A soft breeze blew snow from the trees down to the feet of the two masked men making their way towards the city gate. The man in the gray Gargoyle mask kept his glowing red eyes sternly forward, fixated on the guards awaiting their arrival. The man in the purple tinted Plague Doctor mask was more interested in the people surrounding them. The people in the city always seemed so cheerful, yet they had to know what was happening outside, right?

Surely they did. The fact that the people, living so comfortably within the city, were able to turn a blind eye to the atrocities outside filled Plague with a sense of absolute disgust. Gargoyle sent what one could only assume to be a glare towards Plague, which made him notice how tightly his rifle was clenched. Plague let out an apologetic chuckle before turning his bright purple gaze upwards. He watched as a crow landed on the highest branch of the tree above the two men, envious of a creature who was allowed such a simple existence. Why was he born into a world so cruel? Here he was, being forced to carry out a job that would make him one of the worst people alive. Most of the "10 Masks" felt honored when given the privilege to go murder innocent people outside. It was their duty, and they were glad to finally accomplish their purpose. After all, the people outside are their enemies. They have tried time and time again to take over the city, to create a better life for themselves and their families, so they deserved to die, right?

Plague watched as the crow flew off, to join another crow atop the fence separating the city gate from the bustling streets behind it. A pang of embarrassment washed over Plague, still jealous of those damn birds. He turned his attention back towards the city, which now stood behind them. Nexdria was truly massive. There were skyscrapers far past his line of sight. It had been a long time since Plague was this far from the inner city, and that familiar sense of awe that filled him 15 years ago when he first arrived here was bubbling up inside of him. He had heard stories that the world used to be filled with places like this, but seeing it from this viewpoint truly brought him back. This feeling only lasted a few moments, because as the pair reached the guards and handed them their IDs, reality once again set in. They were about to end the lives of innocent people.

As much as this notion pained Plague, it's something he has had years to prepare for. Becoming one of the 10 Masks and following his orders was the only way to stay alive. And staying alive was the only way to stay by Emily's side. After Plague and Gargoyle silently showed the guards their military identification, the older appearing guard saluted them the only way a Nexusite knew how: right palm over your heart to express gratitude, and the back of your left fist straight up to express appreciation of strength. The elder guard sternly turned towards the younger one before saying "These are Envoy's men. Show some respect, newbie." The young guard gasped as if he had no idea who they were, before giving an apologetic smile and saluting. Gargoyle gave them a nod of acknowledgment, as Plague said "Please, no need for such gratitude. We're simply doing our jobs." "Even still" said the elder guard. "You Ten Masks are out there saving our country while the rest of us sit on our hands here, safe behind the walls. Truly, thank you".

Underneath the Plague mask, Matt was clenching his teeth, holding back his rage. "Saving our country?!" he thought to himself. All we're doing is pillaging someone else's land. Taking whatever we can from the already suffering people outside of Nexdria before killing them! The Masks aren't the heroes, we're the villains… Although I suppose every hero is the villain of someone else's story". As Plague and Gargoyle stepped through the now open gate, the small crowd gathered behind the guards began to cheer. Gargoyle gave the crowd a salute, and Plague bowed his head in faux appreciation. The two silently walked for about a mile, neither of them exactly looking for conversation, before Gargoyle turned to Plague and said "Kid, do you not actually think these people should be thanking us?" in his unsettlingly raspy voice.

Matt was surprised at being called a kid, he believes himself to be 25 years old and it had been a long time since he was talked down to in such a way. "This may come as a shock to you, but I'm not exactly thrilled at the idea of having to do this. I swore to serve Nexdria until my last breath, but I never expected it to mean I'd have to go so far." Plague replied, pulling his hood over his head. Gargoyle scoffed before saying "This is war, kid. You kill your enemies before they can kill you, that's all there is to it. If you start trying to become a philosopher, you'll never make it as a soldier.". "Do you realize the things I've already had to do to even make it this far? Don't talk to me about whether or not I can make it as a soldier, you're about 10 years too late." Plague replied. "Whatever, kid. Anyways, make sure you copy my Nano before we get into their territory" was Gargoyle's response.

