Transcendence Chapter 12
#12 of Jason Wolfe: Transcendence
**Chapter 12: Plans are Meant to be Broken
Club Sea4**
Jason's mind was reeling.
Warren Bladebreaker... His best friend was a Malefactor!
Wasn't it bad enough that my mate was a Malefactor!?
"You bastard!" Brett shouted, charging at Warren. The big dragon spun around with lightning speed, shadows completely consuming his body and turning him into a dark, black image of his true self. His arm snapped out, grabbing Brett's throat and lifting the Rottweiler into the air easily.
Warren Bladebreaker... his friend through middle school... was a Malefactor...
So many questions were flying around in Jason's mind. A sense of betrayal was creeping into him but that was ebbing quickly against a tide of those questions.
How long had Warren been a Malefactor?
Did he become one when he became a Militarised Super?
But most of all...
"Why?" Jason asked, just gazing up at his friend and shaking his head. "Why...?"
"I'll tell you why," Warren snarled, his burning, red eyes filled with so much anger and rage. "Because you're the one that screwed up my life! Because you were born, everyone's life is screwed up!"
He was about to protest... then he realised Warren was absolutely right.
Because he was born, the Malefactors were created. It was when he was born and the No Ones realised he was no ordinary child that D8 the Derelict unleashed the Malefactors. These very same Malefactors infected countless people on Enria, causing the pain and suffering that had stripped Warren of his dignity. In fact, it was a Malefactor that had infected Kevin who, in turn, created Descent and thus turned Warren into a Militarised Super...
It's my fault...
My birth caused all this...
All blame could be pointed to him...
"When I was told what caused all this," Warren snarled, lashing out and grabbing his throat. Jason was yanked off the ground, lifted into the air easily by his friend, "I felt betrayed you didn't even tell me what this was all about! Why didn't you tell me what really happened with Kevin!? Didn't you think Jen and I deserved to know!?"
Warren's grip around his neck tightened, making all responses die in his throat. He tried kicking but his blows fell uselessly against Warren's massive, darkened chest. His vision was rapidly blurring and every blow he made was getting weaker and weaker.
Screams and cries erupted from around them. There was a burst of darkness from somewhere near the bar and Jason vaguely remembered that was where Dan was stationed. He felt fear grip him.
There's more than two Malefactors here!
"I was so pissed at the bastards that set us up!" Warren roared, his voice shaking the small booth. "And it turns out that it was you!" He tightened his grip and Jason felt his neck on the verge of snapping. "You're behind all of this!"
Jason was running out of options... His dad was in trouble... Brett was hurt... Summoning Genesis was getting better and better but the last thing he wanted to do was kill Warren. Connor had the chance of coming back because he had signed himself over to Jason's reality... but Warren... He wasn't sure...
Warren... They were friends...
"This wasn't Jason's fault!" Brett shouted, struggling to his feet.
Devries' goons were advancing on him, pushing him back towards the wall. Devries himself was just cackling softly, lounging against the sofa, watching with sickening glee in his eyes.
"Jason didn't get a choice of who his parents were!" Brett snapped. "You can't blame someone for being born!"
Countless patrons were scrambling out the doors but that same inky darkness began spreading across the walls, crawling towards every entrance and blocking every path inside. As his eyes lost focus, Jason watched as many of the half-naked men were being dragged into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness and fuelling the sickening growth.
"No," Warren growled, the darkness around him growing intensely. "But I can blame him for what he did afterwards." The big dragon tightened his grip and Jason could almost hear a loud crack, his neck just one more squeeze from snapping.
This is it...
I have to summon Genesis or I'm dead...
... and I've still got a lot to live for...
Sam... Brett... Dan and Chris... Robin... Jen....
I can't leave them!
Not like this!
He clenched his fists.
I may have caused this - willingly or not - but I can still fight it!
I'm going to make this right!
He felt a tear well up in the corner of his right eye and he pictured Genesis buried in Warren's chest. It was Connor all over again...
I'm sorry...
Suddenly, Warren went rigid and he turned around. Devries stopped laughing and the creeping darkness around them seemed to freeze.
"What...?" Devries began.
A tremendous roar cut through the screams of a crowd but it didn't sound organic... It sounded a little more... mechanical. His heart skipped a beat with a big, black motorcycle surged through the curtain of darkness over the entrance. First, he thought it was another Malefactor, the remaining 4 Malefactors finally gathered in one place to end the last vestiges of light in the world to seal R3's deal.
But then, he saw the rider dressed in fetching white leather and wielding a long, white, sniper rifle.
Robin!
She cut right through the crowd, lifting his rifle and -
BAM!
Warren's head snapped to the right and he instantly dropped Jason. For a second, Jason was struck by fear that his friend might have died but when he saw the darkness around Warren's body gather itself again, he shook off all those thoughts and scrambled away, coughing for breath. Robin's massive, black motorcycle burst into the booth, knocking Devries' goons away from Brett.
She levelled her rifle directly at Devries and the mob boss lost all his mirth and frowned directly at her.
"Hmph... Another candle we have to extinguish," Devries snarled, slowly rising from his seat.
BAM!
Jason flinched when the mob boss' head snapped back... but the gaunt man remained standing. Like a scene right out of a horror movie, an evil, sadistic grin split across Devries' face and the man turned back towards them, eyes burning a bright red and with a hole the size of Jason's thumb protruding right from the middle of his forehead.
