Advertise/Affiliate Other Forum Main Page The World Before You Play

True Evil (M) [Closed]

Started by Valtxr, April 23, 2017, 02:15:48 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Valtxr

   "Shit! Run!" Charles said.
   "Get off the ridge, now!" Sergio shouted.
   Sharon had just turned the wheellock mechanism in her main pistol and pocketed her spanner when she looked up and saw it. The three meteors of fire. Fear washed over her face.
   But Charles pulled Sharon to her feet and they ran down the ridge. Jorge scrambled after them, nearly dropping his own pistol. Sergio dived off of the crest of the ridge and rolled ungracefully down the steep slope toward the road. The men all stopped reloading and rushed to get off of the ridge.
   The three meteors all crashed down, exploding into huge clouds of flame all about the ridge. Both of Winters' men and one of Rains' men were too slow and the roaring flames engulfed their bodies.
   When the flames from the impact retreated and dissipated, these three were visible again. All three screamed and turned and twisted as the fire consumed their bodies and melted their skin from their bones. One after another they dropped to the ground, their molten flesh bubbling and running down the ridge toward the road.
   A blue bolt cracked past Jorge's ear. He tripped, fell, hit his face in the dirt of the road, cursed, and pushed himself back to his feet.
   Another blue bolt slammed into one of Rains' men as he ran down the ridge. He flew back into the grass and lay still, a gaping and steaming hole in his gut.
   Sergio glanced back as he reached the road. All of Winters' men were dead, and only five of his own remained.
   And Sharon, Charles, Jorge, Sergio, and the five men were all running toward the stone pillars of the perimeter fence. Nyetta and the other cultist hid behind two of them, leaving four.
   Not enough cover to go around.

   The flash made Rains reflexively close her eyes and look away. When she looked again, Gabe stood victorious over the body of Deitrus.
   A good choice. Trusting in Gabe. Bringing him here.
   Rains grunted as she pulled the sword from her stomach and tossed it to the ground. She panted twice, as if she were parched and had just taken a drink of water. The blood from her wound stopped running, and the skin started to reform slowly over it. A gift from the regenerative potion she had imbibed earlier in the morning.
   She gave a quick nod of respect to Gabe. Said, "A righteous heart. You will soon see."
   Then she crouched and picked up her hatchets and stood again. Locking eyes with Deitrus' brother.
   Morgan stepped off of the porch and took a few steps into the courtyard. He held his staff like a rifle. Pointed it at Rains and Gabe. A vicious torrent of fire streamed from the staff. Roared quickly across the distance of the courtyard toward them.
   Rains sprinted off to Morgan's left. The heat of the fire licking at her heels. She ran past the fountain in the center of the courtyard. Then hurled one of her hatchets at the mage.
   The blade of the hatchet clipped Morgan's left arm. The flames retreated as they absorbed the blow, and the skin returned exactly where the blade had struck.
   And the red crystal stuck in Morgan's chest shivered and glowed a bit brighter.

Gawfy

Gabe watched as Rains made her bid to kill Morgan. He couldnt close the distance so instead he would Throw the shield shards Laying around to get his attention. He took the Shard he had in his hand and threw it like a disk. Morgan had to practically dive to  get out of the way of the whirling shard of death. one of the marksmen Noticed the commotion  and returned fire onto gabe. He dove behind a near by crate as he contemplated his next move.

Valtxr

   The shard of Deitrus' enchanted shield deflected all of the magical flames that it touched on its flight. Morgan noticed the wayward flames spraying out from his staff's torrent, noticed the disturbance racing straight toward him, and indeed dived far and away to dodge the shard.
   With the torrent of fire stopped and Morgan's attention on Gabe, Rains saw an opportunity. Her eyes had settled on the lightning rifle that had been dropped by the dead marksman on the second floor. Now it lay in the grass of the courtyard, close to the manor.
   She took off running from near the fountain. Five to six precious seconds to clear the distance and grab hold of the rifle.
   A marksman appeared. In the window next to the lightning rifle. He had one of his own. Aiming it at Sergio and the rest of the men as they approached the perimeter fence. But he saw Rains. Snapped his rifle in her direction.
   A gunshot. Followed by another. Then his head jerked violently to one side. His rifle slid from his hands and clattered onto the floor of the manor, and he collapsed out of sight.
   From somewhere far behind Rains, she heard Jorge shouting, "Oh, fuckin' right on, mate! I got one! You see that?"
   Rains just smirked. And she slid in the dirt and scooped up the lightning rifle, the momentum of her slide causing her to bump into the manor. She kneeled and started to take aim at Morgan.

