Wrath Reincarnated

CYRUS

Cy swung his sword clean through her left shoulder down to her right hip. Blood spurted out of three-quarters of a heart, and half a torso slid off the other half. Sweet Salvos—it worked! He grabbed both pieces of Envy and crammed them back together. Luckily, she'd died instantly. Cy sliced her again, and Tensa's power plus her own Regeneration brought her back to life in seconds.

"Did it work? It better have worked, you—"

"We did it." Cy raised her back to her feet. "And it was so clean, you didn't even gasp when you came back to life!" Envy inspected her body through the clean line that still separated her armor. Her shoulders dropped and she glared at him through flat brows. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything like Jules—"

SMACK!!

« Mend » [The Nomad]

The Nomad's Script fixed Envy's armored clothing for her, and any lack of modesty was regained. The past twenty hours or so had pretty much gone like this, similar to their time training with The Painter. No sleep—just constant combat, Leveling Up, and Ryoku infusions from a mysterious and nameless Alter. It honestly kind of felt nice to Cy, aside from killing his friend again.

Several other Nomadic men lined the training yard now. Hundreds had come and gone in the past day to watch two Vessel-users training, and one a Sin at that. Must have been a while since they've seen Jafar. And The Nomad forbade us for mentioning who he's working for. Definitely up to something, that one.

Cy sheathed Tensa on his back; his confidence soared high into the open sky. Envy's mimic sword disintegrated into dust and returned to the Void. He put his fists together and bowed at the Alter. "Thank you for teaching us. I think we are both ready."

The Nomad had sat tailor-styled for the entire day. Cy was never sure if he was awake or not, as he rarely spoke to them in training, but he hobbled up to his feet now. Old, creaky bones. I guess arthritis even comes after Alters. How old are you really, if you trained even The Painter as an apprentice?

"Just in time," the Alter said. "The invaders are here."

Cy and Envy took in all of their surroundings. Where? I don't see them? The Nomad snapped his fingers, and a deep, blaring battle horn surrounded all throughout Riftwatch Outpost. The Nomads who lingered for the training exposition scrambled to their feet and scattered through town. A low drumbeat kept a steady pace in the background, as wooden machines of war rolled squeaky wheels and pulleys all around them.

"Where are they?" Cy asked him. "Send us to the front lines. We're ready."

"Cy—what about Jules?" Envy asked.

"Patience, Cyrus." The Nomad pointed at a cloud. A zephyr emerged from it. Then another, and more still. The Nomad's eyes lit up, and his voice carried through the entire settlement.

«« Men—Today we honor the old ways. Kill all Elementalists on sight. No mercy, no quarter. Endure, and survive. I've but one other order: Leave The Iron Maiden to me. »» [The Nomad]

The Alter shifted his veiled gaze to Envy. "And ladies, of course. Follow me."

He led them through dunes of sand that whipped out of his way and carved a natural trench line through the land. Cy's heart could have beat out of his chest. Fear began to creep in, and he had to force it aside as best he could. Jules… You better come ready to fight—and you better not be possessed by Wrath.

Zephyr after zephyr—dozens of them—broke past cloud coverage on their descent. The first one landed on the furthest flat section of sand dunes, and the others followed. Even from here, Cy could read the Faction crests on the aircraft.

"So the Windjas and Elementalists are working together now?"

"Of course." The Nomad held up a fist, and everyone following them halted. "Kazuma delivered them many secret Scripts."

"And waited for this exact moment to call in the favor. Wonder which one he's in."

"Very astute of you, Envy." The Alter stretched his arms out to the sky, and Cy heard each and every joint crack and pop. Countless men exited the massive zephyrs, while their own machines of war exited out the back ramps. "But you won't meet Kazuma—not today. He sent someone else to do his bidding."

Someone else? Oh, of course.

"This is all She brought to fight us?" Cy asked. There had to be thousands of men ready for war on Her side, but the Nomads had tens of thousands of men in Riftwatch Outpost. Which one is She in?

"Oh, look—here She comes."

Cy followed The Nomad's masked gaze up to the sky. Piercing through a towering anvil-head cloud, a massive galley glided through the sky. It was a zephyr, to be sure, but it also looked very similar to the ship that Cy and his friends had commandeered in Marina Veridia. And on its sails fluttered Her Faction's crest. Why don't we attack it in the sky? She's wide open right now!

As if reading his mind, and likely the minds of all his men, The Nomad raised a hand again. The galley floated down to a sand dune, between both armies, but closer to its own forces. It turned sideways and landed with a thud that reverberated even to Cy's feet through the sand, and least a half mile away. The Nomad's voice echoed across the battlefield.

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«« Load your weapons. »» [The Nomad]

Springs clicked, wire spun and whirled, and swords clanged out of their sheaths. The smell of sweat, terror, and impending doom rose from the field in a way Cy couldn't explain. A massive door plopped down from the galley. Around a dozen men carried out a large rectangular box and placed it gently on the ground. All four sides collapsed down, and Cy saw it—and Her.

The cage was made of corroded wrought iron that laced into itself, and it appeared to rust in the dry heat and shifting sand. Spikes faced both outward and inward of the cage—No, not a cage. More like a torture contraption. A prison worse than Hell itself. A soft glow emanated from the woman inside.

"Cy…" Envy took one step closer to him, and he hushed her.

Tears streamed down the woman's face trapped inside. Trails of blood mixed with them. She had raven-black hair, but Her eyes were closed in pure agony. At this distance, Cy wasn't sure if it was Lust, or Her.

SHINK!!

The interior iron spikes extended—and the woman shrieked as they pierced Her organs and muscle all over. Worse than the Siren from their first Shrine, Her pitch was so loud and shrill it brought men to their knees, and even Cy had to cover his ears for fear of going deaf. Need every sense in this battle… His thoughts drifted to Jules, but he focused himself back down to earth.

SHUNK!

The spikes retracted, and the woman collapsed to the base of the trap, Her body leaning against the iron cage's wall, against its jagged rust. She clawed her hands up the interwoven intersections of heavy metal and pulled Herself back up to wavering feet. She looked up at them all, and opened dark, evil eyes. She placed one palm up to the cage's gate, then blew the entire damned thing apart.

Sand and dust scattered about with it. At first Cy saw Her legs, and then Her hands, both enwrapped in shackles bolted to trailing chains of barbed wire. Plain clothes came into view next, and then he saw Her—The Iron Maiden, in the flesh, and completely refreshed through whatever dark ritual She'd put herself through.

Behind Her stood two men, one of whom Cy recognized. Jafar. The other one held onto another woman by means of a chain—or a leash. She laid on the ground as if she were knocked out.

"That fucking bitch," The Nomad said under her breath.

The Iron Maiden waved Her hand up into the sky—and the chains clinked about Her—and a giant eye opened up in the sky.

"A Teleportal—"

"Kill them all!" The Nomad ordered. Trebuchets launched fiery boulders, ballista blasted spears, and other Nomads sprinted forward. The assault had begun.

From the eye in the sky, another fleet of zephyrs emerged. Iron Maiden crests, Elementalist crests—Shit! She really was ready to fight.

Envy and Cy remained by The Nomad's side, awaiting his orders. He sighed.

"This war was planned, and I was caught off guard. Of all people…" What? "Give me that Space Rune, child." Cy fumbled in his pockets then handed it to the Alter, who summoned a dozen Teleportals of his own like it was nothing, then tossed it back to Cy. "Knock some sense into Jafar for me, Cyrus. Envy, save Lust. Leave the other man to Wrath, and The Maiden to me."

The Alter walked toward the galley, and Cy and Envy followed. All around them, men fell to their deaths, taken down by arrows, by electric bolts, by icy spears, by balls of fire, but nothing crossed their paths. I wonder how much Ryoku the old man is using to shelter us.

The Nomad stopped when he was twenty or so paces from The Iron Maiden. Cy and Envy flanked his back, just like Her minions flanked Hers.

"Jafar." That was all a greeting mentor would give disciple. "Lust. Spider."

The Spider—So that's Patience!? The man with a snide grin tugged on the Lust's leash.

"I am surprised to see you, Nomad." The Iron Maiden's voice carried weight that attempted to push Cy into the ground, like it were quicksand.

"Good. That means your Foresight dwindles."

"Because of your interference. Along with—"

« Space » [The Nomad]

Cy felt his feet leave the ground for a second, but then they touched back down, about two hundred feet away from the Alter. The Alters. Greed, Lust, and Patience had been sent away with Cy and Envy.

"Greed, Patience—What'd you do to Sera?" Cy asked point blank. Greed took one step forward, but Patience held him back.

"Good dogs obey orders, and I told you to stay." Why would Jafar listen to Patience of all people?

"How are you tied to the Elementalists?" Greed ignored Cy and pressed Envy.

"I told you before, I'm not a fucking Elementalist," Envy said. Lust lunged at her, but the leash halted her midair, and she collapsed onto her back in the sand.

"Envy the Elementalist?" Patience taunted. "Hmm. You two bore me. I think I'll wait for Wrath. Try to survive until then so you can witness his death. Now doggies: sic 'em."

Lust lunged at Envy again, but this time Patience let go of the leash that trailed behind her. They collided, and Lust's force blew them far away.

"I told you, I'd rather fight the girl," Greed protested. "She's a spy for Kazuma, right under The Nomad's own nose."

Cy drew Tensa from his back while they argued. Kat will have to hold her own for a while.

"And this child before us sent you back to The Iron Bitch," Patience said. "Don't question orders, Jafar."

"To be fair, you tried to kill me and my friends," Cy replied.

"To be fair, you didn't send me to Her. Your mentor did—"

Greed's sword slammed down, and Cy raised Tensa just in time to block it. Blades shook against each other's power. How does he know who The Painter is, and my relationship to him? The Nomad is an obvious choice…

« Sand » « Stone » [Cy]

Sandstone encapsulated Greed's legs and trapped him in place.

"See? Elemental magic. Only proves my point."

"Everyone uses Elemental magic, you moron." Damn, Kat is really rubbing off on me. "And you're one to talk, you're literally fighting with the Elementalists against your own people!"

Greed squatted down and shattered the trap. "You're mistaken. I'm just forsaking the old ways to root out some weeds. And when the moment's right, I'll snuff out The Maiden Herself."

Patience yawned and directed his attention elsewhere. Asshole.

"You better focus on me, boy." Greed refitted the black, fingerless glove around his left hand. His eyes and the skull and crossbones on the Vessel lit up. "High time to break yours out, too. I'll only fight you with one at a time, how's that?"

Why would he do that? Conserving energy to fight The Maiden?

Cy slashed at Greed's temple, then at his chest, but he dodged each one. Gripping Tensa with both hands, he doubled down on the assault. The sooner I take him out, the better. Probably taunting me by using his weakest Vessels first—

Greed stopped Cy's swing midair by grabbing it with the gloved hand.

«« Reap, Masrur »» [Greed]

Cy elbowed Greed in the eye and withdrew Tensa's blade from his grip. The glove burned with black fire. Shit, I don't know if Tensa can touch that or not.

Greed launched a fiery haymaker at Cy's head. Cy leaned back to dodge it, but prepared himself for flames to burn his face, which never came. Instead, the fire extinguished, and Greed drew out the dagger from his bandolier and sliced open Cy's stomach.

Cy fell to his knees, and Jafar put one of his boots up to Cy's shoulder.

"How disappointing." Cy impaled himself with Tensa to heal, and the wild sight shocked Greed so much that he took a few steps back. "What the…?"

Cy stood back up and wiped some blood from his mouth, refreshed. I hate that I have to give that away so soon. He probably won't let me use that ability again.

Greed's eyes softened up and he howled and cackled into the growing night sky. "Oh, I see! What a Vessel you have. It'll look great with my collection. Here, let me show you another." The dagger slammed back into its sheath, and one of the many necklaces adorning Greed lit up.