"You will have to try a whole lot better than that, girl," Devries snickered, darkness pouring out of that hole and consuming his entire face, transforming his human visage into a rounded pig's.
The two boytoys beside him instantly transformed into big, clouds of black smoke and poured into his growing muzzle. The comatose bodies of the goons joined them quickly, bloating Devries' body and causing the creature's dark form to grow. An enormous, porcine body bulged out of the pristine silk suit. The darkness around the walls began funnelling towards Devries, charging down his muzzle.
Jason suddenly felt someone grab his arm and yank him to his feet. He landed directly in front of Brett, squeezing between his mate and Robin on the large motorcycle.
"Hold on you two!" Robin shouted, revving the engine. The world spun as she twisted the bike around and stomped on the accelerator. Jason held on tight, still catching his breath. To his horror, the inky darkness covering the walls was consuming more and more of the civilians, feeding Devries and causing the massive porcine Malefactor to grow.
'Porcine Malefactor...'
Wait...
"Devries isn't Pride..."
His senses suddenly screamed and he glanced to his right just in time to see a massive, mound of scales and muscle charging towards him.
"Robin -!"
WHAM!
All three of them were thrown off the motorcycle, Warren crash-tackling all three of them in one swoop and sending them crashing to the ground. Jason's head bounced off the hard, floor, stars flashing before his eyes.
WHAM!
He felt hard bone powered by tremendous muscle plough into his muzzle and rive him back against the floor. Those stars became bloody splotches mixed with searing pain. Wetness drizzled down his muzzle and he tasted the iron bite of his own blood.
"Your fault!" he heard Warren roar just before he was hit again. "All" - Wham - "your" - WHAM - "FAULT!"
A sudden sense of clarity overcame him.
THUD!
He gripped Warren's fist tightly, keeping it mere inches away from his face.
"I messed up," he replied grimly.
WHACK!
Jason lashed out his other fist, catching Warren's chin and causing his friend to stagger back. He leapt to his feet and kneed Warren's abdomen, feeling steel-hard muscle beneath the rock-hard scales but still making enough of an impact to drive the dragon back.
"I made mistakes," he growled, leaping at Warren and delivering a bone-crushing spinning kick, catching Warren's head again. He sent the dragon sprawling, blood spraying out in an explosion of tiny, crimson droplets.
Blood...
... That must mean he's not completely consumed...
"I'm sorry for my mistakes," Jason said, making a slashing gesture with his right hand. Genesis appeared in flurry of feathers and stars, his bloody clothes replaced by the trench coat, black pants, white shirt and visor. "But I'm still better than the people who purposefully wanted this to happen!"
Warren growled at him, the darkness from the ground and walls seeping to merge with his dark scales. Jason took a step back and grit his teeth as his friend's form bulged. The firm, rounded muscles from years of military training ballooned out. The wide, 'V-shape' of the dragon's torso becoming more pronounced and the seven foot frame stretching out to becoming taller, wider and much stronger. Big, pulsing veins criss-crossed across those titanic muscles, glowing a bright red to match the dragon's burning eyes. Massive wings spread wide almost large enough to reach from one end of the club to the other.
The monstrous dragon rose on two, titanic feet, crushing the foundation where he stood. Warren threw back his head and let out an earth-shaking roar. The sheer force of the sound shook the roof.
"He got big fast," Robin said dismissively, leaning casually on her sniper rifle.
Brett came up to the other side of Jason, rolling his shoulders and grinning grimly. "Yeah but you know what they say about big guys."
"They tend to compensate?"
Jason stared at her surprise but she merely smirked back. She certainly seemed better... almost... glowing... It was almost like she was a totally different person from the girl that storm out on him in the hospital... Like she had an epiphany.
And it hit him...
"You spoke with R3, didn't you?"
She smirked but before she could answer, another voice spoke... A familiar one.
"We had quite a nice little chat." R3 stepped up beside Robin appearing as he did the night at the warehouse. A young man in his late teens with dark hair, those trademark-sapphire-blue-eyes and wearing rather casual clothing with a 'Wildog Pax' emblem on his shirt. Once again, that silver and crimson blade was in his hand.
"You are interfering, R3!" Warren boomed but the voice was otherworldly, sounding distant, deeper and held an edge of malice that sent shivers down Jason's spine.
"The fate of this world directly concerns me, Wrath" R3 answered with a big grin on his face. He gave Jason a sidewards glance. "Not on a superficial level either."
Oh crap!
He is me!
Jason felt his knees go weak as R3 winked at him and regarded Wrath once more. "And no, I'm not going to trade the child for Warren Bladebreaker."
WHAT!?
As much as Jason wanted to throttle R3 there and then, he knew he couldn't get lucky twice and trade the fate of all existence for someone he cared about. Not again. He didn't want to destroy Warren... but... was there any other option...?
"I will just have to settle for destroying you and taking the child!" Wrath roared, taking a lumbering step towards them. The one gesture shook the entire club. "You are bound by your word! Once we consume this world in total darkness, we will take the rest of existence! Only two people in the entire world remain untouched by the gloom!"
Two... Only two...?
He could see that both Robin and Brett were puzzled.
R3 leaned towards them and grin. "That would be Robin and your father, Jason. Both are still purely light-based."
"But what about Sam...?" Brett asked.
"A very colourful person, don't you think?"
Oh...
