A constant rumble rang through the sewers' many tunnels as Voss dragged his sword on the ground as he walked. Behind him, the murky wastewater was completely tainted red with blood. Suddenly, Voss faltered to the ground, but prevented himself from completely collapsing by using his sword as a clutch. The Marine breathed heavily with difficulty as only one of his lungs worked by now. Voss coughed, a mouthful of blood falling to the ground as he did.
The Imperial Marines' physiology is both a blessing and a curse. Voss was barely a semblance of a man by this point, as he had received so many injuries from the cultists he fought that it would've been enough to kill a normal man five times over. Aside from his punctured lung, he was short a hand, missing massive chunks of flesh on his legs, and his torso was stabbed and shot so many times that skin practically blended with gore.
Yet, as Voss let out a blood-curdling yell of pain, it made him realize that he was still alive. Voss is a man out of time, surviving when there is no survival. If infection didn't kill him, the annihilation of all his essential organs would. Aside from his beating heart, his half-functioning left lung and his brain, barely anything is left anymore. Yet, his body is still clinging to life, clawing and tearing at Death to buy him more time, so he could serve for a little longer.
[Voss] - "OEY! If any of you bastards are still alive, I'm right here! Come get some! "
Yelled Voss as he poured his anger and agony into his voice.
Yet, as his voice echoed through the dimly lit tunnels, not a single living cultist answered him. Besides Voss, the river of crimson wastewater slowly diminished in level as the carnage he had left behind, the mountain of dead bodies, had practically clogged up a whole section of the tunnel.
Meanwhile, at the top, the leader of the cultists gathered a squad of policemen he had converted to his cause. After raiding the weapon cache inside an abandoned police station, the crazed cultists armed themselves with assault rifles and explosives.
[Samuel] - "Pass some guns to my right-hand men. Get as many of our people equipped. "
Ordered Samuel to one of the policemen.
The policeman looked up at Samuel with crazed, bloodshot eyes and gritted teeth. In a jerking motion, he snatched a rifle from the gun cabinet.
[Mathiew] - "As you wish– sir! Blood for the Red Truth– death to the faithless! "
Said Mathiew, the policeman, in an unhinged tone.
As guns passed through the ranks of the more sane-minded cultists, what used to be a band of savages soon turned into a pack of dangerous predators. As Samuel left the police station, he was greeted with a massive bonfire. As cultists jumped erratically around the fire, a truck arrived at the scene with kidnapped civilians crowding its trailer. While the prisoners were being unloaded from the truck, Samuel approached the bonfire and opened his arms.
[Samuel] - "Oh, our cruel Goddess of Hatred! Bless us with slaughter as we prepare to go hunt down your enemies! May our sacrifices made in your name satiate our bloodlust and honour your name! "
While the rest of the insane cultists chanted words of prayer and praise to their Goddess, Samuel approached one of the tied-up civilians and dragged her by the hair to the fire. Then, he raised his rifle and took aim at her head. The girl looked visibly terrified, but in a twisted way, she was glad that she would at least die quickly and painlessly. However, unexpectedly, Samuel rushed up to the woman and pushed her into the fire.
As screams of pain and agony escaped from the burning girl, Samuel and his men cheered like sadistic monsters that would make wild beasts retreat in fear. Following their leader's example, prisoners were dragged screaming and kicking by cultists before all being shoved into the massive fire. Some unfortunate souls, after being set ablaze, would get up and run while still on fire. However, all they managed to do was guarantee themselves an equally worse fate, as they would inevitably wander into the horde of more deranged cultists kept further away from the fire.
[Samuel] - "Blood for the Red Truth– Death to the faithless! "
Yelled Samuel as he raised his rifle in the air.
His men quickly followed his example and chanted the same dictum as he did. Then, with a wave of his hand, Samuel urged his men to follow him in the upcoming hunt. As the elite group of armed hunters walked past the horde of mindless cultists, they stepped over the shredded clothes of the burned prisoners who managed to escape, while the sound of hungry mouths on flesh echoed through the crowd.
Below, McCree and Senju rushed through the stinking tunnels while looking for any trace of Nilsson or Kadyn.
