Chapter 3  Darker Tendencies

 

“All these murders are making me nervous.”

 

“What’s making me nervous is the fact that they’re finding all the bodies ripped and torn apart.”

 

Justin and Saphir are sitting on a bench in town as the two talking men pass by. One, tall and thin, and the other shorter and slightly less thin. The Dragoon Warriors watch as they walk by, heading down the street.

 

From the other side of the road, a girl runs out into the road. A car hits its breaks, skidding to a halt before hitting her. The driver makes a vulgar gesture at her. She just waves as she crosses the street, yelling an apology.

 

Justin shakes his head at the scene...

 

“People are getting nervous. Of course, nine gruesome deaths in a few days will do that to small town people.”

 

Saphir nods...

 

“Makes sense. If it were only criminals that’d be one thing, but the fact is, there’ve been innocent people killed too. People can’t help but be nervous.”

 

“I wish we could do something to help... but there is still no evidence of any demonic, supernatural, or extraterrestrial involvement.”

 

Saphir glances sideways at him...

 

“Extraterrestrial?”

 

Justin nods...

 

“You’d be surprised...”

 

“Someday... you’ll have to tell us some stories.”

 

“Someday, I might.”

 

Somebody screams... a girl, from somewhere down the street, around a corner, out of view.

 

Saphir and Justin take off running. Justin pulls his extendable quarter staff out of his jacket pocket, but since the Glaive is far too large to carry around in public, he is weaponless.

 

They turn a corner down a small side street... and find four people... three dead on the ground... and one kneeling over them... Brad, holding his cold blue double bladed sword. He’s checking the other three for signs of life... but it is obvious that they are dead... they are torn apart...

 

Justin and Saphir recognize all three of the bodies... the two men whom passed them on the sidewalk earlier, and the girl who ran into the street. Justin glances at Brad.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Brad just shakes his head...

 

“I... was just... out for a walk when I heard the screams. Didn’t see what did this.” He tosses a couple of wallets at Justin and Saphir. “I got those off the two guys... the girl didn’t have any ID on her.”

 

Saphir opens the wallet he caught...

 

“The tall guy was one Stephen Powers... a student at the University.”

 

Justin checks the other wallet...

 

“The other one is Andrew Marshall... also a student. Three more murders... appears to be the same type of death. I think we should get out of here before the authorities show up. We can get back to the office and try to figure out what’s going on.”

 

Brad stands up, wiping a small amount of blood from his hands onto his shirt...

 

“Yeah... let’s go.”

 

*        *        *        *        *        *

 

“Some freaky things are happening in this town...”

 

Ryan, standing at one end of the Dragoon Warriors Training room, readies Sky Render. He stands across from Brad, who is holding his double bladed sword out in front of him... gazing at it...

 

Justin and Saphir are sitting off to the side, each holding a book, leafing through trying to find some clue as to why these killings are happening.

 

“... but, I guess we should just keep training. Whatever’s happening here, the Children are our priority.”

 

Justin closes his book...

 

“You’re right Ryan. We need to be prepared for them. You guys start fighting... I’ll keep time.”

 

Arrowny rushes forward, slashing out with Sky Render. Brad easily blocks. Ryan attacks again... and again Brad easily blocks. This continues... each time Arrowny attempts an attack... Brad blocks.

 

Saphir puts his book down.

 

“I just don’t get it though. If it were only criminals, I could sort of understand... but all the innocent victims...”

 

“They were just in the way.”

 

Everybody stares at Brad... Justin tilts his head slightly...

 

“Brad... what do you mean?”

 

Brad just shrugs...

 

“Well... they were just in the way. When I killed those drug dealers... that other person was just in the way. Those two thieves tried to run around that couple on the sidewalk... but I couldn’t let them get away. I sacrificed the innocent to get at the guilty.”

 

They all just stare at him... not even able to speak...

 

Brad just looks confused...

 

“Guys... is something wrong?”

 

“WRONG!” Arrowny snaps, signalling for Justin and Saphir to get their weapons. He raises Sky Render... “Brad... you just admitted to murdering twelve people! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK IS WRONG?!”

 

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I killed criminals!”

 

Justin extends his quarterstaff...

 

“And, what of the three that Saphir and I found you kneeling over? Did you kill them too?”

 

Brad nods slowly...

 

“Of course I killed them.”

