Courier limped through the desolate night, his mangled body a testament to recent events . Half of his body was burnt, bruises covered his skin, and filthy bandages wrapped around his wounds. The foul odor of decay clung to him like a shroud. His missing leg, a constant reminder of his failure.
A few weeks ago he and his group, a band of mercenaries were contracted by an aristocrat to kidnap the princess. They lost everything the moment the accepted.
Not only had some of his comrades been captured but Thier leader, Ricchi Moor had been killed in an attempt to take out thier attackers with his nuclear flame magic. Even though he didn't mean it and wanted to take everyone and everything down with him,he had created an opening for Courier to escape though at the cost of his body. Courier didn't know this and thought the boss had sacrificed himself for him. It took time but even with his mangled form,he managed to make it to their base only to find out that the rest of their men had been massacred.
"What happened?" Courier thought, his mind reeling in anguish. "We were unstoppable, a fraternity of warriors. Ricci Moor, our leader, had nuclear flame magic... We were invincible."
Memories of laughter, camaraderie, and battles won flooded his mind. Then images of Sharone and the others beating them back shattered that image.
"But they ruined everything. They killed Ricci, and those women... they slaughtered my comrades. They're the ones responsible for this." Couriers mind seemed to be breaking down,his nose faking and his eyes slowly turning bloodshot. He stumbled on a stine, falling to the ground. That was the last straw that seemed to break his mind.
"No! This can't be!" he screamed, scratching the dirt with his nails.
"Kojo, you did this! You took everything from me!"
A black mist crept in, shrouding the area in darkness.
"Is this truly your desire? Revenge?" an unseen voice asked, its tone laced with disdain.
Courier looked around, but the mist obscured everything.
"Who are you?" he spat, his anger boiling.
The voice replied from behind,
"You couldn't protect your friends. You failed them."
Courier spun around, but the voice continued from a different location.
"You should have died with them. Leaving a failure behind only brings shame to the legacy they left behind."
Courier's whisper was laced with venom, "Shut up."
The voice whispered in his ear,
"That would have been better than leaving a broken, pathetic shell. Some of your comrades still live,captives in the Capitol. How are you going to save them from execution in the sorry state you're in?"
Courier's rage erupted, unleashing wind magic in all directions.
"Shut up! Shut up!! Shut up!!!" he yelled, losing balance and tumbling down a ditch.
As he fell, he saw a pair of boots and a cane. Looking up, he met a gaze.
"Who are you?" Courier asked.
Faust, clad in a plague doctor's attire, replied,
"I am Faust."
His white plague mask seemed to glow in the darkness,the eyes if the mask shimmering in the moonlight.
"You, a member of a once-feared fraternity, reduced to this... pitiful state," Faust said, shaking his head.
"And I am here to offer a deal."
Courier's eyes narrowed. "Why would you help me? Like you said I'm in a pathetic state."
Faust's voice dripped with empathy.
"Hush now child. Do not despair ,forikd you,I know the cruelty of the world, how it can be unkind. You've suffered, Courier,you have led a life of misery and suffering. You were sold into slavery and had to go through all sorts of hardship,from starvation to molestation at the hands of your master. You found a new life when you were freed by Ricchi but even the little solace you got was taken from you."
He paused, his eyes gleaming with intensity as he looked down on Courier.
" My power enables me to peer into the souls of people in order to see the unseen. What I offer you is a second chance. My mission is to expunge all desire from the And you, Courier, will help me."
Courier's interest piqued, Faust continued, "In return, I'll give you the power to claim your heart's desire: Revenge."
" Can you really help me ?" Courier asked still unsure.
" Well if you doubt then you aren't willing enough. I guess I'll have to find another person." Faust said turning to walk away.
"Wait! I accept." Courier said,his resolve hardening. He didn't have any idea about who this strange person wat or hwt they were saying. All he cared about was achieving his goal and he'd even make a deal with the devil to see it come to pass.
Faust smiled under the mask.
"Alright then." Fast said pulling out a contract out of his jackets and dropping it at his feet Infront of Courier.
" What is this?" Courier asked.
" It's a contract.I shows that this is a mutual relationship which will benefit the both of us." Faust answer.
Courier took the contract to see it better but it cut him, imprint his blood on it. It disappeared and reappeared in Faust's hand.
"Excellent." He said.
Immediately,a magic circle began to carve itself into the ground under Courier.
" Hey what going-" Courier began to ask but he was cut short as the came Faust was holding morphed into a long blade which Faust drove into his chest. He pulled out the blade and Courier dropped to the ground. The blood flowed from his wound into the magic circle which lit up in a red glow.
Faust began the ritual, summoning the souls of the deceased: Cyranius, Giovanni, and Gaston. Their essence converted into energy and coalesced into three orbs, which Faust infused into Courier.
Courier screamed as the dark energy coursed through him,causing his veins to pop out and blood to stream out of his eyes and mouth. His wounds began to healing and his leg regenerated.
The ritual ended and Courier's form was restored. His skin had however become paler and his iris's gave off an emerald glow. He passed out and Faust tapped his cane on the ground. Courier sank into the magic circle on the ground before the magic circle itself disappeared.
Faust heard footsteps approaching and turned.Nefaria emerged from the mist, her voice laced with concern.
" I felt someone summoning souls from the hell gate."she said.
" Oh yes,I was performing a rather interesting experiment." Fast replied as he walked past her.
" What are you plotting?" She asked. The stood side by side for a bri f moment before Faust walked away ,his plague masks eyes reflecting a golden glow as he walked away, disappearing into the mist.
Nefaria's eyes narrowed, her voice icy.
"I'll need to accelerate my plan."