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Wyatt Graves

I glance at Earl beside me, and he nods with rapt attention. We have little choice other than this single door. But it's locked.

"Go ahead. Slam into it. I'll cover it with my last shot in case something or someone is there."

His head sinks to an equal level with his gun while kneeling several feet from the door, prepared to strike. Nodding in return, I step back, readying my body. Ether flows as I feel my Ether saturation building. Soon, I'll have to use my newest skill.

With every ounce of desperation fueling my limbs, as we are ticking away at the inevitable clock of death, I throw my weight against the locked door. We have to get out as fast as possible, and we can't waste time trying to find another way out. The solid oak groans under the pressure, and a sharp jolt courses through my shoulder as the door gives way, splinters flying into the dark corridor beyond.

Coughing, I rub my metallic shoulder as I find a small dent in the edge of its steel on my shoulder. Whatever that door was made of, it was something stubborn. I wish Earl had time to study it.

I stumble forward after the crash, the taste of freedom sweet on my lips, but there's no time to savor it. Instead of a room, a long hallway shows itself before us. The corridor yawns before me, its depths shrouded in inky darkness. Yet, while it is dark, I still see the outlines of the chains, and I plunge forward..

"Follow me!"

A quick harrumph originates from Earl as I sprint forward, the corridor long and square, reminding me of those from within Eli's library. For a moment, I consider being careful of traps, but Earl reassures me.

"Okay! It's dark, but from what I can tell, there are no traps! Everything seems completely mundane! No tripwires or pressure plates, just normal stone and steel fixtures!"

The suspiciousness is not lost on me, but I run ahead anyway. Who knows how much time we have left, and from what we can gather, Eli Weiss doesn't want to kill us. If he did, then Earl would have been put in that room alone. I would have been put into some puzzle room, or at least that's what Earl thinks would have happened to me.

Minutes stretch into an eternity as I run through the seemingly endless labyrinth of similar, winding paths. Earl is on my heels as I try not to go too fast, but I can tell he's pushing himself to his limits already. Each twist and turn leaves me disoriented, like a rat in a maze. My breath comes in desperate gasps, echoing loudly in the oppressive silence, and my heart races as if it's trying to outrun my own steps.

I'm not physically tired, but my Ether saturation after battling that many Mannequins is not slight. Plus, my prior buildup doesn't help that either. Even still, I hold on longer. We need to get back and warn the others as fast as possible.

Then, finally, the faint sounds of a furious struggle reach my ears—the clashing of steel, a silent crash, and the grunts of a lone man. A glimmer of hope surges through my weary limbs, and I hasten toward the source of the turmoil, slightly leaving Earl behind. He endeavors to keep up, but the less physically inclined man nearly falls flat on his face as I turn to a closed door. Behind them are the very sounds that brought me here.

Out of nowhere, as I speed toward the door, it explodes into a thousand splinters. With the explosion, a figure vaults through the air, hurtling toward me with alarming speed. Suprise grips me as I realize the imminent collision, and instinct takes over. I lunge forward, my arms outstretched, and manage to catch the person just as I slide back on my feet.

The impact reverberates through my body, my muscles straining to absorb the shock. I nearly fall over from the stranger's weight added to the force they were sent tumbling with, but I stand my ground. The figure quickly flips itself off me in a twirl of torn and damaged clothes, landing with one hand on the ground, another hanging limply, and a dagger in its mouth.

The bloody teeth and tense eyes of Virgil meet mine as I see him visibly release a sigh of relief. A quick phrase exits the side of his mouth through tightly bound teeth as he twists back, and faces the doorway.

"We need to go. Now. Gravecross or Lawless Lake are the only safe places."

But before I can even ask him a question about the words that are similar to those I wanted to say to him, the slow and unhurried voice of a man enters through the broken door. As he speaks, Earl manages to catch up quite a bit, ending only a few dozen feet behind us.

"Have you learned enough, Virgil? You are weak. The only way you survive is if you run. I thought we taught you better."

My pupils shift over in surprise once more as this figure calls himself a teacher of Virgil. Wasn't he taught by the Estates? Is this an Estatesman? Who can fuck Virgil up this badly? His arm is clearly broken, and his other arm isn't doing too well.

It has to be an Angel. No 6th Sigiled, not even a Forerunner, can play with Virgil like this.

"You taught me nothing other than how to kill. If you truly wish I follow my teachings, then I would complete my mission under any circumstances, Eli. Saving one's life isn't a part of the Damned curriculum."

Virgil bursts out in a shout as he repeatedly backs up, shoving me further and closer to Earl. Once he finishes his cry, he whispers to us serenely.

"Ed Summers is a sacrifice. We need to go. This is all wrong. Are there any exits where you two came from?"

