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DML (OLD) — C9
🕑 Added 2024-06-09 03:03:26 +0000 UTC'This reminds me of CoD: World at War.' That thought crossed my mind as we went blow-for-blow with the horde. Sure, there wasn't much explosives and they weren't using World War II guns, but the seemingly endless horde of enemies that kept popping up was rather reminiscent of the infamous infinite spawn the developers put in certain levels of the twelve years old game. It wasn't exciting, or thrilling, or even fun. It was just boringly repetitive. Honestly, where did he get all these bio-mass from? Surely he couldn't have killed this much people, right? Someone would have noticed otherwise.
"Where on Earth were these enemies coming from?" I questioned out loud as I split another camouflaged Stalker in half. I ignored the sizzle of my blessed Keys cutting open flesh, spinning to block a swing closing in on the back of my head. Another thrusting motion left the halberd-wielding Tormented(Model P-032) dead as I dislodged the bloodied Key. "Can you give me a hand here?!"
"I– *Whoosh*– Give me a sec, I'm quite busy as you can see!" Sven replied, narrowly dodging the incoming attacks from the Goons that surrounded him. Yeah, those things weren't exactly a good matchup for the Glascheit heir, but he was managing. It would appear he had learnt some tricks after hours of constant battling after all. Don't get me wrong, his actions were still beastly and instinctual, relying mostly on sheer aggression to keep the clambering Goons at bay, nonetheless, he now had the slightest trace of smart in his movements.
His once wild and wasteful strikes were more precise with clear target, instead of the blind flailing they were before. Rather than dancing all over the place, he now measured his steps, limiting his dodges to the bare minimum. This seemed to have good effects on him, if his even breathing was anything to go by. I threw my hand at another Stalker, the impact looping its head off in one go while I used its falling body as a steppingstone to launch myself on a nearby Goon. My arms encircled its neck as it flailed about and twisted, sliding away as I listened to the satisfying cracks of its broken spine.
That's right! In order to preserve my Keys, I had developed a strategy of sort: Blunt attacks for Goons, slashing for Stalkers and Tormented. I hadn't had much chance to test it out previously, but it seemed to have worked well enough, the larger enemies had trouble catching up to me so I just needed to climb on their backs and attack from there, while the smaller ones could be easily dispatched with Black Keys. I often targeted the two smaller types first since they were easier to kill and very troublesome when left for last, but if the Goon was in my way, who was I to deny it its oh-so sincere request to depart from life?
…
Sven pushed himself up in a move that would make even the greatest Olympic acrobats jealous, spinning as his feet landed on the ceiling. Using that momentum, he shot at the Goon, foot lashing out to slam on the clumsy creature's boney head. He smirked as he released all his pent up frustration on the poor creature, nearly bursting out in laughter once he heard the crunch and the agonizing howls that followed soon after. "Die! You disgusting perversion of life!" Despite having encountered these puppets Leo had nicknamed Goons several times already, this was the first time ever Sven had managed to kill one on his own. Needless to say, he was hyped out of his mind.
His celebration was cut short however, as a familiar Black Key flashed before his eyes, the blessed weapon digging into another Goon who was stealthily sneaking up behind him. Sven sent Leo a grateful nod, catching the boy mouthing: 'You're welcome' as he went back into the fray, kicking, slashing at every puppet that came near. Even in the midst of things, Sven couldn't help but notice his improvements. Given his talents, the current Glascheit heir had never had to try for much, even less so in combative aspects as his instinct and Magecraft filled in the blanks.
This problem was made worse by his parents. While Sven himself could and would never resent them, seeing as they had done their best to support him despite his many… Faults, their overprotectiveness and coddling had done naught but hinder his growth. This Mission was the result of him nagging his parents for weeks on end for the chance of participation. Even then, he suspected what had really convinced his parents were the promise of experienced Enforcers accompanied and the frankly enticing, nigh saliva-inducing amount of rewards offered.
Still, this Mission, despite its rather messy start and many hiccups along the way, turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him. It wasn't something noticeable on sight, but he had been given a real chance to hone his skills and better define his Style, which was more than he could have possibly asked for. 'A blessing indeed.' Sven whispered in his mind as his attention was drawn back to Leo Magnum.
