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[i][u]Third Energy Anomaly Report - Subject Eleven Preparation[/u][/i]

[i]11-02-2041[/i]

[i]Recorded by Dr. Andrea Dixon[/i]

[i]The time is nearing for our next appointed anomaly. My calculations estimate that within the next four days we shall be seeing Subject Eleven enter our world. Our defences are prepared and the long-range scanner is operating with the Petrie ready to fly at anytime within the hour. Professor Durai and his student have also arrived to observe and assist due to their magical capabilities providing great assistance against Subject Nine.[/i]

[i]My only concern now is the fact that we never discovered Subject Ten, wherever it may lie out in the great ocean to the west. I do not want to write it off as a blip or some dimensional hiccup where nothing came through, but without any evidence to the contrary I will just have to accept it. Perhaps it was some small animal like a bird flying across the land, like how Subject Seven was just two people. The greatest mystery still remains as to what exactly determines the size of the anomaly, for I cannot seem to find any pattern that indicates it. With that in mind we have to be on our utmost guard.[/i]

"I must say I was quite astonished by the invitation," said Haytham smirking.

"Just a li'l something to say thank you for looking after me," said Andrea pouring him a drink, "I was waiting until you came back since you left after Kwanzaa to repay you."

"Ohohh come now, 'twas merely one starbound explorer looking after another in solidarity of science."

"Hah, that is definitely something I wish I had more of back in my NASA days, none of my coworkers joined in on Kwanzaa."

"And they are the poorer for it, I had a delightful time engaging in your customs doctor Dixon."

"You certainly made it much better then me spending it alone when I was sick. I mean okay Jane does come round but she gets kinda twitchy around sick people."

"Did she not work as a veterinarian?"

"No, she's a behaviourist she deals in brains not bodies."

Smooth jazz played across the table between them as they sat in an underground bar with faux-wood panelling and round tables that gave it a 1940s vibe, with the exception of the drill-nosed robotic bartender fixing the pump behind the bar with a screwdriver-shaped hand. A crab waiter scuttled towards them balancing a tray of food on its large claw whilst wearing a magnetic bow tie on its chest.

"Is everything satisfactory?" he asked clacking tiny mandibles.

"Yes thank you," said Andrea, "can we have some more wine please?"

"Certainly madame."

The crab scuttled away between the tables as the two diners started to eat, a salad starter created from repurposed plant matter into something resembling frilled lettuce and tomato slices. Haytham was surprised at how much he had to restrain himself from simply wolfing it down there and then.

"Goodness this is MARVELLOUS," he said only after swallowing, "your kitchen staff are quite the culinary artificers!"

"Hmhmhm yeah they're pretty fantastic," she said between bites, "I mean most of the plants here aren't edible in their regular state so it really helps to have some kitchen science. Kevin also helps with the recycling and breakdown of matter."

"And that applies to everything? I remember him saying all of your weapon ammunition is recyclable."

"Yes we took the model from the Japanese law where gun owners are only allowed a finite amount of ammunition, then once they return every shell to a regulated place they can get a new fresh box, and only then."

"Japanese?" Haytham took a careful swig of the wine's last dregs. "You have many regions in your homeworld and yet all of them are human-based."

"Yeah we're the only full-sentient species back home. Which is kinda dull and that's why a lot of people make movies, books, TV stuff."

"Do you miss your homeland?" asked Durai finishing his salad with clinking fork.

"I don't really have much left back home," said Andrea shrugging, "one of the reasons I got so into my work was not having much else."

"Ahhh, did I reproach on a sensitive subject? My apologies."

"No no it's fine it's okay to talk about it. What about you, what was life like for you back home?"

"Well I was an astrologer back in Archades, the largest city of Ivalice. I studied the sciences both natural and arcane in university before I became enlisted in the Court of Astrals which mediates the cycle unseen of divination and godly matters."

"You basically spy on gods?" She chewed on a stalk of celery that crunched in her teeth. "Is that what I'm hearing?"

"Iiiin a sense dilettante yes, I observe the cosmic order and relay to others what I have seen so then people may start planning things around it. For example if a blue star in the eastern sky appears in the first equinox of Scorpio, I would inform people it is best you bring an umbrella before making your trip to Balfonheim."

"Ahhhhh huh...that's...a hell of a job and is that all you did?"

"Well I also dealt in other sciences too," said Haytham leaning back with cleaned plate, "theoretical physics are my raison d'etre and I have always been fascinated on the nature of existence, of reality as it were, like what IF reality could be in itself a tangible element?"

"Exactly," Dixon leaned forwards putting aside her plate, "once we figured out that light could emit energy and that it was made of photons that became stronger by their FREQUENCY, not by intensity, that opened a whole new world like if light can be seen and exposed as just packets of particles, who's to say THIS isn't?!"

She waved wildly at the air around them as Haytham chuckled nodding.

"Absolutely, everything must be composed of some element one way or another, and if one can say bend light to their will such as reflection through mirrors-"

"YES, YES ABSOLUTELY, if something so basic as light can be both minutely complex and yet so easily manipulated as we have already done for millennia, then all we have to do is find the mirror to our reality. And that's what the TEG is about."

"I take it that phrase never caught on still?"

"I don't know why, nobody else calls it a TEG but it's my baby!"

They stopped briefly to receive their main dinner in the form of thick saurian meat steaks that the crab waiter brought them. Haytham was careful not to let too much of the meat juice drip onto his beard but was surprised to find very little actual juice seemed to come from the fattened hunk.

"Mmmph this meat is rather light for a steak."

"Cuz it's not meat," said Andrea slicing her food up into medium chunks, "it's a meat substitute made from this mushroom we grow, usually only vegetarians eat it back in my world but we grow ours in the base cuz it's a lot less impactive on the environment."

"Ahhh I see! This is remarkable, mmmph we have never had a substitute for meat back in Ivalice but this is quite the mouthwater."

"Hahah, glad ya like."

The two continued eating in silence to savour the food, not speaking again until they had fully cleaned their second plates. Wine was also brought to them as an aperitif to relax with as they stretched their arms and rested briefly.

"Now what about you?" asked Haytham. "I've told you my story for how I came to this profession now what of you?"

"Mmmm!" She raised a finger in waiting as she drank half a glass. "Mmmm, okay, so, I was born in Alabama, my family worked in the theatre which is why I love all those musicals and shit. My mom was an actress, my dad was the make-up artist and they met during a production of Little Shop of Horrors. My mom was one of the greek chorus singers."

"Was it a good play?"

"Oh yeah it's a classic, it's about this sad-sack florist who finds and grows this huge man-eating plant that can talk and sing but it wants to eat human flesh, whilst the florist is trying to woo this sweet girl and have a life. It's a comic horror."

"Ahhh I see," Durai poured himself another glass, "I don't suppose you have that recorded someplace?"

"Oh I totally do," she boasted with gleeful shaking fists, "it is one of my favourite movies of all time, the 1980s version that is."

"Hmhmhm, perhaps you could show me it after this if you prefer Andrea."

They both stopped. Haytham gently scrunched his lips and gave an apologetic look towards her as she leaned forwards smiling.

"I'd love to show you it...Haytham."

"Ha ha, I would be honoured. Now, do tell me more about your rise to the star-studded domain."

"Well, I was one of those people that instead of enjoying what was ON the stage, I loved knowing what was BEHIND it. Seeing all the trappings and the ropes and people working around to create this story made me think yanno 'how does THIS movie work' or 'how did they create this song' and eventually that just led to me wanting to pull back the curtain of the universe. So I went to lectures, went to uni in Texas, then eventually got to work at NASA, which is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, one of the centres of outer space travel in my world."