 

“Why? None of them were criminals. They were all innocent!”

 

Brad laughs... it is a very evil laugh... the thought runs through Ryan’s head, that if this situation ever becomes a movie, Tim Curry would have to play Brad’s part... just for this one laugh...

 

“HAHAHAHAHAH! The girl was not innocent!”

 

“Then what was she GUILTY OF?”

 

Brad responds... in a completely calm and even tone...

 

“She jaywalked. I saw her run across the street... cut in front of a car. The driver had to stop... her punishment was necessary.”

 

Arrowny shakes his head...

 

“Something is wrong with you...”

 

“No... something is finally right!”

 

Ryan gives a slight sideways glance at Justin, and nods...

 

The technomage raises his hand, and creates a force field around Brad, who reaches out, running his hand along the energy barrier. Justin steps forward, shaking his head...

 

“We will hold you until we figure out what has happened.”

 

Brad smiles widely...

 

“No... you won’t.”

 

With a flick of his wrist, Brad slashes at the force field with his sword. The metal cuts cleanly through the energy, breaking the barrier. Justin falls back, holding his head in pain...

 

Saphir rushes forward, sweeping the Glaive wide, sending a force wave at Brad. But, Brad spins, and cuts with a wide arc... cutting through the wave. With the next swing, he broad sides Saphir in the head with his sword, sending the Glaive bearer back against the wall.

 

Brad turns on Ryan... smiling like a madman.

 

“You... actually thought you were going to... what? Punish me? I’ve done nothing wrong.”

 

“You’ve been killing innocent people! For crimes that you yourself commit! Brad... you jaywalk all the time!”

 

“I... am above those laws...”

 

Arrowny rushes forward, thrusting Sky Render at Brad... but it does not make contact. Brad simply sidesteps, and kicks Ryan in the stomach, forcing him back a few steps.

 

“What’s wrong with you three? You’re acting really strange. I mean, you especially... the two of us have been killing people for two months now... and there’s not a single one that we know for sure were evil. As long as they followed the Children... you killed them... I killed them... we killed them! We didn’t ask if they were guilty... we didn’t care if they were evil... we tortured them... burned them alive. We did things that would have forced Justin and Saphir to turn us in to the police!

 

We ARE NOT HEROES, Ryan! You’ve said that yourself time and time again! Those two... Justin, Saphir... they’re heroic. They’re the good guys. But, you and me... we’ve let people die... we’ve killed. Ryan... you killed an EIGHT YEAR OLD GIRL, REMEMBER? The throwing knife... the little sacrifice girl of Joseph’s... bleeding to death... do you REMEMBER?

 

You know... each time I kill... my sword is clean. It’s... hungry. I can’t seem to quench its thirst. It likes the blood of the innocents best. But... even the guilty... the unclean blood is enough to sustain it for a time. It’s always... clean.

 

You have to realize something! You’ve been fighting for two months for nothing but revenge. You’ve been trying so hard to get vengeance against those Children... and you need to understand this one fact...

 

... you can’t win. You’ll never beat the Children... why even try. It’s not like you really have a reason to try anymore.”

 

Brad slowly shakes his head... he looks down on Ryan with... pity...

 

“Ryan... Crystal’s dead. You need to get over her. Either kill yourself... or move on to something productive.”

 

Furious... Arrowny rushes at him... and he just knocks him against the wall. Justin and Saphir are slowly getting to their feet...

 

Brad just glares at the group... shaking his head...

 

“You know what... you guys SUCK! I’m getting out of here.”

 

He starts for the stairs, and makes it nearly to the door before Saphir calls out.

 

“Where will you go?”

 

Brad stops... and shrugs...

 

“Guess I’ll go join up with those Children of Jove... they seem to have the right idea about the way the world should work.”

 

Saphir, Justin, and Ryan just stand there... wide eyed, and open mouthed. Arrowny shakes his head...

 

“What... in the blue HELL... just happened?”

 

Justin shrugs...

 

“I think... Brad just became one of the bad guys...”

 

*        *        *        *        *        *

A few minutes later, Justin, Saphir, and Ryan are in the library, pouring through books and files, and scrolls, and whatever other reference material they could get their hands on. Justin has one of his smaller computers (that he built himself) open, processing any mathematical data that they come across... years of demonic raising based on the movement of the planets with respect the outlying star systems and the variable gravitational force from the twin black holes at the center of the Andromeda Galaxy... things that they are just too stressed to compute at the moment.