   Sergio could see the lack of cover down here on the road and by the perimeter fence. And since Jorge just used both of his pistols to take down a third marksman, leaving only one left, the best defense had to be a solid offense.
   "Prepare to fire!" Sergio yelled as he stopped running forward and aimed his rifle.
   Four out of the five men had their rifles reloaded; the fifth was frantically searching his pockets for the spanner to turn the wheellock mechanism. Charles wasn't finished reloading his main pistol, but he quickly holstered it and pulled out his reserve. Sharon clicked back the dog's head of her main pistol—ready to fire.
   All of them stood in the road or near the road. Completely exposed.
   And a blue bolt slammed into one of the men. His bloodied body flew back, and the man with the unloaded rifle dropped his and dived for the dead man's weapon. Quickly brought it up.
   "Aim!" Sergio said. He glared down the barrel of his rifle. His heart pounding in his chest.
   Sharon saw exactly which window the last marksman was shooting from. He had ducked back behind the frame after he took his shot. She and Charles leveled their pistols on the window.
   The marksman poked out again. Took a haphazard shot toward the group. The blue bolt hit the dirt of the road in front of Sergio. A violent cloud of dust sailing into the air.
   "Fire!"
   Sergio, Sharon, Charles, and all four remaining men unleashed their volley. Shots pelted the manor. And the marksman's body contorted as he tried to withdraw behind the window frame. A splatter of blood on the jagged bits of broken glass on the window frame. And the marksman dropped down.

   Morgan stood. His eyes staring down the small stack of crates Gabe hid behind. The volley of shots at the final marksman snapping through the air to Morgan's right.
   He arched his left hand back. A growing swirl of flames gathering around it. He'd avenge his brother, incinerate the rest of these intruders, and inherit what was rightfully his: his father's drug empire.
   A blue bolt of lightning streaked across the courtyard. Hit the red crystal embedded in Morgan's chest before he even heard the whip-like crack of the shot. The crystal shattered, and the flames in Morgan's hand dissipated into nothing.
   The flames that had engulfed and replaced his skin exploded around him, tearing his robe into rags and charring the grass where he stood. Morgan staggered back and dropped to down to one knee, his staff slipping from his hand. The wound where the crystal used to be cauterized into black flesh immediately. His heart, as well as the rest of him, became flesh and muscle and human once more.
   Rains, some distance away, lowered the lightning rifle. Grinned triumphantly as she eyed the stunned mage. He was as good as dead.
   At last.
   At long last.
   After waiting twenty-five hellish years.
   Her moment of vengeance had finally come.
   And Rains' heart swelled with sheer joy.

Gawfy

Gabe kept his head down as all the gunfire erupted around him. He could hear banter Coming from the entrance so they still hand some people left, and they must have been doing well if some one was boasting. The Gunfire would Soon cease and soon, Nothing. A crisp breeze rolled over as all defenders outside had died. Gabe poked his head out before standing up and walking to Rains.
Thanks for that.We head in now yeah? He said still bobbing back and forth as if he was still in a fighting stance. All the adrenaline kept him pumped up. Coming over to the gate now was Sharon, Charles and Jorge none the worse for wear.  Gabe offered a smile and a wave to them.

Valtxr

   Quiet.
   The ocean splashed against the cliffs behind the large manor. Distant birdsongs could be heard once more.
   Sharon pulled out her reserve pistol—the only loaded gun among the group. Pistol pointed at the windows of the manor, she led the way through the gate. Charles, Jorge, Sergio, the surviving four men, Nyetta, and the tattooed cultist followed.
   Rains sauntered toward the stunned Morgan. Stood behind him. Breathed in through her nose. Exhaled luxuriously through her mouth. Relished in the victory of the moment.
   She lifted the rifle. Pressed the butt of it against Morgan's head. Drew the rifle back. Then buttstroked the mage hard in his skull. A dull thump as wood slammed into bone. Morgan collapsed to the ground. Unconscious.
   She grinned as she stared down at Morgan's body. Tilted her head some. A singular thought, a vengeful thought, occurred to her: How does it feel to be powerless?
   Rains glanced up when Gabe addressed her. Nodded. "Yes. Come. You will be shown what you have been fighting for. What all who have come here have been fighting for. And you will see the depths of Deegan's evil."
   Sharon, Sergio, and the rest of the group reached Gabe and Rains. Gathered around. Rains tossed the lightning rifle to Sergio. And she only needed to make a slight head gesture to the manor behind her for him to understand.
   "Alright, my friends," Sergio said to the four men. "Draw swords. Secure the manor. We killed many, but still, be on guard."
   The four men each dropped their rifles into a pile and unsheathed their swords. Sergio led the four in through the open front doors of the manor, the lightning rifle held up and ready to fire as he entered.
   Jorge clapped a hand on Gabe's shoulder and gave him a friendly shake. "'Ey, don't think I didn't see that, buddy. Well, I kinda did, what with that flash and all. You punched the holy hell outta that fucker and his big dumb shield! That was some right pristine work, I'll tell ya that much!"
   Charles crossed his arms and gave Gabe an approving nod.
   Sharon holstered her reserve pistol. Smiled back at Gabe. "Good job, Gabe." She cast a concerned glance to his left hand. "Is your hand alright?"
   As Sharon, Charles, and Jorge talked with Gabe, Nyetta and the male cultist circled around the group to Rains. They each hugged her one last time, and Rains hugged them back.
   Nyetta, with a quick glance to the small patch of black skin and runes poking out from under her chestwrap, said, "Die as you were always meant to die, Sister Jessos. And love your fate."
   Rains smiled. "And there shall be naught but joy in this heart."
   Then Rains crouched down and searched through the pockets of Morgan's robe. Extracted a key from one of them. She stood, turned, and started walking toward the door.
   "Hey," said Charles.
   Rains stopped. Glanced over her shoulder at him.
   Charles pointed down to the unconscious Morgan. "What about him?"
   Rains smirked. Said, "Do as you please. Know that he deserves the worst punishment you can muster."
   And Rains started walking again. Sharon caught up to her after a brisk jog. Jorge followed. And Charles, after a short moment of hesitation, decided to go with them.

