Chains of Corruption Pt. 02

"How did you break my control?" The clone asks in frustration.

Astrid responds by tackling him to the ground with a sickening thud. Her bare fists slam into the golden mask as the clone's limbs struggle in vain beneath her. Astrid relents for a moment and places her hands on each side of the clone's head.

"I'm going to ask you some questions and the first time I don't like your answer, I'm going to kill you, understand?" Astrid says as she leans down closer to the battered clone. "Who are you?"

His mask, twisted into a snarl with teeth grit, conceals his expression but from his tone you assume he is smiling as he says, "I am the third."

Astrid digs her claws into his flesh and says, "Good, now what the hell are you doing here?"

Third ignores her and snaps his head toward you. You suddenly feel very heavy and to your horror, your arm moves on its own and draws your sword. Astrid immediately releases her energy and Third thrashes around violently as you regain control over your body. After a few moments, Third lies motionless and Astrid gets up and dusts herself off.

You sense something around the bend in the canyon and say, "I don't think he was alone."

Your group carefully makes its way around the corner but are met only with more darkness. Hesitant about walking into another trap, you stare into the darkness for a moment until you hear footsteps. Another clone calmly walks forward and unenthusiastically claps his hands twice.

"Well done, I thought it would take you longer to make it here." He says without emotion.

You see his mask's apathetic expression and recognize him as Second. He seemed uninterested in you the first time you met, but now he stands alone and ready to fight.

"You're the one that ate Fourth, right?" Astrid asks as she clenches her fists.

"I was merely reclaiming the energy Nero had given to him." Second replies.

Astrid scoffs and says, "Thought so."

Astrid charges in but before she gets close, tendrils of dark energy burst out of Second's back and ensnare her. Rendered immobile, Astrid watches helplessly as Second reaches out toward you. You grab Mara's hand and try to run, but more tendrils emerge and tear her from your hands before binding you.

C.C. tries to avoid them by taking to the skies, but the tendrils seem to have no limit as they shoot out and grab her by the ankle. She is slowly pulled back down as she tries to struggle in vain. Priscilla manages to dodge and gets close to Astrid but when she attacks the tendrils, her dagger shatters. Before she can regain her footing, her limbs are restrained and she is brought to her knees alongside Astrid.

Second calmly walks forward, seemingly unhindered by the myriad of tendrils coming out of his back. He comes to a stop a few feet away and watches your group's reactions as he makes the tendrils constrict even tighter.

Struggling against the pressure wrapped around your throat you manage to say, "Why are... you doing t-this?"

Second turns toward you and walks closer before replying, "By my hand or his, all of you will meet your end." He looks around at your friends as they struggle against their bindings before he continues, "You were a curiosity, but I suppose you have reached your limit. I will deliver your energy and he will have to be satisfied with that."

Second stands up and raises his arms as the tendrils increase the pressure around your neck. From the look on everyone else's faces, they are in the same condition. Your mind races as you struggle to breathe and suddenly you have an idea. Mara was able to completely reverse the effects of Megumi's pollen by altering it's frequency, maybe you can do something similar.

You begin to concentrate but when you try to match Second's frequency, you are overcome with intense pain. It feels like needles are poking into every pore on your body and it makes it even more difficult to focus. You finally match his frequency but when you release your energy, Second snaps his head toward you.

He lowers his arms and cocks his head as you continue feeding your energy into the tendrils. You feel them loosen slightly, but Second releases a massive pulse of energy and the tendrils become tighter than before.

"Does this feel familiar? Fourth was a fool for relying on his ability so you might not have felt it in full." Second says as he walks closer.

He lets out another pulse of energy and the tendrils force your group face first into the dirt as he says, "Third used all of his energy to take control of others, and was quite vulnerable as I'm sure you're aware, but his power still pales in comparison to mine."

Another pulse of energy, dwarfed only by Nero's ungodly presence, erupts around Second as he says, "How far can you push yourself human?"

You are having a hard time hearing his words as you desperately try to stay synced with his energy. The momentary relief before he began demonstrating his power proved it's possible to fight back, but only if you can surpass his overwhelming amount of energy. You feel a familiar sensation surging through your body as your energy skyrockets and you are enveloped in an aura of white fire.