Sam was neither light nor dark... The deal R3 made ensured that the 'winning condition' was that 'all light was extinguished' not that everything had to be consumed in darkness.
Just no light...
Wait...
He regarded R3 suspiciously... There was... There was something there... A plan... Something that... That he was sure had been R3's intention all along... but he just wasn't sure what it was...
"Both creatures are in this very building," Wrath boomed, looming forward. "Just according to our plan. You were all foolish to assume that you could corner Devries without us planning a trap."
"And you're foolish to assume I wouldn't have a counter-plan," R3 replied, swinging his blade. "Robin, Brett, why don't you take care of Warren? Jason and I will deal with Gluttony, Devries. Dan already has Tara who just happens to be Greed."
Jason started. "What? But Warren is my friend!"
His senses screamed suddenly and he managed one glance towards Wrath as that titanic, car-sized fist came hurtling towards them. Jason dove to the ground, barely missing the attack.
BOOOM!
Warren's fist drove right through the bar, scattering alcohol and all sorts of other beverages all over the ground.
Scrambling to his feet, Jason noted he was now separated from Robin and Brett, R3 standing beside him.
"You really don't have a choice in the matter," R3 replied, grabbing his hand and bolting towards where Gluttony continued consuming the darkness around him. "Part of the deal I made with the Malefactors was that if they can extinguish all light here on Enria, I will give them the key to another reality and they can use it as they see fit. With the last two points of light in this club, they aim to start their invasion immediately."
And it made sense...
The entire world was now covered in darkness... Gluttony was consuming as much as he could as was Wrath. When Robin and Dan were consumed in the darkness, they would immediately enter the next reality fuelled by the darkness of an entire universe!
"We can't let that happen!"
"Which is why we are going to stop Gluttony," R3 responded. "Brett and Robin can handle Warren and F6 will deal with Greed who is feeding the two." He swung his sword, Bloodnight in his hand. "Are you ready for this?"
Jason nodded grimly and straightened, staring at the porcine Gluttony with Genesis in hand.
"As long as you promise I won't end up stabbing the man I love again."
R3 chuckled. "Trust me, I've got enough on my plate managing countless realities and putting together Connor Stark. I am not about to add 'Brett Sykes' to that list."
"I'll hold you to that."
"And while you do that..." R3 pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket and threw it to Jason. "You hold onto that."
****
Dan was livid.
Tara!
Tara Willows!
Alright, he had to admit that she had always struck him as a Ball-Breaking Bitch but a Malefactor!? He thought she was on the side of law and order... of light. But here she was, the source of the seeping darkness that swept into the walls and fed the hulking figures of both Gluttony and Wrath. She stood in front of him, just a jet-black statuesque woman with burning, coal-red eyes at the centre of the dance floor, the shadows pouring out of her and spreading all over the club.
Their relationship had never been short of cold but he always thought they were at least on the same side!
"Your light ends here, Dan Wolfe," she said in a hollow, echoing voice. "Wrath! Follow the plan!" Her burning, red eyes locked with Dan's. "Snuff out Dan's light!"
Dan spun towards Wrath, the titanic dragon letting loose a terrible roar. He tried to take a step back but found himself rooted in position. The darkness on the ground gripped his feet tightly, preventing him from moving. Panic shot through him as he realised he was completely immobilised and with the huge, black dragon turning towards him, he didn't stand a chance!
But there was no way he was going to let it end like this... Not when he and Jason were so close... not when he was on the verge of asking Chris to marry him.
He just needed to get another ring...
Wrath let loose another earth-shaking roar and spread his wings, crouching slightly before leaping straight into the air, ripping right through the room and hurtling into the air past the countless helicopters from news crews and police.
"What the...?"
"Your light will be extinguished, Dan," Tara laughed.
"Funny way to try and kill me," he growled, trying to yank his feet from the darkness but the shadows firmly held him down. "Your weapon just ran off!"
"Don't be foolish. You are still a No One under there. Should we kill you here, you will merely return to your little world and come back to stop us. No. We will extinguish your light."
He didn't understand... What other way was there to extinguish his light than to -
...
"Oh no..."
Wrath was going after Chris...
"Not Chris..."
"He is your hope, your light," Tara hissed, the darkness from her body reaching out towards him in large lances of tentacles. "We can see how you desire a future with him. Your son has stabilised you but you know you will have to leave him and he will leave you eventually. Chris offers you a future of happiness. An existence with him for all eternity as your Advocate. The man you love almost as much as your son. When he falls, you will be left in nothing but darkness."
Panic and rage boiled into him.
This hadn't just been an attack against Chris... It had been an attack against him. The Malefactors wanted to destroy his 'light'... It angered him that they would target Chris... mostly because he put his lover in that kind of danger.
Those black tentacles lanced towards him and he barely twisted away to avoid their sharp, pointed tips.
"Why are you doing this!?" Dan demanded. His only power was to alter the physical shape or matter... Against a Malefactor that covered everything around him in pure evil, he was completely helpless!
"The better questions is: why not?" Tara replied.
Those tentacles swept to the side, biting straight into Dan's skin. Wherever those dark tendrils touched, a sharp, burning sensation erupted from his flesh. The sheer evil cut through his clothes and tore through his fur like acid.
"Here I stood, offered not only this universe but another one as well! I could rule!"
WHAM!
Dan toppled to the ground, the darkness on the floor gripping his back and holding him firmly in place.
He noticed Tara wasn't moving.