The boy was weaving between creatures two, three times his size with practiced ease. Each flash of his blades left a creature either dead or utterly paralyzed. His face betrayed no emotion, though Sven could read the boredom that tainted his every move as though he would rather be anywhere else but here. Sven could hardly blame him, for he too was growing tired of this sewer tunnel. They had been in here for what must be hours, the stench was bad enough, he could even tolerate the dried feces, but the enemies were still the same ol' flesh puppets that had lost their scare factor long ago, and he couldn't say he enjoyed the way his stolen shirt seemed to stick to his skin much.
Whether it was due to the sweats or some… Other substances, he wouldn't know. And for the sake of his sanity, it would hopefully remain that way.
Another flash, another creature dead as its corpse crackled with lightning from the faulty Runic Symbol carved on its skin. Leo took aim with his hands and out came the famous Finn Shot of House Edelfelt. In a masterful manner, he managed to hit the exact spot where he had carved the Symbol on its body as its corpse, which had stumbled near its brethren erupted in a gory, acidic rain of diseased blood. "I didn't know you could do that?" Leo whirled to him and the creatures still alive took quick advantages of his momentary lapse in concentration to charge in, something that didn't end well for them at all as the young child put out three different Finn Shots, all aimed at their heads or joints.
"Yeah, I've been rationing my Mana… Just in case, ya' know? But now that the Apostle is literally in the next room, I don't see why I should continue holding back so much, seems kinda unnecessary." He shrugged uncaringly. Sven looked at the pile of bodies almost twice his own and shuddered. He thought he had been given a first look at the kid's prowess before, but if this was him still holding back, then how scary would he actually be in an all-out fight? Sven found he didn't quite want the answer and decided to leave it at that. His questions could wait for later, right now they had an Apostle to put down. "Y– Yeah, don't get too big a head, just so you know I'm holding back as well…" Leo gave him a deadpan stare, taking in his unseemly appearance, clearly skeptic of his claim.
Sven blushed bright red at that. While it did happen on occasions, it wasn't an everyday thing for a noble heir to get out-performed by a Hedge Mage. It would be embarrassing if words got out, but in his defense, the kid was a freak of nature. His wounds healed at a faster rate than his own, his strength, speed and endurance even when not reinforced nearly equaled Sven's while using his Beast Magecraft… It had come to a point where he wouldn't be too surprised to find out Leonis Magnum was actually a Dead Apostle in disguise. "Whatever, princess. Let's just finish this so we can go back, this whole place is starting to make me feel dizzy." Leo lightly patted the dust off his church uniform as he headed for the door.
"You are one scary kid…"
"Did you say something?"
"N– No, don't mind me." Sven nearly cursed at the stammers that came from his mouth. Looked like if he wished to keep up with the kid, he would have to up his training after all.
He really wasn't looking forwards to it…
…
I kicked the door open with a bang, strolling inside the room like I owned the place. Regul's sleeping quarter was surprisingly homely, there was even a heater built near his bed and a patterned carpet underneath the small wooden desk. Nailed to the wall were several bookshelves filled to the brim with everything from philosophical, medical to historical and a corner dedicated to dozens of untitled books, files and papers– His research if I were to guess. Suddenly, Runes flashed to life as flame, lightning and curses were thrown our way. I batted two away with my Keys, while Sven opted to avoid them all-together. "Really Regul? That's all you got, you waste of oxygen?!"
"Relax, child…" Behind the curtained darkness, Regul walked out, clothed in a black suit that reflected his heart, the Apostle predated around the room. I didn't waste any time, bolting at the Apostle with my Keys jutting through my clenched fist. 'He who strikes first, wins.' But just as I was about to severe his head, a meaty arm crashed into me, sending me head first tumbling through his bedframe. "Leo!" Through the haze of blurs, I could hear Sven's distressed shout, I could see the lumbering creature that rose to stand on all four at almost nine feet in height. I clutched my bleeding head with one hand, the other pressed tight on my fractured ribs as I hissed, straining to get to my feet. "Motherfucking shit…!"
