Chapter 5  Diverging

 

“It’s happening today!”

 

Justin rushes into the living room, coming to a halt right between Arrowny and the television set. Ryan swears, throwing his Playstation controller to the ground... Saphir lets out a little laugh...

 

“Ha! Beat you!”

 

“Not fair! Justin was in the way!”

 

“Guys, I’m serious, It’s happening today!”

 

“Doesn’t matter, I won!”

 

“HE WAS IN THE WAY!”

 

Justin reaches out toward the television, and uses a force field to make screen explode. Saphir and Ryan snap to attention... Justin glares at both of them.

 

“Guys... it’s happening... today!”

 

They both just stare in awe... they’ve been waiting for three days since Brad’s attack on the office supply place... waiting for Justin’s computer to calculate the date on which Jove would be let lose on the world.

 

“TODAY!?”

 

Ryan jumps to his feet.

 

“You have to be kidding!”

 

Justin shakes his head...

 

“I wish. My computer just finished processing all the data that Saphir got from his books... and, based on planetary movements, and life cycles of stars... and everything points to the fact that Jove will rise later today. I have a location though... and you’re never going to believe it... it’s LA... top floor of the Apocolypse Incorporate building.”

 

Ryan nods...

 

“You’re right... I don’t believe it... but, since that’s all we’ve got... we’ll work with that. So... what do we need?”

 

Saphir sighs...

 

“We need to get the Scythe of Saturn from the Plane of Equality. If Jove actually manages to arrive in this dimension, we’ll need the Scythe in order to win. But, if we somehow stop Jove from getting here, we won’t need the weapon. We might be able to stop Jove from even showing up if we go for a full out attack...”

 

Arrowny shakes his head...

 

“That won’t work. If we all go to fight Jove, and lose... the world’s screwed. We need to get that Scythe... it’s going to be the key. I always like to have a plan B...”

 

Saphir laughs...

 

“You’ve never liked having a plan B... you never liked having a plan A!”

 

Ryan shrugs...

 

“Okay... fine. But, in this case, I’ll feel better knowing that we have a fallback. So... here’s what we’re going to do... you two are going to the Plane of Equality to get the Scythe... and I’m going to see if I can stop this whole thing before it begins.”

 

“You’re going to go to LA by yourself... right? That’s your plan?”

 

“Yeah... that’s my plan.”

 

“It sucks...” Saphir places a hand on Ryan’s shoulder... “It really sucks... but we’ll find a way to make it work.”

 

Justin takes a deep breath...

 

“Well... Saphir and I have already figured out a way to get to the Plane of Equality... we’ll alter his Warp spell with an electromagnetic field... alter the dimensional flux... it’s actually not that hard, once you know for sure where you’re going. So... we’ll drop you off in LA, then come back here to perform the dimensional teleportation. And, if we’re going to do this... we should do it right now. I know that Jove’s showing up today... but I don’t know when.”

 

Arrowny slowly nods...

 

“Okay guys... let’s go suit up. It’s time to save the world...”

 

Justin and Saphir follow him down to the basement, both mumbling under their breath...

 

“... again...”

 

*        *        *        *        *        *

 

A quick flash of light, and Arrowny finds himself standing just outside the front entrance of the Apocolypse Incorporate building... the very same place where just two years ago he, and the other Warriors, fought Joseph.

 

The building is empty... has been since the downfall of the corporation... and dark… since nobody’s been paying electric bills. For whatever reason, nobody really wanted to use it for anything... it might have had something to do with the massacre which occurred on the day the company fell apart... a lot of security guards died... slashed to death... not to mention the fact that the two people in charge of the place mysteriously turned up quite a bit less than living.

 

As he looks around, he has to consciously force his stomach to keep calm… the walls haven’t even been cleaned… there are still blood stains on the walls… the air is still heavy with the copper smell of old death. Ryan walks through the first floor, heading for the elevator which will take him to the top floor.

 

He turns a corner… and comes face to face with a living, breathing person. His eyes widen in surprise. He knows this person… he was raised by this person. His hair, which is pulled back into a pony tail, has a few streaks of grey around his temples…

 

“Donald?”

 

It is him… Donald Gilbert. The Protector who trained Ryan… for seven years, he was like Arrowny’s father. He hasn’t seen Donald for two years… and now, he standing right in front of him, holding his long sword… grinning.

 

“It’s a damn good thing that I found you! Do you have any idea what’s going on right now?”

 

Arrowny shrugs…

 

“Um… yeah… it’s the end of the world… hadn’t you heard?”

