Chereads / Rebirth of Artemis / Chapter 67 - Shepherd of Fire

Chapter 67 - Shepherd of Fire

Kris was walking to school. He glanced behind him. And then kept walking. Someone tapped him on the back. He looked behind him and got startled.

Mallory: Hey Kris!

Kris: Oh, hey Mallory.

Mallory: Hmm. Something wrong? You usually actually act startled.

Kris: No. I'm fine.

Mallory: Oh come on! Talk to me.

Kris: Nothing's wrong!

Mallory: Pretty please!...With a cherry on top?

Kris: Okay fine. Millie went off on one of her missions again.

Mallory: Oh. What's the problem with that? She's helping people.

Kris: Yeah but what about herself! She could get hurt. Or even killed. Like when she lost her arm.

Mallory: I think her efforts are for a good cause. Isn't this actually normal? There has to be something more.

Kris: We think one of her friends has been kidnapped.

Mallory: Who?

Kris: Terra. She was with us yesterday.

Mallory: Oh, sorry. How is that much different even still?

Kris: She should be far powerful than Millie.

Mallory: How so?

Kris: I probably shouldn't be telling you this. But she defeated Integer.

Mallory: Really?! There's no way she's that powerful!

Kris: But she also lost her armor.

Mallory: Armor?

Kris: Her Artemis armor. It gave her a bunch of power. And it was destroyed in the battle.

Mallory: Do you think Terra made any new armor?

Kris: I dunno. Maybe.

Mallory: What about Amelia? Isn't she a speedster?

Kris: Wait? How did you know that?

Mallory: U-uh. I...saw the news when she was fighting Empyrean.

Kris: Empyrean?

Mallory: I do lots of research. But can't Amelia help?

Kris: Yeah. But she lives in a mental hospital.

Mallory: Which one?

Kris: That's oddly specific. The Hall mental hospital I think.

Mallory: Look. I think Millie can handle herself. I don't think the stories you told me about her are fake. She should be safe.

Kris: ...I guess she's more powerful then she looks.

Mallory: We probably haven't even seen her full power!

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Millie arrived at the mansion. There was a group of investigators there. She went over to the scene of the crime. She saw Elaine's body crushed by the chandelier. Millie took out her phone. She showed a picture of Terra to someone who was at the party.

Millie: Excuse me. Did you see this woman at the party last night?

Man: Yes actually. She was sitting with Phobos's child. The one who…

Millie: Uh, can you tell me the last time you saw Phobos.

Man: He was outside on the phone.

Millie: What's he look like?

Man: Are you NYPD? I never saw a badge.

Millie: Doesn't matter.

Man: Don't try and act tough!

The man grabbed Millie's arm.

Man: Oh, I like that face.

Millie's face of fear and surprise turned to pure anger. The man could tell. Millie took a deep breath and ripped her arm out of his grasp.

Millie: Lucky for you, there's cops around. If there weren't. Your head would be in that wall.

Man: Ha! Doubt it!

Millie: I've met people like you. You think you're better than everyone because you have power over them. But if you were stripped of all your belongings. Then what do you have? Nothing!

As she finished her sentence she smashed her robotic hand against the brick wall. Cracking it.

Millie: Like I said, head through the wall.

Man: He's black and wears a white tux. He also wears sunglasses. He has this tattoo on the side of his neck. Hard to miss.

Millie walked off. She got outside and saw Phobos walking down the road. She followed him. Trying to stay normal. Eventually someone walked in front of Millie. And he was nowhere to be found. She looked to her side and saw him down an alley. He had somehow gotten to the roof.

Millie: Come on...

Millie looked around for stairs or something. But there was nothing. Millie kicked off the wall and jumped off it. And then to the wall across. Kicking off the wall over and over until she got to the top of the roof. He turned around. Millie could feel his staring eyes through his sunglasses.

Phobos: Hello there.

Millie: I know you did something with Terra.

Phobos: Excuse me?

Millie: You have something to do with the MFI. Right? Number Three.

Phobos: Why does everyone keep bringing her up?

Millie: ...You killed her, didn't you?

Phobos: Oh no. That was all Artemis's doing.

Millie: Terra? She wouldn't kill someone like that!

Phobos: Think again.

Phobos started walking away.

Millie: You can't just walk away! I have reason to believe you're involved with this!

Phobos: Yes. Yes I am. Is that what you want me to say?

Millie: So come peacefully. Or we can do this the hard way.

Phobos crossed his arms.

Phobos: The hard way. Really? Show me.

Millie: Stop playing!

One of Phobos's hands solidified into rock. He backhanded Millie off the building and across the street. Into another building. She burst through a window. And frightened a family in the house. A woman screamed and hid behind a wall. She peered over the wall at Millie.

Millie: Sup.

She smiled and waved. She jumped out the window and saw Phobos jumping across a building. Millie got to the ground and found a motorcycle sitting on the curb. She let out some sort of electric charge from her prosthetic and the motorcycle fired on. She kept her eye on Phobos and followed him on the machine. Until he stopped on top of a building. The mental hospital. He went in through a vent. Millie went in the front doors.

Millie: Everyone evacuate now! Get out of here!

Most people did just that in fear. The man at the front desk stayed.

Millie: There's someone here. He's dangerous. He's a meta. Or something.

Man: Are you Repulse? We thought you quit!