Nanos… the thing that made the Ten Masks unique. Each of them possessed a unique "ability" that was artificially provided to them by means of nanobots. Gargoyle and Plague had been made partners because of their potential synergy. Gargoyle was able to copy the texture of anything he touched, and change his skin into that material, but this only lasted for 60 seconds before it needed to be reactivated. Plague was able to copy the Nano ability of any of the other Ten Masks, but only one at a time. The two of them together were essentially a wall of defense, perfect for scouting near the city border.

Plague sent his Nanos into Gargoyle and copied his ability. After about three more miles of silent walking, the two encountered a campfire full of ashes. "Somebody must be nearby. Keep your guard up." Gargoyle sternly said to Plague. This was the perfect place for a camp. A small clearing surrounded by bushes and trees. Easy to find, easy to hide in. As he glanced around the surrounding area, Plague spotted her. A little girl who could be no older than 10 years old was crouched in a bush, covered in dirt and shaking in fear. Their orders were to shoot and kill any outsiders within 10 miles of the border, but Plague had no intention of harming this innocent girl. In an attempt to distract Gargoyle, he asked "Do you see any tracks nearby? Maybe whoever was here hightailed it out when they heard us coming." Before Gargoyle could even respond, the worst possible thing happened. The girl let out a small cry and got Gargoyle's attention.

Instantly, Gargoyle's gun was trained on her, and he was about to fire before Plague stopped him by grabbing his arm and saying "Wait! What if she has others nearby? Shouldn't we question her?" Gargoyle gave an annoyed grumble, before walking over and roughly grabbing the girl by her hair. He tossed her into the snow between himself and Plague, before saying "if you want this to be over quickly, you'll tell me where the others are." The girl was clearly too shaken to speak, and simply continued crying. "Don't say I didn't warn you" Gargoyle said, as he aimed his rifle at her once again. "An enemy who can't talk is an enemy that can't breathe. Better luck in your next life, little g-" Before Gargoyle could finish his sentence, he was struck in the side of his head by a fist made of rock and sent backwards into a tree. "Sorry, old man." Plague said. "I can't stand by and let you kill this child. We both swore an oath to protect Nexdria until our last breath, but for me that means protecting the values of Nexdria as well. Who are we if we so readily murder a little girl? That would make us far worse than any imagined 'enemy' outside the city."

Plague stepped between Gargoyle and the little girl, before turning to the girl and saying "Stay behind me, I'm gonna get you out of this.". Gargoyle let out a genuine laugh and said "I told Envoy not to trust you outsiders to become Masks. You'll always protect your own kind before doing your damn duty." As Gargoyle finished this sentence, he grabbed the steel blade of the combat knife in his holster, transforming his body into the same material. Plague gave a heavy sigh, he knew that if he continued down this path, the rest of the Masks would be sent to hunt him down. But he didn't care about that. As long as he could ensure this girl's safety, nothing else mattered. "Sorry Emily" was all Plague said, as he readied himself for battle.

One thing was certain: in a fair battle, Plague stood no chance. The question racing through Plague's mind at this moment was "how do I make this fight unfair?" but he didn't have much time to ponder this, as Gargoyle had begun charging at him. This moment was when an idea appeared in Plague's head. It was risky, but if he did everything correctly it just might work. Plague quickly changed his body to the surface of his own blade, and the two began exchanging blows. For a few seconds, the fight seemed even. The two equally countered each other with punch after punch. This didn't last too long, however, as Plague began losing his stamina from taking these hits. He backed up in order to catch his breath, as Gargoyle laughed at him and said "You probably shouldn't have picked a fight with me of all people, you won't be making it out of here alive. But don't worry, I'll bury you two right next to each other" he said, glancing towards the scared child hiding behind a tree that stood behind Plague.

It was now or never, this was the time for Plague to try his do or die plan. He needed to convince Gargoyle that he was angry enough that he wasn't thinking logically. Plague let out a scream of rage that was half-genuine, and threw his entire body into a punch towards Gargoyle. Because of how much Plague had advertised the move, Gargoyle easily dodged, sending Plague into the tree behind Gargoyle, with his back exposed, no longer made of steel. "Time to die, dumbass," Gargoyle said before sending the most powerful punch he had into Plague's back. At the moment before impact, Plague tightly clenched the now melted snow in his hand that he grabbed while feigning exhaustion. He transformed his body into that water, making Gargoyle's punch go right through him and make contact with the tree. "57… 58… 59…" Plague thought to himself. Quickly, Plague returned to his normal body form, and grabbed his revolver from the ground, lying next to his clothes and mask. "60." Plague said out loud, as Gargoyle desperately tried to dislodge his hand from the tree, his body returning to normal. "Time's up, old man. I wish it didn't come to this, but you left me no choice. 'Better luck in your next life'." Gargoyle could only gasp in shock as Plague shot a bullet into his neck

