Barik

Esfeltian Capital, Eslet

Royal District, King’s office

The next day.

“So you have no clue as to who or what this creature is?” solemnly asked Asmodeus as he stood facing Birse who sat behind his large desk.

“All we know is that this ‘Yokai’, is a summoned and a descendant of the same Spirit Beast society our member is.” Birse lied, having not told anybody outside the guild of the Yokai project.

“Hm, well until this creature is dealt with the Dezol will be postponing any assistance being forwarded to Hasharr or Il’tel. Your little alliance will have to manage on its own with the peace treaties.” Asmodeus explained.

Birse grimaced “So you’re pulling back to cover your own asses while we put our necks out there for you?”

“Please understand, our intentions are nothing of such.” dismissed Asmodeus with a raised brow “Mistress was targeted, for whatever reason. We cannot allow her already sickened state to worsen. You know as well as we do that if the Deity who started the Quest falls, so does the Quest. Not to mention that Greed and Pride are thirsty for blood, they are ignoring any sort of call for meeting and are out there hunting this thing down. It has been difficult enough to keep Wrath around…” he sighed dramatically.

Birse nodded in agreement “We’ll do what we can, just get your shit together. The alliance has little strategical standing against the Empire without Ruk…As for the other matter I called you about…”

Asmodeus shook his head “Mistress is too weak to create a body for your fallen, creating all those thousands by Scythe’s trickery put her body in the state it is in. I’m sorry but we cannot afford it.”

“Then what about another’s body? Can we do what we did with…Dagon and Sly?” Birse asked tentatively.

“I believe that would be too dangerous, the only reason that succeeded is because Devil bodies are tuned with so much Abysmal mana that Souls are basically contained like a stone in a bag. Removing the stone wholly and putting it into another bag is easy in such a case. But other race’s bodies are different, it would be like draining a bag of water into another bag without the necessary precautions to lessen leakage.” Asmodeus explained “It would damage both Soul and body. And even if you succeeded there would be affinity incompatibility, the entire reason Zeokul could not fully use his power within Dagon’s body.”

Birse took a deep breath “I understand…” (“That means both Kyle’s soul and body have already been damaged…”)

“I apologies, but there is also a third complication with your friend’s situation.” Asmodeus continued “If he truly is within the Spirit Realm already, then there is no return. Souls cannot traverse through the veil between the Spirit and Physical realms, just as physical things cannot traverse from the Physical to the Spirit realm.”

“Then why could he, a Spirit Beast and some other races like High Elves capable? Even Lilior his companion could traverse.” Birse asked.

Asmodeus shrugged “That is an innate capability Spirit Beast bodies can do, infused with so much of the mana we call Spirit that the veil accepts them as a Spiritual entity. When your, the summoned bodies were created. Mistress’s power was used to create them but, the Quest did the logistics. What you call the ‘System’, aided her in making the bodies with the affinity that matched the summoned souls. His companion’s body also gained this trait through their contract.”

Then gave an apologetic smile “As for High Elves…I have absolutely no clue. I’m afraid you’ll have to ask one, although I doubt Elder Io Il’tel will be of any help.”

Birse nodded “Thank you, at least we have somewhere to look. And please, if Greed or Pride do find ‘Yokai’ I would be grateful to being notified.”

“I’ll try.” Asmodeus gave a noble bow, an outstretched right arm to the side and maybe a degree of leaning forward. Before opening a rift and stepping through, the tear in space closing behind the Devil sin of Lust.

Birse grimaced as he stood up from his chair and walked towards the door, briefly pausing in front of it as he took a deep breath. Collecting himself once more, as this world only kept robbing him of his breath. He pushed to open it, feeling a brief resistance before it completely disappeared.

He stepped out, finding the entire guild waiting for him outside. From the veterans to the new members, each one was standing within the corridor with grim expressions. With them was Caitlyn, awkwardly awaiting him as well. Their entire relationship was still strange to both, both too busy to break through but she made it a point to be there when she knew she’d be needed.

