's one last dance sound? I remember you turning me down at the ball a year ago, but I don't think you can refuse this time."

I ignore her speaking through her puppet as I yell to Abraham.

"Where is she, Abraham? Guide me! I can't see her!"

The man doesn't reply to me verbally. Instead, he inputs a short phrase into my mind with Ether before abruptly cutting off.

"Nine O'clock, fifty feet away, nine feet up in a tree. I'm abou-"

His Allude ends as I hear his head tap against the dirt. He must have finally passed out; the stress, Ether, and everything were too much for him. But even as he faints, I follow through with his callout.

Shooting toward his direction, I hear a duo behind me, the two marionettes that were previously fighting Abraham's now-faded Nightmare. The last bullet of Fate Sealer rings with a melodious hum as I instinctively know it did its job. Just not good enough. I twist to meet them, the two closer targets much easier to field with my hearing than the distant Darkstep.

I reload Fate Sealer as quickly as its old design allows, backing up from the puppets rushing me. A whooshing of the air behind me has me dodging as another dagger lands beside me. Darkstep's Absolution skill seems to make her as invulnerable as her puppets, requiring a decapitation or otherwise total body mutilation to end her. If that wasn't the case, the final bullet should have killed her.

When all six rounds reenter Fate Sealer, I unload the lead into the foremost of the two puppets. After emptying the cylinder, only one remains, as the other is missing its entire head. Not even Darkstep can keep that thing moving. And so, I rush in to meet it, using Fate Sealer to block its daggers. I move back and forth with the puppet, taking my time to load one bullet at a time while in the back of my mind worrying about Darkstep's actions. Where is she?

That last bullet I sent must have done severe damage, even to her current form, but these marionettes still move. And from here, I can sense Virgil nearing his limit. He's spent most of this period buying time and dodging attacks, but he also recently returned from scouting. So he's about to collapse. Which means I'm soon to be the only one left standing.

And that bit about the Manipulator slipping away some time ago only exacerbates my worries. Where are they going? Are they going to Wyatt? No way they need the Manipulator and Alexos to fight him? Right? Right? That's overkill.

I push the thoughts aside and focus on the now as I leverage my strength and drive back the puppet. It's got some acid and poison on me, likely mixing with whatever was on those daggers of Darkstep's, but I force myself through the growing haze. But once I'm done, Fate Sealer levels at the puppet's head while my other arm holds it still, and after several squeezes, the enslaved human stops moving. Blood and brain matter covers me, and I yell for Darkstep.

"Come on! Where are you?! Fight me!"

Nothing but rings of steel from Virgil and his puppets greet me in response. Somewhere, Darkstep is hiding, but today, I end this rivalry. I walk around, craning my ears to find her, but no signs show themselves. Instead, I hear groans from the many unconscious people as they awaken. I pause in surprise as I hear Blake yell, the woman moving the instant she wakes up.

"What the! Johnny!?"

I hold my hand out to her, yelling back.

"Stay away! You can't fight yet! Frank! Silas! Come help! Darkstep is here!"

With my enhanced hearing, I detect Blake's grumble, but she backs up into the safety of the group as Frank and Silas approach. I also notice that Skyswain isn't anywhere in the group. She must still be out scouting throughout all this. That won't make her happy when she comes back. Not at all.

Frank's lumbering form gets next to me as the metallic jingle of Silas' pockets let me know he's here too.

"Frank, go help Virgil. Silas, help me deal with Darkstep."

The former agrees without words, the big man not even wondering what happened. He must think he fell asleep or something, but Silas' curiosity is explicit. I listen to the undead as Frank jumps into the ground, the man swimming through the earth toward Virgil to support him.

"Sure. What happened? One second, I'm peeling fruit for little Esther, and the next, I'm here."

I try to explain but hurry it along in fear of Darkstep.

"Alexos, the Manipulator, and other things. For now, just know that Alexos should be dead or gone, and Darkstep is here, injured, but here nonetheless."

Silas hums in understanding as he flicks a coin at me. Weightless lands on me before evaporating the tossed coin into Ether as I feel, well, weightless. Another of his skills hits me as another coin taps against me from his pocket. Sensational, livens the world around me through my ears as things gain a bit more granularity.

We look for her together, but there is simply no sign of her. It's almost like she just left, which is impossible. If she left, she'd die the second her Ether ran out. Those wounds I delivered her are capable of killing anyone, and she's only moving because of her skill that lets her puppet her own body.

She's old, so it might take a while. Hell, she might even be able to withstand more Ether than me, but it will happen eventually. Unless... she didn't come alone. Eli Weiss orchestrated the takeover of Starkbluffs, and he just so happens to be the premier doctor, among his many other professions, in the frontier.

Could the Viceroy have... No. He's not that antagonistic against his son, right?

Just... where is she?

The battle between Virgil, Frank, and the puppets is over, and the man of shadows collapses from exhaustion when he sees his family is safe. But I cannot. The others are hugging each other, happy to see the other is breathing, relieved in fact, but I cannot join them.

The burden of the leader is weighted. So much so that it hangs my head at all times, yet, it is I who signed up for this. I would rather be nowhere else but in the middle of this field, watching over my people.

How it sounds to me right now is that everyone is alive. Bonfire and Abraham scraped by narrowly, the virtue of their combined might. Virgil held on long enough for backup, and I finished off Ray.

There are just two things that keep me from falling myself and resting.

Wyatt is missing, and Darkstep is somewhere, her time ticking.

And that constant ticking bites at me, a constant nagging in the back of my mind as I hear the celebration around once they see Ray's dead body. She's watching. I know she is. How long can she last?

Seconds?

Minutes?

Hours?

Days?

When will she strike?

I doubt she fully understood my Power when she arrived. However, Darkstep likely got some information and compiled it with her own to make a vague guess about my rare ability. But when it comes to things like this, information is the most important thing. And even with her incorrect data, she almost got me.

Had she known about Fate Sealer and the power of its final round...

I may not still be standing here worrying about this possibility. Because if I discount my eyes, Darkstep, even with her wounds, has a high chance of ending me. I've just not been an Angel long enough to develop the skills fitting one.

Sure, I killed Ray, but he basically delivered himself to me for some reason. He's all about escape, redirection, and survival, not combat. It's well-known that he got his Absolution during a game of dice, not in combat. I don't know why he did such a thing, but as I look at his body, I do wonder.

What made a Fallen go so mad?