The aura makes the pain a little more bearable and allows you to release even more energy into the tendril around your neck. It loosens enough that you can now breathe, but you know your friends are still in danger and won't last much longer. Second raises his hand toward you and the tendrils squeeze until your armor begins to creak. Strangely, the one around your neck doesn't move at all and so you try to focus on the others.

As he slowly loses control over the tendrils binding you, Second backs away and says, "This is... I see. That was his plan all along, very well then."

Just as you are able to stand, Second releases his power in full and the tendrils force you back down to your knees. The white fire aura isn't enough anymore but there is something else. The massive amount of divine energy Mara accidentally gave to you is finally going to be useful.

You look up toward Second with anger in your eyes and focus on the tendrils as you let your energy flow into them. You feel the pain intensifying as the seconds turn to minutes, but one by one, you gain control over the tendrils. You grab a tendril in each hand and close your eyes as your energy slowly overpowers Second's.

You begin to realize the other tendrils that were wrapped around you react whenever you give them energy. It's difficult to do both at once, but you manage to make the tendrils move as you command, although not as effectively as Second can.

His control is weakening and you see your friends still straining to get free. You let your energy flow unrestricted and it drives Second to his knees. You feel your energy flowing along all of the tendrils, but you also feel lightheaded. You drop to your knees but manage to keep your grip as you take full control of Second's tendrils.

You feel blood dripping from your nose as you make the final push and overwhelm Second. One by one you release your friends from bondage and encircle Second with his own weapon. The tendrils coil around Second's entire body and hold him in place as the rest straighten out and impale him.

Despite his normally calm demeanor, you get the feeling Second is smiling as he says, "I'm certain he will enjoy devouring you much more than that child."

You have heard enough and you have the tendrils constrict until they begin twisting in on themselves. You cut the flow of energy and immediately feel woozy as your power fades, but you manage to stay on your feet. The tendrils go limp and fall to the ground with a thud. The gory mess between them doesn't even resemble a human shape anymore.

Chapter 15 - Bitter Reality

You wipe the blood from your nose and try to stand. Your muscles feel like jelly but Priscilla helps you to your feet.

"I think we should leave before any more show up." Priscilla says.

You nod and reply, "Yeah, I need to rest."

You carefully make your way back through the web of razor wires and enter the Valkyria.

"Oh my gosh, what happened?" Mary says as she helps Priscilla bring you to your room.

"I'm alright, just a little banged up." You reassure her.

You lay down and take a deep breath before saying, "Thanks, I'll be fine."

Priscilla nods and says, "I'll go let Sid know we've returned."

Priscilla leaves the room and a few minutes later you feel the ship take off. You manage to get a little sleep, but Ardent City wasn't that far away and Astrid comes to wake you up a short time later.

"Hey wake up already, we're here." Astrid says.

You crawl out of bed, still groggy but feeling slightly better.

"What's up?" You ask as Astrid blocks the doorway.

She leans in close and says, "I think your little friend might have had something to do with our engine problem earlier."

You sigh and say, "What has she done to make you so suspicious of her?"

Astrid looks angry and says, "I saw her coming from below deck right before we went down. And what about Second and Third? You think they just happened to be waiting right where we landed?"

She has a point, you can't deny that, but the fact remains that Mary hasn't done anything worthy of suspicion.

"I-I don't know, she was here with Gwen and Kira while we were fighting and nothing happened." You say.

Astrid scoffs and says, "Yeah because she probably expected us to die down there."

You sigh and say, "I understand what you're saying, and I'll try to keep my eyes open, but can you try to give her a break?"

Astrid rolls her eyes and moves out of the way as she says, "Whatever, don't come crying to me if something happens."

As you follow Astrid to the lounge, Mara passes by and grabs your hand. She leads you into Priscilla's room and closes the door.

"What's wrong?" You ask.

Mara looks up at you but says nothing as she places her small hands on your thighs. You feel her energy building but she suddenly looks sad and her energy wanes.

"I can't do it anymore..." Mara says meekly.

"Do what?" You ask.

"I can't take my power back from you anymore. It's changed too much." Mara replies.