I shake my head as Earl joins me, mighty footsteps resounding from the other room. Instead of saying useless things as I realize the man through this door is Eli Weiss, the Underground Tree, I let Virgil continue.

"This Eli is a Vessel, not the true one, so we're not completely screwed, but we're going to have to work together to get past it. There was another door on the opposite side of the room, but he was using some potent illusions to hide himself."

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I nod in agreement and pitch in my own input just as a massive horned head peaks through the doorway, inserting itself into the corridor. Instantly, I recognize the demon, no the monster, simply by its features and demeanor. Behemoth. Nothing else gazes at living beings like they are nothing but ants like that.

"Okay. I can handle the illusions."

My words are purposeful, and I push Insight into being as the Behemoth quickly fades to reveal a Mannequin in its place. Unfortunately for me, however, the Mannequin is quite different from Eli Weiss' Vessel.

Tightening my jaw, I accelerate forward with a quick Arbalest before bursting against the Mannequins' body as it doesn't seem to anticipate my charge. I fall forward, taking it to the ground with me before I swing my right arm back and repeatedly slam the metal fist into its head with great force.

It quickly folds and stops moving, so I glance up, only to find the room entirely empty. Completely empty. A room, probably a hundred feet by a hundred feet, is featureless other than the door on the far side. I twist around, confusedly facing Virgil as he limps inside.

"I—There was a lot more earlier. Lights that—wait. Is this an illusion?"

Seeing his point, I focus on the surroundings as Insight blooms again, but nothing happens. Virgil's head contorts in confusion as Earl also investigates the odd room.

"Nope. It's normal. I could take a Gasp, but I'd rather not reach my limit so early."

Virgil nods with me before kneeling at a splotch of blood on the ground, tapping it with his forefinger that isn't severely wounded.

"So odd. I was just fighting him and a dozen illusions. Where did they all go?"

Earl finally adds some input as he steps up to us, a piece of paper in his hands.

"I think they went to do something more important than fighting us. Look."

Another note, written in the same style as before, denotes a series of words from Eli Weiss. My teeth unconsciously grind at his schemes and antics.

"I hope you all have grown from this, at least somehow. The newest generation is being forced to step up as the older dies far too rapidly. For that, I am sorry. Never before have we dropped numbers at such a rapid pace without tremendous gain.

But fear not. We are not the only ones losing numbers. For every one of our Angels that has died, ten of the demons, Pygmies, or Nahullos have. Learn from these schemes you all surely hate so much. Without them, we will all die.

Witness what happens in the coming hours. Memorize it. Learn from it. Soon, you tiny saplings will see the vastness of the skies and what lies above. Until you reach that same stage, survive. That is all that matters. Survival.

The death of Marshall Travis was only the beginning. By year's end, the number of elderly Angels should hardly be a dozen. And perhaps... there will be more than one new God."

I glance up from the note as Earl laughs awkwardly, his hand shaking as he holds the paper.

"Eli keeps warning us. Is it really that bad? Or is he just trying to scare us all away?"

I bite my lip to consider his words, but Virgil answers before I come up with anything.

"Probably both. I reckon we could change things, unlike what he alludes to. Even Dominions can die. Sure, they are tough, far more brutal than anything we've ever seen, but they are of flesh and blood, too. A bullet may not kill them; hell, a cannon probably wouldn't even reach them, but still, they are not invincible. Not to mention that he is perhaps worried we'll ignore his warnings and free Ed Summers anyway. So, he's going all in to shoo us from that path. And... I have to say he is pretty convincing."

Earl nods as he folds the paper and puts it into his bag before retrieving more of his bandages for Virgil. He then approaches the wounded man as I consider their words and monitor the door we have not yet entered.

"So, Vincent is really coming to Blackreach, huh? About damn time he does something. All I've ever heard about him are legends, nothing concrete. To me, Marshall is a thousand times the man than he is."

Virgil clicks his tongue as Earl splints his limp arm and sets it back into place. He only groans slightly at the pain while Earl tends to him and puts him back into fighting shape. Though, he'll have to see Dawn to get to one hundred percent.

"That's how it's been for all of my life as well. The Estates and Pillars have done a great job at articulating the terror of the Wastelander, but I have to say they aren't far from the truth. Just the fact that he is alive has kept the Binary Lords from attempting attacks into humanity's depths. Two centuries ago, when his predecessor reigned, that was not the case. It usually took the Prime and the deaths of several Pillars to push back even one Lord. Vincent Harvey's simple existence has been enough, even if his whereabouts are unclear."

When he's done, Earl taps Virgil's shoulder and points to the door ahead. We start walking toward the door, and I finally realize the difference. Most demons, at the same Sigil, have an innate advantage due to their bodies and lineages compared to humans. Now, not all do, as many humans can possess their own gifts, but the two demons at the 9th Sigil certainly would.