She seemed completely immobile.
But now, so was he!
And Wrath was going to go kills Chris!
He couldn't let that happen!
Not to Chris...
Dan gnashed his teeth together, thinking of some way to free himself as Tara's tentacles loomed dangerously above him, their pointed tips levelled directly over his head.
"What can be even more painful than feeling the darkness of helplessness?" Tara mocked. "Knowing that your love dies helpless in that hospital bed while you are here trapped, so far away. Realising that, in his dying breath, he couldn't even see you or bid you goodbye."
Her tentacles loomed closer, drawing to within inches of his chest.
She wasn't going to kill him. Just let him suffer knowing Chris would die at the hands of Wrath!
Dan shut his eyes, fighting back the tears and hoped Jason, Robin or Brett were faring better. He managed to turn his head to the side slightly. He saw Robin leaping on top of that black wolf-motif bike with Brett, the Rottweiler taking the helm while she hefted her sniper rifle. Her motorcycle roared to life again and they zoomed out of the club.
Tara scowled giving Dan grim satisfaction.
Jason...
He tried to turn his head but it was glued firmly to the floor.
"Gluttony!" she sneered. "What are you doing!? Stop your gorging and kill those two!"
A dull, deep roar filled his ears before quickly being cut off by a high-pitched squeal like a pig being slaughtered. A blue-white feather drifted in front of his muzzle. Jason and R3 were fighting Gluttony and winning! That realisation brought his fighting spirit to boil, that spirit broke through the veil of worry and fear, bringing in the light of inspiration.
He couldn't grip the darkness or change it since it was pure, raw, dark emotion.
But the air wasn't so corrupted.
Electric blue lightning danced between his fingers, lashing out at the darkness around him and peeling it all back with every touch. A sphere of pure, raw electricity formed in his hands and with a small flick, he sent it hurtling towards Tara.
The Malefactor was too focused on Gluttony to notice until it was too late. She screamed in agony as the sphere struck her chest, causing her to stagger. The instant she moved her feet, the darkness around her instant sucked back into her form, releasing Dan from tis grip.
With the floor once again clear of the darkness, Dan launched to his feet and slammed both palms against the ground. Massive spikes of rock shot through the concrete foundation and floor, leaping into the air and holding there for half a second. Dan spun and kicked the spikes with all his might, sending the shards slamming straight into Tara - Greed - and forcing her back. With every step she took, more and more of that darkness around them ebbed.
"I won't let you kill Chris!" he roared, changing the very air around him into pure energy, funnelling the raw lightning into his palms.
Greed laughed, straightening. "One man's fate will change the world and you would attempt to save that same man who can never reciprocate your feelings. You are a fool, Dan Wolfe!" She straightened, squaring her shoulders and the darkness spreading out from her once more.
"Love makes fools of us all," Dan growled, throwing the lightning from his palms.
A deafening whoosh filled the club as the darkness in front of Greed shot from the ground, forming the vague visage of a bull. The lightning merely slammed into the creature's chest and dissipated harmlessly. Dan took a step back as the inky blackness around Greed continued to spread and dark shadows of humans and Animarians began stepping out of the void.
"Behold the darkness of all mortals!" Tara shouted, throwing her hands into the air. "Every mortal is evil to the core! Darkness is the heart's true nature! When touched by the void, all mortals will succumb and embrace the shadows!"
Dan flung bolt after bolt of lightning at the advancing shadows but each one merely dissipated against the shades. A carpet of blackness spread with each step they took, slowly crawling along the floor and threatening to pin him once more.
He couldn't let that happen!
He had to get to Chris!
SWISH! SWISH!
There was a blur of blue and white and suddenly R3 was standing beside him, the front line of shadows crumbling.
"You're wrong, Tara," the No One replied calmly with a smirk on his face. "The heart's true nature is light. While every heart is born in the darkness, each one is drawn to the light, to make their own brightness and pull away from the inky void. However..." R3 spun the red and silver blade in his hand expertly in one hand.
"... a mortal that becomes too attached to the darkness becomes a blackened coal that is doomed to burn to fuel others. A tool and an empty creature of a singular purpose. When a mortal becomes too consumed by the light, they become a clear as glass. The light shines through them and they become nothing more than an advocate of someone else's glory."
The sword in his hand began to emit a bright, red glow.
"But when a mortal strikes the perfect balance between darkness and light, they become a sparkling diamond. A creature capable of splitting the light that strikes it through the bends and shadows of itself to give off a dazzling array of colour."
He lifted the sword in his hand into the air, that light becoming so bright that it made Dan wince and the shadows to cease their advance.
"Bloodnight... Anima Infinos!"
****
Jason danced between each of Gluttony's lazy but wide swipes. The enormous, porcine Malefactor was truly enormous - almost big enough to burst right through the roof of the club - but it was nowhere near fast enough to catch up with him. Every time Devries - Gluttony - swiped at him with those pudgy arms, Jason dodged deftly aside and punished the creature with a slash of Genesis.
Unfortunately, Gluttony was just too big!
Genesis cut through the darkness and sprayed blue-white feathers and stars from the wound but it barely did anything against the gargantuan, twelve-foot creature! Worse, Gluttony was continually growing!
Jason scrambled onto the stage as Gluttony waddled towards him, big, flabby arms bouncing against a large, rounded belly.
"I will consume you in my darkness!" the Malefactor roared, lunged at him with both arms.