 

Saphir slams the book he’s reading down on the table, and rubs his eyes...

 

“It’s got to be the sword...”

 

Justin and Ryan glance over at him...

 

“What?”

 

“The sword. Brad’s sword... that’s the only thing that could have caused Brad’s sudden personality change. If we only knew where it came from...”

 

The other two stare at him... confused...

 

“Um... what are you taking about?” Justin turns away from his computer...

 

“The sword was Bastian’s!” Ryan just shakes his head... “I always figured you were one to pay attention to details.”

 

Saphir’s eyes dart back and forth between the two of them.

 

“What the hell are you two talking about? That’s not Bastian’s sword.”

 

“Of course it is! I killed Bastian, and used his sword to kill the Sionop, and then brought it back here. I assure you, it is Bastian’s sword.”

 

“Guys!” Saphir opens up a small file near Justin’s computer... it’s Bastian’s profile from that they received from the Protectors. He opens it... “It says right here... Bastian was trained to use a rapier... he never used anything BUT a rapier. When we killed him... or, at least... when we stabbed him and crushed him under a ton of brick, he was using a rapier.”

 

Justin shakes his head...

 

“No... he was using the same sword that Brad has... the double bladed broad sword.”

 

Saphir stands up... and starts to pace around the library.

 

“Ryan... you said you killed the Sionop with Bastian’s sword. What do you remember about it?”

 

“I remember...” Ryan’s eyes glaze over. He starts talking in monotone... no expression on his face at all. “It was perfect. Like it was made for me. The balance was just right... when I held it... I could tell that it belonged to me.”

 

“And,” Saphir speaks very slowly, “What kind of sword was it?”

 

Arrowny shakes his head slightly, blinking his eyes, coming to his senses.

 

“It was the same sword that Brad’s using now... a double bladed broad sword...”

 

“Have you ever used a broad sword before? Were you ever trained to use one?”

 

Ryan slowly shakes his head...

 

“No... I wasn’t. I used katanas. That’s why Donald gave me Sky Render.” He gives a little laugh... “Actually... I’m not very good with broad swords... never could get past the ‘power over speed’ issue.”

 

“Exactly!” Saphir paces faster, “So... how could you feel like the sword was ‘meant’ for you on the first time you’ve ever used one of that style?”

 

“I... don’t know.”

 

“Right... wait a second...” Saphir sits back down, and starts going through the gold bound book that they got from the librarian again. He pulls a few reference books forward, double checking a few passages. “This book speaks of a great weapon... a sword forged by Jove for the General. It is supposed the perfect weapon... destined for the General. As the General will prepare the world for the God... the weapon will prepare the General. The books says something along the lines of ‘a different weapon for a different General’.”

 

Saphir glances up questionably at the others...

 

“What if... what if the sword that Bastian had... the one that you say you brought to Brad... what if it’s this weapon that is meant for the General? It might be some sort of shape changer... a weapon that changes based on a person’s abilities. It’s not unheard of... thousands of years ago, the Atma Weapon changed based on a persons life force... this isn’t that different.”

 

Saphir’s eyes widen in understanding... he waves his hands around excitedly...

 

“That would explain his recent evil actions... the sword must be making him evil. AND, that would be why it’s different for Bastian and Brad!”

 

Justin nods slowly...

 

“So... what you’re saying... is that there may be a connection... between the sword... and Brad going evil? Perhaps some sort of telepathic control?”

 

Saphir shakes his head...

 

“No... guys... I’m saying that the SWORD is making Brad act that way.”

 

Arrowny slowly nods...

 

“Of course, of course... exactly! BUT... do we suspect that there may be a connection between Brad’s behaviour... and Bastian’s weapon?”

 

Saphir gives a small laugh...

 

“Brilliant... there’s some sort of magic around the sword that makes sure people don’t notice the fact that it changes shape... and so they don’t realize it’s effects on those around them. But... I wonder why I can see through the magic...”

 

He looks at Justin and Ryan... who are giving him a look much like eight year olds after being explained the inner workings of modern quantum mechanics... they just don’t get it.

 

Saphir sighs...

 

“Okay then. You guys can’t help me. But, my family has the means of contacting an Oracle... maybe it will be able to help.”