With that ordeal ending, a far more dangerous one has begun. Plague quickly put his clothes and mask back on, and turned to the scared girl. He got on one knee and extended his hand to her, before lowering his mask to reveal his face, which was partially covered by his matted black hair. He had fairly tan skin, and was clearly from a bloodline of hispanic descent. He gave the girl a warm smile, before saying "Hi, I'm Matt! What's your name?" he asked. "A-Astoria" the girl answered shakily. Astoria's skin was a bit darker than Matt's, and her hair was brown and seemed long, but was currently tied into a bun atop her head. "Well Astoria, there are going to be some very mean men coming here soon, why don't you come with me so we can find a place to hide? Besides, I might need you to protect me, I'm not that strong!" Matt said, giving her a playful wink. "Okay." was all Astoria responded with. Matt put his mask back up and turned around, offering her a ride on his back. She hesitantly obliged, and the two set off on what would become a journey that changes the course of humanity entirely.

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Back in Nexdria, a man and a woman were arguing outside of a small bar on the corner of a quiet street, beneath the orange sky of the setting sun. "I'm telling you Kordelle, Matt wouldn't do this unless he had a good reason to!" the woman yelled. Kordelle pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly feeling a mix of emotions. "I know he wouldn't Emily! But the fact is that we have orders now and it is our duty to show absolutely no bias here!" Kordelle said. Kordelle's black hair was braided into twists, reaching down to a little past his eyebrows, resting on his dark skin. He was wearing the same armor as Plague and Gargoyle: the dark black, skin tight armor given to the Ten Masks. Emily was a woman of what seemed to be Asian descent, with her long purple-dyed hair tied into a ponytail that went about halfway down her back. She was dressed in a black suit, with a white undershirt. "All I'm saying is we should try to contact him ourselves before blindly attacking him. We both owe him at least that." Emily said, making Kordelle's eyebrow twitch.

"Look, I know you two have…history. But what you don't seem to understand is that Matt is now our enemy. Whatever reason he had, he attacked Gargoyle out there. Gargoyle is barely alive right now, and might not even make it out of surgery. All because of Matt! That can't be forgiven." Kordelle took a breath to calm himself down, before continuing by saying "Matt is my best friend, but the one line we can never cross is that we do NOT turn on each other. The ten of us are all that separates the innocent people in this city from the war outside. And he does this on his FIRST patrol outside the walls? How can we possibly excuse this?!"

"History, huh? Is that what you call what Matt and I have?" Emily sarcastically asked. "Matt has saved both of our lives more times than either of us can count, and would do the same right now for either of us. You know how much we love each other, Kordelle. How could you possibly ask me to show no bias?" Kordelle took a swig from the bottle in his hand, before giving Emily a serious look and saying "Emily, you know how I feel about you. And god damn it you know how I feel about Matt too. You two are the only people in my life that matter. But our job is to put everyone else in this city before ourselves. If you take Matt's side in this, that makes you my enemy too." After saying this, Kordelle puts on his mask, which can only be described as the face of the Devil. "The people of Nexdria are gonna know, Emily, Morningstar is willing to do whatever it takes to protect them." Kordelle said, speaking in the third person. Emily rolled her eyes and walked the opposite direction. "Maybe Kordelle really is the Devil," she said quietly to herself.

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After around two hours of walking, Plague and Astoria arrived at what seemed to be an abandoned house. Plague thoroughly searched the area with his flashlight, and after he was certain they were alone, the two went inside. Plague let Astoria off his back, before saying "Is it ok with you if we spend the night here? It's dark now and we'll be a lot safer!" Astoria quietly nodded, and walked towards the restroom in the small house. As he looked around, Plague took note that there seemed to be one bathroom, one bedroom, and a living room mixed with a small kitchen. Only now did he notice how poorly Astoria had truly been living. Her clothes were ragged and torn, and she was covered in dirt. "Feel free to take your time in there and clean yourself up, I'll keep watch over here" Plague shouted towards the bathroom. He heard the water turn on and then took a moment to reflect on the day's events. There was no way they'd be able to go back to Nexdria, he was probably the most wanted man alive. But was life on the run like this truly sustainable?