Jason leapt back, somersaulting in the air as the Malefactor crashed into the stage beneath him. "Don't you think you've eaten enough!?" he countered, plunging Genesis into the dark creature's fists. He quickly pulled his blade away and dove to the ground as Gluttony rose.
"Your attacks are useless against the darkness of the world!"
Crap...
He's too big... I can't beat him like this...
I need more firepower...
"Bloodnight... Anima Infinos!"
Jason glanced towards the cry and was partially blinded by the immense, crimson light coming from R3's blade. He saw stars for a moment. As soon as the last star vanished, he found himself staring at what had to be the coolest thing he had ever seen.
A woman dressed from head to toe in thick crimson and silver armour hovered in the air. There was a bat and wolf motif along her armour. Her thick, metal boots possessed small, batlike-wings that flapped as she hovered in the air. Greaves shaped like two pairs of webbed wings wrapping around each other protected her shins and connected to a pair of silver chain leggings A skirt of tattered, crimson cloth wrapped around her waist held by a belt shaped like two wolves heads biting on a central, pearly orb. A breastplate that hugged her figure shone in the flickering lights of the ruined club and the spotlights of the helicopters above. Two wolf heads shaped pauldrons on her shoulders while her arms were guarded by bracers shaped like webbed wings. Her helm was shaped like a bat's but left the lower half of her face exposed to the elements. On her back hovered about twenty-four individual blades similar to the one R3 had held only they hung there of her own accord and arranged themselves into the vague visage of a pair of wings.
What is that...?
Big, black hands suddenly wrapped around his waist and the air was crushed out of his lungs. He gasped and gave a cry of pain as he was lifted into the air. Gluttony's foul breath washed over him as he was forced to face the massive pig's features.
"I wanted nothing more than to lavish in everything this world had to offer," Gluttony snarled. "To have every morsel of excess this universe had to offer! I owned clubs! I owned drugs! I had copious amounts of money and I had people! But you and your ilk continued to harass me, taking from me what was rightfully mine!
"Now I shall devour you! I don't have to." Gluttony grinned at him, beady, red eyes flashing. "But I will anyway..."
THWACK!
A massive spear of ice suddenly slammed into Gluttony's arm and the Malefactor roared. Gluttony flailed and threw Jason -
WHAM!
Straight into a wall... Jason slammed hard into the ground, pain rocketing up his back from the impact and sharp shards of concrete biting into his flesh. His regeneration was working well against the agony however and he staggered to his feet with the help of warm, familiar hands.
"Dad...?"
"Are you alright, Jason?" Dan asked.
"Yeah... I..."
He turned to where R3 was fighting Gluttony, a long blue and gold spear in his hand. Wherever R3 slashed, ice erupted and Gluttony was slowly becoming encased in a massive block of frozen water. On the opposite end of the club, that crimson and silver angel-woman was dancing amongst the army of shadows Tara had summoned, her wing-blades slicing through each shade with ease.
"What is that...?"
"That is R3's Advocate come to Enria," Dan replied grimly. "Anima Infinos. Infinite Soul..."
Suddenly Dan went rigid as the spear in R3's hand began to glow.
"We have to go! Now!"
Jason found himself being dragged towards the exit, the darkness having ebbed back into Tara through the fight. "Wh - What!? What about R3!?"
"He can handle himself!"
"Why are we leaving!?"
They shot out of the club. A large crowd of people was gathered around the club... but each of them was frowning and possessed burning, red eyes. Dan growled and lightning gathered around his palms.
BOOOOOM!
A tremendous roar filled the skies as a huge creature stormed out of the club's roof. Jason spun around and gawked as an enormous serpentine dragon - like the dragons of oriental myth - curled in the air. Like the angel-woman, this creature was covered in armour but one designed with blue and gold as a colour palette.
"Duck!" Dan shouted, hurling Jason to the ground as the dragon above them roared again.
WHOOOSH!
Jason's jaw hit the ground and he saw stars again but it wasn't from a blow to the head. The crowd of infected people in front of them was all suddenly encased in a hard block of ice. He blinked and was dragged to his feet, Dan pulling him towards their car which remained untouched. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the dragon draw a deep breath and exhale. A beam of icy blue energies shot out from his gargantuan maw, washing over the hovering helicopters and freezing each one instantly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The helicopters hit the ground in mighty explosions.
"Wh - What's happening!?" he demanded as Dan threw him into the passenger seat of the convertible.
"R3 isn't showing any mercy, that's what!" his dad snapped, starting the engine without waiting for either of them to buckle their seatbelts. They shot out down the road, swerving through frozen infected civilians with ease. "Bloodnight and Shiverthorn are just two of the billions upon billions of Advocates R3 has! Each one is as powerful as a god!"
"Don't you have Advocates?"
Dan gave him a grim grin. "I'm with you, remember?"
Right... He's not F6 anymore... He's just my dad...
Speaking of dads...
He had heard what Tara had planned...
"We have to get to Chris before Warren gets there!"
Dan nodded grimly as they shot out of the docks and into Newroads proper. Buildings had toppled over and streets were aflame. Glass shards were everywhere and countless infected civilians ran through the streets, bolting after them or towards the docks to support the two Malefactors that R3 was clearly winning against. It looked like a vision of doomsday.
Wrath had definitely been this way.
"Hopefully," his father began, "R3 won't -"
R3's voice suddenly echoed through the entire city, the sound reverberating through Jason's very soul.