Birse turned to her first “Can you take over relations for me for a few days?...The Dezol…Hell the entirety of Ruk is backing off.” Caitlyn nodded solemnly, knowing by now what he was up to. Watching as Birse turned to the anxious rest, who had listened in on the conversation with Asmodeus.

“So what now?” asked Jane.

“I just told you damnit…” said Skill, the prime suspect of listening in.

She turned to glare at him “I don’t accept that. There has to be something we can do.”

“There is.” said Birse as he closed his eyes to go through his formed plan once more “We have one chance, only this one. The one thing we can still do to save Kyle, but we cannot do it alone.” He opened his eyes and turned to Jacky “Where is it?”

“Hiding off in the Spirit Realm, Liliana destroyed the scrying orb in his eye but the mage guild enchanted it to reform with Kyle’s body. As long as it doesn’t know it’s there, it cannot remove it.” Responded Jacky, the scrying orb being the same object that was used by the mage guilds to prove the Churches’ corruption weeks ago was now used to stream live Yokai’s actions against the Orcs, Oni and Elves to the ones imprisoned below Hasharr.

“Meaning the Blood Pack knows exactly where Yokai is and what it is doing at all times.” said Birse as he glanced over the rest “Now tell me, how many fucking times have we let a target run away under these circumstances?!” he bellowed, not in anger but in authority.

“None.” Responded most of the members almost at once.

“And how many…How many have we lost to this damn world already?!” Birse then asked.

“Two.” The guild more slowly responded.

“How many more will we lose?” He then sternly asked, watching as they all tensed, clenching their fists and as their gazes hardened “No more, that number will never rise by another damn decimal. Let us show this world that Silva’s fall has taught us enough. That we won’t let Sly’s sacrifice be in vain!” he shouted, his hard gaze glancing over all of them.

Birse turned to Cherry and Jacky, the eldest of the guild “Cherry, Jacky it was you two, me, Zombie and Game. We founded this guild…No this family, you two remember what we promised ourselves back then?”

Cherry and Jacky glanced at each other, Jacky elbowed Cherry in the arm knowing the big guy had better memory. Cherry cleared his throat “We are bound not by blood, but a pack we are.”

“And does a pack abandon its injured member out in the dark forest at night!?” Birse asked as he continued to glance over the rest “No we bare our fangs, we ready our claws and surround the enemy. We howl and we pounce as one. So bare your fangs, ready your claws.”

“Jacky, Jane, Skill and Ch keep an eye on Yokai. You are squad X-ray.

Seren, Woody, Death and Vain get suited up, prepare the Chariot and be ready at any time. You are squad Yankee.

Cherry, Soren, Sparta and Rico with me. We are squad Zulu. Steph with Zulu for now, join with Yankee once we start.” Birse turned around, storming down the corridor as the names he called followed after him “Prepare yourselves, cause our next pounce will be a leap of fate.”

Hasharr

Somewhere underground

Lilior’s Imprisonment Dungeon

Karnage lay sitting in the hall’s corner, away from the Champions who sat around a table that the dungeon created for them to play cards on. The deck of cards having appeared with some refreshments hours earlier.

They had tried to escape, but no matter how powerful an attack they used it only burst out of the other wall. And none of their movement or displacement magic worked inside this hall. So they passed the time, wasting away and waiting.

Karnage quickly grew sick of waiting, but there was nothing else she could do. Just lay there, wondering what had she done wrong to the world to be imprisoned by her ex boyfriend as reality risked destruction.

Anything else they could do was watch the events transpire on the large screen hanging down from the ceiling, which after watching Kyle summoned that massive beast and destroy the Empire’s triumph card the Champions had just lost all hope.

She glared at the depressing sight before her, the most powerful warriors on Chaoz reduced to anxious and sullen as they sat around doing nothing. Her hands were clenched into trembling fists as the anger within her continued to rise, only for it to fall and crash before ever reaching her bursting point.

Karnage was angry, but she was angry at herself. She was angry that there was nothing she could do, angry that nothing had gone her way. Angry that she was angry in the first place. Who else could she blame? Kyle and his guild were only going for the efficient route, no matter the causalities they left in their wake. The Empire on the other hand were just distrustful, they had been given no reason to trust the Alliance or the Dezol.

