*************
Wyatt Graves
The train finally comes to a stop under the control of the conductor, the man observing as we slide into the port of the train station. Less than ten of these major stations exist for the Steam Train, so they have to be treated with care. Other more minor ones, simply for stopping, are along the tracks, but they are not nearly as important as this one that has materials for repairs and refueling.
And in the room where he is manipulating the train stands a group of eleven, including me, preparing to head into Pridestead. Virgil and Earl stand beside me as the eldest Boone straps on knives, ropes, garotte wires, and a Colt onto his hip. Meanwhile, Earl mixes cocktails of chemicals together, each of which gives me pause. It must be explosives of some kind. The train had much for him to play with on the way here.
Johnny and Tomas discuss their plan of action together right before the door, each checking the other for any missing gear. Lack of ammo, medicine, or tools no longer has to be an issue after inheriting the best of what Bent had to offer.
Between them and my group of three stands Blake, a ghostly figure beside her, as she forces them into a Claymore for Tomas as his weapons broke recently. Watching her silently is Silas as he offers his aid with his coins, one of which that increases Ether proficiency temporarily.
Bonfire and Abraham arm-wrestle on the only table with laughs as the former turns to flame and has Abraham's arm phase right through him with a slight burn. The latter shouts at him and knocks him over with a wave of mental force. Bonfire and Abraham have gotten much closer over the past few months. They are almost nearing Marion and Otto in stupidity. I wonder what those two are doing down there in the Underworld? Has Otto died yet? I hope not.
Shaking my head to dismiss their foolishness and distract my thoughts, I notice Primrose and Skyswain conversing in a corner as the two also ready their weapons. I didn't know they were friends, but it makes sense. Negativity breeds negativity. And no one, and I mean no one, is more negative than Primrose, even if Skyswain is grim herself.
Finally, I catch Millie, Elizabeth, and several other powerful Sigiled soldiers that enter the room. They are the group that is staying inside the train for safety. We don't know what Pridestead will be like, when we'll have to leave, or anything about our arrival, so it's best to keep some inside the train. Plus, not all have my or Virgil's survivability. The ones chosen for the attack on Eli's laboratory all have considerable might or the intelligence to bridge the gap.
Earl is the weakest among the eleven, both in Sigil and physically. However, I would loathe to eat even one of whatever he has in those bottles. Additionally, Earl has a repaired Coil that's been slightly upgraded, allowing it to fire twice before reloading. Low in Sigil, he might be, but lacking in might? He is not.
Also, under a circumstance where Johnny or Tomas are not available to lead, Earl is the defacto leader. His knowledge will be irreplaceable inside such a place as Eli Weiss' lab.
I finish my preparation by moving over to a nearby box, the one with spare Claymores. Most are only 1st or 2nd Sigil, and I quickly take a tiny 1st Flamme dagger with a curved blade, looping it around my belt for the Bloody Palm in case it gets starving. And then, for dessert, I grab the artifact a 2nd Flamme shortsword, as I bite the bullet. We don't have too many spare Claymores, but I think the price is worth it if the Bloody Palm fights at all-out capacity.
Asking too much of it and not giving in return will break our shaky relationship, and we've been growing decently ever since Marshall forced us to band together. I can't wait to see what will become of us if we ever reach that stage of Dawn he spoke about.
A voice yanks me out of my thoughts and into reality.
"You ready, Wyatt?"
Earl proposes the question as he watches me slide the shortsword onto my hip, on the opposite side of Lily, who is on my left. I nod to him as the train comes to a complete stop, lurching us all forward. Then, the conductor gives us all a bobbing nod, pointing toward the door.
"All clear."
Johnny then twists around to face everyone, sliding Fate Sealer out of his holster and spinning it for us all to see.
"We are going straight to the Great Library. As most know, Eli's laboratory is underneath, and there is where we will likely find Clarence, along with whatever research the madman has locked up. The lab is no grand secret, but very few are ever allowed in. This will be a quick mission. Tomas and I will handle Clarence, the rest of you are to deal with any other forces and protect Earl. If he cannot continue, we abort and meet back at the train. I do not trust entering Eli's lab without Earl to guide us, both with luck and his mind. And again, we are here to recruit any who are willing alongside gathering whatever resources and tools that are in the lab."
The gunslinger then faces the door, points his Colt toward it, and opens it. The man steps out as he motions us all to follow him.