"Eternity beckons."
Dan swore. "Oh no... Goddamnit! No!" He slammed on the accelerator, zooming through the streets at breakneck speeds. Jason fumbled with his seatbelt but it was useless. Every turn Dan made just threw him against the doors.
"What's going on!?"
Jason was sure that if it was possible, his father just paled.
"R3 is going to unleash a devastating attack..."
That doesn't sound good...
"What attack...?"
BOOOOM!
Wrath's might form surged through the street they were charging through, breaking right through a block of buildings and throwing bus-sized debris in their path. Instead of braking, Dan spun the wheel, turning them, swerving between each piece of rubble and beating the crashing building before it squashed them.
Jason realised he had stopped breathing.
BAM! BAM!
Even amidst the chaos, he could hear the resounding shots of a sniper rifle. He spun in his seat and glance out the rear windscreen. Brett and Robin shot through the rubble, chasing after Wrath with Brett at the helm and Robin firing straight at Wrath.
Despite the miniscule weapon and Wrath's tremendous size, Jason could still imagine the two making an incredible impact.
An unearthly, roaring sound filled his very being and he was compelled to look upwards at the sky.
His jaw dropped.
****
Robin was seriously starting to doubt what good her sniper rifle would do against Wrath. They had been chasing the massive Malefactor through the streets of Newroads as it rampaged through block after city block heading for the hospital Chris was located in.
She knew that if Chris died, Dan would lose hope and a No One would fall into the darkness.
That was something she couldn't allow.
Dan was a father-figure to her. Someone who had taken care of her and introduced her to Jason, Connor and ultimately Brett. There was no way in hell she was going to let him slip into the darkness.
Brett suddenly swerved to the right and she twisted in the same direction, a shard of glass the size of a car and as sharp as a razor missing her by a hair's breadth.
"Be careful!" she snapped. "This bike came from R3! You don't want to piss off a No One!"
For a second Brett straightened and stared at her over his shoulder.
"Did you just use a contraction and say 'piss off'?"
She gave him a slightly exasperated smile and levelled her sniper rifle back at Wrath. "Today's been a big learning experience."
Even with her eyes locked on Wrath, she could sense him smile.
"I'll bet."
She pulled the trigger.
The bullet just bounced off Wrath's big, black scales.
This wasn't working!
There had to be some weak spot...
An idea hit her.
"Get in front of him!" she demanded.
"What!?" Brett demanded. "We're barely able to keep this distance!"
"Just do it!"
Wrath surged through another city block. Robin guessed they were about another four blocks away from the hospital. She also saw Brett grin grimly.
"Hold on!" he said.
Suddenly, he jammed the accelerator as far as it would go and they surged forward slightly. Robin saw was he was thinking and tucked her rifle over her back holster and held onto him tightly. The motorcycle, Scythe, zoomed to the left just as a building Wrath had toppled with his tail tilted away from them.
Brett pulled back on the handles of Scythe, using his immense stretch to yank the bike off the air for just the briefest of moments.
WHAM!
They landed hard on the back of rather expensive sports car but the slight slant of the car was enough to send them soaring through the air and...
WHAM!
... landing right on the falling wall of the building!
Brett gunned the engine and they shot forward, running up the side of the quickly tilting building.
The tip of the building was just past Wrath...
... and they were ten seconds from the tip.
"Faster!" Robin urged.
"I'm trying!" Brett shouted but he was trying to keep on the concrete frame of the building as it crumbled before them.
Nine seconds...
Crrrrraaaack!
Robin dared a glance over her shoulder and held onto Brett tighter as a massive crack began travelling up the building, chasing them with about five seconds before it overtook them.
Eight seconds.
Warren zoomed past the building.
Seven seconds.
R3's voice suddenly boomed through her very soul.
"Eternity beckons."
Six seconds.
Warren balked in the air and froze for a second just beyond the tip of the building.
Five seconds...
One second before the crack overtook them.
Four...
Wrath shook his massive head and surged forward once more, flapping those titanic wings. The massive back draft balked Brett for a second, stalling them.
Back to five...
The crack surged past them and Robin screamed as the building behind them began crumbling away to nothing.
Brett ground his teeth and pushed the accelerator further.
Four...
"We're not going to make it!" Brett cried.
Then Robin noticed a little button on the side of the handles. It was just a small, red button. She had no idea what it was... but given the circumstances...
Three...
She reached over and hit the button.
WHOOOOOOSH!
The scream that ripped through her lungs was lost in the sudden rush of wind as Scythe burst forward at lightning-fast speeds, overtaking the crumbling building and zooming right off the tip. A trail of pure energies erupted from the smooth exhaust pipes as it cut through the night sky like a comet and reached the zenith of its flight.
That comet slammed into Wrath's titanic back and shot down the tremendous, muscular back of the massive dragon. Robin reached over her shoulder and pulled out her rifle just as Brett guided Scythe right over Wrath's neck and sent them flying in front of the titanic dragon.
There was a look of shock on the dragon's face as they crossed his vision.
Robin took aim...
... and...
BAM!
Wrath roared as the bullet pierced his left eye, blood splattered in all directions and the titanic dragon crashed into the next city block just one short of the hospital.
Still running on overdrive, Scythe landed on a crumbling building that formed a downwards ramp. Brett hit the brakes and swerved so they faced the crashing titan.