 

“And you’re going to stop it?”

 

“Yeah… that’s the plan. But... what are you doing here anyway?”

 

Donald lets out a long low breath, and looks around nervously...

 

“Well... I’m here to Protect you...”

 

Ryan shakes his head...

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean... Protect you... with a capital ‘P’... as in... my mission in life.”

 

Arrowny stares at him in shock, mouth hanging open, gaping idiotic expression... the entire traditional ‘shocked’ expression...

 

“The Protectors sent you...”

 

“Yup!”

 

“To guard me?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“... I’m important enough to need a Protector?!”

 

“Yup...”

 

“Did they tell you why?”

 

“Hell no! You know what they’re like... vague as can be... no direct hints... can’t have their agents knowing everything that they need to know... that’d be too easy.”

 

Ryan gives a little laugh...

 

“I swear... when they call me up for a mission, they’d better give me all the info I need! I’ll be totally pissed if I end up having to... I don’t know... Protect a whole group of people just because they won’t tell me which one I’m specifically there for.”

 

Donald smiles...

 

“Okay... okay. Listen... I’m here to Protect you. From now on, whatever you do, I’m going to be there, making sure you stay alive. It is my mission in life...”

 

Donald grins... and coughs... Arrowny’s face is wet. He reaches his hand up to wipe his eyes, and his hands come away red with blood. Ryan snaps his face back to Donald, who has a steady stream of blood dripping from his mouth. There are two blood stained cold blue blades sticking through his chest.

 

He falls off to the side... and Brad pulls his sword from his body. The former Warrior gives a very wide smile...

 

“He failed in his mission.”

 

Ryan kneels down beside the dead, bleeding body of Donald… he checks for signs of life… but he already knows there will be none.

 

“… you killed him…”

 

“Um… yeah! I’m evil… that’s what I do! Kill the good guys… stuff like that.”

 

“He raised me… he was like my father… you… should have killed me!”

 

“Oh… and how I would like to just that! Unfortunately, the Children have other plans. If it wasn’t for them… I’d have you hanging by your wrists in a dungeon somewhere, begging for death while I slowly stripped the skin from your body… but… I don’t get to have my way. I have to let you live… if I even try to end you, one of the kids will teleport me away, and they’ll give me a real scolding. I have to let you go on up… to the top floor.”

 

Arrowny stands, readying Sky Render…

 

“And what? You think I’m just gonna walk past without killing you?”

 

Brad shrugs…

 

“There’s nothing I’d like more than to fight you… but I’ve got other plans. Somebody has to be out there killing Justin and Saphir while you’re up playing the big hero… and, I’ve got that job.”

 

Brad gives another wide, sadistic smile, and vanishes in a flash of light. Arrowny once more glances back at Donald’s body, and heads for the elevator. A quick ride to the top (the thought of ‘why are these things still working?’ goes through his head), and he finds himself in the same hallway, leading up to the wide double doors into the main office, where Brad killed Kenneth. In fact… Kenneth’s decapitated demonic body is still lying off in the corner… but two years of decomposition has made it rather slimy…

 

Ryan reaches the wide double doors… and pushes them open.

 

Joseph’s old office is filled with white light… bright enough that Ryan has to continually blink against it. As it dies down, Ryan can make out the large window that fills the far wall, and the desk… and the hole in the ceiling through which he was thrown by Joseph…

 

And, as the light fades even more, Arrowny can make out a human form, turned away from him slowly coming into focus… it is a girl… shorter than Ryan is… long hair…

 

When the light fades completely, the girl turns around… Arrowny drops Sky Render to the floor… she smiles, brushing a strand of hair from her face…

 

“Hey Ryan…”

 

Arrowny falls to his knees, staring up at her…

 

“… Crystal?...”

 

*        *        *        *        *        *

 

One electromagnetically altered dimensional flux Warp spell later, Justin and Saphir find themselves in the Plane of Equality. There is no colour… only white… white ground, white walls (except they can’t make out the walls)… in fact, the only thing of any interest within their sight is a small raised platform off in the distance on which, Justin’s technomage eyes can only just make out, the Scythe of Saturn sits.

 

All the texts they could find reveal that this Plane makes all things equal, without changing any actual rules of reality. The closest thing they could think of when explaining it to Arrowny was a Gameshark device for his Playstation. It cannot change the actual reality of the game, but it can alter the tiny aspects…

 

The Plane is serene… calm. Justin and Saphir give a small nod at each other, and take a single step toward the platform… when the sound of music stops them… loud, upbeat music… a rapid drum line, a lively chorus of instruments… neither Justin nor Saphir feels very calm now…

 

They turn around, searching for the source of the music… what they find would be comical under different circumstances…

 

Brad, wearing the armour the Children forged for him, with his sword lying on the ground… holding a portable stereo, his finger on the play button… smiling widely…

 

“Music change… Boss battle!”