"Outer space?" he asked leaning closer to her.

"What we call the domain of the stars. We send out rockets to study them closer, or at least what's out there."

"Aaaaaah, and that of course led you to your third energy research?"

"Well yes, but that was already a controversial field due to its founder being rather...unhinged."

"Problematic or criminal?"

"Kinda both? We thought he had died in some explosion but then reappeared someplace else cuz his experiment actually worked. But he was operating outside of government rules and after they recaught him, other people took over including me. I can't tell you any further past that for security reasons."

"Understandable. Well then I think dinner is done, shall we reconvene to your quarters or mine?"

"Mmmmm let's go with mine, if you're still up for watching a movie."

"I would be glad to, I am most curious about this little shop of horrors."

"Oh it is a damn treat let me tell you."

The two stood up and thanked the bartender for the meal as he waved them off with a steel hand. He just managed to catch sight of Andrea's fingers gently wrapping round Haytham's as they left.

"Now," began Anna Kerkorian, "welcome to the book club once again. This week we were reading Nineteen-Eighty-Four by George Orwell. We'll go round the room alphabetically, first mister James?"

"Oh, I-i'm first?" The lemming stuttered.

"Well, yes, ready when you are."

"A-alright, eh-ehm."

He carefully cleared his throat and briefly flipped through the notes in his lap. He was the only one even with notes and he felt like someone who overdressed at a fancy dress party. Beside him were Shimura the quartermaster, Ribose the hooded lab assistant and Sgt. Jareau the blond-ponytailed sniper dressing down into casuals as they all sat in a circle in the middle of the library.

"Well," began James, "I was astonished by how far this book went into such a dark ending. Normally a novel like this involving rebellion against an austere state that glorifies malice would have them overthrown, so I was agasp to see that did not happen! It is a tragic book, of a world where curiosity is exterminated, and enjoyment of basic life is a crime and goodness that final part in Room 101 just frightened me!"

"And what does that say to you?" asked Anna smiling.

"It says to me that if a world advances TOO much to become so fully separated from the simple pleasures of life, it would be the death of their spirits. They call it a future home of electric steel but to me it sounds like they built their own coffins."

"Very good! I like that, now sergeant Jareau what do you think?"

"Wait did you mean by alphabetical first name or last?" asked the soldier.

"James does not have a last name so, surname if applicable."

"OH right." She composed herself with a brief recollection of mouthed words before starting. "So, the part that really got to me with Eighty-Four was the obsessive surveillance which has...kiiinda become true in our world and makes this book really prophetic."

"Really?" asked James. "W-wait, I thought this was fiction!"

"Well at first it was, I mean our world isn't like THIS bad but there are some sorta-leaning-to parts of it like the surveillance. Really blows my mind this was written back like after only a few years since World War Two, talking about a society where even the tiiiiniest look or smallest act of 'no i hate this' results in being ousted, denounced and persecuted. The only freedom that's really left in this are people's dreams and even that's being bled into."

"Indeed." Anna turned towards the next participant. "Now uh, mister Ribose what did you think?"

"Uh..." The cloaked scientist in brown and blue rubbed his hood. "I-i dunno, this is my first time at a book club."

"Oh that's alright just speak your mind about what the novel said to you."

"I mean I agree with what James and Jareau said totally but um...I'm not, th-this is my first time I dunno-"

"I am sure you have some thoughts of your own, please, be honest."

He twiddled this sleeves and nervously tapped his knees. He struggled for a moment as everyone quietly waited for his answer until he took a deep breath.

"Hhhhhalright, so, one thing did sorta pop out at me and it was the way they talked, that newspeak stuff? It kinda freaked me out because I felt like maybe...the reason why people can't fight back is cuz they don't have the words for it?"

"Really now?!" Miss Anna leaned forwards with eyes glimmering intrigued. "Do tell!"

"W-well, uh...the fact they couldn't say like 'oh this ideology is terrible because it-' basically they can't use words like that to speak out against these people and that robs them of being able to stand up?"

"YES! Good, good observation, yes the Newspeak was designed by the Ministries as a means to rob the power of speech and rebellion. Now, officer Shimura, what about you?"

"I was just about to say," said the quartermaster beside Ribose, "the dumbing down of language is a tactic that all oppressive regimes utilise to deprive its people of free thought, the soviets used it as did the nazis, and recent far-right political parties also use it on social media."

"Wait r-really?" muttered Ribose. "So that wasn't just me seeing that?"

"No no that's a total thing you caught, I was more seeing the nationalistic angle the book had on appropriating different enemies that suited its own racial biases. The whole Ministry of Truth where they alter photos and archives to revise or erase history is something that we've seen time and time again in every regime even spanning back to the first civilisations."

"Or even making stuff up like Comrade Ogilvy," said Jareau pointedly, "truth becomes more difficult the longer that an institution like that is allowed to be."

"So how do you know what is true?" asked James leaning forwards. "Does there eventually come a point in society when truth no longer exists because every truth has been erased or fabricated by the rulers?"

"And THAT is one of the many points the book tries to make," said Anna gleefully clapping her hands, "excellent! Now, let's discuss Winston Smith."

The discussion ran on in the same vein for a good thirty minutes until time was up. The two women left to return to their duties with Ribose following behind bashfully thanking Anna. The lemming stayed behind however to gloss over the books looking for a new friend to curl up with as the librarian sat herself at her counter with "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski.

"Need some help?" she asked James.

"Hmmmmm I just...ohhhh what should I pick," the bookworm muttered tapping his foot with fingers running over the umbrella's hilt, "I want something that is dark and atmospheric, but not to the extent that Nineteen-Eighty-Four novel was, something with a grander canvas."

"Well let me see."

She stood up to walk over to the horror section and traced her finger across the tomes as if sensing the right one. Eventually she plucked out a stately tome entitled "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley.

"This is one of the great classics of humanity," she said handing it over, "it is a story that speaks deeply into the nature of morality, through a dark and twisted tale of mad science and reviving the dead."

"N-necromancy?!" sputtered James. "Hoh...that is a monstrous work indeed."

"It is a fantastic story, it really speaks to the human psyche on what creates a true monster and whether it is in one's nature, or by one's environment."

"I see...well, that is quite a moral weight I shall take this then, thank you miss Anna."

"How long are you staying for by the way?"

"Two weeks," he said rubbing his fingers across the cover, "more than enough time to pull through a good few volumes. I might actually reread those Alice books again, I cannot stop thinking of that Jabberwocky poem!"

"Haha really?! It is a delightful poem, and one I find very fascinating for managing to create a narrative within what is clearly nonsense."

"You said also that at least three neologisms derived entirely from that poem yes?"

"Mmhmm!" She tapped her fingers counting. "Chortle, galumph and vorpal. What's interesting though is that Lewis Carroll never gave a definition to that last word, but people took it to mean 'lethally sharp'."

"Hmmmm...I must admit his stories are such bizarre tales and yet I can see a string of logic that runs through them in their absurdity. I will have to reread it again after this one."

"Alright then dear-oh, for goodness sake."

She spotted one of the books had been placed incorrectly in the wrong section, pulling down a Jules Verne novel to replace it on the Science Fiction shelf. As she did this James spotted her shirt lifting up from behind to reveal the elaborately-scripted tattoo on her lower back titled "[b]FUCK THE POLICE[/b]".

"Miss Anna?"

"NNnnngh, y-yes?" she turned towards him stretching her back slightly.

"I always...I wanted to ask, what is the meaning of your tattoo?"

"Ahhh...you noticed that hmm?"

"Y-yes, forgive me."