   White. White and immaculate.
   The interior of the manor looked even more expensive than Earnhardt's own costly estate. Polished and smooth wooden floors. Luxurious furniture and lantern fixtures, original artwork and portraits hanging from the walls. White walls and ceiling, all kept to an unnatural standard of cleanliness; magic was likely involved.
   Rains walked through these familiar halls. Not as Deegan's lieutenant. Not as The Butcher. This time, as a conqueror. As an avenging force.
   She passed by the many rooms of the manor; some with open doors, some closed, as Sergio's men conducted their sweep of the building. She walked through the halls of sheer decadence and kingly prestige with a rough, fierce, and confident swagger. Soon, this extravagant manor, this opulent palace—built on the darkest and cruelest impulses of Man—would crumble and burn to the ground. Nothing but ash in the wake of the reckoning that was coming for Deegan.
   Rains found what she was looking for. Near the back of the manor, tucked into a corner of the hallway, was a door unlike every other door in the building. Dark brown and bare wood. Iron studs, iron bars. Heavy. Reinforced. Lacking any and all elegance. Built to keep people out. Built to keep people in.
   Rains inserted Morgan's key into the door. Kept her hand on it.
   Glanced back to Gabe, Sharon, Charles, and Jorge in the hall.
   A smile. "This heart is glad that you all have come. That Deegan's sins will be exposed. And that you will see them, and that you will carry with you what has happened here."
   Sharon took in a steadying breath. A worried breath.

Gawfy

A Smile Came across his face when Jorge complimented his Punch. Hell Gabe didnt even know it would do that. He Just felt like it was the right thing to do. He  then looked at his Left hand when Sharon mentioned it. It was Inflamed with a slight purple Color deeper in the skin. Gabe shook his head anyway but he didnt know what to think. There was no pain coming from it but he also knew you didnt do what he just did and not break anything.  Gabe then followed Rains Into the white estate and waited for her to show her what they had been fighting for. 

