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JULES
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The sun has set. Jules clambered up the staircase, and he finally reached the third tier of Marina Veridia.
> [Shrine Hunting — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Ascend the third tier of Marina Veridia.]
Dozens of men laid strewn around the ground. Some groaned in their misery, others begged for their lives. Whiskers’ three tails hung down from on top of the Shrine. The cat tenderly licked his claws. They made eye contact, and the black cat pointed toward a final set of stairs.
Right, I feel Rukia just on the other side. Jules ascended the final flight. When he reached the summit, he paused and looked back at the Shrine. Ragnar was far enough behind him to spare a moment. In front of him, Katarina and Felix fought at the Shrine.
Katarina dove through its gate.
She’s in, Cy. Whiskers flung himself in right after her, and Felix disappeared through the gate as well. Jules’ new wound burned. With company.
Jules faced the Fountain of the Virtues, which were sculpted nearly identically to the Fountain in Aquilantis. Marina Veridia’s also sat high up on a cliff and overlooked the eastern sea and sunrise. Zeke knelt before one of the Virtues' altars, at the end, labeled with the numeral 1.
Kindness.
Rukia growled at the Pastor's side. She bounced up and down on all fours and barked like a dog. Probably cussing him out in some other-worldly language.
Zeke drew a deep breath. He unclipped his warhammer's shaft from his back sling. It fell straight down to the ground, upright and perfectly balanced. One knee lifted off the ground, and he arose. Zeke faced Jules. He towered over Jules and rested his hands on the pommel of his hammer.
The Pastor was confident, arrogant even. An air of aristocracy graced the holy site. What a fucking douchebag.
Ragnar caught up, and Zeke raised a hand. Ragnar looked curiously at Zeke. It's like he's never been issued an order before. Zeke's eyes traced from Jules' shoulder to his hip, studying the wound.
“Zeke,” Jules greeted him. Zeke nodded back.
“That will be all, Ragnar. Felix will handle the other Sin. You are to aid Selene with the traitor.”
“Blood. Feud.”
“Not bigger than mine, Ragnar! Selene is alone with the boy who lived. Go. Back. Her. Up.”
“You no Ragnar puppeteer.”
What the hell is going on here? If Zeke’s not controlling them…
“That boy might be a Sin, too, for all we know. We could capture three in one night, all at once.” Ragnar snarled back at Zeke. “Your Holiness.” Of course.
Kat was right. She didn’t come, but The Maiden is here.
Ragnar, or the Iron Maiden herself, pointed at Jules. “Capture. All cost. All. Cost."
Zeke showcased the black medallion he wore. “My charge is understood, Ma’am.”
Jules’ Seal could have given him a heart attack. He dropped to his knees and lost some of his vision. Is this his doing? Hers? His two enemies looked at him cautiously, as if this were some ploy of Jules'.
> « Stop »
Zeke and Ragnar and even Rukia froze. No—
No! I thought I had more time? The clock hasn’t run out yet…
From the peripherals inward, Jules’ vision turned black, like a whirlpool swirling around and around.
That Holy damage accelerated him more than I thought? Jules could still move. He inspected his Seal. It’s not filled in, there’s still time, right?
> HELLO, JULES…
"Dammit, what do you want!?"
> WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED.
"To control my body and—"
> TO KILL DEATH.
"And in order to do that, you have to take it from me." Jules felt Wrath’s demonic smile spread. He also felt Rukia and Zeke and Ragnar's gazes, watching him, listening to him.
> I DO NOT WISH TO TAKE IT FROM YOU. I WANT YOU TO GIFT IT TO ME. TO LOAN IT, PERHAPS?
Not gonna happen again.
> HEH HEH… WE SHALL SEE.
Jules tried to summon Kaizen, but his body grew heavier and heavier and soon he couldn’t move, like the others.
If you don’t mind, I’m about to bash these bastards’ heads in. Should be good for you, too.
> I WOULD THINK TWICE ABOUT YOUR STRATEGY, JULES.
Jules’ hair stood on end. Why's that?
> BECAUSE I OFFER YOU ANOTHER DEAL. YOU CAN TAKE IT OR—
Yeah. Don’t care, not taking it.
> YOU REQUIRE INCENTIVE. I UNDERSTAND. JUST LIKE THE SHRINE, I WILL WITHHOLD ALL OF MY POWERS FROM YOU.
You’re going to steal my powers!? Jules tried to contain his next thoughts to himself.
That bastard, that arrogant prick. In the final hour, after all it took to get here?
I thought you said you weren’t going to take control of me?
> DO NOT BE FOOLISH, JULES. THE POWER YOU CREDIT TO YOURSELF IS RIGHTFULLY MINE, BY BIRTHRIGHT. IT COMES FROM ME, IT IS ME. WITHOUT WRATH, YOU’D BE JUST ANOTHER HUMAN, AN ANT READY TO BE SMASHED BY THE TIDES OF FATE. OBSERVE…
I may be an ant to you, but you're a cockroach. What do you gain from this? You can’t survive without me.
> MY WRATH ENDURES BEYOND YOU. I AM PATIENT, AND I HAVE TIME ON MY SIDE. I FIND MYSELF GROWING TIRED OF YOU.