As Matt pondered this question, he was startled by a buzz from his bag. "It's her!" he said, surprised. He grabbed the burner phone and answered it. "Emily?" he asked. "Matt… are you ok?" said the only voice he wanted to hear. Matt's eyes welled up with tears, and the strangest thing happened. What came to Matt's mind wasn't Emily's beautiful face, but the image of the two birds on the fence from earlier that day. Why couldn't he erase those crows from his mind? Slowly, he answered her by saying "I'm ok. Is Gargoyle alive?". "He just came out of surgery a little while ago, he's gonna be fine. What the hell happened between you two?!" Emily responded. Matt let out a small sigh of relief and said "We came across this little girl and… and he was going to kill her. I couldn't just stand by and watch him do it Emily, I had to stop him!" Emily thought quietly to herself for a moment, and then said "Matt… I understand why you had to do this, but do you realize how much trouble you've gotten yourself into? There's no coming back from this." "I know, I know. It's just… I couldn't just let him kill her. You and I both survived that day when we were kids, Emily, and now it's our responsibility to make sure that no child ever has to suffer like we did." Matt stood up from the couch and looked at the shattered mirror leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door. The long silence was finally broken when Emily exhaled and said "Look, you're right. This is probably going to cost both of us our lives, but fuck it, what are our lives worth anyways if we can't even save one innocent child. What can I do to help?"

Matt gave a half smile to himself in the broken mirror and let out a small laugh. "You always have my back, ever since way back then. I'll make this one up to you, but for now, do you think you'd be able to sneak the two of us into the city? Once we're back inside the walls it'll be easier to hide and reassess." "Consider it done. I just need twenty four hours, can you guys be here at this time tomorrow night?" Emily asked. Matt glanced at the clock on the wall, seeing it was 8:00 PM. "Yeah, meet at the usual spot?" he asked. "Of course, just make sure nobody sees you guys, I'm as good as dead if we get caught.". "Thank you again Emily, I don't know what I would do without you on my side. I lo-... Goodbye. I'll call you if anything changes." Damn it, why couldn't he say it? He did still love her but things were just so complicated now. As Matt rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, he heard the water turn off in the bathroom, only to be replaced by the sound of a helicopter approaching. Shit.

"ASTORIA! STAY IN THERE AND HIDE UNTIL I SAY OTHERWISE!" Matt yelled into the door. Who could it be? How did they know where he was? Surely it wasn't Emily, right? While these thoughts raced across Matt's mind, he made sure his rifle and his revolver were loaded and ready to use, and put the Plague mask on his face, rifle trained on the door as the deafening blades slowed to a stop outside. "Plague! Come outside right now or we're going to light this place up!" said an unfamiliar voice that likely belonged to a soldier. Okay, this means they don't know about Astoria. "And how do I know you won't shoot me dead as soon as that door opens?" Matt yelled in reply. Almost as soon as the last syllable left his mouth, Matt heard a voice say "All of you lower your weapons, I've got this." with a hint of authority. A loud thud was followed by the door swinging open, revealing a man in the doorway who just happened to be the very last man Plague wanted to see. The man wore the mask of an ancient Roman gladiator so there was no mistaking it, this was Gladiator: the Mask Hunter. Matt was a confident and smart fighter, but this was the one person he felt he truly stood no chance against, the man who was trained to execute the other 9 masks if necessary. Under normal circumstances, this would be his cue to make a run for it, but he couldn't just leave Astoria here, so he had to figure something out. Gladiator took a step into the house, cracking his knuckles. "Before I take you out, Plague, I wanna give you a chance to explain yourself. I know you wouldn't attack one of our own for no reason, so why'd you do it?" Plague opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the sound of a girl crying in the closed door behind him. Gladiator waved at the three armed guards behind him and told them to stay outside as he walked to the bathroom door. He unsheathed the sword he kept at his side before pushing the door open, revealing a terrified Astoria.

To be continued in chapter 2, coming June 18th.