Robin finally resumed breathing and let out a deep sigh. She gave Brett a shaky smile and both of them seemed to be caught in fits of hysterical relief. "I never knew you could drive a motorcycle."
"Actually, I can't," Brett chuckled, grinning shakily. "I was learning on the fly."
She was a little horrified at that admission but remembering Brett did have genius-level intelligence, she realised she wasn't that surprised.
BOOOM!
Wrath surged from the debris, roaring in rage and spreading his tattered wings.
"Oh come on!" Brett howled. "What's it going to take to beat him!?"
Robin clenched her teeth and lifted her sniper rifle knowing full well there was little they could do...
Then... a strange compulsion to look at the sky overcame her...
And she dropped her gun...
****
Hovering high above Newroads, positioned to encompass the entire city... was an enormous, circular, golden portal. Arcane runes were etched into its frame and its doors were made of a brilliant, crystal-like white material. Floating above the door, massive, skeletal wings made completely out of chains spread...
... was R3 the Writer of Reality.
On some unspoken command, the doors of the portal slowly peeled open. From below, all could see an enormous, circular tunnel leading infinitely upwards. The walls of the tunnel were lined with countless weapons. Spears, swords, scythes, crossbows, guns, shields, bits of armour and billions upon billions of armaments were attached to the walls that just tampered off into a distant, white horizon.
Each one... an Advocate.
R3 smiled confidently.
The first weapon flung off the wall and shot straight down towards Newroads.
On Century Street, a shadow of a leopard looked up -
SWISH!
... and was speared right through the heart by the sword that sprung from the portal.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Weapons sprang from the walls beyond the portal, flying towards the city and bombarding its dark denizens. Like a multi-coloured rainstorm, the portal sprayed death upon the city. Swords slammed into dark shadows before pulling themselves out from the asphalt and flying around to slice its neighbours. Shields slammed into eerie dark citizens, crushing them against the ground. Spears impaled the same corrupted creature over and over again mercilessly.
The armaments slammed into the titanic body of Warren Bladebreaker, piercing the diamond-hard scales and slicing through the pulsing red veins. Gluttony attempted to consume some weapons only to have the blades rip a hole through its gut and surge out in a spray of darkness. Greed threw her thralls into the fray, attempting throw away the might she so avariciously hoarded to defend herself but to little avail. Weapons still managed to slip past her defences and injure her gravely.
Only six people were spared.
Jason, Dan, Robin, Brett, Chris and, of course, Sam.
R3 nodded and the barrage of destruction ended, not even close to emptying the contents of this Armoury. However, from the distant horizon of the tunnel, a single sword surged forward. This blade slowly descended past the portal, its titanic form stretching across an entire city street and as thick as a city block. The blade itself was a brilliant silver with arcane runes drawn across its edges but with its surface shimmering with an oily sheen.
"Infinity..." R3 boomed, the tip of the blade clearing the portal. "... BLADE!"
The sword surged forward, it's massive, form slamming straight into the ground with a deafening boom. The weapon didn't even fully emerge from the portal, its length disappearing back into the gateway. A tremendous shockwave of light and energies exploded from the point of impact... that point being Club Sea4.
Countless screams filled Newroads.
****
Jason thought he was dead.
Seriously... after an attack like that... How could he not be dead?
He had watched shock and horror as R3's billions of Advocates swung in from that portal and slaughtered the darkened population of Newroads. Then... when that sword had started emerging from the gateway, Dan screamed at him and told him to find cover. He just stood rooted in position, gawking.
When the blade made impact he just stood there as the wave of white light consumed everything and everyone...
Wow...
... Dying... Dying isn't so bad...
I kinda feel funny...
... sort of... at peace...
"Jason!"
He jerked to his left and he took stock of his situation.
There was Dan, running at him from the other side of the car. Newroads was ruined around them... and countless bodies lay on the streets... human and Animarian bodies. None of them were injured or bleeding and from the steady rise and fall of their chests, they were alive. Glowing, white feathers hovered in the air.
"What...?" he began.
Dan sighed in relief. "Thank god you're okay..."
His mind slowly started resetting.
"What happened?"
Dan glanced towards where the sword had hit. By all appearance, it didn't seem like the weapon had hit at all... Everyone was asleep on the streets...
Are Greed and Gluttony...?
"R3 hit Newroads..." Dan murmured softly. "And he still held back... I've seen Infinity Blade destroy entire cities, planets, solar systems and even entire realities. The might of all his Advocates and his own power unleashed at once..."
Whoa...
... he could've...
Jason didn't want to think about what could have been.
He focused on the present.
"Dad! Chris!"
****
There was a burning sensation in her chest and Robin realised that she was holding her breath. She took a gasp for air and was surprised she could actually breathe. It felt like her body was slowly starting to regain its senses. She could see the world around her but she wasn't registering it... yet.
With a shake of her head, she realised she was standing right in front of Corona Hospital with the still bodies of countless people around her and Brett standing beside him. Brett seemed to quickly come to his senses and fell to his knees next to one civilian.
"He's still alive!" he announced. "They all are!"
But Robin was focused on one particular civilian.
She bent down and picked up her rifle, loaded it and stepped over to a big, red dragon lying on the ground and staring blankly up at the sky with sky-blue eyes. Robin levelled the gun directly between his eyes, her finger itching to pull the trigger.
...
"Do it."
For a second, she was surprised to see Warren was still conscious.
"You want me to kill you?" she responded emotionlessly.
He gave her a cynical laugh. "I should I live? I just threatened the entire world. Even should I live, I'll be thrown in jail for what I did. Probably killed or studied because of what happened. Hell, my military career is effectively over. Just kill me. You'll feel better."
She was tempted and her finger was already pushing the trigger back halfway.
"Why'd you do it?" she demanded.
"I told you why. I was angry. Angry at being betrayed. Angry at not being told the truth. Angry that my life got screwed up. I just wanted some justice done."
Robin narrowed her eyes. "The world isn't fair because it's people like you who keep plunging it into darkness that unbalances the world. When we all try to bring the light, you keep reminding us of the darkness and suck us in.
"You are better off dead."
BAM!
****
BAM!
Jason jerked in the seat as Dan stopped the car right in front of Corona Hospital.
He stopped halfway to jumping out.
There was Robin standing over Warren... her sniper rifle levelled at the dragon's head and the muzzle smoking.
No...
He didn't want to think that Robin had killed Warren... but... Really... What other choice was there? If she didn't, Wrath would just come back and there would be no end... He kept telling himself it was the right thing to do but...
It just didn't feel right.
"Get up."
Jason started.
That was Robin... talking to... Warren?
Robin lowered her gun. "I said, get up!"
Jason saw, for the first time, that Warren was blinking in shock.
"Why...?" the dragon murmured.
"Because we all deserve a happy ending," she responded, seizing his hand and yanking him to his feet with some effort. The dragon staggered, still completely in shock. "I've learned that lesson from a very special person. We have to stop ending someone's story just because we think they're not compatible with our story. We should endeavour to write our stories together." She smiled at him. "So that we can write our happy endings together."
Warren was dumbfounded... Everyone was... Then... the big dragon smiled slightly... a genuine, warm smile.
Robin returned the smile.
WHAM!
... and punched him, sending him to the ground.
"And that's for wrecking the city," Robin snapped.
Jason winced but couldn't help from laughing.
Someone ran past him and he saw Dan vanished into the hospital. Realising that everything was going to be just fine with Robin and Warren, he signalled to Brett and the two of them hurried after his father. There were more bodies slumped all over the place in the hospital and Jason had to struggle not to step on anyone. They all appeared asleep.
Dan burst into Chris' ward and the Blue Wolf lay there... completely healed.
Jason felt relief wash over him as he realised R3 had done a little more than just save the world from the darkness.
"Chris! Chris!" Dan begged.
The Blue Wolf slowly opened his eyes, regarding Dan with a glazed, confused look. "Ugh... What...?"
Dan just broke into a smile and threw his arms around his lover. "Thank god!"
"The miracle of the No Ones..." Brett sighed, hugging him tightly. "Damn... I don't know what would've happened had R3 not been around..."
Jason chuckled. "It makes me think I should forgive him for starting this whole mess."
"What happened?" Chris croaked, sitting up slightly. "Why am I here? Where...? Why are you all hurt?"
Dan sat back and shook his head, tears flowing from his cheeks. "Don't worry about it. I'll fill you in later I'm just glad you're safe."
For a second, Dan looked like he was about to say something else... then he just leaned forward and kissed Chris' nose.
"Damnit..." Brett murmured. "This would've been a good time to propose... Too bad you ate his ring."
A thought entered Jason's mind.
He dug into his pocket and fished out the velvet box that R3 had handed him at the club. Flipping it open, he saw a brilliant gold ring with a single large diamond.
Grinning, he shut the box. "Hey dad!"
Dan turned just as Jason threw him the box.
Dan caught the box, stared at it and slowly opened it. His eyes widened. "How...?"
"I promise I'll tell you at the wedding," Jason replied, still grinning.
"Wedding?" Chris asked.
Dan's face absolutely beamed and Jason watched his father turn towards the Blue Wolf... fall on one knee and hold the velvet box up. "Chris... You are the light of my world. You're the one that I see myself having a future with from this life and beyond. I want to spend every moment with you. I love you, Chris.
"So Chris Thornton... Will you marry me?"
Jason held his breath.
Chris slowly pulled himself off the bed, shakily getting to his feet and gently grasping Dan's hands. He pulled Jason's father to his feet and hugged him tightly.
Oh no...
It was a hug... Not a kiss!
He's going to say 'no'!
"Of course I will."
Fireworks and confetti erupted in Jason's head and he let his little subconscious parts throw a little party just for the occasion.
Dan pulled away from Chris, beaming brightly and slipping the ring off the box and onto Chris' finger. Almost instantly, the two locked lips, kissing passionately, lovingly.
Brett rested his head on Jason's shoulder and sighed.
"Happily ever after..." his Rottweiler sighed.
"Think we can do a 'double wedding'?" Jason asked.
"Nah. Let's have them have their moment. Besides, it'd be awkward if you're the best man and the groom too."
Jason chuckled. "Yeah, true..."
Chris broke the kiss first, smiling at Dan brightly. "Just one thing Dan..."
"Anything," Dan replied, beaming.
...
"You're too bright."
SWISH!
Jason's heart stopped.
A black blade stuck out from Dan's chest, covered in his father's blood. Dan was gagging... eyes wide in shock and with a single question in his eyes: 'Why?'.
Chris pulled the jet-black blade his hand had become from Dan's chest and turned towards Jason...
... eyes burning a bright red.