You hear a knock at the door and open it to see Mary.

"Um, I left my jacket in here. Can I grab it?" Mary asks.

You nod and let her in before continuing your conversation.

You think for a moment before saying, "So that's it then? I can't go back to my world now?"

Mara shakes her head and says, "No, it's still possible but you have to be extremely careful. Your energy is already beginning to merge with the divine energy. I can try to put a seal on you, but you won't be able to use magic..."

You stop her and say, "Then don't do it. Nero is still out there and we might need this power."

"Mika... I can seal him away like we planned. There can't be very many of his clones left, I'm sure we can handle the rest on our own. This is our world, let us protect it." Mara says.

"This might not be my home, but I have friends here and I won't sit by while they fight someone like Nero. I have this power and so I should use it to help put an end to this." You reply.

Mary finds her jacket on the floor and as she's leaving she turns to you and says, "I, um, I just wanted to say thank you Mika. I don't really understand why you can't go back with us, but I know Gwen is just as grateful that you're doing all of this so that we can still go home."

You nod and then turn to Mara and say, "See? I have to keep going, there's really no other choice now."

Mara looks like she is holding back tears as she nods and then walks past you into the hallway. You sigh and walk up to the bridge where your friends are waiting.

"So what happened with the engine?" You ask.

Sid shrugs and says, "Somebody dropped a wrench into the intake. Chewed through quite a few expensive parts before the sensors kicked in and I shut it off. We'll get it taken care of in no time though, Ardent is really the perfect place for repairs with all these skilled machinists in town."

"That's a relief, the last thing we need is to be stuck on foot." You say.

Astrid grabs C.C.'s hand and says, "We're going to the bar, see you later."

"Hey hold up, why don't we all go?" You suggest.

Astrid shrugs and says, "Fine, whatever."

You take Gwen and follow your group down into the city. It's midday and the sun is beating down as usual making it terribly hot. The climate of Ardent and the surrounding desert has never been your favorite but at least the buildings stay nice and cool on the inside. You walk into the tavern and take a seat in the corner near your friends. After ordering a round of drinks, the conversation shifts to a more serious note.

"So Astrid, what was your plan to convince the people here to let the demons stay?" You ask.

Astrid sighs and says, "I was thinking about bringing the rest of our stym, but I don't even know if it will grow here."

"What's stym?" You ask.

"Hey that's a great idea! Stym is a really nutritious root that grows in our world. I think it would grow just fine out here in the desert, and it tastes good too." C.C. says with a smile.

Priscilla thinks for a moment and says, "Being able to provide more food for the city would be a generous offer, but will it be enough?"

Astrid shrugs and says, "I guess we could always force them."

You shake your head and say, "No, you don't want them to think you're another Iliya. It has to be their decision, but maybe I can try to help convince them."

"Yeah, it just pisses me off that we have such a shitty reputation here because of her." Astrid says before taking a long drink. She sighs and says, "I am gonna miss this ale on the other side though."

The realization that Astrid will soon be gone, trapped in the demon world with her brother and Nero, sets in quickly and the table goes quiet. You still haven't talked to her like Raith asked, but do you even have the right? If you were in her shoes you would do the same, but still, a part of you doesn't want her to go.

"What the hell? Don't get all gloomy now, I already told you, this is what I want." Astrid says without a hint of remorse.

Mara wipes a tear from her eye and says, "I'm so sorry, I should be the one fighting Nero, but instead all I can do is seal him away."

"And I told you to stop apologizing. It doesn't do anyone any good. Do something about it if you're sorry." Astrid says coldly.

Mara nods and says, "I will, I promise to make things right, no matter what."

"Yeah, you'd better." Astrid quietly says under her breath.

"Wow, so you're like, super strong then Mara?" Mary asks.

Mara shakes her head and says, "This body can't handle my energy very well, so I can only use my powers for a short time. I'm afraid everyone here is more powerful than me right now."

Mary hugs Mara and says, "Aww, well next time you can keep me company ok?"

Mara smiles and you softly laugh as Mary nearly chokes on what you assume to be her first taste of ale. Time passes and although the sun has just set, the previous battle took it's toll on you and you begin to feel tired.