"How do you like my creation? Beautiful, isn't he?" Now that I could see the creature in its totality, it was an ugly thing, uglier than its brethren even. It had a head dotted with hair, covered in a protective bone helmet; its joints had yellowish bone spikes protruding to make pads of some sort; on its back was a cancerous tumor that beat and pulsed with an unknown liquid, spilling out black tars that burnt everything it touched. A quick Structure Gasp gave me insights on the substance, made from a bunch of viral diseases, some of which I couldn't even pronounce properly, the tars were incredibly dangerous. While its biology didn't allow it to survive outside a body for long, quickly losing its properties without an infected host, once it got on bio-matters, it would latch on to start the mutation process.
However, what really drew my attention were its shoulders. Though horribly disfigured, the faces of our fallen teammates weren't hard to make out. On it, I could see Thomas' as he smacked his lips like a man dying of thirst, I could see Maxwell's bloated, bleeding eyeballs and frothing mouth, I could even see Primrose's seemingly stuck in a hellish, tortured expression. Regul, noticing my disbelief, chuckled deviously, appearing to take some kind of twisted joys out of mine and Sven's shock. "You like those? Turns out Adversary takes on certain traits of corpses he consumes…
Although to be frank, I wasn't expecting him to sprout those when he did, but it is a welcome surprise."
People dealt with sadness differently. Most cried their hearts out, some became numb, others like me often forced ourselves to feel anger, because being angry was easier than feeling sad and miserable. Granted, in this situation, it didn't take much effort to push all that rage and anger up top. I could feel the shocked frown on my face began to disappear, giving way for what I imagined was an expression of freezing-cold fury as I stared straight in the Apostle's baleful, yellowish eyes. Surprisingly enough, that seemed to scare him as he flinched back, arms brought up as though expecting an attack.
*THUMP*
*THUMP*
*THUMP*
"Life is but Death pending." My aria, something I had never really had the need for sent Mana coursing through me. Suddenly, the pain was gone, even the anger and the rage, all that was left were emptiness, tired acceptance and a complete disconnect to my emotions. "Is this it?" I gestured at the menacing creature– Aptly named Adversary if I heard correctly. "Is this all you have to offer? A tumors-filled puppet that can barely stand on its own, this is your trump card, your supposedly greatest creation?" Regul didn't answer, that's fine, I wasn't expecting him to. "Huh? No wonder you're so low on the Clock Tower's radar.
You are a fucking joke, Regul. Imagine spending centuries building a fearsome reputation for your House and have it all destroyed by your disappointment of a descendant… Your ancestors must be rolling in their graves." I paused, blades pointed at the Apostle. "I'm going to kill it, then I will send you to Hell where you belong." Again, there was no emotion in my little speech, I wasn't threatening him, or trying to anger him, I was simply speaking what I knew were facts. Then I glanced at Sven. "You keep the Apostle busy while I deal with this thing. Do not kill him, he is mine."
I didn't wait for their responses, sheathing my Keys as I dismantled the wooden bedframe to create several makeshift stakes. I wasn't about to allow them a quick demise via Black Keys. They were going to suffer for as long as it would take to satiate my wrath.
I launched myself at the creature, shooting the stake at its eyes. To my disbelief, Adversary leaned back to avoid the attacks. Luckily, it didn't manage to dodge entirely as the stakes did end up landing on its head with one lodged inside its cheek and the other exploding against its bone crown. Deprived of weapon, I fired multiple Finn Shots aimed at its chest and as it stumbled back, I grabbed the remaining stakes left from my previous assault and casted [Reinforcement] on them. Meanwhile, I could hear Regul and Sven's battle raging in the background, but I didn't pay much attention to them, knowing full-well that Sven should have the upper-hand in this matchup.
Stakes in each hand, I heeled its neck, causing the segmented exoskeleton to shatter and spun, driving the weapons deep in its neck. At the butts of the pointy pieces of wood, I had carved Ansuz into both with a clever usage of [Reinforcement]. It wasn't something I had ever thought to do, but by shoving Mana in specific spots at a consistent pace, I could quickly and pretty accurately carve runes in succession, using the simple spell's more destructive aspects to my advantage. I jumped back, careful to avoid the splashes of black tars as I pulled out two molotov cocktails hanging from my belt and threw them at the creature.
Adversary burst into flame, lightning crackling along its large, hunched-over frame as it let out an ungodly, ears-piercing roar. Its meaty hands slamming into its abdomen and chest in a futile effort to put out the rising fire. That didn't work, all it had done was spread the flame to the red curtain behind it, the whole thing was set ablaze, falling right on top of Adversary, igniting the abomination further. I didn't let up, firing several more Finn Shots at the creature who was now rolling and convulsing madly on the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish the raging fire. "… Rest in peace, everyone."