"No no it's fine, it's supposed to be provocative. Well, it is a statement of how I am greatly distrustful of the authorities back in my world and this is my form of rebellion."

"Really? Why, are the authorities that terrible in your realm? I did notice when we were speaking on Nineteen-Eighty-Four you and the other humans noted a lot of parallels to your home realm."

"I am not the right person to ask that James, I would tell you but I am much too biased and that would be rather unfair on you. Thomas or Jane could tell you better."

"I see...but, you would not be biased without a reason."

"No but..." she clasped her hands with a finger rubbing her ring, "that reason is very personal I'm sorry."

"Oh...I see. My apologies miss Anna."

"Not to worry you take care James, let me know how you enjoy the modern Prometheus!"

"I shall!"

He bounced his way out the room with renewed fervour and raced to his quarters. Along the way he recited a poem as he pulled out his brolly and began to swish it back and forth like a sword along an empty stretch of corridor.

"One, two! One, two! And through and through, the vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head, he went galumphing back. 'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy-OOOF!"

Not looking where he was going when he did a pirouette strike by spinning his whole body in mid-step, the lemming collided with Sgt. Holt who staggered forwards.

"O-OH I am TERRIBLY sorry sir!"

"Hmhahaha, not lookin' where yer eyes have gone eh dab?"

"N-no, sorry, please forgive me I-i was...I was lost in thought."

"That bluddy Jabberwock poem eh?"

The soldier turned and gave a friendly slap to the student's shoulder. The man was still wearing his dragon-embroidered cloak from the Christmas party, proudly wrapping it round his torso like a breton's cape.

"I see you are still wearng your gift."

"Aw ah luv it, thanks again fer that!"

"N-not a problem really, my master was the one who obtained it really."

"So whut are ya up to righ' now?"

"I was just about to go read this book, Frankenstein-"

"Oooooh. Never actually read it, seen thuh film like when it first came out."

"There was a movie of this?"

"Oh aye, wuz proper fright'ning, don' wanna spoil nuthin' but when ah wuz your age back in thuh 'thirties movies were just startin' to get sound in 'em, and they made a big dramatic of that book."

"Movies used to not have sound?" asked James cocking his head.

"Nope, when they first got made it wuz just all visuals, sounds had to be added after until we 'ad thuh tech."

"Goodness...it must be so strange for you to be so...I mean you are essentially a time traveller."

"Hmhmhah, doesn't feel as weird as it should be, mebbe if it wuz like a hunnerd years an' I came walkin' outta thuh Zulu war or summat."

"Zulu...you mean the 1879 conflict between the British empire and the Zulu kingdom?"

"No ah meant Zulu Zola brother of Emile yes ah mean thuh fuckin' Zulu kingdom christ," he slapped his head in astonishment, "yer a right li'l swot arentcha?"

"I-is that...bad?" muttered James clasping his book tightly to his chest.

"Nawwww just...hmhmhm, you look a proper cute nerd like that."

"A-a nerd? Wh-what is a nerd?"

"Sumbody that's real smart, loves to read stuff an' recite random facts."

"OH, that's me, I-i'm a nerd indeed!"

"HHHAH! Awhawhaw coeden fach."

He patted the student's head with a soft stroke through his curling hair as the lemming blushed.

"Well, I have to go now sir," he said bowing, "have a good day."

"Hwyl fawr dab!"

Walking past he soon reached his room and settled in to a comfortable read of that most classic of gothic horror. Meanwhile Ribose was making his way over to the main laboratory where he heard Jane talking over with Kevin.

"I just really enjoy seeing things from a different perspective, I'm tired of seeing everything from an American point of view."

"I dunno," said Kevin shrugging, "I just can't get into those kind of movies."

"Maybe you just haven't found the right one, what do you normally like, action, romance, horror?"

"Honestly I love sci-fi, got any good ones?"

"Ooooooh...you know weirdly any sci-fi or fantasy I can think of is animated and not live-action so-"

"Oh well never mind-"

"WAI-WAI-WAIT!" She put her hands up. "I might have something, what if it is like a comedy live-action? Something that's wild or absurd, OOOH, Shaolin Soccer! YES, yes we watch that."

"Okaaaaay I'll give it a shot."

"What are they talking about?" muttered Ribose to his friend.

"Jane wants to show Kevin something called Asian movies?" said Adenine shrugging. "Kevin's not getting into it but she's really trying, anyways how'd your bookworm club go?"

"It went GREAT! We all talked about the book, I got to contribute and people liked what I said and didn't even call me useless, it was a blast!"

"Wow that's great buddy!" He gave a nudging shove to his friend. "Glad it went okay, you gonna go back again?"

"Oh hell yeah I am! Next one we're gonna read is uhhh Tarzan?! I think it's called?!"

"I never read that one," said Jane, "saw the movie but not the book, loved the Disney version, I watched the whole series even!"

"Well your name IS Jane," said Kevin sniggering.

"Don't." She raised her metallic hand at him. "I had enough of that crap from my own family and I won't take it from you."

"So wait, did you actually WANT to work in a zoo because of that movie?"

"Nooooo that was because I was raised on a farm so I already knew all the things about animals."

"Ahhh you got the cheat sheet-"

[b][i]KHRRHWWWWHHHHH![/i][/b]

"WH-WHAT THE CHRIST?!"

"NO MAMES!"

The sound of the world's scream deafened them. Everyone rushed to the windows to see the sky suddenly shift through a myriad of colours amidst violent shades of blinding light. Horrid myopic visions bleared the sky into a melted sun that bled across the ocean as the people within the base cried out in fright from the apocalyptic scene. In the midst of a thunderstorm during monsoon season, the clouds warped with the twilight sky that twisted into green, indigo and darkest red, the deepest vermillion that almost became like blood itself. Amidst the imbroglio where humans and robots clung to each other fearfully against the trembling roar of existence, doctor Andrea Dixon had climbed up to the roof with Haytham and Thomas after her in the shrieking rain.

"Holy...shit," she gasped.

"THIS is what we've been doing?" muttered Thomas. "This is what happens everytime an anomaly comes?!"

"You have never seen this before?" asked Haytham stroking his beard in awe at the sight.

"Not from the outside no...and every anomaly we've had before this was too far away to really appreciate."

"Appreciate?! This demonic vista before us you would appreciate?!"

"I mean it's kind of what WE are doing so it's-"

"Beautiful." Andrea walked forwards with her hand out towards the sea. "So...terrifying but...beautiful like seeing the stars burn out and die."

"To me this is the worst thing," said Haytham rubbing his sleeves with a cold fear, "this would be but the death of my world if this were to happen, it would mean the end of gods."

"Good thing there are no gods here...hopefully."

Soon the maelstrom died down and the sky returned to its dusk-filled hue. The world returned back to its prehistoric norm except for one thing out in the northeast. An island of cragged rock with a few coniferous trees breaching through the harsh stone.

"Well that's...surprising," said Andrea scratching her head, "I mean I dunno what I was expecting but maybe something more than a barren island."

"It might be bigger than we think, what does your scanner say?"

She pulled out an item from her labcoat like an electric meter that linked to her laboratory readouts.

"Hundred-and-thirty TEFs. Smallest island we've had yet but still a landmass, Aarbron's place was two-fifty, the Akkala region was two-hundred and that Angel Island waaaaas three-hundred-and-fifty abouts."

"A sizeable mass regardless," said Haytham, "what are your orders general?"

"We send out a Ducky," said Thomas turning back to go downstairs, "Durai, you go along with doctor Addison in case we meet some newcomers."

"Yes sir, may I take James with me?"