(“People’s hearts aren’t so easy to change damnit…”) She thought that their plan couldn’t possibly work, the Pack will fail and Chaoz will fall. (“Stupid…Fucking idiotic, selfish and self-centered!!”) Okay she was a little bit angry with them “Ugh!”

Karnage slammed her fist down onto the floor, causing a mild crack which slowly began to regenerate itself. Gazing up she saw that nobody turned towards her, or even noticed her frustration. Nix and the other Champions too busy sulking “They’re worse than children…” she mused (“At least children show when they’re annoyed but these guys…trying to look proud and dignified while being bothered…This is going to drive me crazy.”)

Then suddenly the ground began to quake.

Karnage immediately rose up, preparing both hands on her sword’s hilts as the dungeon rumbled around them.

“What now!?” exclaimed one Champion as they all rushed to rise , but before they knew it the ceiling above them morphed and fell down. Like a trap the stone melted and fell around them, cutting them off from Karnage.

“Fuck that didn’t just happen!” She swore, finding herself alone.

“Calm down.” Said a voice from behind her, Karnage spun around to find an open doorway where once stood a plain wall.

Within the doorway was Birse, solemnly glancing around the room “I’m just here to talk.”

But Karnage didn’t let go of her swords, instead she unsheathed them as she asked “Oh really? What about? Something particular like, when the hell are you letting us out?”

Birse’s gaze hardened “Kyle’s dead.” He stated simply.

“Right and the Mer now own the world.” Joked Karnage as she took out her bitterness on him.

Birse sighed “I’m not joking Karnage, Kyle’s soul was ripped out of his own body. He is stuck in the Spirit Realm.”

Karnage’s eyes widened in surprise “He’s…He is actually dead?...”

“Yokai still lives, the creature Kyle contracted with during his time healing took over his body.” Birse began to explain “It’s out there, hunting down powerful signatures of mana to feed upon and grow stronger. We messed up Karnage, but this can still be fixed.”

Karnage grimaced as she raised one sword point towards him “And let me guess, you need my help?”

“Yes.” Birse simply answered.

“Yes? That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” Karnage asked in mock “After all that you’ve killed…After locking us up in here!”

But Birse was calm as he waited for her outburst to pass, speaking solemnly to her “Lives are not worth as much as you might think. You put too much weight on others, think more of yourself for once. Then again that is probably why Kyle chose you.”

“Chose me?” she asked with annoyance still clear in her tone.

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll just get straight to the damn point.” announced Birse with a harsh tone that made her take a step back “Karnage, you are to be the Hero of this story. Whether you like it or not, Chaoz’s existence lays on your back.”

“Hero?...What are you…” Karnage’s anger subsided, replaced by confusion.

“Kyle, Yokai was to be the villain. You, leader of the Adventurer’s Guild would be the hero. Your anger towards us, fueled by the frustration of others towards Yokai would raise you over a pedestal. That was Kyle’s plan, it is why he cut ties with you, it is why we imprisoned you here. Things had to be perfect, but just one mistake ruined it all.” Birse explained as her expression turned to bafflement “Kyle loves to play the villain you see…But he isn’t one, if anything he’s an anti-hero. All the people that have died? We planned to bring them back, from those that fell at the very start of this Quest. We will bring them all back.”

“Honestly I couldn’t have cared less if we did or not, but Kyle was adamant on it. You would sate the anger Chaoz would feel after Yokai was done with it, graced by the revival of their peers and loved ones to sate their pain with relief.” He stepped closer to her blade “So hate me, hate our guild all you want. But don’t hate Kyle for what he did, because he only truly wants the best for you. He only pushed you away to keep you safe, to stop you from having to make a choice. The choice my entire guild makes.”

He took another step, the blade’s tip now shaking ahead of his forehead “But unfortunately I am not as merciful as him. And he is currently unavailable, so I’ll have to ask you to make a choice Karnage. So choose, who do you fight for? What do you fight for? The world? Or yourself?”

Karnage lowered her blade as she stared at Birse, speechless she was.