"In and out. No dallying, no distractions. If you see something and you don't know what it does, get Earl. If he is not available, leave it alone. Everyone understand?"
We follow him out on the station's bricks that lie beside the stationary train with faces and words of comprehension. However, as we stand and he finishes talking, an oddity becomes abundantly clear. Pridestead, the largest and most populous city within Timberlands, is quiet.
Utterly quiet.
Johnny notices this, too, and places his fingers upon his lips to silence us all. Everyone then joins the silence as Johnny points to Abraham. A moment passes before a voice enters my mind through the latter's Ether connection.
"Something is wrong. Abraham will inform all those on the train to be alert for any danger. Silas, Primrose, Skyswain, and Tomas will return to protect those within the train if we meet heavy resistance or unexpected circumstances. For now, though, we continue. A little quiet won't scare us."
I agree with Johnny and follow after the man as we step forward, leaving the station built for the Steam Train. There is no one there other than us, the silence deafening. A strange unease grips me the moment I step off the elevated platform, furthering the oddity of before. Pridestead, the bustling city within Timberlands, should be teeming with life and activity. But instead, an eerie silence blankets the streets, leaving an unsettling void in the air. The midday sun hangs overhead, yet not a single soul stirs, and the empty buildings seem to loom over us with a foreboding presence.
The weight of the silence presses upon me as we enter the street wide enough for three carriages at once, and I can't shake the feeling that something is terribly amiss. Johnny and Tomas are at the front and back, respectively, of the group, while I'm placed behind Johnny and Virgil behind me. Earl is then behind Virgil with Abraham and Bonfire on his wings. At the back are Silas, Primrose, and Blake guarding the rear.
Our group navigates into the wide streets as the whole place is caught in a stillness. Not even the wind blows the curtains hung from many shops and buildings. It's all... just stale. Yet, right as I prepare myself to say something, a slight pop echoes through the air, making us all pause from Johnny raising his left hand. What was that?
As we stand there, frozen in uncertainty, I strain my ears to catch even the faintest whisper of sound. But all I hear is the deafening absence of life. Yet... on the ground, I see lines of blood. Not good. This city must have already been attacked. Are the Nahullo that deep into human lands?
The city, usually a vibrant hub of activity, is now a ghost town. Not a single footstep echoes, not a single bird song graces the air. It's as if time itself has halted, leaving us stranded in a zone of bizarre quietude. I speak up lowly, trying to have my voice reach Johnny before me.
"Is the library close?"
I hope to receive an answer, but my words only seem to amplify the silence, reverberating through the empty alleyways like the echo of a cave. There's no response from Johnny for a moment, only the emptiness staring back at me as we remain still. But a moment later, he speaks with a mechanical device's tone before shifting into an emotional one.
"It is only one street over. What did Eli do to this place? Where is everyone?
The unease builds with every passing moment, but Johnny quickly restarts our movement. My instincts scream that something is up, so I constantly scan the surroundings with my eyes. I cover the rooftops, the indoors, and the alleys we pass with Insight, but nothing shows itself other than the few blood stains.
Did these people evacuate? Or did Eli perform some sinister experiment with them all? I wouldn't put it past him. However, those blood stains give me other thoughts. But... there aren't enough to account for all the people here. What happened?
With suspicion, we continue our advance through the vacant streets, moving cautiously as if tiptoeing through a graveyard. Every step feels like an intrusion, as if we're disturbing the slumber of something that should remain undisturbed. Eli has to have something here, waiting for a chance to strike.
An Ironbound forms on my left hand as I prepare an Arbalest in each limb. The drain on my Ether is noticeable, my saturation growing, but to not be prepared is to be prepared to die. But right as I finish my preparation, something shatters the stillness.
The air is thick with tension as we pass through the desolate streets. The silence weighs upon us like a heavy blanket, amplifying every sound and footfall and forcing caution down our throats. In this mysterious hush, the twang of the bow shattered the stillness.
The sharp sound cuts through the silence like lightning in a stormy sky, reminding me of the thunder during Marshall's conjured storm. It vibrates through the air, sending shivers into the air as the wind arrives, flowing curtains and flags. It is deafening and more like a gunshot than a bowstring releasing an arrow.
Confused, I turn to Johnny as I don't understand what it entails, but a voice enters my mind, panicked and forceful.