Valtxr

   Rains turned the key. Swung open the door.
   And the stench came rushing out. Sharon, Charles, and Jorge all recoiled. Coughing, hacking, wheezing, gagging, spitting, turning around, stumbling away. Jorge pulled his mask up and leaned against the wall, his breathing ragged. Sharon dropped down to one knee, dry heaving violently and wiping at her mouth with a hand. Charles doubled over, holding his knees.
   Rains stood where she was. Her face contorting as she breathed in the vile smell. She only stared down into the room.
   It took a long moment for the three to finally regain their composure. Hands and shirts and masks over their noses and mouths, they all stood behind Rains once more.
   Looked into the room.
   "Oh...god..." Sharon whispered.
   The light from the hallway penetrated into the room. Illuminated the wooden stairs leading down. A near featureless dungeon at the bottom of the stairs. A filthy floor, stained with old urine and feces and dried blood and other bodily fluids. Three dirty mattresses laying on the floor. Three young girls laying on the mattresses.
   Maria looked to be aged nine. Alesia, aged seven. And little Kaylin, six years old. All three girls had their bones showing through the skin of their arms and legs. Their faces and eyes sunken, their skin pale and malnourished. Ghosts in the dim light of the dungeon. They teetered on the edge of starvation, hardly able to lift their arms to shield their eyes from the light flooding in from the hall above. Kaylin didn't move at all. Her chest rising and falling meekly.
   All three little girls wore filthy brown shirts.
   And none of them were wearing pants.
   Sergio happened upon the group then, his hand clamped over his nose as he approached. Took one look down into the dungeon. Then called out as loud as he could down the hall to the men, "Hey! Find some sheets! Some blankets! Anything! Quickly!"
   Rains glanced to Charles. To Jorge. To Sharon. And to Gabe.
   Said, "This...is Deegan's evil. And for twenty-five years, seventeen little girls suffered in darkness by his hand. Forgotten by the world. Maria, Alesia, and Kaylin are only the most recent. His first...was a young girl named Jessos."
   Sharon's hand trembled and dropped down from her mouth. Nausea tightened its grip on her stomach, wringing the bile loose and sending it up into her throat. She turned, leaned against the wall of the hallway, and vomited.
   Rains took a step onto the top stair. Started to descend the staircase slowly as she spoke. "Young Jessos was only six years old when Deegan killed her parents. And he took her here. Chained her neck and her wrist to the wall and had his way with her. For hours...and hours...at a time. Everytime it hurt. Everytime worst than the last. He said nothing to her. Only used her. Dominated her. She wasn't a human being to him. Merely a plaything. And this lasted for seven years. Exactly two-thousand, five hundred, and fifty-five days in this dungeon. It lasted until she gave birth to their child."
   Rains reached the bottom of the steps. "He was caught by surprise. Seeing the child in her arms. A beautiful daughter. Hair as blonde as her mother's. So Deegan came down the stairs, took the child from her arms, and stabbed her through the heart. Not even a day old. Nameless. Her life, gone. She never had a chance."
   Charles couldn't take it anymore. Like Sharon, he turned away. Leaned his arm and his forehead against the white wall of the hallway and clenched his eyes shut. Thought of Niko. His precious son. The light of his world.
   Rains walked over to Maria. Crouched down in front of her. "Jessos died with her daughter that day. As soon as rage and hatred overcame her fear and weakness, she became...different. Deegan saw this in her. He decided to train her, to mold her into a monster of his own making. A starving hound to set loose on his foes. His own personal Butcher. And in his hubris, he thought he had completely dominated her. That fear would always keep her in check. That she would never turn on him. That she would be loyal and trustworthy above all others, chained to the memories in this dungeon."
   Maria tried to crawl away. Rains laid a gentle hand on the girl's own. Maria stopped. Looked up at her with lifeless eyes. Rains said, "Deegan was wrong."
   Rains leaned in and embraced the child. Lifted her up some and held her to her own warm body. Rested Maria's head on her shoulder. And when Maria realized—finally realized—what was happening, quiet tears streamed down her face and a quivering smile came over her.
   She held the child for a while. Then said, "You will find the bodies and the bones of the other girls in the cell. In the back left corner. They deserve a proper burial."
   Jorge, still standing at the top of the staircase in the white hallway, lowered his head out of respect for the dead. Said nothing.
   Sharon straightened. Breathed unsteadily. Glanced back over to the door leading down to the dungeon.
   And she knew that a piece of her soul belonged to that evil place now.
   And the scar it left was hers.
   Until death finally freed her from the burden of remembering.

Gawfy

Sick.
Sick is all Gabe could Feel during this moment. He stayed quiet While Rains spoke. The Stench hitting him like a brink wall, but he made no attempt to cover it up. This was a harsh reality of their world. And all Gabe could do is take it in. Rains told her sad tale, And everything made sense. All Gabe could do now was help her on her crusade. Gabe entered the dark room, gingerly picking up one of the girls as she Trembled in his arms. He turned and exited the room before handing the girl off to One of Sergio's men. He then made his way back to the main entrance way.
Its about time we visit Deegan.
Gabe would mutter as walked. What ever Rains Decided to do to Deegan it would never be enough to atone for the sins he committed.
And a Gabe was sure Deegan knew that.

Valtxr

   Sharon summoned the strength to follow Gabe down into the dungeon. Her nose and tongue and throat burning as the overpowering stench wrapped its rotting fingers around her.
   And she saw the girls again.
   They were Siro. All three of them were Siro to her. Kaylin, the Siro of three years ago. Alesia, two years ago. Maria, Siro at present.
   They were Siro. They were a vision of what could happen. What would happen. If Sharon faltered. If Sharon was weak. If Sharon couldn't endure. If Sharon failed her.
   They were Siro. All the life and light gone from her eyes. From her soul.
   They were Siro. Her innocence stolen. Her body defiled.
   They were Siro. Broken upon the cruelty of the world.
   Sharon crouched down in front of Kaylin as Gabe picked up Alesia. Sharon carefully reached for her. Slid her arms under Kaylin's neck and under Kaylin's knees. Her body. Frail. Tiny. Weak. Quivering.
   How could this have happened? Where were all the so-called gods of this world? Were they all dead? Or did they enjoy the fate this poor little girl had suffered? Were the gods of this world no different from Deegan?
   Sharon lifted Kaylin from the filthy mattress. Gabe and Rains were already taking Alesia and Maria up the stairs and out of the dungeon.
   Kaylin's eyes were closed. The girl unconscious in Sharon's arms.
   Yet Sharon still whispered in the girl's ear, "I'm sorry this happened to you..."
   Nothing. The meek rising and falling of Kaylin's chest.
   Sharon reached the top of the staircase with Kaylin. Stepped out into the hallway. Watched Sergio's men come with the bed sheets. Watched them take the girls. Wrap them in the sheets. Heard Sergio order them to run as fast as they could down to Cerenis to a healer. Watched them run. Watched Gabe and Rains and Charles and Sergio walk down the hall. Heard Jorge say he was going to find a shovel and start digging out back.
   Sharon stood in the hall. Alone. Staring at nothing. Staring past the world. Staring through the thin veneer of life. Staring into the Abyss.
   And she knew what she had to do.