Millie: Just...Needed a hand. Or an arm in this case. Get out of here.

The man ran out. Millie walked down the hallways. She tried to move quietly. All of a sudden the lights went out. There was only a little light shining in from windows. She trailed through the halls. Until she heard screaming. She ran towards the screaming. And rounded a corner. Phobos grabbed Millie by the neck and slammed her against the wall. A patient was screaming in pure fear from Phobos. Millie opened her hand. And targeted his lung. She closed it. But an energy blast shot out of her hand. And the pain still lingered.

Phobos: Did that hurt?

Millie tried it again. And aimed the energy blast at Phobos' face. He got hit straight and dropped Millie. Millie clapped her hands together and hit Phobos back slightly. He solidified his hands and shot a huge blast of fire and magma at Millie. She ripped one of the doors next to her off its hinges and blocked the shot. She kicked it forward at Phobos. He caught it and threw it straight back at Millie. She caught it with both hands and was pushed back a little. Phobos shot a wave of magma at Millie. She slammed down the door she had and shot back some of the magma at Phobos. But he was untouched. He walked through the magma and kicked at Millie. She guided the kick to the ground and hit him with a roundhouse. Along with a punching combo. Phobos kneed Millie in the stomach. She punched him across the face. And then let out the blast. Phobos guided it down with fire and grabbed Millie by the leg. He threw her at the roof and let her fall. Phobos put his boot over Millie. And an explosion destroyed part of the mental hospital. Right in the center of where Phobos and Millie were standing. Phobos waved some smoke out of his face. He looked down at Millie. And the same exact explosion was countered out by Millie. Millie stumbled to her feet through the explosion. She could barely move. Phobos got to his feet.

Phobos: You took that explosion. Point blank. Impressive.

Millie: Yeah and then you took it like a bitch. You can't even take the full force of your explosions coming back at you?

Phobos: Oh don't worry. I'm not done.

Millie took a deep breath.

Millie: Why are you here?

Phobos: I'm here to retrieve your little friend. I have a friend who would love to toture her. Just like I did to Terra.

Millie: What did you do to Terra?! You better not have…

Phobos: Don't worry she's alive.

Millie: Then what do you want with Amelia?

Phobos: I don't care about her. But he does.

Millie felt a sword be stabbed through her from the back. She fell to her knees. A man walked past her with shoulder length black hair. He wore a white button up collared shirt with a yellow tinge to it. Along with a long scarf around his neck. He wore long sweatpants and dress shoes.

Phobos: Good job Mr. Enaj.

Mr. Enaj: You can still call me Raphael. This is the one you were so worked up with about capturing?

Phobos: No. I already retrieved her. Now you get your prize.

Raphael: Thank you Phobos. I couldn't have done this without you.

Phobos: Don't thank me. Thank her.

Raphael: Oh...You are Repulse. Millie Koruba. I learned about you too. I can't believe you would support a killer. Disgusting.

Phobos: Shall we kill this one?

Millie kept the sword wedged into her. She had been injuring her wound more and more. She gripped the sword and ripped it out of her. A huge energy blast came from the wound and blew back Phobos and Raphael. Millie ran back to Amelia's cell.

Amelia: What happened? Are you okay, Millie?

Millie: Just a little banged up.

Millie fell to her knee.

Amelia: Let me out of here. I will take care of them.

Millie: No! They're here for you. And you're unstable!

Amelia tried to phase.

Amelia: I don't care. Let me out! You'll…

Millie: Fine. but please. Be okay.

Millie ripped Amelia's cuffs off. She felt speed flow through her.

Amelia: Get out of here. You know if you don't I'll make you.

She ran out of the cell and blitzed Phobos. She pushed him back violently. Making him slide backward until they crashed into a collapsed wall. Amelia threw a bunch of punches at Phobos's face. Until he caught one of her punches. She phased her hand through him. But nothing happened. She got blasted in the back and a whip tied her hands back. There was A women with huge mechanical wings on her back. Flying in the air. She was wearing a dirty MFI uniform. She had long white hair. It was Four. Another woman stood on the ground. She had a lasso of some sort in her hand. She whipped Amelia back. She had shoulder length black hair. She had grey arm tights. And a pink tank-top under a black jacket. She wore shorts that came down to just over her knees. And wore a pair of boots. She pulled Amelia to the ground.

Raphael: Good job, Psyche.

Psyche: Yeah, yeah. You've been getting sloppy.

Phobos: I think you are the one who is sloppy. You were late.

Psyche pulled Amelia back and she was tied up in the lasso. She put her foot on her head.

Psyche: And I caught the human.

Amelia started struggling. She tried to vibrate but the lasso tightened more around her. She quietly wrapped her leg around a part of the lasso. And whipped her leg down with super speed. Flipping Psyche onto the ground. Amelia got to her feet. Lasso still wrapped around her. She tried phasing again. And screamed violently when it tightened around her more. So much so it knocked her out.

Four: Repulse. She's gone.

Phobos: She's much more powerful then she looks. Psyche. Do you think you can handle her?

Psyche: Don't ask stupid quesitons like that. I'll handle her.

Phobos: Excellent.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Again, there was knocking at Terra's door. And then it stopped. And Themis materialized in Terra's room.

Themis: This would've been a helluva lot easier if you just answered my calls…

- - - - - - - - - - - -