[McCree] - "I knew it was a fuckin' bust! We should've helped the damn kid! "
Yelled McCree as he shot daggers in Senju's direction.
[Senju] - "We couldn't be sure! "
[McCree] - "Not only did we sit in the damn sewers while others could've used our help, now maybe Kadyn's group is in more trouble than we think! "
McCree suddenly stopped, his anger and frustration finally getting the better of him.
[McCree] - "We fucked up! All because I was listening to ya! We should've moved when Kadyn stopped communicating with us! We should've taken action when things started sounding wrong! "
Yelled McCree at Senju.
[Senju] - "What if she did have directives, huh? What if, when we should be killing the guy responsible for the shield, we were somewhere else, doing things that were not part of our mission? "
Shouted Senju back at McCree.
[McCree] - "So be it! We now not only have that boy's blood on our hands because we chose to be heartless sons of bitches when he asked for our help, but we also could've helped Kadyn and her group in their fight! Instead... "
McCree paused, fumbling his hands while his overwhelmed mind was looking for words.
[McCree] - "Instead, we sat around like two useless fat sacks of shits! "
Yelled McCree in a burst of anger.
Senju wanted to answer McCree, but he hesitated before completely sealing his mouth. It was his idea to wait for directives instead of taking proactive actions, so McCree was right to blame him for what happened.
[McCree] - "AAAAGH! FUCK! FUUUUCK! "
Screamed McCree before slamming his fist against the wall.
Meanwhile, McCree's loud shouting alerted Nilsson, who was about to accidentally head in the opposite direction. Following the direction of McCree's cursing, Nilsson soon felt relief as he saw their silhouettes in the distance.
[Nilsson] - "Hey! Over here! "
Screamed Nilsson while waving his axe.
In a jolt, McCree quickly turned to see Nilsson carrying Kadyn's unconscious body in the distance. Relief exploded inside both their hearts as McCree and Senju ran toward Nilsson.
[McCree] - "Wha' happened? Is she alright? "
Said McCree with a concerned expression.
[Nilsson] - "She was knocked out by our enemy, but I think she'll live. "
Said Nilsson while catching his breath.
McCree quickly checked Kadyn's pulse before also feeling her breathing.
[McCree] - "Shit... You gave me a scare there, partner. "
Said McCree as he sighed in relief.
[Senju] - "What about the rest of the group? Where is Voss? Where is Oltevin? "
Said Senju in a panic.
Nilsson grimaced so he could contain his more volatile emotions before gripping his axe tightly as he spoke.
[Nilsson] - "Oltevin died fighting our enemy... While Voss... He was injured during the escape and fell behind. He– "
Nilsson paused before letting out an anguished breath.
[Nilsson] - "I last saw him standing up to the massive horde of cultists that was chasing us. "
Said Nilsson while shaking his head.
Nilsson's hand tensed up before a jolt pushed him to slam his axe into the concrete wall.
[Nilsson] - "I'm sorry... "
Said Nilsson while breathing heavily.
However, despite Nilsson's best attempt at holding back his emotions, the sight of Captain Sven's name on the axe finally forced him to wipe away his tears. On the other side, both McCree and Senju were staring at Nilsson in frozen shock. However, as guilt rushed up his mind, Senju abruptly snapped out of his trance.
[Senju] - "Oh God... What have I done? What the hell have I done? "
Said Senju as he looked at his trembling palms as if they had blood all over them.
Memories of Oltevin flashed inside Senju's head as he remembered the moments when the squad used to be complete. Slowly, Senju closed his eyes, his teeth gritted as he felt the sting of guilt eating away at him. If only he and McCree had been there, if only he hadn't been so stubborn, if only he had trusted McCree's instincts.
Suddenly, McCree fell to his knees, his face still frozen in shock while his lips trembled.
[McCree] - "I... I dragged him into this mission. I– I killed him. God... What have I done? "
Said McCree, his voice full of guilt.
Senju looked at McCree, pained by the fact that McCree was blaming himself for Oltevin's death, despite him being the most responsible in this case. Senju's mouth opened, his mind desperate to tell McCree that it wasn't his fault, yet no word came out of his throat. No matter how Senju tried to speak up, there was a part of him that prevented him from making a single noise. This disability soon turned into frustration before it finally morphed into shame.
[McCree] - "Fuck! I should've been the one to die instead, not him! First it was Audrey, now Oltevin... Fucking kill me already, God! Just let me die instead of him, please! "
Screamed McCree in tears of anger.
The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of a stab, followed by the noise of flesh and cybernetics being torn apart. In a jolt, McCree turned toward the noise and saw that Senju had decided to commit seppuku, his abdomen slashed open by his own sword.
[Senju] - "It wasn't your fault, partner. Please stop blaming yourself for everything. You had your redemption when your heart took this new path. "
Said Senju in a weak voice before collapsing.
[McCree] - "God fucking damn, what da hell are ya doing? "
Yelled McCree in a panic.
After quickly pulling the sword out of Senju's abdomen, McCree extended his hand and activated his ability.
[McCree] - "Guilt extension: Southern Hospitality! "
As soon as McCree uttered these words, an invisible seal formed around Senju's wound, stopping the bleeding, but still leaving him in a critical state.
[McCree] - "What in hell's name was ya bright idea, ya son of a gun? "
Yelled McCree as he craddled Senju in his arms.
Senju couldn't speak as blood flooded his mouth, while he simply smiled at McCree. The words Senju couldn't say now were conveyed in action. However, as McCree used his ability to desperately rebuild Senju's injured abdomen, the samurai began to shake his head at his friend, hoping he'd let him die and pay for his wrongs.
[McCree] - "I ain't letting another one of us die, you son of a bitch! Toughen it out and take it like a man! You're gonna survive this, no matter what you think! "
Commanded McCree as he slapped Senju across the face.
As McCree tried to help Senju up to his feet, the samurai resisted him, pushing and shaking his head with all the strength he had remaining.
[McCree] - "Whether ya like it or not, it ain't about me or you! It's about the promises we made, the duties we agreed to take! "
Screamed McCree before he showed Senju his katana.
[McCree] - "See this? Yer master gave ya this damn thing, cause he expected ya to do something with it. Are ya going to let this blade be only stained with ya own damn gut while it has never even spilled the blood of a single enemy? Is this how you soil legacies? Is this the kind of coward ya are? Did I put a gun in mah mouth when I caused Audrey's death? No, I carried on and did what is demanded of me by the fallen! "
Yelled McCree as he shoved the sword against Senju's chest repetitively.
Senju stared at the sword for a moment before realizing how cowardly he had been for trying to take the easy way out. A fallen must be avenged, not be mourned with guilt and shame. At that moment, as McCree's words finally resonated inside Senju's mind, the yearning for life suddenly came back to him. Senju no longer wanted to die; he wanted to live so he could redeem himself the same way McCree did when he was disgraced.
Senju straightened up and reclaimed his sword from McCree's hand. Then, with a nod, Senju showed McCree the determination in his eyes, the proof that his will has not yet died.
[McCree] - "That's more like this, damn it! Now, let's get a damn move on! "
Said McCree with pride.
As McCree helped Senju walk, Nilsson led the way while still carrying Kadyn on his shoulder. However, at the same time, Samuel and his elite gangs of cultists descended into the sewers as well. While cultist scouts scoured the way ahead, Samuel watched as more and more of his men poured through the manhole, all armed to the teeth with assault rifles and sharp combat knives.
[Samuel] - "Report! Any signs of our targets? "
Yelled Samuel into his com.
[cultist] - "Not yet, pack leader. "
[Samuel] - "Keep looking and increase the search perimeter. "
Though Samuel was confident of his crew's combat capabilities compared to the average cultist horde, for a sewer system that serves over two million people, finding Kadyn would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Yet, just as Samuel was getting nervous about Kadyn slipping away, a voice suddenly sounded inside his head.
[KD-554] - "Try searching Northward, enlightened one. "
Whispered KD-554's voice into Samuel's ear.
Upon hearing KD-554's words, Samuel immediately dropped to his knees and extended his hands.
[Samuel] - "Praise be, praise be our Goddess! "
As soon as Samuel uttered these words, he abruptly turned around and cruelly shot three of the low-ranking cultists in his group.
[Samuel] - "For the information offered to me by our Goddess, these men shall die in her name... Focus the search northward as instructed by our Divine Maiden! "
Meanwhile, McCree had to limp behind with Senju against his shoulder as the injuries he had inflicted on himself made him barely able to stand. On the other hand, Nilsson, despite his ability to run, had to stay close to the two men in case of an ambush.
[McCree] - "Ya shouldn't have cut yaself so damn carelessly, ya son of a gun. Now ya making this hard for all of us involved. "
Senju whispered something close to a sorry in his weak voice.
[McCree] - "What use is there to say that? It is what it is. "
Said McCree while his hand hovered over his holster.
As Nilsson helped the group cross a small ditch, they failed to notice when one of the cultist scouts spotted them from the dark. With a press of a button on his com, the cultist began transmitting his location to Samuel.
[Samuel] - "Praise be! The Goddess has blessed us with glory! "
Said Samuel as his eyes widened at the glow on his receiver.
Samuel quickly raised his rifle and turned his men.
[Samuel] - "Prepare yourselves! The hunt is on! "
Shouted Samuel before his men shared his cheer.
As a coordinated pack of hunters, the men began to move in two large lines, making sure both sides of the sewer walkways were blocked with a tidal wave of gunmen and cultist cannonfodders. Below, the average cultist grunts swam through the wastewater, all desperately hoping to get in on the action as well.
Meanwhile, Voss finally collapsed against the wall, his body having finally given everything it had to offer. As a cultist scout encountered Voss, he even mistook him for one of the corpses as he tried walk past him. Yet, with a blood-curdling yell, Voss pulled on the cultist's arm and brought him down on the ground. Then, grabbing the cultist by the head, Voss effortlessly snapped the man's neck in a loud, bone-chilling crack that echoed through the tunnels as either a warning or an invitation.
[Voss] - "I ain't dead yet, you freak! "
Shouted Voss as he stared at the dead man's lifeless eyes.
Yet, as Voss threw the dead cultist into the water, where his body blended into the crimson, he once again felt Death calling at his name as the adrenaline in his veins faded. Yet, clenching onto his sword, Voss defiantly refused to answer Death's voice.
[Voss] - "I'm not done yet... Not yet... "
Said Voss through laboured breaths.
Yet, as Voss's vision began to darken, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face. For a moment, he closed his eyes, but immediately jolted himself awake once he had processed who that figure before him was.
[Voss] - "Lord! Lord Grand Knight, is that you? "
Screamed Voss in panicked breaths.
There was excitement in Voss's eyes as he searched around for Mike's figure. However, as Voss noticed nothing different from the previous environment, he figured that he was probably hallucinating things. Yet, as his eyelids fell down again, Voss could swear that he had seen Mike standing right before him.
Yet, Voss was not hallucinating. Mike's ghost was indeed standing right in front of him, a silent look of shock in his eyes as no one aside from Kadyn had been able to see him in his ghost form before. Kneeling down, Mike analyzed Voss's body before he closed his eyes in grief. Though Voss only saw himself as a soldier, a loyal hound serving his lord, Mike didn't see it that way. He, just as the day he was handed his fleet, saw each and every single one of his men as his comrades in arms.
However, Mike's biggest grief at that moment is his inability to affect reality in his current form. No one could understand the amount of agony Voss was in with the amount of wounds on his mangled body, yet he could not die, because both his body and mind willed for him to keep on fighting beyond what duty demanded of him. Mike hoped that he could speak to Voss, so the man could finally be given the order to rest. Most importantly, as Mike saw how tightly Voss was gripping his sword as he fought the sleep that was threatening to claim him, he wished he could take this burden off this man.
In an act of compassion, Mike reached out and gripped Voss's hand and sword within his ghostly palms.
[Mike] - "At ease now, Marine. You have my permission to rest. "
Said Mike in a gentle voice.
To be continued...