>
> BUT I NEED NOT REMIND YOU THAT TIME IS NOT YOUR ALLY TONIGHT. AGAIN, YOU HAVE ABANDONED YOUR FRIENDS TO DANGER AND PERIL. WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE?
Jules bought time. Depends on what the deal is. He knew he wouldn’t take another deal, but he had to figure out a new strategy to fight, without Regeneration at the very least.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
> FULLY INTEGRATE WITH WRATH, AND REGAIN MY POWER.
> [Wrath Reincarnated — Quest Objective ADDED: Regain your power by fully Integrating with Wrath.]
Jules let his rage run through his blood. His blood pressure and heart spiked. I'll show you my power, my wrath.
Jules harvested all of that underlying anger to break through Wrath’s spell and manifest Kaizen.
About two-thirds of the ghost were missing.
The remnants wavered and bits began to dissolve, back to the void. Jules fed Kaizen his Ryoku to no effect. He looked to Rukia, for help, but she was still frozen.
> HEH HEH…
« Integrate »
Jules lined up Kaizen’s soul with the Sound and crammed him into a Weapon Spirit Integration, but again, nothing happened.
“You waste time,” Kaizen said. He looked at Jules as if he too would soon be a ghost. “Wrath never lies. You’ve borrowed his powers, I’ve borrowed his powers, but they are his. Even your ability to see me stems from him.”
Jules’ eyes widened.
“How can I fight without you and Rukia and the Sound?”
Kaizen turned back to Rukia. Her face twitched and contorted, whereas Zeke and Ragnar hadn't even blinked.
“The Sound is Wrath’s weapon, yes. But it wasn't him who forged it. He…took it. And I wouldn't count the fox out yet. She’s our Familiar, true. But perhaps she was never his.” Only part of Kaizen’s head and his left chest—his heart with the Seal over it—remained. “Don’t give up, Jules. Don’t give in. Trust in Rukia, and trust in the Sound.”
Rukia shook like a wet dog and broke free of the spell. “Kaizen!”
“Trust yourself, Little One.” Kaizen’s eyes blinked back at the edge of the void. “And don’t forget to kill Zeke.”
“Kaizen!” Jules reached out. “Where do we find you again?”
He was already gone.
“We’re on our own now, Jules.”
“How do we stop the Apocalypse without Kaizen!? Hell, how do we make it past tonight?”
“It’s OK, we can retrieve him from the same spot we found him. But for now…” Rukia pranced over to Zeke’s boot and lifted a leg high into the air and relieved herself. “We must fight.”
> HOW WILL YOU FARE WHEN I’VE STRIPPED EVERYTHING FROM YOU? GOOD LUCK, JULES TIDESHAPER…
Zeke clutched his throat and gasped for air, as if he hadn’t breathed that entire time. Ragnar watched the Pastor, disgusted, as if the need for air were some weakness, then looked at the sky.
“Interference from a higher plane.” Ragnar spoke clearly, in a different voice entirely. “I’ve assessed the situation, you are correct. We will handle Selene and the boy.” Puppet and puppeteer left them without looking back. “Forget not to take Communion."
“In due time.” Zeke brandished his warhammer. “But first, I have loose ends that need closure.”
“Delay not," Ragnar barked. "The full moon must be out from the clouds.” The puppet hopped off the side of the cliff.
Rukia growled at Zeke from Jules’ heels. She was ready to obey his every command. Zeke studied them while Jules took stock of himself.
Regeneration really was killed. My Ryoku stands in place, and I don’t have another way to replenish it now. There is one silver lining, though, and Zeke should be obvious to it…
“Long ago,” Zeke said, “when you were born, you killed my entire town. Massacred them. Everyone I ever knew. My parents, my wife, my children. In her own way… Your mother."
“I never killed anyone.”
Zeke scoffed. “They just fell by themselves, then?”
“Uh actually, yeah so ya see, that was me and Kaizen. We killed everyone. I had special fun in killing your—”
“Silence!” Birds scrambled out of the surrounding arbor. “I knew it was you, Wrath. I knew you would be born a Sin. To that family.”
“Sounds like you certainly wanted it.” Jules tested the Sound. How much energy can I put in you? Will Rukia’s soul cram in here? It felt odd to him, more distant somehow, unfamiliar.
“You know, your father, he nearly killed me once—”
“When, last week?”
“Quiet boy, and let me learn you your family history. We were young men back then, just past our System Unlock Days.”
“You don’t know anything about my father, not truly.” And don’t speak ill of the dead.
“I know that you killed him,” Zeke sang the words in a tune. Jules swallowed hard, then locked his sorrow and guilt away. “I know more about that man than you’d ever want to know.”
Alright, I'll bite. Have to, really. I need to work a new plan.
“Who were the Tideshapers?”
Zeke studied Jules’ face. Jules felt new cracks around the Sound’s spiritual edges. Rukia and the Sound should be enough to defeat you. Zeke burst into laughter.
“Evelyn, sweet Evelyn.” How’d he know she told me? “Ah, that look on your face, boy… Liam would never have mentioned his family. Hated them with a passion, and rightfully so. Your lot makes blood feuds with you wherever you go. With the Canaans, for instance.”