…
Sven stared in abject horror as the lumbering creature slammed into his friend, the multitudes of heads on its shoulders twisting to reveal insidious smiles that looked terribly out of place on his murdered teammates' faces. From the look of it, he wasn't the only one caught off guard by this turn of event. Leo's expression almost mirrored his own, but that was soon replaced by thunderous rage that seemed to promise endless pain, then there was nothing. Not rage, not sadness, not grief or even the slightest hint of anger could be seen on his face any longer. It was like he had somehow shut off all his emotions at once.
He could hear it now, the rapid thumping of heartbeats, the screeches and cries of lingering spirits that slowly but surely climbed in intensity as Leo's silhouette appeared to distort. 'That's not Leo…' He noted idly in his mind, watching as something took over the boy's vessel. "You keep the Apostle busy while I deal with this thing. Do not kill him, he is mine." Sven wanted to protest, to say it would all end once the Apostle was dead, that the creature despite hunching over, still stood to a close nine feet tall would likely fall apart after the Apostle's demise, but the emptiness in the thing's eyes, haunting and hollowed like the furthest depth of the Abyss seemed to tell him not to.
And so, in spite of his rationality screaming at him otherwise, screaming for him to end this whole mess for good, Sven bolted at Regul Black not with the intention to kill, but to distract. He could only hope it was the right choice as his claws cut into the Apostle's skin. Regul retaliated with a kick, pushing him back as his clenched fist crashed into Sven's stomach, sending him skidding away. "GRRHHH…" His inner-beast released a low growl at the humiliation, ordering him to get up, Sven gladly obliged, the Magical Armor formed to encase his entire body.
Sven went back, this time more prepared, managing to avoid three consecutive strikes from Regul as he palmed the Apostle's lower jaw. The impact left Regul slightly daze, which he quickly capitalized on through a flurry of blows. The first landed on the Apostle's cheekbone, the second shattered his leg and the third ripped open his belly in a gruesome display of blood and gores. Still, that wasn't enough, Apostles weren't known for their regenerative prowess for nothing. If that was enough to bring Regul down, Sven would swallow his shoes. Instead of pushing his offense, Sven went into the defensive, leaning back to dodge another wild chomp aimed at his head.
True enough, the Apostle's flesh and bones started to shift, twisting as they were seemingly shoved back in place by an invisible force. Sven knew what this was, he had had the knowledge of this ability driven into his head so many times he had lost count– Regeneration via Reversal Of Time, most Apostles had this ability, allowing them to turn their own time backwards to a point in which they were unharmed, undoing all the damages he had dealt to it. It was a handy ability to have, quite the cheat really, but it had its downsides, even more so for newly-turned Apostles, as the ability was not only Mana, but also put a noticeable strain their bodies.
"I'll kill you!" The recovered Apostle roared, puking out black tars reminiscent of his creation's. The glossy substance wiggled its way to surround Sven, growing to become bloodied rose bushes that detonated at the slightest touch, throwing up acidic mists that melted the concrete walls. Not too eager to find out what that would do to his body if breathed in, Sven jumped several feet back, kicking the heavy desk at the Apostle. It's here that Sven's lack of long-ranged offensive abilities hurt him, with no way to push on the offense, Sven was left with the only option left: Throw as many furniture as he could at Regul.
Thankfully, that's when Leo came along. The creature he was fighting now laid like a heap of garbage on the floor, burnt and crumbling. He hurled his Key at the Apostle, the weapon impaling Regul's legs, nailing him to the floor as he screamed in agony. He wasn't done though, pushing against the tile, carried by the following force, Leo propelled at the Apostle, his fist landed squarely on the Apostle's cheek. The impact was powerful enough to destroy a third of the Apostle's face while he struggled to remove the blessed weapon. "FUCK! YOU LITTLE SHITS! I'M GOING TO EAT YOU, SHIT YOU OUT AND SMOTHER YOUR FRIEND TO DEATH WITH THE WASTE!"