   "Yes. It is," Rains said to Gabe.
   Back at the main entrance of the manor, stairs led up to the second floor. Rains walked to them. Looked up. Grabbed hold of her hatchets and pulled them from the metal loops on her belt. And she started up the stairs. Her boots stomping on the wood. The metal on her belt clinking with each step. Charles and Sergio followed.
   She reached the top of the stairs. A wide open hallway. A door on the left: Deitrus's room. A door on the right: Morgan's room. And a door directly ahead.
   Rains walked forward. Past the statue and the artwork and the chandelier and the busts and the heraldry shields and weapons and glass displays of jewelry and all the trappings of the wealth Deegan had gorged himself on. The splendor of this white and clean hallway, built upon the black and filthy dungeon below.
   Rains reached the door. Placed the fingers of her right hand on it.
   This was the room she was always meant to reach.
   This was the room she would never leave.
   This was the room she would die in.
   Rains pushed open the door.
   Stepped inside slowly.
   And there he was.
   Deegan lay covered up to the neck in the white sheets of his massive bed. His face shriveled and gaunt with old age and a debilitating and worsening sickness. His hair white and mostly gone from his head. His eyes sunken and weak. His breathing harsh and strained. A husk of a man.
   He looked to Rains. His breathing caught in his throat, his eyes enlarged, his voice ragged and meek, "Jessos...?"
   Rains walked forward. Her bootsteps deafening in the quiet room. She reached the side of his bed. Her hatchets gripped tightly in each hand. Bones protruding from the skin.
   She said nothing to him. Only smiled a Butcher's smile.
   Sergio and Charles entered the room. Stood near the wall and away from the bed.
   Deegan swallowed. Gasped for breath. "Jessos...help me..."
   She said nothing to him. Her nostrils flared violently as she stared down at him.
   Deegan caught sight of the hatchets in her hands. Looked back up to her. Pleading. "Jessos...you don't...you don't have to..."
   She said nothing to him. Bared her teeth in a vicious grin. Her arms tensing.
   Deegan saw the black patch of skin under her chestwraps. "What have you...?"
   She said nothing to him. Exhaled a sinister breath as her teeth parted.
   Deegan glanced to Charles. To Sergio. To Gabe. "Please...don't...don't let her..."
   And she finally spoke.
   Said the three words that defined her life.
   The three words that made her the monster of Deegan's own making.
   "Name. And. Deed."

Gawfy

Gabe took this moment to chime in as she spoke. Name is Deegan. Crimes against humanity id wager.Gabe said as he knelt down to Deegan Ignoring his pleas for help.  Tell me Old Man, Did those girls you have locked up beg like you do now? Did they ever plea for you not to lock them in the darkness to rot? Gabe put up a finger to Deegan's mouth before he could speak. I think we both know the answer to that. And now a demon of your own making is sending you to hell.
Gabe stood back up laying a hand on Jessos's shoulder. Break the ribs. Gabe said in a monotone voice. The ribs with pierce his lungs and he will choke on his own blood. Worst way i can think of dying.
Gabe then stepped back.
And let the woman work.


OOC: Sorry ive been ded,  Lost my job and had to find a new one. But im back now so no more dead Gawfy!

Valtxr

(((It's all good, man)))