"I think I'm gonna head back to the ship." You say with a yawn.

Astrid nods and says, "I'm gonna go talk to the mayor and see if he likes the idea of a new food source. I don't think I'll tell him the rest just yet though. I'll catch up with you later."

Priscilla stands up and says, "I want to get a few things from one of the local shops. I have an idea for something that might prove to Astrid that Mary is who she says she is."

You wave as they leave and then say, "Are the rest of you going with me back to the ship then?"

C.C. nods and says, "Yup I guess so. Hold on, I'll pay our tab."

You wait for C.C. outside and a few minutes later she glides out with a smile.

"What took so long?" You ask.

"Astrid really put a dent in the liquor cabinet on the ship so I asked the owner if he could restock it for me." C.C. says with a wink.

You laugh as you make your way back to the docks and take the lift up. Once inside the Valkyria, you head to your room and throw yourself onto the bed. Gwen isn't far behind and soon you drift off to sleep.

An explosion knocks you off the bed and as you get up off the floor you see Astrid run down the hall. Smoke is billowing down the hallway and after making sure Gwen is alright, you notice Mara isn't in your room. You walk out and see that a huge circular hole has been opened in the side of the ship at the end of the hallway.

"What happened?" You ask.

Priscilla walks over and rubs her head while saying, "I finished a device that would allow me to check Mary's circuits. She agreed to let me use it, but when I got close... It was as if I blinked and Mary was gone, then I heard the explosion."

Fear begins to set in as you replay your interactions with Mary over and over in your head. 'Nothing seemed off, but was she just acting? No, she knew too much about Earth, but then again she was taking an interest in Mara.' You think as you take another look outside.

Astrid is standing near the edge and as you peer into the desert night she says, "Somehow, I told you so doesn't feel as satisfying when there's a big hole in the side of our fucking ship."

Ignoring her remark, you reply, "Have you seen Mara?"

"I think Mary had her under her arm when she ran outside." Astrid says.

Dread sets in as you leap through the hole and land on the docks below. 'Damn! How could I have been so stupid!' You think to yourself as you scan the surroundings for Mara. Your friends aren't far behind and as they land on the docks next to you, you hear a voice.

"There you are Mika, I wanted to thank you before I left." A familiar voice says from above.

You look up and see Mary smiling as Mara struggles under her arm.

"Mary, what are you doing? Are you really one of them?" You ask, trying to buy time to think of a way to rescue Mara.

Mary cocks her head to the side and smiles. Suddenly, black slime begins to pour from her eyes, nose, and mouth. Her haunting visage and eerie smile scare the hell out of you, but you can't back down. The slime begins changing color and soon Mary's face is covered in a smiling golden mask as her flesh turns black.

The thick goo splashes onto the metal floor as she runs her hands over her body and says, "What's wrong Mika? Should I have taken your mother's form as well?"

Angry at being deceived by her you respond, "I don't care what you look like, I'm going to kill you."

Nero slowly walks forward from behind Mary and says, "Is that so? That's a tall order, considering you've lost your goddess."

Nero holds out his hand and Mary hands Mara over to him. He takes Mara by the throat and holds her up as her small feet hang over the edge of the platform.

"No, stop!" You scream, but it's too late.

Nero drives his other hand straight through Mara's chest and blood pours from the little girl's body. She spasms and weakly resists, but after a few moments, her body goes limp. Nero scoffs and tosses her corpse over the edge and you rush to catch her. Just before she hits your arms, her body bursts into several golden spheres that quickly fly off into the night sky.

Nero smiles as you cling to Mara's bloody dress, the only remnant of her left. Tears stream down your cheeks as you scream and realize all hope is lost now. Rage and regret cloud your mind as you look back up at Nero, but no words come to mind.

"I've wasted enough time with you people. First, finish them off and bring me their energy." Nero says with a wave of his hand.

You look toward Mary as you stand, ready to tear her to pieces, but instead she turns around and walks away with Nero. The docks begin to shake as Nero opens a portal and leaves with Mary in tow.

"Come back here you bitch! I'll kill you!" You scream, though they pay no attention to your cries.