Regul yanked the blade from his legs, his eyes veiny and murderous as he tried to swing at Leo. The boy didn't bother saying anything, opting to evade to the left, throwing a wild haymaker at the Apostle's temple. Sven wasn't idle either, claws digging into the Regul's arms as he pulled, stripping the flesh off his arm in one clean attack. Then they both kicked, one aimed at Regul's knees, the other looping at the Apostle's neck. Sliding backwards, the Apostle rolled near his dead creation, legs bent at a weird angle, head hanging loosely, held only by the fragile threads of muscles on his neck.
Suddenly, they all snapped back in place and Regul rose, hands cradling the monstrosity he named Adversary. "NO!!! My dear child, get up! You must get up! We can still win this, please!" His heartfelt screams were almost sympathy-worthy. Had Sven not known of the atrocities he had committed, he might have felt bad for the Apostle, but it stood, Regul Black had killed far too many people, committed too many evils to deserve any sort of pity from him. "It's over Regul. You have lost, from now on House Black will disappear, remembered only as the House whose heir got his ass kicked by two children."
Leo gave the Apostle a harsh, cruel look as he wiped the blood from his blades tauntingly. He didn't even bother to look at Regul, whose face now lowered as he cried. Then his friend stabbed the Keys through the Apostle, watching in sadistic glee while Regul clawed at his punctured neck. "Look at me…" Leo whispered, gripping Regul's jaws so hard he drew blood as he forced the Apostle to him. "Take a good look at my face…" I pointed at himself, neck turning slightly, his movements slow but heavy, seeming to contain unspeakable powers beneath his child-like vessel. "Remember this face as the face of the person who sends you to Hell…
Now, kindly die for me." His Keys flashed ominously, beheading Regul in one clean swoop. He didn't waste time watching the head landed, choosing to walk outside instead. "C'mon, we are burning this whole place down. Leave those two for last." Even in death, Regul hands reached out to his creation. It was almost poetic, Dr. Frankenstein and his monster.
…
I slammed my fist against the metallic parts of the ruined glass tank, leaving behind indent of his fist as I breathed out. Now that the fight was over, I could feel the anger bubbling up to the surface in waves, each one bigger than the last. "You alright there, Leo?"
I shrugged off Sven's concerns, opting to stay silent as I slumped back. I'd really appreciate a cigarette right now, but I supposed that would have to wait until we reached the surface. What? It's just cigarettes… Don't judge me. It's not like I hadn't tried to give up nicotine, I simply didn't have the will to abandon the one thing that could both lower my stress level and gave me something to do when grieving. "I– I'm not fine, I don't suppose you have a cigarette there?" Sven shook and I sighed noisily. "'Course not… Just– Just leave me alone for a bit, get my head straight and I'll be alright."
"I– I won't say I understand what you're feeling, because I don't, but my two cents is, try to move on, improve yourself so this doesn't happen again in the future. As cruel as it sounds, this is the nature of our World– Where everyday is a struggle to rise above and every encounter is possibly fatal. You're a talented kid, disturbingly so in fact, take a break from what you can't control and don't let this bring you down." He patted me on the shoulders and left. It didn't take us long to destroy all traces of our involvement and the evidences of Regul's twisted experiments with all everything left a heap of ashes and burnt bio-matters that should waste away with time. As we left, I gave the place one last forlorn look, feeling a brief sadness and anger, not at Regul…
Not anymore, but rather at myself for being relieved that it's all over.
We began to retrace our steps in comfortable silence, at one point the nosy monk Takashi had nervously joined us, but aside from Sven's angry grumbles, there wasn't much to talk about. Sven was too busy being awkward, Takashi was a scared mess, meanwhile I was still bothered by the creature Regul created. I shook my head, as though the action could physically shoo the bad thoughts away, and pulled up my Quest. I frowned at the sight that greeted me.
[Chain Quest: An Enforcer's Rite of Passage]
Difficulty: Impossible
Status: Pending
Ooh-wee! You have reached the first boss already?! Good on you, Gamer! The next fight will decide if you have what it takes to rise above all in this Universe! Though, do be careful, lest you become the laughingstock for your senpais. It's not often we have Gamers who lose their lives to the first boss, but it does happen occasionally. Don't be that guy, 'kay?