   Rains kept glaring down at Deegan as Gabe spoke his name and his deed. Crimes against humanity. An apt description. Said all that needed to be said of him.
   Deegan's eyes sparked with horror when Gabe mentioned the girls. Tried to speak, but the finger on his mouth stopped him. His fearful eyes rolled to Rains once more when Gabe said 'demon'.
   Rains listened to what Gabe had to say when he placed his hand on her shoulder. Grinned as she considered his suggestion. Fate had deemed it such that she would not be able to hack Deegan's body into as many pieces as she thought he deserved; the runic magic on her chest, courtesy of the Shadow Mage from weeks ago, would kill her as soon as she killed Deegan. But Gabe's suggestion was a fitting alternative. This way, she could watch him suffer.
   The hatchets slipped from Rains' hands. Clattered to the floor.
   Deegan took in a ragged breath. One of his last. "It doesn't have to be this way..."
   Rains pulled back the white sheets slowly. Exposed Deegan's bare chest, his sickly skin. Touched a fragile rib with the tips of her fingers.
   "This was always going to be this way," she said. "Even before you were born, you were here. And even after you die, you will be here. Trapped in this room. With your own Butcher. Your reckoning upon you."
   "I'm sorry, Jessos." He swallowed. His lips trembled.
   Rains balled her hand into a fist. Her knuckles lightly touching his ribs. "This is your path. It ends here, looped back around onto itself, just like the Circled Snake. You have eaten yourself, Deegan. And these hands are the teeth that will gnash your body into pulp, again and again. Forever."
   One more plea to Charles and Sergio and Gabe. The desperation of a man at his end. "Let me die in peace..."
   Rains lifted her fist up high. Prepared to strike. Spoke a few words to herself, "Rejoice, for the close of day promises a new dawn. And the flame of hope renews itself in the abject darkness of midnight. Prepare, once more, to live and suffer again."
   She looked back down to Deegan. The pathetic creature before her. Her fist quivering with anticipation. Said to him, "With regards from Maria, Alesia, Kaylin, Hannah, Ingrid, Aponni, Yvette, Rachel, Feyilese, Deidre, Huna, Stephanie, Blair, Ceres, Zoe, Helen...and Jessos."
   A gunshot.
   Deegan's head jerked back. Blood splattered on the bed post. Dripped onto the white sheets. Ran down his face.
   Rains, Charles, and Sergio all snapped their heads toward the source of the thunderous sound.
   And Sharon stood there by the open door. Her reserve pistol in hand, aimed at Deegan, gunsmoke rising from the barrel. A flat look of determination on her face.
   Rains slowly lowered her fist. Her mouth dropped open, eyes wide. A fleeting moment of shock and surprise.
   But the breathless pause passed. And rage began to radiate from her body. She glared at Sharon, teeth bared in a vicious snarl, and said in a strained and quiet voice, "You gave your word..."
   Sharon dropped the pistol. Closed her eyes and spread her arms. Inviting whatever retribution would come her way.
   "Boss..." Sergio said, not moving a muscle.
   Charles stepped forward carefully. Held up his hands in a gesture pleading for peace. "Hey, easy now...ea—"
   "YOU GAVE YOUR WORD!"
   Rains shoved Charles into the wall and ran past him. Lunged at Sharon. Rammed her shoulder straight into Sharon's gut and tackled her. The back of Sharon's head bounced off of the wood.
   Rains mounted Sharon in an instant. Straddling her stomach. Punching down hard. Beating Sharon's face into the floor.

Gawfy

The gunshot rang out but gabe didnt look for a source. Deegan was dead. Now all that was left to do was calm Jessos.
Thud
Thud
Thud
Gabe counted as Rains beat Sharon. Gabe stepped in but didnt stop until the forth hit, She did give her word. Gabe pulled Rains away from Sharon as he snarled. Thats enough of that, im sure she gets it. If you wanna work out your frustrations still im always looking for a brawl.  He said as he let go of Rains ready to grab her if she went back to sharon.

Valtxr

   Rains struggled against Gabe's grasp, swinging and missing one last time as she was lifted away from Sharon. Charles leapt to Gabe's aid, helping him pull Rains away and then standing with him like a bulwark between her and Sharon.
   Rains shifted her eyes from Gabe to Charles and to Gabe again. Her muscles tensed. Her teeth clenched and bared. Looking ready to pounce again.
   "You kept your word," she said to Gabe. "She did not!"
   And she lunged. Tried to go straight through the blocking arms and bodies of both Charles and Gabe. She glared over their shoulders. Down at Sharon. "Deegan belonged to these hands! These hands alone! How dare you! How dare you!"
   Charles braced himself. Did his best to keep Rains at bay.
   Sharon writhed on the floor. Her nose broken and bloodied. Her left cheek and eye starting to swell and redden. A nasty gash on her forehead. She gagged. Coughed up some blood that leaked down into the back of her throat. It ran down her chin.
   "Hey, hey, hey," Charles said in as beseeching a manner as he could, "I'll take care of it, Rains. I will. I promise."
   "Boss, please, listen to them," Sergio said.
   Rains stepped back of her own volition. Her hands still balled into fist down at her sides. Her nostrils flared, her breathing accelerated with rage. She eyed Charles and Gabe like an alpha wolf staring down a challenger. Considered muscling past them to get back to Sharon.
   Considered it for a long, tense moment.
   But her fists unfurled and her body relaxed some. It mattered not in the slightest what she did to Sharon now. A threshold had been crossed in this life. And there was no going back.
   "Fine," Rains said. "Do what you must."
   Rains pushed past Charles, bumping her shoulder into his, as she walked for the door. She paused. Looked down to Sharon. And spit on her.
   Then left the room, walking toward the stairs.
   Sergio breathed a sigh of relief. He went over to the side of Deegan's bed and collected Rains' hatchets and followed her dutifully out the door.
   Charles glanced to Gabe. Then turned around and looked down at the damage Rains had done to Sharon's face.
   "God." He kneeled down next to her. Put a hand on the top of her head and the other on her waist. "Easy, Sharon, easy. Don't move too much. Can you talk?"
   She tried to say, "Yes," but she only coughed again. Her body shuddered.
   "Hey, Gabriel," Charles said. "You bring any of those medical supplies from the wagons? I only brought extra ammo and powder. I think Jorge might have, but I'm not sure."