"If he's capable of defending himself yes. I'll handpick a small entourage to escort you."

With a group of five soldiers, Haytham, James and Jane made a short flight over towards the high-walled island until they disappeared from view of the base. The towering stone curled inwards like a giant's paw as they flew themselves in to land at the outskirts of the rain-slicked land. There was no beach but a forest clustered in various pockmarks with occasional animal life in the form of squirrels, mice, feral cats and at one point the odd wolf that snarled at the newcomers before Haytham pushed them back with a gust of wind to frighten it off.

"Nice work," said Jane, "I'd rather not go killing off wildlife in this place until we have a good idea of things."

"Agreed," said Durai, "let us not disturb the fauna before we have discovered the lay of the land."

"Righ'," said Holt keeping his shotgun close, "keep yer guard up an' stay behind us alrigh'?"

"Yes sir," said James saluting with brolly at the ready, "but what if there are no other beasts but those?"

"Then we should be alright, wolves are pretty easy to frighten with a bit of fire righ'?"

"I see."

"Jareau, position yerself on the left bank an' keep yer eye out fer any walkers."

"Yes sir."

The sniper moved carefully behind the group and slipped into the shadows. They walked further on keeping behind the trees as Haytham kept a cautious scan ahead with a rudimentary spell to sweep across the area, the soldiers moving forwards in a tortoise-shell movement to keep Jane protected. The howling of wolves cried out from the distant hills as the humans braced their weapons close out of a deep-seated instinct. The sun soon began to fade over the horizon as darkness descended, the night air sweeping through the trees with a baleful gust that gave rise to phantom screams. But then they heard a different set of screams, raucous inhuman beasts shrieking from the other side of the forest.

"You hear that?" muttered Jane. "Those...those must be-"

"More than beasts," whispered Durai, "do you hear their words?"

"Not...yet-wait...what is that, over there!"

They peered towards the northwest sector of the island. A shadow struggling through the trees amidst barking cries of bloodlust behind it. Lightning struck across the sea illuminating its form in monochrome terror.

"Brace yourself," muttered Holt slipping his hand towards the trigger, "don' shoot until ya see thuh whites o' their eyes."

"If they even have eyes," replied James, "but...w-wait, wait no he looks wounded!"

"James, JAMES GIT BACK 'ERE!"

The lemming rushed forwards before anyone could grab him, hurrying to the ragged beast that now crawled towards them with blood-spattered head and scarred steel armour.

"O-oh TALISMAN'S GRACE are you alright?!"

"[i]NNRRRRGH![/i]"

"N-NO NO NO I'M NOT AN ENEMY, I'M HERE TO HELP!" The student put up his hands with fearful look. "Please, you're injured!"

"[i]GET AWAY![/i]"

The monster shoved him back and ran past him towards the soldiers who raised their guns towards him.

"NO, NO DON'T SHOOT, DON'T SHOOT HE'S INJURED!"

"GET BACK 'ERE YOU FUCKIN' TWAT!" shouted Holt.

"WAIT WAIT HE'S RIGHT!"

Jane pushed herself free from the group when the stranger's form took shape. It stopped upon seeing them fully as it slumped against a tree panting heavily. A reptile wearing knight's armour, covered in mud that sluiced off its body, red bleeding eyes from the wounds that crossed its face. In one hand it wielded a large sword specked with crimson dirt.

"Whut in god's name are you?" muttered Jeremy.

"What happened?" asked Jane carefully. "It's alright, we're not here to hurt you."

"Run." His voice rasped with a torrid snarl.

"Wh-what?"

"[i]R-run...d-demons...coming.[/i]"

"Demons?!"

"[i]RUN, NOW![/i]"

He tried to force his feet ahead as he barged through them recklessly, but his exhaustion consumed him as he fell to his knees in the mud. The sounds of screaming banshees came closer as they all looked at each other, mutually agreeing on a new plan.

"Barnsley, Milne, take 'im to the ship, everyone else keep cover behin' thuh trees an' shoot anythin' down that moves."

"LOOK OUT!"

Shrieking from above was a vile beast of winged fury, a hawk-faced woman with jagged wings and a naked green body like rusted copper. She flew upon one of the soldiers who slammed her away with the rifle butt and shot through her stomach, but it only enraged the demon further as she sliced upon the soldier's helmet with raking claws until a shotgun blast obliterated her ribcage.

"H-HOLY [i]CHRIST![/i]" gasped Jane. "Wha-WHAT was THAT?!"

"I-i take it that is the demon," muttered James, "a-and more are coming!"

"GET 'IM TO THUH SHIP NOW!" barked Holt. "THUH REST OF YEZ COME WI' ME!"

Standing firm they lined up as a wall of defence whilst two of the soldiers carried the hulking lizardman back to the ship. Bracing their weapons they fired upon the next shrieking pair of wings similar to the one they had just killed. But this one wasn't alone, as four more demons came swooping from the trees like ravens upon the feast. Raucous howls of ecstatic bloodlust came from all around the defenders as gunfure illuminated the night amidst lightning and spackled rain, Holt leading the shots as he pumped his shell into one harpy's breast. Another came attacking from behind him only to get its wings roasted to ash by a shocking fireblast.

"[i]INCENDIOOOO![/i]"

The screeching hawk flapped her frail wings that melted into the mud, watching Jane stand between her and Holt with a smoking iron gauntlet.

"Good thing you got a bona fide WIZARD on your side right Jer?!"

"HAHA DAMN RIGH' PET, ON YER SIX!"

"[i]AAAARRRGH CHRIST![/i]"

Panicking with a hard ducking tumble the therapist tried to shoot back with another fireball as she kept close to the sergeant. James and Haytham put up the greatest wall of defence by combining both magic spells and an enchanted umbrella to force back the enemy forces. Sometimes a harpy would just randomly explode from a piercing shot by Jareau the sniper, who swiftly snuck back to the ship amidst the cragged hills with mud-covered face obscuring her lighter features. The magicians side by side sent torrid blasts of wind that shredded up the harpies wings

"AERIS [i]LUCET![/i]"

"BEGONE YOU PHASIANIC PEASANTS!"

Once the first wave had been repelled they all rushed to the Ducky swiftly, hurrying themselves in and lifting off with a rumbling of extra cargo forcing its small ballast to start flying low over the sea.

"THIS IS DUCKY-FOUR, WE GOT ENEMIES INBOUND I REPEAT, AERIAL SQUADRON OF UNKNOWN ENEMIES BE PREPARED TO DEFEND ONCE WE LAND!"

[i]"Confirmed, base is now on red alert, preparing for invasion."[/i]

"WE GOT AN INJURED PERSON, UNKNOWN SPECIES, SOME KINDA REPTILE GET THE MED-BAY READY!"

[i]"Confirmed, just get back home and let us handle it."[/i]

As the small scouting ship struggled to keep aloft, the myriad of wings came flapping from behind them as a deadly swarm of beasts shrieked and howled with foetid rage upon them. They only just managed to land before the second wave could scrape at the hull as the invaders were met with the full force of the T.E.A.R base. Soldiers came out in droves with deadly weapons shooting highly-refined lasers specially-honed for lethal encounters. Blasts of energy lit up the sky in purple rain that slashed and burned through wings and gullets, bloodied charring bodies falling from the sky to either the sea or the sand as the Ducky landed into the hangar. But some of the enemy had managed to follow close enough to dodge through the laserstorm and slam into the hangar's interior.

"OH GOD!"

"ENEMY IN THE BASE!"

A different monster entirely than that from the island, they now faced a small group of four large bat-winged gargoyles with bodies of pure granite, thick and robustly jade as they roared like lions against the humans. One went straight for Holt as he fell over backwards, wrestling his shotgun against its throat to force its snapping jaws away from his face. Another two went for the soldiers carrying the lizardman who quickly fired back, only to find its stone body resisted the laser shots somewhat with a gouging burnt black and cracked a hard cold fist into the soldier's face to break her nose inside. The fourth one went for Jane as she frantically switched her gauntlet's element.

"FL-FLIPENDO!?"

Her hand had slipped and instead she clobbered its head with a thick burst of heavy dust, clunking it between the ears harmlessly but the grit managed to get in its eyes enough to make it stop and rub itself in irritation. She switched to an airblast attack and screamed with a hard push that sent it flying across the hangar bay, turning towards the other two that were trying to grab the wounded beast.

"[i]FUCK OOOOOFF![/i]"

Punching a hard gust into one of their wings, the gargoyle spiralled violently out of the way as she forced the other away with another air shot.

"[i]GO, GET HIM TO KEVIN![/i]"

James and Haytham also continued to repel the demons with cyclonic spells, slamming the stone-cast beast off from Jeremy and tossing it into the ceiling with a shattering crunch that sent its granite wing falling like a branch onto the floor. Roaring with anguish it fell in turn now crippled as it tried to lunge with desperate fury towards the exit, doggedly chasing after the lizardman's trail along with one of its other friends who recovered quickly.

"DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"

"[i]CLOSE THE HANGAR FOR FUCK'S SAKE![/i]"

The roof closed up at last, but with two monsters roaming the base and a good two-dozen circling around the outside there was no time to relax. Harpies and gargoyles divebombed towards the humans and robots who ducked behind crates and blasted back a sheer volley of laser fire that liquefied wings and burned granite sculptures. Drillbots waited under orders from commanders to wait in hiding for a gargoyle to come swooping down before crushing their chests with a fierce drill attack, whilst wasps distracted or engaged with the enemy in mid-flight with buzzing bombs and orbular shots, strafing around the harpies to shoot them down with the odd unfortunate beebot getting eviscerated by fiendish claws that severed their wires in two.

One harpy managed to find the hatch on the roof and was ready to break it open before it slammed wide in her face to reveal a hard-faced major-general cracking his knuckles.

"No ticket. Unless you wanna bribe the bouncer."

The creature screamed and flapped towards him, the soldier pulling out his rifle to crack across one of her stretching legs with a brutal snap as he piled on top of her to snap her neck fierce. Thomas joined the fight with a barrage of bullets, taking potshots carefully to shoot down the least-agile harpies, falling to their deaths in screaming tears of agony before three of them came down upon him. The first one to attack would die last as he ducked beneath her buffeting wings and grabbed her leg to stomp-twist it like a broken twig. The second one he shot into the chest four times to pump it out the sky and the third one he swung the first harpy's body at like a club to knock her down in turn. He tightened his grip on the monster's throat with one arm wrapped round the front and his other elbow punching the back of the neck into one sudden guillotine crunch that snapped her windpipe completely. As the beast laid choking to death he took on the third harpy that recovered from the blow to flap forwards with shredding talons slicing the air between them. Thomas put up his rifle to guard himself from fiendish claws that raked across the gunmetal with shrieking sparks, punching her stomach with a hard thrust of the bullpup to fire off the rest of his clip into her abdomen. Pulpy splatters of feathered red streaked across the roof as the beast laid in tatters before Thomas reloaded his clip.

"Tippi Hendren says hi you little bitches."

The two soldiers carrying the armoured body had managed to reach the med-bay, but almost immediately the broken-winged gargoyle came stomping on their heels as the medics panicked and backed against the walls.

"OH, [i]FUCK, SHIT![/i]"

The statued beast smacked one of the soldiers hard into the wall to knock his gun away whilst the other already-wounded gunner clenched her bloodied face and pulled the lizardman further in to safety. The winged bat-creature came for her as she turned and fired with a laser-based handgun, but its body still resisted the shrieking shot as it lurched towards them. Suddenly a glass tube burst upon its face with scorching acid, sizzling and eating away at its face as it turned snarling towards two hooded lab assistants. Ribose and Adenine pointed to each other.

"[i]HE DID IT![/i]"

[b][i]"GHRRRAAAAAAAARGH!"[/i][/b]

"[i]A-AAAAAAAAAAGH![/i]"

Frantically Adenine threw another beaker against it, the monster dodging swiftly with a head tilt as Ribose followed up with another chemical projectile that splashed harmlessly on its cragged features. At the very least they managed to distract it from its target, but now they were up against the wall as they tossed more tubes and beakers to varying degrees of effectiveness.

"G-GET OFF, GO AWAY!"

"[i]GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE ALREADY![/i]"

The gargoyle leapt upon the counter between them, slavering with drool from its stony teeth as they clutched each other in cowering fright.

"HEY, PENDEJO!"

The beast turned to suddenly receive a wild roundhouse kick across its face, cracking its jaw hard to send it falling from the tabletop as it stared before Kevin Izquierda with shining steel legs.

"You wanna fuck with my friends, you better brace your ass cuz I'm gonna fuck you raw like your papi does."

[b][i]"RRRRAAAAAARGH!"[/i][/b]

The monster galloped towards the chief medic who smiled fearlessly in anticipation. It swung with savage claws as he ducked fast underneath its arm and stabbed his metal knee deep into the creature's stomach region, crackling its stone carapace surprisingly strong as it grabbed Kevin's throat and hoisted him aloft. He cackled breathlessly as it started to strangle him before he swung a beautiful football kick hard into its jawline, shattering it almost completely as it staggered back in fright. Roaring with hanging tongue flopping against its neck, the gargoyle bullrushed Kevin to the floor as he fell back against a counter sending beakers and tubes clattering around him. He grabbed one of them immediately recognising the label as he hurled it at the creature's face, burning a strong shocking acid that almost melted through its eyesocket. Shrieking with a frenzied agony it clutched its head amidst burning vapours that clouded its vision as the doctor made a running bootkick against its torso, crushing its granite pectorals inwards with a crack against what semblance of ribs it even had with a wheezing choke. When it tried to blindly swing at Kevin he stepped back in a boxing dodge and thrust his leg out in a side kick, steel-rocket nerves springing forth to crunch into the now-crumbling face of the stone effigy. He walked forwards watching its already-crippled state as the monster hesitated briefly before Kevin closed the door with a cruel smile.

"No no noooooo, doctor's orders mi pequeno."

[b][i]"H-hrrrrh, RRRRRHHH!"[/i][/b]

"I warned you."

He made a fake swipe with his fist that made the creature flinch by instinct, turning his body fast for a monstrous roundhouse kick that savagely crushed the back of its head with a pure steel foot. It stopped itself from falling to the floor but countered with a devious uppercut into his chest that forced him to dry-heave as Kevin shuddered.

"[i]H-hhhhHHHHH! KHHHH...not...bad.[/i]"

The chief medic forced himself up with the strength of his legs like impervious struts as he waited for the fiend's next move. The moment it tried to punch him again he strafed round and delivered a crushing bootstomp to the back of its knee, shattering its leg apart as it fell in howling rage moments before Kevin stomped its head in a double jumping stop. The body slumped lifeless as the doctor clap-danced mockingly in seven syllables.

"Chin-ga tu ma-dre, CA-BRON!"

"H-holy...JEEZ Kevin!" gasped Adenine.

"You guys clean all this up I gotta check on the new guy."

"Wh-what about the other monsters?!" cried Ribose.

"We got our business here, everyone else can handle themselves that's what we trained ourselves for!"

"Even you?!"