[Reward: Exp, Title, Two Random Skills, Clock Tower's Scholarship]
[Failure: Death or Enslavement]
Why was it still pending? We already killed Regul and his abominations, and even if there were a few left, they should died the moment Regul did, given their forms were only maintained and held together by his Magecraft. Did we miss something? Were we not supposed to destroy his researches and papers or something? Were there hidden requirements perhaps? 'Where the fuck are my rewards, Game?' I questioned in my head and as usual, no one answered. I didn't know what I was expecting, the Game hadn't ever tried to communicate with me beside through Quests and Skills descriptions. I was fine with that honestly, since having a talkative, disembodied being in my head just felt weird, but I'd really appreciate having my questions answered in some capacity at least.
"Shit…" That drew Sven's attention.
"What's wrong?"
I replied. "It's nothing." While I liked Sven and considered him a good friend, I didn't trust him as much as I did Rin. Rin was a known factor, I had seen several different versions of her struggling to get above her uprising and break her indoctrination with no rewards other than a sense of moral obligation. Sven, I wasn't sure. True, he was loyal, his Beast Magecraft said as much, but I didn't want to risk the Game's existence becoming known. While I doubted there was anyone capable of removing it from me, the idea of being hunted for something I was unwillingly straddled with did not sound fun in the slightest.
Then, the thought hit me. 'Shit… What are the chances of Regul Black being alive?'
100%
Fuck! Okay, how? We burnt the sonuvabitch to crisp. I was there, I saw it happen, I watched as the life faded from his body. How was he still alive? "We need to go back…" Sven looked at me questioningly. "W- What? Why?"
"I don't know how, but my powers tell me he's still alive." Sven's face set in a grim and he opened his mouth to speak. Just as that was about to happen, a flaming pile of bio-matters came flying at us. "Dodge!" I shouted, kicking Takashi to the ground as I dived to the side. Sven chose to drop on his stomach, the bio-matters missing him by a hair as it continued down the path. "YoU LITtle sHiTS! yOU thINK YOU CAn KIll mE? I'M ReGUL BlACK, I'M InVINCIble!" Regul's voice echoed down the tunnel in distorted tone. Far different from his early slick, almost warm tone, Regul now sounded like a wounded animal. His voice was raw, it had a growly property to it and I could see why.
Regul Black had definitely seen better days... Instead of the six feet tall, Caucasian male that had towered over me before, he had fused, merged with Adversary. His head stored beneath the jutting ribcages of the creature, his torso seemingly sewn together with the creature he had created, his mouth a mess of fangs pointed outwards, his arms flailing about as though boneless. If I were to guess, the bones had probably been repurposed by his… New body for different parts, taken apart to help with their shared regeneration. "You just couldn't stay dead, could you? Fine, I don't mind killing you again, and this time I'll make sure it sticks." I shouted back, my Circuits hummed with Magical Energy as I approached the Apostle still submerged in darkness.
I didn't need to give them any order as Takashi took off running with a molotov I had given him previously for self-defense, while Sven followed, cracking his neck.
…
Regul was the best, that was a fact. It irritated him when no one seemed to understand this. He was scholarly, having dedicated all his time to studying Magecraft, but they all laughed at him. They laughed at his dreams, laughed at his researches and even tried to take his rightful place. It wasn't him in the wrong, it was them, it was them that made he do this, it was them that forced him in this position. And now, when he had nearly accomplished his lifelong ambition, the sent people to kill him and destroy his lifework. This couldn't stand, he wouldn't allow it. No one would ever take anything from him again, he would make sure of it.
His rage could no longer be suppressed, Regul reached to his burning creation, and as they touched at last, their bodies fused and merged, bio-matters twisting, slithering like countless worms and snakes binding together in a ball of crispy flesh to form something new.
At that moment onwards, Adversary was gone, Regul the Apostle was gone, giving way to a new mind created by the fusion of their individual minds. This new creature didn't have a name just yet, but Regul would have to do for now. Beside, it didn't need one to kill the two meddling shitheaded Enforcers serving the Clock Tower. The new creature roared angrily, melted skin stretching in a futile attempt to encompass all of its bulging and massive muscles, which resulted in several spots skinless. It cried at the pain wrecking its new form, forcing everything at the beastly rage that lied beneath as it howled, nose catching the lingering scents of the two who had slain it and its maker.
"EnFORCERs!"