Gawfy

I guess fate had other plans. Gabe said as he responded to Rains.  After Rains Left he knelt down to Sharon who was spitting up blood. That was a dumb thing to do, would have pulled her off you sooner but You did take her kill. He said as he got up. No didnt cross my mind Ill go look. He responded to Charles as he got up and left the room. He crossed paths with Rains in the courtyard still cooling down.

Valtxr

   Sharon's brows curled in a distraught fashion when Gabe spoke to her. Her eyes followed him as he stood. She tried to say something as he started to leave, but again, she could only cough and spit up another glob of blood and saliva.
   She had thought Gabe would understand. That she could trust him with what she had planned next. Her dangerous gambit. Sharon knew she couldn't trust Charles; he was too cautious, too resistant to change, especially where her plan was concerned. Rains would take time, but she was confident in Rains' ability to see her reasoning for what she had done today. Jorge was a wild card...but he was also Jorge, so she ruled him out on that account.
   Still, she couldn't conceal the fact that Gabe's comment crushed her spirit in a small but permanent way. A seed of doubt planted on a risky and uncertain path.
   "Does your neck hurt, Sharon?" Charles asked.
   She shook her head, rolled it from one side to another, in the tiniest motions possible.
   "Okay. Good. There's that. Think you can stand?"
   "Yes," she said, finally managing to say one intelligible word.
   "Alright. You took a nasty bump to the head when she tackled you. Here. I'll help you up."
   Charles took her hand and hoisted her up onto her feet. The world swam and turned and twisted and folded onto itself a wave of dizziness overcame Sharon and she stumbled into Charles. He braced her, then wrapped one of her arms around the back of his neck to support her. Bent down and picked up her reserve pistol and holstered it for her.
   "Come on. Need to get you back to the wagons anyway. Let's go."
   Sharon took one last look at Deegan. One last look at his face, the moment of death frozen on it. The horror of the inevitable.
   And then her own blood ran down into her eye.

   Rains sat on the edge of the marble fountain in the courtyard, hunched over, her elbows on her knees. The light breeze stirring the water within. A soothing wind.
   Sergio some distance away, next to Morgan's unconscious body. He was casually reloading his rifle.
   "Boss," Sergio said, raising his voice enough to be heard across the distance. "What are we going to do now? With the men? The Pit? Now that Deegan's dead?"
   She heard him. Appreciated his efforts to take her mind off of what happened. Off of what was going to happen next. Off of what she needed to do, now that she was still alive—what she always dreaded.
   "The treasury will be ransacked," Rains said. "The gold distributed among the men. Operations in the Pit will continue. To keep the men engaged."
   "And those that didn't come?"
   "They will be given a choice. Stay, swear loyalty, and earn a small share of the treasury gold. Or be exiled from Reajh, and earn nothing. Mr. Winters' men will drive out Deegan's other underbosses. Take their territory."
   "You think he'll betray us? Come for us too, Boss?"
   "Perhaps he will."
   Rains caught sight of Gabe coming out the front door of the manor. She stood, her thumbs tucked into her belt. Watched him approach.
   "Thank you," she said to him. "For keeping your word. And for what you have done this day. It means more than you could know."
   The edges of her lips struggled to pull back. To smile. An attempted but failed effort. Her troubled mind wouldn't allow it.
   She thought of the dungeon.
   Of the darkness within.
   Of her daughter.
   Waiting to be buried.

Gawfy

Gabe Put another hand on her shoulder as she struggled to smile. No problem. No idea What went through Sharon's head but im a little glad she did it.Gabe glanced over to Rains men. Im sure You would have some people who would miss the hell out of ya if you died back in that room. Gabe looked over to Sergio offering a smile. If you still wanna keep doing this im sure charles will put in a good word for you lot. With Deegan dead should just be easy money after all of his under bosses are taken care of. Gabe then started back to the carriage, with Jorge burying the kids Gabe didnt want to bother him.  He made his way back with the medical supplies in his good hand.
He caught Charles on his way out with Sharon.He motioned for them to sit down for a moment .
Charles here is the stuff you wanted.

Valtxr

   A little glad she did it.
   A spike of rage in Rains' heart. A flexing of the muscles in her arms. The very notion that Gabe could appreciate Sharon's dishonesty, her unforgivable act, vexed her greatly.
   But then he said something that she hadn't considered. A poignant thought, made even more so with the recent memories of her daughter: the idea that someone, anyone, would "miss the hell out of her" if she were gone. Such a thought had never once crossed her mind before. This persona, this facade of being Deegan's Butcher, never allowed it.
   The rage died down immediately. And Rains could only nod in affirmation as Gabe talked to Sergio.
   "Then let's hope Charles has some good pull with his boss, my friend," Sergio said.
   Rains gave Gabe a firm pat on the back as he started off—like a warrior might give to fellow soldier. But now, there could be no more waiting. Rains had an unfinished duty waiting for her back down in the dungeon.
   A mother's duty to her murdered child.
   And, with a steadying breath, she turned and headed back inside the manor.