> [Maternal Instincts — Quest Objective ADDED: Figure out why your family lines feuded with each other.]
>
> [Paternal Problems — Quest Objective ADDED: Figure out why your family lines feuded with each other.]
"Why? What's so bad about the Tideshapers?"
"You can ask your father yourself, after I send you to Hell."
“Well this is going nowhere. Clearly you don’t know anything about them, or you won’t say what you do know. What’s your endgame here, why are you hunting me? You obviously can’t kill me.”
“Oh, but I can. Allow me to demonstrate.” Zeke gazed at the stars. They twinkled beside the moon, still shrouded by clouds. “Ah. Afraid we must wait a moment longer.”
“It doesn’t stop there, with the Sins, does it? You plan to expand…outward.”
Zeke raised an eyebrow. “That is quite the accusation.”
“You seem nervous. Is it because one of them is watching us, right now, in your midst?” Zeke took one step forward. “I’m not so easily intimidated, Zeke. What does she want with the Virtues? The so-called protectors of the world?”
“You’ll have to ask her yourself.” His smile was grim.
“Is she here—today?”
“Never leaves Sylvan Hollow, that one." Jules couldn't hide his smile. Giving me information on a silver platter already. Your interrogation shouldn't take long. "But that’s OK, because you’ll arrive there shortly. In separate deliveries."
“So she’s directing her zombies from all the way over there? She must be one hell of an Alter, being hundreds of miles away—Ah, your face. So she is an Alter."
If Zeke’s warhammer were a neck, he’d have strangled it by now. At least I don’t have to worry about that hammer harming me…too badly, anyway.
“Burn in Hell, Sin.”
You have no idea.
Zeke swept his warhammer up and heaved it down. Holy magic sparked at its impact like lightning. Jules avoided the blunt weapon, but charged bolts shocked him. Jules writhed in pain to trick Zeke, though they had little effect. Zeke activated more of his Holy Enchantments to restrain Jules. His shoulder plates and cuirass lit up.
> « « Transmutation Circle » »
A golden transmutation circle ensnared Jules.
> « « Tempered Glass » » [₹109,910 // ₹174,501]
Zeke's spell turned to glass and shattered into shards around Jules. Zeke hesitated. Wrath was kind enough to strip me of his weaknesses, too.
Jules smacked the Sound against Zeke’s temple. It had no more effect on him than a regular wooden sword.
Zeke smiled again. “What wickedness are you up to?”
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
> « Fire » [₹94,910 // ₹174,501]
> « « Iron Maiden Envelop Me » »
Jules blasted a stream of flames at Zeke’s face. Zeke's Scroll summoned a latticework of iron spikes that blocked the attack—some of it, anyway. He pushed the makeshift shield forward to Jules’ palm, to terminate its source.
Zeke’s snarl was marbled by scorched skin. Jules knew the sensation of burning alive, but Zeke didn't even acknowledge the pain.
“You’re one tough bastard,” Jules admitted.
“And you are full of surprises.” Zeke looked to the clouds again.
Not sure what happens when the moon comes out, but I need a new weapon.
Zeke swept his war hammer at Jules, who leapt back. Jules blocked another sideswipe attack—and the Sound cracked in half on impact.
“Dammit—Rukia!?”
Conserve your Ryoku, Little One, she advised. Your fight hasn’t started yet. Feel him out.
Jules retreated a few steps. “Some specifics would be nice.”
“My, my, my. What do we have here?” Jules and Zeke turned to face the unknown.
Maddie. Are we allies again, or enemies?
Maddie approached the Fountain of the Virtues. Thorn, August, and even John followed in her shadow. She stopped to inspect an altar. Second from the edge?
Better feel her out. “I see you’re just in time to join the fight.”
“Aye, and just in time,” Zeke said. “He was beginning to challenge me.”
Jules eyed Thorn, then Maddie, who turned to face him. Which side will you choose?
Maddie drew her cutlass again. Her compass was nowhere in sight.
Is she going in blindly?
“Prepare yourself for conquest—” Who are you choosing, dammit. “—Wrath.”
Shit.
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93
BONUS CONTENT BELOW
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Books of Salvatica
Excerpts from 'The Highest Rank' by The Sylvan Publishing House
The Iron Maiden, in Her Own Words
(Sylvan Publishing House) So how exactly would you describe yourself, then?
(Her Holiness The Iron Maiden) I am but an iron will on Her maiden voyage.
I see, I see. Hmm, yes. Any more on that?
No.
You know this is an interview, right?
We need not be greedy with our media; we need not become a glutton on words.
So… You’ve risen through the ranks of The Church quite quickly in the last year. You are even branching out into your own Faction, a difficult feat, I am sure—But what accomplishment are you most proud of?
I seek Humility in all things.
Hmm, yes. And what would you do with her, when you’ve found her?
…
Humility, I mean. The Virtue.
We seek the Virtues in our hearts, and the Sins out in this world, that we may eradicate them.
OK. Well, this has been illuminating… Thank you for your time, I think that’s all the questions I have for today.