“Will you continue to be so blind and dense, to hide from reality? Or will you face it and grow up? Because your time is ticking, and the world won’t wait any longer. Pride and Greed are hunting Yokai down as we speak, the foolish creature has no idea of how to use Kyle’s abilities either. And if Yokai dies, if Kyle’s body is lost then…Chaoz might as well implode. We don’t have the time to create another villain, we don’t have the time to start all over!”

Birse’s fierce glare looked into her shaky confused stare “We’re already running on borrowed time, time Sly sacrificed himself for. You think us selfish? You think us mad? You’re wrong, it’s this fucking world that’s selfish. It’s the people of Chaoz who are mad. Bickering over race and power, faced with destruction yet they can’t get over the past!”

Karnage closed her eyes, clenching her hands as she absorbed his words.

“So tell me right now Karnage, are you with us or not? Because if we have to, bloody hell if we have to! Plan B is nothing someone like you would want to see!” Birse exclaimed, his tone now rising with rage. “Do you want to know what we originally planned? Do you? You think this is efficient? We were going to abandon the alliance, destroy the Dezol from within and raise the Empire to a higher standing. You think we couldn’t have just done that? We could have, very easily.”

Birse grabbed her by the collar, raising her a foot above the ground as he glared into her paling face “But because Kyle…because he truly couldn’t stand to think of how painful it would be for you to watch. He offered himself to be a sacrifice, do you even fucking know what will happen if Chaoz learns that Kyle is Yokai!?”

Karnage couldn’t say a word, not a single word.

“Ostracized by the world, raised over a podium for everyone to watch as he is executed. That is what they’d do to him, and there would be nothing any of us could do. The Alliance and the Dezol wouldn’t make a move, they won’t risk their people for one man.” His eyes grew wider as he grinded his teeth “And he made us promise…He made it known, if that did happen. Kyle wanted us to not do anything about it…Do you understand now!?”

He threw her down, landing her on her back several feet away “For this world to have peace, for us to have somewhere we belong, for your damn selfish needs. Kyle risked everything and failed, so enough’s enough or I swear…Help him fix his damn mistake or I swear on his name that after I’m done with this world...”

Karnage swallowed her pride, she swallowed her anger and fear as she rose back to her feet. Opening her reddened eyes to face Birse “I thought…”

Birse’s gaze was enraged, his eyes looking down on her every move and word “Oh you thought he didn’t care? You also think every damn life is worth saving, well guess what babe you’re so fucking wrong. Cause bitch if you think such a thing as innocent exists, then tell me right now and I’ll let the Empire lay waste to Chaoz. Then we’ll fucking see what you think of them as!”

He turned around and stepped towards the door, suddenly kicking it open with so much force that the doors were blown off their hinges. Birse glanced back at her “If you really think Kyle stopped caring for you, then here you fucking go. Leave, right now. Before I strangle you with my bare hands for your stupidity.”

Karnage was stupefied as she stood there, she had never seen Birse act anything but calm and solemn. But now he let it loose, showing his true colors as fury clearly showed in his face and tone. But his words sunk deep, cutting into her like scissors into paper. He was clearly right, all this time she was just being selfish. Thinking the world could be rainbow colored and safe, thinking everyone could just talk and make up…Karnage knew she was being foolish.

Yet all she could ask was…”How?...How did you plan to bring them back?”

So Birse’s words woke her up, like a hard slap in the face they snapped her out of her daze as he sneered at her “Heroes get a wish by the Avatar at the end of a successful quest, ask anybody at all. Kyle could wish for so much…He could wish for his family back, he could wish for himself to become a normal human being than this damn curse that plagues his mind. Maybe even wish for Silv and Sly back!”

Karnage now understood Birse’s anger, her clenched fists shook as she dropped her swords “He could…wish for her back too…” she mumbled to herself, realization finally befalling her. Realizing that instead of wishing for any of those, instead of even wishing for Alison back alive…Kyle chose what she would have, to save her the pain.

He believed in her, he trusted her. All this time, in an eccentric way, Kyle was just protecting her. And that royally pissed her off.

“Alright…” said Karnage as she wiped the tears off her eyes “What can I do?”