"What you think I got banned from the tournament because I was 'too important', nah man these fuckin' kicks are lethal weapons!"

Soon after this the remaining demons would flee back to the island's dark shores as their comrade's bodies were left behind. Crimson feathers and granite pebbleswere soon swept up and dumped into the ocean. Surprisingly none of the humans had been killed but some casualties had occurred that were soon treated. Four robots however were steadily rebuilt, their OS chips salvaged being the most important part needed to bring their consciousness back as a whole. Once most of the damage had been dealt with, Kevin and Jane began to examine their new patient the armoured lizardman with Ade and Bose attending.

"He looks pretty bad," muttered Jane pointing towards the blood dripping down his leg.

"First we get the armour off him," said Kevin, "then hopefully we can heal him up before he dies."

"Let's have a LITTLE confidence Kevin please."

"Alright jeez don't blast my face off like you did that fucking gargoyle."

"Christ my hands are still shaking," she said clasping her head.

"Well sit outside if you have to I'd rather have you not blowing up everything in my lab hahaha."

"Oh sod off Kevin just tell me when you're done with him."

She walked out with her mind roving all over the place, clasping her iron hand with the other as she nervously rubbed her palms together to feel the chemical warmth imbued within her gauntlet. Kevin began to pull off the armour from the comatose patient, seeing more and more red leak out from his body.

"Noooow let's see, where did you come from jefe? What secrets do YOU have?"

"What you need boss?" asked Ribose keeping away from the beast.

"We're doing procedure six, he doesn't seem to be critical but let's make sure he's treated like a king."

"You got it."

Savage wounds littered the body of the lizardman as the medic went to work, the lab assistants pulling up a tray of salves and tools along with two machines to monitor pulse, blood pressure, temperature variations and electrical currents as he went to work. The creature slept into a deep exhaustion as his mind ticked over into dreams half-formed from ancient memories.

[i]"P-please...let my family go-"[/i]

[i]"How much do you TRULY trust Him?"[/i]

[i]"He has not saved your neighbours, nor your friends not even your city."[/i]

[i]"I will NOT...abandon His light-"[/i]

[i]"But you WILL abandon this life, abandon your family?"[/i]

[i]"N-no...I will not...abandon anyone a-and neither will my F-father-"[/i]

[i]"Then prove it. Accept us."[/i]

[i]"No, no DON'T DO IT!"[/i]

[i]"We will make certain that you are never abandoned again."[/i]

[i]"CHANOCH! NOOOOOOOOO[b]OOOOOOOO![/b]"[/i]

[i]"Get up."[/i]

Rain dripped onto his back.

[i]"Oi. Get up, I'm not carrying you."[/i]

He opened his eyes. They felt strangely bulbous and heavier than usual. He pushed his hands onto his knees to stand up and caught sight of his fingers. Hands gnarled with rigid scales and purple claws. They were not his hands yet the fingers responded like his own would despite having only three of them on each hand. The only comfort he felt was when he grabbed for his heavy sword.

[i]"Keep that thing in check,"[/i] growled a deep baritone voice from above him, [i]"if you turn on us here your corpse shall be left to the ravens."[/i]

He understood. Flashes of the past came to him as if they had been an eternity ago. The blood that never stopped dripping in front of his eyes, the sword he held that screamed with the light of God. His mother. His sister. His hands shook as he clasped his face.

"Wh-...where are we?" gasped a soul nearby.

[i]"Wallachia,"[/i] said the reedy voice, [i]"do you know it?"[/i]

There came no response, beyond the stiflings of fear.

[i]"We are in the heart of eastern Europe, a region known as Transylvania."[/i]

"Why...are we here?"

[i]"To meet your new master."[/i]

The land was dark and bereft of light. Clouds covered the expanse with unnatural thickness, storms smouldering with frenzied strikes of violet lightning that illuminated the Carpathian mountains. Forests sang with howling beasts and shrieking monsters as he felt cold bodies from around him. Some were still human but had become nothing more than shambling corpses as he recognised their armour branded with the markings of either the Polish knights, or the German Teutonic order. His face darkened upon that black cross, burning in the back of his throat with a bestial growl that frightened the undead. Other beasts around him composed of fishmen, bull-headed ogres and the odd flying abomination rendered as a twisting space of skulls. He looked down at his scaled body with hand to his face, feeling a long thick snout and small spikes in a line across the top of his skull. The weight behind him kept throwing him off until realising it was a lengthly thick tail. His mind felt he was dreaming, it couldn't recognise its own body despite its feet moving like his, the naked green scales that covered his entire chest and the flat forked tongue in his mouth flickering out by an instinct he couldn't control to taste the rain. It tasted oddly sweet in this land of evil.

[i]"We are here!"[/i] barked the deep voice. [i]"Everyone stay in single file, do not move unless you are ordered to. You are part of the Army of Night, and so you shall obey the Lord of Vampires from this day forth."[/i]

The horde of new beasts could see a grand castle stretching out over a lake that seemed to be formed from a giant crater in the earth itself. The moon bled crimson behind it in a fearsome silhouette of twisted spires and arcane geometry that bewildered their senses, rooms and windows changing positions every so often for those of keenest vision. Standing before them were the two demons that had previously spoke leading the group, a bird-like beast with human limbs and a large bat with vulpine face. They closed their eyes and made a dark utterance of infernal tone, summoning a fierce wind that rippled through the sea of faces. Fear struck every one of them like a cold blade of ice through their spines as a shadow appeared above them. A spectre of eight feet tall, the faintest will o' wisps tingling through the air to spiral around a black cloak that twisted and convulsed. A skeletal hand reached out from inside the mass before joined by a second one, pulling the cloak apart in a blood-drenched scream that spattered across the crowd who stood down cowering with shock and prayers to various gods. The cloak became silver in the form of a scythe as the shadow behind it became a second cloak, revealing a skull that grinned with eternal rigor upon the frightened mongrels as fires of green flickered out of existence with the whispering of souls.

[b]"Welcome."[/b] The spectre swept his hands open with a voice that transcended dimensions. [b]"Welcome to your new fate. Normally those such as you would meet me in the homes where your children slept. But you are part of a special elite, a group of souls with such strength that you are deemed worthy of becoming the Army of Night. My master has use for you. And so you shall serve him under the rules of the contract by which you all have signed."[/b]

"I-I DID NOT ASK FOR THIS!" screamed an undead man. "I-I NEVER, N-NO, THIS IS A HEATHEN'S DEN I WILL NOT BE PARLEY TO THIS!"

[b]"...bring him to me."[/b]

The bird and bat moved through the crowd to drag an unsuspecting soul through. The reptile recognised him faintly as a farmer from the same city as him, still clutching his own scythe til the day he died.

[b]"What is your name, plowman?"[/b]

"I...I-i-i am Alfred Minarczyk."

[b]"Do I hear you well that you did not ask for this?"[/b]

"No, I never signed to be part of a godless army!"

[b]"Indeed you did not. But whoever said this was a godLESS army?"[/b]

"Wh-what?"

[b]"This place may be bereft of God...but, one day sooneth..."[/b]

The reaper leaned close towards the soggen farmer.

[b]"You shall have a god, and so you shall feed Him with your own hands."[/b]

"N-no...no, no I will not, y-you are just a phantom, I will not go into the night!"

[b]"So you dare defy me? As your new superior, I must warn you that a breach of contract shall signal your fate-"[/b]

"DAMN YOUR CONTRACT HEATHEEEEN!"

The farmer swung his scythe with a vicious shriek. The spirit did not seem to move but the smallest flicker in his form almost created two of him at once as the plowman missed his strike. The phantom hovered past him as he stopped before his second swing with a soft gasp.

[b]"Let this be a lesson from this night. If you would dare to strike against us..."[/b]

He raised his hand with a small red orb clenched between his fingers

[b]"Never. Miss."[/b]

Click.

"[b][i]GHHAAAAAAARRRRGGHHKLLHH![/i][/b]"

A desperate scream poured like the blood from the farmer's throat as every inch of his body imploded. Arms slipped from shoulders, legs split open at the knees with a vicious crack, his spine severed in three places until he became a pile of miserable flesh. There was not a single drop of blood upon the reaper's scythe as he swung it deftly between his bony digits, the small orb having shattered into infinite pieces of smoke.

[b]"Know your master from this evening forth who is also my own master. I...am Death. And I shall give you life eternal so long as you submit to the Lord of Vampires, lest you become this contemptuous wretch."[/b]

A flock of winged harpies swooped down to carry off the remains to either feast or dispose of, plucking the soulless corpse in a brief orgy of red that burst across their feathered wings as they swooped up with entrails in their mouths and talons dripping. The procession continued as they were led into the castle's subterrane through a long stone bridge that had risen from the lake. Giant steel doors opened as a horrid plethora of monsters welcomed them, beasts of all shapes and sizes from minotaurs to bloodied skeletons, dishevelled corpses that stood of their own will amidst werewolves and rusted sentient suits of armour.

The room they entered was a giant colosseum, halls filled with spears and swords where beasts would train with various appendages, serpent hawks slicing with sword-held tails against grotesque entities with tentacled heads and savage hulking arms. Soon they were allocated into different rooms in waiting as they were told their purpose by the bird and bat.

[i]"All of your skills shall be tested in this arena ahead of you,"[/i] explained the winged beast. [i]"However well you fair, you shall be allocated to a superior and remain in their care to be trained underneath them."[/i]

"Wh-why were um..." a ragged young werewolf tried to speak up, "why, were our forms chosen as such?"

[i]"Your soul,"[/i] said the avian prodding his chest, [i]"the nature of your soul dictates what beast you shall become."[/i]

"So...m-my soul is that of a lupine beast?"

[i]"Noooo no no no,"[/i] the bat-monster flapped forwards, [i]"it simply means you are fleet of foot, tell me what profession were you?"[/i]

"I...I-i was studying to be a painter. But I was originally a messenger for the church."

[i]"Ahhhh, see!"[/i] The bird clapped his scrawny hands upon the wolf's shoulders. [i]"A runner you have been and so you shall be. In fact I believe you and my friend are more alike in soul then you think, what's your name lad?"[/i]

"J-jason, sir."

[i]"Then I shall be delighted to see how fleet your feet become as a proud beast of the night, take pride in your new form and do us proud!"[/i]

[i]"I would also like to see what art you can muster should you do well in the trials ahead,"[/i] said the bat giving a toothy grin.

"A-alright...I will."

The young wolf nodded and made his way into a waiting room. The reptile was about to join him when the bird placed a hand on his shoulder.

[i]"Do not disappoint us, Chanoch. Remember we have honoured our deal and now you must do the same."[/i]

He nodded and walked in to find a row of seats where sat in for the first night of their new existence. A mirror stood in the back of the room as Chanoch approached to see himself for the first time. Red reptilian eyes and large tympanal cheeks marked him out to be like a naked humanoid iguana with thick armoured scales, a hidden genital slit and large clawed feet with a tail swishing behind him. The only thing that hinted at his former life was the longsword he still kept in one hand, polished with Hebrew script gleaming inside the groove of the blade.

The first thing Chanoch did was weep. He knelt before the mirror and lost himself in sorrow, clutching his face as he dropped his sword and sobbed with deep rasping voice. He hated this voice. He hated this face, he hated the skin that so coldly wrapped round his body, he hated this thick cancerous limb that swept down the back of his legs and twitched like a viper of its own will. He covered his head as it touched the floor as his voice broke into a wretched sob that became echoed by the others around him. Others also mourned for the loss of their humanity, their lives, their families. He stopped crying when he heard a voice behind him.

"Uh...h-hello?"

He looked up silently towards the werewolf known as Jason.

"I...can I help? I want to help. I do not know who you are but, can I help you?"

The beast sat down next to him as they stared at the mirror and each other. There was a silence aching between them as the lizardman's shoulders slumped.

"My name is Jason. What is yours?" No response from him or his reflection. "I am from Austria. I was...well, I was a messenger for Albert I. I...do not know if you heard the news of his assassination a few months thence, it was a tragic blow to the provinces. I mean he was a harsh man yes but he cared about the common people, he...well, he was more of a duke to me but even his own family turned on him, did you hear his nephew was the one that murdered him?"

Chanoch tightened his fingers with eternal gaze as Jason rocked himself back and forth. He peered over towards the lizardman's blade and noticed the scripture in its groove.

"Oh! I recognise those words. ...you know my...my king was one of the few who actually made efforts to protect your people. I-i did not want to say this just because you are here, I mean this but, I truly hope his death will not make things worse. I mean, are we not brothers? The son of God was but one of your family, you and I may have different forms but we are both still God's children...right?"

Jason put a hand gently upon Chanoch's shoulder, his warm clawed fingers gently pushing into the scales as if trying to massage them. The lizardman looked up and almost started to smile before a voice roared from behind.

"[b]ROOM EIGHTEEN![/b]"

From the doorway came a ferocious-looking minotaur with ruby eyes of blood.

"[b]ALL OF YOU, COME, NOW![/b]"

"W-what is this?!"

"[b]First rule of this army is NOT to question orders, now GO, FOLLOW ME![/b]"

With such urgency in his voice they rushed into the corridor and followed the hulking beast, his cloven hooves scraping across the stone floor as they clacked and crunched into the dirt where he led them to a grand open hall. The real colosseum unveiled itself before them, a resplendent ancient arena where the seats were filled with an assortment of terrifying beasts from every corner of the realm infernal. The sounds of slaughter could be heard amidst the cheering screams and hissing cries of the audience as three zombie soldiers struggled to take down a grotesque-looking wyvern with deep purple skin and wicked claws that slashed one of the soldier's heads apart. Squawking with frenzied cry it flapped its wings towards a second victim who dodged fast and struck with his sword hard up into its stomach, whilst his comrade came flying from the side with a tremendous cleaving blow deep into the wyvern's neck. The crowd went wild with excitement as the beast's head rolled across the field.

"H-hoh, GOD!" cried Jason.

"[b]Don't worry,[/b]" said the minotaur crossing his arms, "[b]they all get revived eventually.[/b]"

"Wait, revived?!"

"[b]So long as you still have your soul you can still be revived...if however they take your soul well...[/b]"

He tried to click his fingers at first but they were too fat to snap properly. He tried again and again until the fourth time he just clicked his tongue in sync.

"[b]Regardless, your first test to be ranked as part of our army is to win against your opponent.[/b]"

"You want us to fight?" gasped the werewolf. "Without armour or weapons?"

"[b]Beasts do not need armour, unless you're one of those revenants still clinging on to that pathetic human body in which case that be necessary.[/b]"

"But we do not? How is that fair?!"

"[b]Well your lizard friend has scales of a natural armour.[/b]" The half-bull poked him surprisingly hard enough to make him wince. "[b]As for weapons he already has his sword, but the others will be given spare weapons of their choosing.[/b]"

"That is good," said Jason tapping his claws nervously, "these claws are...rather fearsome but still I would like a weapon, I have only just adjusted to the constant hair shedding.

"NEXT COMBATANTS PLEASE!"

The minotaur produced a set of weapons to let Jason pick from. He took a standard sword whilst a fishbeast joined them with a spear before they were shoved out into the open. The crowd screamed upon their entrance as the lizardman shook with stage fright next to the werewolf and fishman. Monsters and terrors and fiends circled around them with bloodcurdling cries of hunger for the flesh to spill and sever before their eyes. They could tell which of the demons were superior above the others, the quiet ones in the back watching coldly upon the future contestants.

"BRING IN THE NEXT BEAST!"

From the other side of the arena was a large portcullis that slowly grinded its gears to creak open. Eyes of red pierced through their souls from the midst of darkness as something wicked their way come. Trampling the cragged dirt underneath then flapping across the coliseum was a sickening aberration that crossed between a wolf and a bat, forming a crooked-winged dragon with staunch muscular legs and a long serpentine neck that ended in a pair of high-pointed ears. The creature shrieked without a warning as the battle began almost immediately, lumbering towards them with its long neck snapping out like a whip at the closest combatant. The fishman staggered back with his spear lunging forth to deter it, whilst Chanoch and Jason carefully skirted round to strike at the beast's thighs. Their lack of confidence did little to pierce through the thick scaled armour as it turned and lunged at the werewolf, but Chanoch stepped in front and put up his blade horizontal in a strong guard as the creature's jaws clamped around the cold steel.

"GO, ATTACK HIM NOW!"

The first words the werewolf heard him speak triggered his fighting instinct to scurry round and join the fishman who readied himself to stab at the beast's leg. Both of them renewed their strength to viciously hack and slash upon the thigh as the wolf-dragon howled with rage and swiped its tail fiercely to slap the fishman hard to the ground. Flapping its wings with gangly flight, it swooped up and crunched down both feet upon the aquatic beast who screamed his last as his head caved in, bleeding pus and sputum as the drake's claws scraped across its back. Chanoch leapt onto its back and gouged into the wingstrut, severing it free from its body in three hacking cuts as the monster screamed and spun viciously fast to throw him off.

The half-winged beast smouldered around its face with a heaving breath of sulfurous flame blasting out towards the naked lizard. Chanoch rolled fast to avoid the burning shots and stumbled back onto his feet before two more flames spun ferociously towards him. With an instinct he blocked fast, praying his sword was strong enough to resist the volcanic force as the flames scattered across his blade, flickering into embers. The audience became a rhapsody, hollering with praise and awe as Jason climbed onto the wolf-dragon's back and readied himself to plunge his sword into the beast's neck like a giant needle. But it clocked him coming up and threw its head back to send him falling, the werewolf dropping his sword and grappling at the other wing to frantically hang. It was a distraction Chanoch needed as he rushed forwards with desperate scream, plunging his entire sword through the fiendish stomach until it sunk to the hilt. Blood dripped like acid sizzling with the smell of rotting egg from the porous wound as the half-drake howled and heaved with dry vomiting gasps at the fluids mixing in its gut. In its weakness it fell victim to Jason's claws who raked and slashed with a merciless frenzy, hard rugged teeth biting into the neck and tearing the throat to send more blood spittling out as the monster staggered weaker. Chanoch pulled his sword free and motioned Jason to bring the beast's head down, the werewolf straddling the back of its neck and forcing it to bow.

"[i]DIE YOU MONSTERRRRRRRR![/i]"

With a giant swing of his sword, the drake's head went flying. One chop and it rolled across the arena to send a fountain of black spittling from its neck like oil rich and deep. The werewolf and the lizardman backed off to avoid the staining acid as its body crumpled to a raucous ovation around them. Cheerings of praise and validation came from around them and whilst Jason felt relieved with heart swelling in joy, there was something niggling in the back of Chanoch's head that stopped him from basking. His hands shook with unseated fears as his breath became jittery, the werewolf putting an arm around him.

"We did it! WE SURVIVED!" But the lizardman did not respond with anything but a withered look. "What's wrong?! We made it brother! I know this is different...from so many things but, what was your alternative if you had not signed the contract?"

"[b]Impressive.[/b]"

A voice calm but deep like the ocean morning tide came to them from their left. Standing before the two was an indomitable suit of armour with a horned helm at a height of nine feet. His left arm had been replaced by a giant grappling hook the size of a harpoon as he stared his thin-visored visage down upon the lizardman and werewolf.

"[b]Breathe. It gets easier when you do.[/b]"

He knelt as his knees became weak from the exertion of his breath becoming unwound in a single knot of fullest release. It hurt his lungs and his throat became dry once again.

"[b]What are your names?[/b]"

"I am Jason," said the werewolf, "my friend here does not speak, at least not more than a blue moon it seems."

"[b]The pleasure is mine.[/b]" He bowed gently. "[b]I am Gobanz, I shall be your new superior from now on.[/b]"

"S-...superior?"

"[b]Yes.[/b]" He turned his horned helm towards Chanoch with astute nod. [b]"I saw you fight against the flying wolf, you have great potential with that blade of yours. Is there a reason you do not speak?"[/b]

"I-i do not think he wants to-"

"[b]I am not asking YOU. Now, lizardman, can you speak?[/b]"

Fear and exhaustion prevented him as he bowed carefully. Gobanz however pressed a finger below his chin to pull him back onto his feet.

"[b]I can see your fear. It does not matter whether you speak or not, you must learn to control that fear or else the beasts of this castle will never respect you. Just because they cannot hear what lies in your heart, does not mean they cannot see the quiet death inside of you. When I first came here, the master of this place told me something. 'Do not scream to the heavens, for then God shall see your bloodied tears. Bow your head, let your tears feed the earth and not the arrogance of God'.[/b]"

"How...dare you."

The lizardman finally spoke, shaking with a quiet outrage that caused Jason to back off carefully.

"H-how....[b]dare[/b] you speak of Him like that."

"[b]So it is only by God's will that you speak?[/b]" The armoured beast stepped back with a knowing shake of his head. "[b]A tragic waste. You need not be frightened, God cannot hurt you here, cannot judge you here. All of us were once His children who like Adam and Eve were long since banished from his ivory-hilted paradise.[/b]"

"I am...I am still His son," said Chanoch biting his teeth.

[b]"All the sons and daughters of a broken family arrive to this place. Come."[/b]

He placed his hand upon the younger back and led him through into the deepened dark. Jason felt the cold hooked arm against his own back in turn but it was a gentle touch, like a dragon's claws caressing a maiden's face.

"[b]A child that runs from the house of their father, do we blame the child or the father for this? The house is but brick and mortar, it cannot feel contempt. The child knows nothing of the world enough to understand such hate, but the father is whom the child must learn from and if that child first understands hate from Him...then what can a child do?[/b]"

"N-no, NO!" Chanoch pushed him away and pressed himself against the wall. "M-my...my...He, is all that is Good, He MADE me, He made my people and all that exists, I would never turn against Him!"

"What are you doing?!" cried Jason. "We cannot return to the human world anymore, we signed the contract-"

"I DID NOT WANT THIS!" He slumped in the corridor, clutching his head and shaking with rasping tears. "I-i...I did not...I-i-i could not w-wait for you E-elohim forgive me, p-please forgive me-"

"[b]Calm yourself child.[/b]" Gobanz offered his thick cold gauntlet to him. "[b]I will not stop you from your beliefs. I will let you learn in your own time your Father's true face but until then...you are one of us and we shall take care of you, not through sunlight and prayer but with food and warmth. Come. Please.[/b]"

His hand beckoned him to follow. Jason took his other hand as both pulled Chanoch into darkness and the moment he did he felt his innocence die a virgin's death.

Tears dripped onto his chest.