"That was Mislo's Hurricane Tip! She's here! The Nahullo are here! They must be here for the laboratory, too! They had to of killed the people here or something!"
Everyone, including me, focuses on Johnny as we halt our pace again. The gunslinger twists his head back and forth before making a decision sent through Abraham's Allude.
"We continue. This changes nothing. However, if there are three Angels, Wyatt, Virgil, Abraham, and Bonfire, you deal with them. I trust you four to handle an Angel, even the likes of Mislo. If there are more against us... then things may change. We don't need what lies in the depths of the lab, but we could use it. No need for death. Onward."
Onward, as he says, we move, sprinting toward the main road of Pridestead that nears the distance for four carriages to ride alongside each other, roughly forty feet.
Rounding a corner, we burst into the main road leading to the library. The grand building looms at the end of the street, a patient witness to the unfolding events just as the books inside tell years of history. But my attention is drawn not to the glorious facade of the library but to the figures that appear just as we reach the open thoroughfare.
A man and a woman emerge from an alleyway, eyeing us with apprehension and curiosity. The man's broken and cracked blade glints in the pale light, showing through missing segments of the scabbard, proof of either his brutality or his lack of care. At the same time, bandages cover his form all over, including his right eye, as he stands with a smile, moving the scabbard from his hip to his shoulder. On the other hand, the woman carries a long and ornate blade concealed within a sheath, its presence hinting a deep, deep purple, one nearly as dark as the night sky. My brain struggles to fathom what it means before I realize I don't have an answer.
The woman pauses as she notices us, not touching her Claymore or speaking, instead observing us somehow under the blindfold that shields her gaze. Her face shifts back and forth with her dark blue chains tightly wrapped around her head.
But the man gives me more pause than the woman despite his decrepit blade and obviously wounded form. Upon his condition, glide magenta fetters, which denote an Angel's presence. And as a second of caution passes, Earl's mind enters the Allude of Abraham.
"The man is Lennon Hull! Be very, very careful. Treat him as two Angels due to his lethality. The woman... I'm unsure, but she can't be much weaker for him to allow her presence."
Nodding to Earl's words, the silence holds as my group spreads out a bit, pushing Earl deeper into the circle. Johnny adds his own thoughts as he's met the man before.
"When it comes to a duel, you never bet against Lennon. The only way we fight him is together or not at all. Do not provoke him. He is calm when uninterested but rampantly bloodthirsty otherwise."
johnny heightens my outlook on this man as I size him up fully, taking in his many wounds as marks of pride. The silence is broken only by the distant rustling of leaves and the faint echo of our own footfalls. We regard each other warily, our hands instinctively inching closer to the weapons at our sides.
Why are they here? Are they friend? Or are they foe? Are they responsible for this overbearing silence? Was it not the Nahullo?
Johnny speaks first, endeavoring to cut through the tense standoff as he pulls his hand away from his holster.
"Lennon, I presume? We've met before, though long ago. I am Johnny, Johnny Caldwell. Are you here for Eli's laboratory? Do you know why this city is without a populace?"
A tense standoff ensues as we wait for the first move. The weight of uncertainty bears down upon us, our senses heightened to detect the slightest hint of danger. My pupils do not leave his blade, not for a single second, despite its weakness, and I step forward beside Johnny as Ether flows rapidly in my body. Breakneck, Strugglers Defiance, Daydream, and even the Bloody Palm enhance my form as blood accelerates in speed, amping my heart up to a pace of almost two hundred beats per minute. I feel jitters from the bizarre power but retain my focus.
The woman finally attempts to speak, raising her voice only a second or two after Johnny despite the tenseness, but Lennon Hull, the Bladed Monster, shuts her down with a firm and measured voice.
"We are not here—"
"We are here for a challenge. And it would appear you two are here to deliver. Draw your weapons. I crave the wings of another Angel."
Despite the madness of his words, the man's tone is without strangeness. It comes cool and calm as his hand falls onto his sheath. The woman beside him sighs with a hand on her face and joins him, preparing to fight, but Tomas pipes up next.
"Lennon, we don't have to fight. What is the purpose of this?"
The man with the broken blade replies sharply, his voice slicing through the street like a blade and echoing upon the stones.
"The purpose is to grow. How else will an Angel emerge without strife? You all think you know the ways, but I've learned that power cannot come without struggle. If you defeat me, that only means you are better than I to save the world."
His words come out collected and purposeful, but the woman beside him doesn't seem to entirely agree. This whole time, however, her focus has never left any of our faces, and it hangs upon mine the longest as it falls to my left hand, that of the Bloody Palm. Even if I can't see her eyes, I can still determine her focus as it possesses a strange tangibility.
"Lennon wants to fight. There is no arguing with his stubborn ass. You all better hope you survive. Then, perhaps we can discuss the oddity of this realm."
Finally, I speak up as the conversation is beyond bizarre. Why are we even looking to fight? This is so stupid!
"Don't fight! There are Nahullo here! We can't waste our efforts on each other! We're all human!"
The woman's hidden eyes squint her face upon me as Lennon scoffs. But the man doesn't answer. Instead, a fume of Ether roils through his body, visible to my Insight as the woman voices her thoughts. And the second she starts, my Insight digs deep into Lennon's body, telling me of his intentions through his eyes.
"Lennon Hull is the most powerful here, and I see no Nahullo, nor do I sense any. He decides the rules. That is the law of the world. No use complaining, child. Go back and grow some more before joining the adults."
The woman addresses me, but I ignore her completely as I inhale a massive gasp of Ether and move with all the speed I possess in my body. The Bloody Palm follows my command as it transforms my bone into a shied that encompasses my entire forearm, and all four of my Arbalests detonate at once, with a Hone covering my Boneshield. I move so swiftly I cannot even see my momentum or where I am going, but I do not need to, for I know where the attack is coming landing before it even starts. In a fraction of a second of the woman ending her words, a screech resounds as a blade cuts deep into my arm, and a face comes close to mine.
Lennon Hull peers deeply into me with the whites of his eyes turned red from the sheer volume of Ether coiling inside him. It's magnitudes above my Strugglers Gasp, something I thought unique in its concept and application. But just as I'm pressed backward from his overbearing strength, it vanishes, and his Ether calms once more, the man sidestepping and covering his face with his blade.
And I quickly figure out why as a long flintlock revolver hangs over my shoulder. Johnny. Then, a drawn blade that screams of fallen spirits evokes its presence just a foot to my left. Tomas. I even lose the existence of Virgil from Abraham's Allude as the man goes dark.
Lennon Hull, however, seems dauntless to the threats as he smiles, the Ether in his body shifting in motion again. How can he control all that on a dime? What!? Is that even possible!?
"It appears I underestimated you, young one. You will be a most impressive opponent in just a few months. Stay out of this, though. Angels should only fight Angels."
He then sheathes his blade. But he doesn't seem done as he crouches and readies himself for battle. Behind him stands the woman as she appears to be waiting for a full-on clash to begin to act.
Yet before Lennon's Ether reaches a climax, an earthshattering bang fills the air as an explosion of glass, marble, and metal comes from the Great Library. And alongside the eruption of debris comes a rolling body with fading magenta chains that cover its metallic armor. A Councilmember?
I twist to face the Great Library as Johnny immediately opens fire on the Nahullo, not waiting to see who it is. The Nahullo weaves on the ground with a grunt as bullet after bullet slams into their steel armor, breaking holes into it with each blast. Shadows twist and contort as the Nahullo prepares to fight back, but the moment before he rises to his feet from the many gunshots, a figure forms behind him and wrestles the shadows away temporarily, giving Tomas an opportunity.
The hardened warrior raised by Marshall glides across the street and parries a few quick shadowy strikes by the partially restrained and damaged Nahullo before shoving his ghostly Claymore into its chest. Then, the ghosts erupt to hold him down as the Nahullo struggles, leaving us all to watch Johnny put a bullet in his head, promptly dropping the fellow.
The Councilmember's body falls to the ground with a dull thud as powerful twangs of a bow and clashes of steel onto steel rings from within the library.
Lennon walks up to the dead Councilmember and regards his death with a laugh.
"How humorous. Ianal, the Grim Dark, dies like that?! Hahaha! Alright, I believe you all now. Temporary truce. I prefer fighting the Whities over humans, anyway."
The shamelessness of his proposition is without question, but Johnny immediately grants it as another explosion fills the air, debris falling out of the library.
"Sure."
Though he agrees, it's evident that he doesn't trust the madman.
"Do not be left alone with him or the woman behind him under any circumstances."