What kind of monster is the eldest human?

From Johnny and Bonfire's meeting with him, it sounded like he's explored nearly the entirety of the world. The vastness he must have seen... Shaking my head, I listen to Earl as we reach the door.

"Well, then, we best get going. I want to save Ed, but the more we hear, the more impossible it sounds. It also sounds less and less worth it. Sure, we might save him, but what if that costs Vincent his Godhood? Does Ed even want to be saved? He's a Pillar, one that should serve humanity. In the end, what better way can you do so than guaranteeing a God to be within our ranks?"

Nodding to him, I ask something just for confirmation. Some deep part of my soul doesn't sit right with my choice, but the alternative is far worse.

"So, then, we're all in agreement, right? We're leaving Ed? I hate to do it, but I'd rather some old man I don't know die than all of us, y'know?"

Virgil chuckles and slaps me on the shoulder. I nearly jump from the force, but pivoting, I see his sad smile through his torn mask.

"Don't blame yourself, Wyatt. Not everyone can be saved. Sometimes... the one person you want to keep alive cannot be saved... All you can do is make sure that the next time, you can do more."

Knowing he is mentioning Vernon in a passing manner, I slightly close my eyes and look down. He's right. I already knew this, too. It's just... it's just becoming too much. All the people I want to save have died.

Edmund. Lonnie. Leonard. Vernon. Blightraven. Skychaser. Woody. Cigar. Marshall.

Thinking back on it, the only person I've ever set out to help and actually did was Primrose. Virgil, Earl, and I retrieved that medicinal herb for her. Was that really the best thing I've ever done? Save one person.

Almost as mechanically as those Mannequins moved from earlier, I follow Earl and Virgil through the door into the next tunnel. That's all that's here, it seems—tunnel after tunnel, unending corridors, and tricks.

A part of me wants to stay, to change something, but... the rest of me knows how foolish that would be. I can't. Endangering myself and all of us for one person is too much. We did that for Blightraven and were lucky only Sacate, Skychaser, and Blightraven died.

Haah...

I suppose that is just the way things will be.

I refocus and follow after Earl and Virgil with greater alacrity than before, slowly passing them as my simmering anger begins to rise. After just a few short seconds, I swoop Earl and throw him over my shoulder. He shouts in frustration, but I ignore him and share a glance with Virgil. We then speed up massively, using Ether to guide our steps.

Corridor after corridor, we pass, disregarding all the side rooms and potentiality in favor of speed, gradually increasing in height until we come across a massive vault door. It's nearly thirty feet in height and width. The steel is a dark red, reminiscent of the metal present in Earl's inventions.

A curse comes from Earl as I set him down. Virgil is already ahead of us as he Flickers through the vault before shaking his head when he comes out the other side. The two speak at nearly the same time.

"I know I'm slow, but damn you! And what the—is that all Crimfere? By the Devil..."

"No way to open it from the other side. Some kind of key is needed, and I obviously am not leaving either of you behind."

Nodding at Virgil, I focus on Earl. The genius stares at me with greed in his eyes, and I quickly shut it down with Virgil's aid. I know what he wants. He wants the metal, but we don't have time to wait. The best I can do is settle.

"No. Don't even start. Just get us through it. I'll... try to break off whatever I can while you do so, though. Okay?"

He sighs as he moves up the vault, searching through his pack. He mumbles as I saddle up beside him, forcing Ether into my hand for a Hone. I then slowly grind away at the vault door, dropping slight fragments with every scratch that I gather in a bag. Blodwyn might be sleeping, but with Hone, its nails are better than any blade. Every piece of dust of this can be melted down, and if I get enough, it could be useful.

"Not explosives. We're too far underground. Crimfere... hmmm... heat. What can I make to get hot... Ah, yes, the metal powder and the red iron. Together, they react into heat..."

Not a word of his makes any sense, but I continue my work as he grinds off the rust from a brick of iron into a bowl before grinding it up with some other things. Shifting away, I get quite some progress into the vault as Virgil does a similar thing on the other side. However, he gets far less than I do.

Minutes later, Earl spreads this paste-like red substance over a small square outline, one hardly voluminous enough to fit Virgil. I raise an eyebrow at him as he calls for us to step back before lighting a match.

Then, he tosses the match at the paste, and it immediately is set aflame before brightening to such a level I have to raise my hand to keep it out of my sight. Seconds of this insane radiance pass until it finally dies out, and when I look back, there is a deep gully in the steel where the past was put while a red liquid is flowing down.

Earl, using a pair of thick gloves, quickly puts the liquid into a large flask that he smiles intensely at before nodding at Virgil and me.

"Go on. You two can surely break that part now."