 

Brad throws the stereo over his back… it breaks open, stopping the music. Brad grabs the sword, and walks toward them, ready to attack. They turn, planning on making a run for the Scythe… but the four Children of Jove are standing between them and the platform. Brad circles around, moving alongside the Children.

 

“You guys shoulda thought about this a little more. You left your strongest fighter back in LA… and now you’ve got me, and four pretty immortal beings, to go through before you get your all important weapon. Not a good plan… not a good plan at all… now you get to… die…”

 

Brad takes a slow, easy breath… he blinks a few times. Saphir and Justin lower their weapons… the technomage shakes his head…

 

“Brad… how can you do this? We are you friends! We’ve fought beside you for a long time now… and you’re just going to kill us? I thought you had honour or something like that!”

 

Brad lowers his sword… just barely a bit… but Saphir notices. The Glaive bearer takes a small step forward...

 

“We are you friends Brad... you don’t want to kill us. You can still help us... if you fight against the sword’s hold over you! Can’t you see... it’s that weapon... it’s making you evil!”

 

Justin’s head snaps sideways at Saphir, his eyes are wide with surprise...

 

“The sword’s making him evil?!”

 

Saphir sighs...

 

“Anyway... like I was saying... you can fight against it Brad!”

 

Brad stands still, staring at his sword. One of the Children, the boy Europa, steps forward, alongside Brad...

 

“He will not help you! He is the General! Chosen by Jove!”

 

“Brad, you fought for honour, once! Punish the wicked... not cull the unworthy! You were a hero, a symbol of all the good and right things in the world... you can still be that again...”

 

“He will not listen to you! He is OUR INSTRUMENT! He listens only to Jove, and Jove’s Children... isn’t that right, Brad?”

 

Brad’s head snaps up at the sound of his own name. He takes a breath... a long, deep, staggering breath...

 

“I am... me... that’s all... not a hero... not a General... just... me!”

 

Brad slashes out... his sword cuts through flesh, and bone... sinew and muscle... blood sprays forth, staining the pure white ground of the Plane.

 

Europa falls to the ground... his small body cut in half diagonally from shoulder to hip. Brad slowly turns on the other Children, backing up beside Saphir and Justin...

 

The technomage shakes his head...

 

“What the hell just happened?”

 

Brad casts a nervous glance sideways at the others...

 

“Ever since I came to this dimension, the sword’s hold over me has been weakened. I... was finally able to break through...”

 

Justin’s eyes widen in shock.

 

“I GET IT! The sword was making him evil!”

 

Saphir just shakes his head...

 

“Yeah... if only somebody would have noticed that earlier! So... it’s pretty safe to say that the Plane of Equality is responsible for the weakening of the swords power... Justin and I couldn’t have beaten you in a fight... so it had to make things fair.”

 

One of the girls, Io, steps toward them...

 

“It does not matter. You must still fight us...”

 

Justin gives a little shrug...

 

“I don’t think that’s going to be very hard, little one.”

 

Io looks rather offended...

 

“What would make you say that?”

 

Justin nods toward the mutilated body of Europa...

 

“Because that guy... one of the oh so immortal Children of Jove... is very much, and quite permanently... dead.”

 

All three of the Children look down at their brother... and their faces betray their surprise at the fact that he is, in fact... dead. They realize, far too late for their own good, that the Plane of Equality has made them mortal... thus giving the Dragoon Warriors a fair chance to defeat them.

 

By the time they turn to fight, Brad, Justin, and Saphir are upon them...

 

The battle does not last long... the newly mortal Children fall quickly to the Warriors... and all too soon, red blood is covering a good portion of the ground near them, not to mention their own clothing...

 

They don’t even speak to each other as they regroup, and quickly make their way toward the platform. The reach the platform in a few minutes, but as soon as they take one more step toward it, the one which would have put them within grabbing distance of the Scythe, something odd happens.

 

Each of them goes blind... more or less. The Scythe is gone... the other two Warriors are gone... there is only the white of the Plane...

 

A voice sounds in their ears... a woman... calm... serene... perfectly tranquil.

 

“Warriors of the forces of Good... those whom wish to take hold of the Scythe of Saturn... as was ordained by the Old Gods... you will face the Trials to prove you worth...”