Wrath Reincarnated

JULES

The war continued around them. The clanging of metal on metal, of wood being splintered and blasted apart. Explosions as zephyrs crashed from the sky. The whirring of trebuchet-launched sandstone and their inevitable demolishing thuds. And the desperate cries of fallen men.

Jules only glanced around for a moment, to take it all in. When he returned his attention to Greed, the Sin's Regeneration had fully seamed him up—though a literal black seam remained from the patchwork mending job.

"A blessing and a curse," Jules said under his breath.

"What, my dick?" Greed wrapped his cloak Vessel around himself and mended his clothes with some Script.

"Piss off. You gonna honor our deal?" Jules stretched out his left hand, and Greed glanced at the other, still wrapped tightly in white flames and lightning.

"Afraid there's no other choice for me." Greed ignored the help and got to his feet on his own. Their gazes leveled out on each other's. Greed reached behind his back and tossed Tensa back to Cyrus.

"I suppose that was the white flag I was looking for." Jules dis-Integrated Rukia from the Sound, and she shot out and rolled a line through the sand off toward Katarina. He inspected his metal Vessel, which had returned to its form in his fight with Patience, before it'd been tainted by Seraphina. No, not her. Wrath said someone else was responsible for that. "You know, you broke my sword before—"

"Screw your squabbles, Jules—You betrayed me!" Seraphina stormed over to Greed. "You let that happen to me and you just watched like a coward!" She pounded her fists into his chest, and Greed took it all on the chin. "The Desert Mouse? The Desert Rat would be more fitting!"

"And you just about killed me." Everyone looked to Katarina.

"I hate to break all this up." Cyrus wobbled to his feet and grabbed Tensa. "But you all seem to forget that I'm the only one here who can die. If we're gonna fight Her, I hope you all remember that fact."

"SHUT UP CY!"

"Yes, Cyrus. Be quiet." Whiskers waddled over to Katarina. He kept raising his paws up every so often, like the hot sand scorched his tender little paws.

"I don't know what that Black Sac did to you, Sera, but I think you really almost killed me. After everything we went through to save you in the past few weeks, but you were just too weak to fight it."

"Kat!" Jules snapped, but her glare shut him up.

"How can we trust this guy, Jules?" Cyrus asked. "He betrayed his own people, and Sera here, and teamed up with Her."

"And after all my family did for you," Seraphina muttered. "The lengths they went to in order to help The Nomad free you in the 16th War—"

"He still thinks we are Elementalists." That sure silenced them.

"I know she's an Elementalist," Greed said without remorse, without reading the room. "Kazuma himself hands out those red crystals to his inner circle. I've had the pleasure of killing a few before."

A Script later, Katarina had daggers at Greed's throat and shoved Seraphina aside. "What'd they look like?" What'd they fucking look like!?"

"See what I mean?" Greed smiled widely, then nudged her dagger blade away with just two fingers. Katarina seemed shocked at even herself. "After The Iron Maiden falls, I come for you next."

I need to let The Iron Maiden weaken him before that fight's over. The cruelty of his own thought sent a shiver down Jules' spine. "Greed. Sera. You've spent time with Her. We need to exploit her weak points—any weakness will do."

"She has none."

"Patience knows."

Jules stared at Greed, then glanced at his friends. "Let's go get him, then."

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"Afraid he's already fled the battlefield," Greed said. "Bad habit of his."

"Apparently not in the 16th War," Jules snapped back.

"Aye." Greed's voice dropped low. "Those were different times. A few years before the Voice found him." Wrath. Greed glared at Jules, and he knew that the other had made some sort of connection—if not the wrong one—to the voices in his own head.

"Where's your Familiar?"

"I warned you!" Greed took one step forward, into Seraphina, but restrained himself when he cast guilty eyes on her. "Don't bring her into this."

"I can see it." Once again, everyone looked to Katarina. "I noticed it on Sera, the strings that went to the eye in the sky." Each of theirs trailed up to it. "She has one—just one—that extends up there, too. Jules…"

"You don't mean she's taken the Black Sacrament Herself?" Jules' line of questioning was interrupted by Kaizen, whom Rukia materialized from her Shaman Beads.

"No, she has not. But she more scattered all about the battlefield, ready to go." Seraphina jumped back from the ghost.

"The fuck are you?" Greed asked. He doesn't seem very surprised…

"He's my past iteration of Wrath," Jules said, though he chose to keep Kaizen's name to himself. "How do you know this, and why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Wrath cannot possess me, so I am able to commune with him a bit more…risk-free." I'm sure. "Lust, do you have any memories of being controlled?"

She balked and went to clutch a necklace on her chest long gone. "I don't… I don't remember any of it."

"Oh thank Salvos." Jules sighed in relief, and Seraphina gave him an odd look.

"Uh huh." Shit. I guess Kat saw it after all.

"But it feels like I've been in the Shadow Realm, the aftermath effects of it."

"Yeah, I fought That Bitch there," Katarina said. "She looks nothing like that chick over there."

"You don't say…" What are you thinking, Cy? "I doubt the Black Sacrament could work on Her. The amount of power it would take to control an Alter, but then again…" His eyes trailed up to the open Teleportal in the sky. She might be controlled right now. When does this all end?

"Well if She does take communion, as Zeke called it, I can use my Seal again."

"Right—so who the fuck is Zeke?" Greed crossed his arms. "You know what? I don't care. I'm fully healed and ready to fight everyone here. Can we go yet?"

"Jules." Cyrus walked over to them finally. "Out there, with Her—Are you going to keep holding back?" Greed snarled. Can't hide anything from you.

"Seems I'm not the only one. Rukia's got more to offer than I thought."

"Hey, thanks!" Rukia panted, then abruptly stopped. "Hey, wait a minute…"

"So you're saying that you held back against me? Me!?" Greed shook his head and swayed back and forth. "Even if that were true—and it's bullshit—you don't have enough strength to take Her out alone, so let's get on with it. We can start by using that Unlock Rune of yours—"

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

Even the Familiars and Kaizen jumped in on that one, the latter of which truly came to Jules' surprise. Greed ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Whatever. To death and glory, then."

"Wait," Cyrus said. "Why don't we just send her back through that Teleportal and lock Her up? Then we can flee with The Nomad."

"That's quite unlike you, Cyrus." Whiskers laced himself through Cyrus' feet. "Why are you so scared? She is an Alter, after all. Is their magnetic effect wearing off on you, perhaps?"

"I risk my life when the odds are in my favor, or I'm cornered. Tonight, they aren't, and I'm not feeling very boxed in right now. We are not ready for this fight."

"If we join forces with The Nomad, we can all weaken Her and let Jules finish Her off," Katarina said. "End it here."

"We can trap Her in another level of the Shadow Realm," Seraphina said. "It's dangerous and I haven't mastered it yet… But I'd do anything to see Her feel the same pain She inflicted upon me." Whoah.

"Holy shit, you fools are a good time!" Greed doubled over laughing. "Ya know what? If that's the level of planning we're going in here with, why don't you all just let me solo Her?" With how you threatened Kat, don't tempt me.

A not so far-off explosion erupted. The Alters. A trail of sand shot out of the sandstorm like a firework. The sand fizzled out, but something spun in the air and headed straight for them. They scattered away from each other, and the massive odachi struck blade-first into the sand between them. They all looked at it without a word.

Another explosion preceded a battle cry that was cut short. Every one of them understood what it meant.

Greed clicked his tongue, sheathed his dagger and scimitar, then walked over and claimed the Vessel as his own. Brandishing his new, massive weapon with one hand and slung across both shoulders behind his neck, he marched toward the galley ship, alone. "The last grain of sand has fallen. Time's up."

"The Nomad…" Seraphina trailed off.

"Has fallen," Raven finished. They and Cyrus followed Greed's lead.

"We will catch up. I need to speak to Kat alone."

Greed and Seraphina exchanged curious looks that quickly distorted back to mutual malice and spite.

"Come on, leave them." Cyrus ushered the others away, even Rukia and Whiskers, until they were out of earshot.

"You did what you had to do—"

"What? Oh, no, Kat. Not that." Jules looked to the sky. He hated what he knew he had to ask. He hoped he could wait until Mount Fury. But now that might not be the case. "It's about the Sound of Fury."

"Uh huh. Sure. Fire away." She crossed her arms.

"Kaizen said I have to Unlock my Seal to fully assemble it and wield it. Rukia said I have to assemble it to stop the Apocalypse. The real Rukia—Look, it's a long story, and we don't have time now. I'll tell you when it's over. But he said there is one way to lock it back up…"

"Ok…" Her eyes narrowed, and the hope he'd had that she'd figure it out dwindled away.

"I need a tool, similar to Greed's glove Vessel, to wield it after I reseal it…"

Katarina's eyes winced, then twitched. Her brows furrowed, and after a brief moment, her features softened back up. She walked away from him to join the others. Shit. Shit shit!

"Don't sweat it, Jules. I'd do anything for you." She snapped over her shoulder, beckoning him to follow. "I'm sure he'll have fun Forging it for you."