   Charles came out of the manor a few minutes later, helping a limping Sharon out.
   Once he saw Gabe coming back with some medical supplies in hand, he set Sharon down against the big fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Looked over the small crate with bottles and vials and bandages that Gabe held. Pulled out a vial with a very light greenish liquid, a small bottle with a clear jelly like substance, and a roll of bandages.
   "Thanks, Gabe." Then Charles kneeled down next to Sharon. Uncorked the vial. "Here. Drink this. Don't worry, this isn't any of that magical shit. All natural extract. It'll help your body heal on its own.
   Sharon took the vial. Touched it to her lips and tilted her head back just enough to drink the liquid. Then Charles opened open the bottle and ran his index and middle fingers through the jelly-like salve inside and gently started applying it to the cuts and gashes and swelled areas of her face.
   As he worked, Sharon looked up to Gabe. Said weakly, "I had to..."

   Rains emerged from the manor. A shovel that she had gotten from Jorge tucked between her arm and her side. And a heap of small, old bones cradled in her arms.
   She walked past Sharon and Charles and Gabe and Sergio. Didn't flinch when Sergio aimed the rifle down at the unconscious Morgan's head and fired, blowing the mage's skull open on the grass of the courtyard.
   She walked past the road beside the manor.
   Up the ridge that she and her men had fired from when the battle begun.
   Down the other side of the ridge and past the spot where she had given her sermon.
   And stopped when she was alone in the forest. The sound of the ocean and the sea birds gone. Replaced only with the intermittent rustle of the leaves in the treetops above.
   And Rains laid down the bones.
   And she slammed the metal end of the shovel into the dirt of the forest floor.
   And she dug.
   And dug.
   Sweat ran down her face, her arms, her chest, her stomach. She looked down at the hole in the ground. At the pile of dirt next to it. At the remains of her daughter.
   Rains tossed the shovel aside and kneeled down. Gently scooped up the old bones. Carefully laid them into the grave.
   "Goodbye," she whispered.
   It finally hit her. That her daughter was gone from this life. That she never had a chance. That Rains could never see how beautiful she would have been.
   She slapped her hands to her face. Her shoulders hitched violently. She bent over, crying into her palms, her hair dangling.
   And she stayed there. Beside her daughter's grave for a long while.
   And wept.

Gawfy

Gabe gave Sharon a smile as she spoke. Dont blame you one bit for what you did in there.
He said as he knelt down next to her. Tell you the truth i was still caught up in the bloodlust of it all.
You just dont go soft after wasting a couple of men.

He then leaned more heavily against the wall as his broken hand's pain really started to set in. Whatever magic he had going on with him had finally dispelled and he was feeling the effects.
I believe that today's events have gone as good as they could. Rains is still kicking. Her lads are pleased with that. We did lose some people but that was to be expected with a raid like this. Charles You and Jorge all are still breathing, And by killing Deegan yourself i dont think you will ever have  Earnhardt Question your worth ever again. He said as he pulled his broken hand as close as he could to himself. And you dont look too much worse for wear. Id say that a job well done on your part.

Valtxr

   Sharon appreciated Gabe's perspective. The bright side of a dark day.
   It certainly could have been worse.
   She nodded, just slightly as Charles wiped at the blood on her face with the cloth bandage. Her eyes flicked down to Gabe's broken hand, then back up at him. And she said, almost echoing her sentiment from the previous night, "Will you be okay?"
   Charles continued to clean up Sharon's battered face.
   Sergio walked away from Morgan's corpse and joined the three of them by the fountain, leaning his rifle against his shoulder. He glanced around at the idyllic view of Cerenis down the long, gentle slope of the hill. The ocean behind the manor. The blue sky.
   Soon, all the dead would be buried. The injured and wounded tended to.
   And they would ride back to Reajh.
   This small pocket of darkness purged. Leaving only the quiet, now somber, peace that surrounded him now.
   As it should be.

Gawfy

Gabe laughed at her question. Course ill be all right. Sharon had enough to worry about and his broken hand shouldnt be one of em. Gabe's laugh calmed down as he took a look behind them at the Manor they where leaving behind. If he had his way he would burn the sonbitch down and leave it at that, but Gabe figured that there was some symbolism in it that he wasn't picking up.  Before they departed Gabe took the time to bandage his hand while making a makeshift sling.

From the tone of the ride back one wouldn't be able to tell that their mission was a success. It was somehow even more quiet then the trip there. What few Winters men remained dared not to speak.
Gabe more or less slept the entire way back. But before he fell asleep he had a fleeting though.
He pitied any unfortunate son of a bitch who would stumble across That Manor and the horror it held. 

Tags: