The Fall of Gods: Book I: Chapter II: Act III

[The Alice in Wondeland]

"You must be referring to the Red Hand," Payne said while he sheathed his bayonet. "There's been quite a lot of rumors going around about them. I presume the lord high inquisitor assigned you to lead the investigation? It was about time he did. You won't believe how many times I've urged him to gather intel on the Red Hand. Sometimes I get the feeling that he isn't taking his job seriously at all." Payne smirked. "What am I saying. Of course he doesn't take his job seriously. You and I both know who he really is." Payne was referring to the fact that Montego wasn't in control of his own body: it was the Will of Iscariot who was pulling the strings in his mind. Payne leaned with his back against a wall. "You can count me in. This will be interesting. It's the first time our roles are reversed. Up until now, I've always been the one leading the missions." Payne did not mean this negatively. On the contrary: he was glad that his battle brother's skills were finally recognized by Montego. "Just give me a when and a where."

Cain strapped himself in to the fighter jet, checking to make sure he was secure and all his instruments were working. He had muted his com for a moment while he requested permission to take off. He flipped the com back on, and smiled. "What would work be without a little challenge between friends. You have 6 hours to meet me in a small cafe in Frankfurt called Der Traum Blume. Anymore than three seconds late and you'll be bying my meal." Cain's smile greew even wider as he took off into the sky in the military jet.

[Agadar]

Payne looked on his watch and smirked. "We've got a bet, Cain," he said playfully, after which he remained silent for a moment. "Cain, I know you're enthusiastic about this mission because it is the first time you're leading one, but until the job is done we need to remain professional. So no goofing around, alright?" Payne said with genuine concern and seriousness. Cain was young and despite having become a skilled superassassin, still had his naive moments, and Payne knew this.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Milus helplessly watched as Dugal and Fillipo continued to fight each other, Dugal bravely countering the Neo-Stigma corruption, destroying it, and then attempting to do the same thing with Fillipo. However, like the Rogue Inquisitors, he too realized that this was not going to be so beneficial for them. If things continued like they were, the bridge would fall, and while there were some in there who could save themselves, some were condemned to death if the bridge were to fall.

Milus also heard Sebastian's words, and, when the latter finished, he decided that he would have to help like he didn't before.

Summoning a great deal of kinetic force, Milus pushed Fillipo and Dugal apart, likely stunning them both. Then, while Fillipo was stunned he would be lifted up into the air and tossed off into the abyss by Milus' psychic powers.

"Dugal! Are you alright?" Milus called out.

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Payne looked on his watch and smirked. "We've got a bet, Cain," he said playfully, after which he remained silent for a moment. "Cain, I know you're enthusiastic about this mission because it is the first time you're leading one, but until the job is done we need to remain professional. So no goofing around, alright?" Payne said with genuine concern and seriousness. Cain was young and despite having become a skilled superassassin, still had his naive moments, and Payne knew this.

"You ought to know me better than that, Harold" Despite being only 17 Cain was one of the Inquisitions finest, and intended to act as such.

[Warhaven]

Japan...

Professor Iam Boring approached Vlad and greeted him with a nod of his head. He never bowed, ever.

"I thought you'd be interested to know, that since some of my projects remain on the backburner, and since idleness bores me to tears, I have been single handedly ressurecting Leviathan. Except, this one will be built to my standards, and you know how those are." Professor Boring, who was really Zeta in disguise said.

[Agadar]

Milus helplessly watched as Dugal and Fillipo continued to fight each other, Dugal bravely countering the Neo-Stigma corruption, destroying it, and then attempting to do the same thing with Fillipo. However, like the Rogue Inquisitors, he too realized that this was not going to be so beneficial for them. If things continued like they were, the bridge would fall, and while there were some in there who could save themselves, some were condemned to death if the bridge were to fall.

Milus also heard Sebastian's words, and, when the latter finished, he decided that he would have to help like he didn't before.

Summoning a great deal of kinetic force, Milus pushed Fillipo and Dugal apart, likely stunning them both. Then, while Fillipo was stunned he would be lifted up into the air and tossed off into the abyss by Milus' psychic powers.

"Dugal! Are you alright?" Milus called out.

Milus' kinetic blast blew the two struggling superwarriors apart, sending them flying in opposite directions. Immediately, Karl teleported right behind Dugal and caught him, preventing him from possibly falling right off the edge of the bridge. Meanwhile, Milus took hold of Fillipo with his teleketic powers and threw him into the abyss. Fillipo, whose headache caused by Dugal's soul manipulating powers felt like a thousand knives were penetrating his skull, couldn't do anything but hold his head in agony as he screamed "God damn it!" while he disappeared into the blackness below. The corrupted soul energy covered by the horrifying eyes followed its master down, cleansing the bridge and the walls of the enormous room from their own presence. It seemed that for now, the heroes were safe.

Sebastian casually walked up to Dugal, his fists still enveloped in flames. He squinted his eyes as he looked into Dugal's. "Are you alright, Dugal?" he asked suspiciously. It was possible that there were still traces of the Neostigma within Dugal, and Sebastian was not going to take any chances, especially not with a superhuman as powerful as him. Bardarus Bismarck landed on Snowflake's shoulder and carefully watched as the two conversed. Though he had faith in Dugal, Sebastian's suspicions were not ungrounded. He would wait and see how Dugal was going to respond.

In Milan, Payne smirked at Cain's self-confident remark. "Alright, I'll meet you in Frankfurt," he said, after which he disconnected the call. He stood up and looked at his two subordinate inquisitors, who had been waiting for him to finish his conversation with Cain. "Clean this place up and report back to Rome," Payne said as his eyes went over the room, which was quite literally a bloody mess after the fight against and subsequently the torturing of the superspy from the USNA. "Yes sir," the highest ranking of the two inquisitors said, after which Payne nodded approvingly and left the room, on his way to the Roman air force base in the city.

[Warhaven]

Japan:

Professor Boring started in surprise as his "phone" started beeping.

"My apologies Emperor. Science waits for no man. I must be elsewhere." Professor Boring said.

He disappeared.

....

In a secret location known to few on Earth, and even fewer off Earth, a computer alerted Janner to a message of the highest priority. There was only one source that could be considered such to Janner.

Once opened it would read as follows:

"Theta Class 389622-G AKA "Oberus Janner", you are hereby summoned to appear before The Board of Directors on The Warship. Immediatly."

[Agadar]

Hidden research centre, somewhere on Earth
"Mister Janner, you have received a message from the Board of Directors," a voice coming from the speakers said. Janner looked up from his e-reader. "Tell me what it says," he replied, after which he looked back on his e-reader. "You are summoned to appear before the Board. Immediately," the voice spoke. Janner sighed with annoyance. He was in the middle of analyzing the test results of the latest experiment he had performed on Silas, his current main project. If it had been anyone but the Directors who wished to speak to him, he would have promptly declined, probably accompanied with insults. He laid down his e-reader and stood up. "Set the teleporter location to number five," he said as he began to walk towards the teleportation control room. "Already been done, Mister Janner," the voice from the speakers said. Janner did not reply.

A great distance away, on board of the Warship, a bright flash briefly lit up the teleporter room. Oberus Janner had arrived. He immediately made his way towards the Conference Room, where the Board of Directors would be waiting for him. The automatic door of the Conference Room opened up for him as soon as it had identified him as Janner. The Roman scientist entered and was now being stared upon by the members of the Board. "Theta Class 389622-G, answering your summon," Janner said obediently, though with the typical annoyance and arrogance shared with many of his fellow Nasagori clones.

[Warhaven]

The Board was seated around a long table, A high backed chair at the other end. Each of the eight elderly men had their hands clasped before them, each had the same identical look of arrogance on their face. The Collective had no shortage of overwhelming ego.

Zeta turned around to face Janner.

"My dear Oberus, how good of you to join us. You'll be pleased to know that the annual reviews came around. Some members I'm afraid, didn't make the cut." Zeta said simply.

And that's where he stopped. Most clones at this point would've been unsettled and nervous. Failing the reviews meant Termination. Termination involved Death, and the complete erasure of your DNA and Mind from the databanks, leaving only your knowledge and memories behind. There was no ressurection.

"You in particular took us a good hour to get through, making you this years record holder for longest review. But it's the results we're here about. We've been looking over your work with the Roman government on Earth. We are, highly satisfied.

To that end, you are to be distinguished as Theta class no longer. Before you leave this vessal, I shall personally upload the Beta Class Mutation program into your Nanite Swarm within your blood. Over the next few days, you might feel a little strange, yes, but nothing that can't be handled." Zeta said.

"This promotion of course, brings with it access to more Collective resources. Such as a Genetic Replicator, and a Maturation Chamber. As well as the rights to either higher lab assistants from Earth, or clone up a couple yourself, provided you wish to have assistants." A board member said.

"Were there perhaps other resources you were interested in?" Another Board member asked.

Clearly there was more to be discussed, the expression on their faces said that much.

OOC:
Genetic Replicator: Specialized replicating device that reads DNA and creates the organic material accordingly. Can either replicate an entire organism, or parts there of. Uses large amounts of energy, and exotic resources it can self-replicate at the cost of higher energy demands.

Maturation Chamber: Advances the physical age of any organic material. Mostly used by the collective to age children into adults within a faster time frame according to how much power it uses. Can sustain proto-life forms such as a human fetus, nurturing it into infant hood and beyond.

[Jedi8246]

The Labyrinth
Dugal held tightly as he expanded the good within Fillipo's heart. But Dugal noticed as he went along that the force of pushing so much corruption was sending shockwaves throughout the ancient chamber. He quickly realized that if his grapple with Fillipo continued, the whole chamber might collapse. Dugal tried to think of a solution, but not one came. If he let go of Fillipo, it would simply allow Fillipo to attack him again. He had little choice but to hang on. Then something unexpected happened. A force blasted in-between them, sending them flying apart. Dugal flew away, only to be grabbed by Karl and teleported back with the others. Dugal landed on his knees, gasping. He looked up to see Milus hurl Fillipo away off the edge. Fillipo yelled out as he fell into darkness. The eyes fell into the pit with him and were gone.

Dugal got to his feet, a little shaken. It had been a difficult conflict for him. Sebastian approached him, his fists still covered in flames. He asked if he was alright, almost suspiciously. What did he think? That he still had Neostigma within him. Dugal had eradicated all traces within him, as far as he could tell. He met Sebastian's gaze.

"Yeah I'm fine. A little shaken, but otherwise good. Ok?"

He sheathed his sword and looked around. The bridge still connected to the other side.

"Well guys, you all ready to move forward?"

[Albertasby]

Both Snowflake and Melody felt slightly useless as the scene had played out in front of them. Both of the girls had just stood and watched as Fillipo and Dugal were torn apart, and the former fell to his apparent death. Snowflake smiled slightly, knowing that they had overcome the challenge, but her daughter remained sceptical and serious. It was beginning to become clear that Melody deeply regretted accompanying her mother in this labyrinth.

As Bismarck landed on Snowflake's shoulder, she looked right at him. She had known him for some time now, and still he was a mystery to her. "Bismark, answer me this truthfully. Do you honestly think we can make it out of here alive?" The graveness of the situation had hit her, and now she was beginning to worry about her safety, her daughter's safety, and also the safety of her friends and allies; most of whom were down here.

Melody was pushing to leave the chamber, as she still felt slightly at unease by the room. Without waiting for anyone to follow her, she ran through what seemed to be a door, and emerged into a dark, dark room. Using her control over light, she illuminated the room, revealing eight doors; one for each of them. "Guys! You need to come quick!" she shouted, so that those in the chamber could hear her.

[Agadar]

Sebastian put out his fires. Dugal seemed to be fine at first glance. "We're good to go," the rogue inquisitor said. When Snowflake asked Bismarck whether they would make it out alive, the owl turned his head to face her and nodded. Both the power as well as the resolve of those who were with them were great. Bismarck had faith in them. In all of them. As he always had. The group heard Melody shouting, and made their way towards the room with the doors. Sebastian and Karl both looked at Dugal. "Which one?" Sebastian asked.

[Jedi8246]

Dugal looked among the doors. He sensed the Will coming from, the far-most left door. He had a smile and pointed at the door.

"It's this way. Come on."

Dugal had a mixture of feelings as they left. While Fillipo had been insane and corrupted, he could have freed his mind. It didn't seem fair for him to die like that. Although Dugal's only previous encounter with the man was as enemies, they could have been allies. Dugal had long since switched to their side. Past rivalries and encounters could have been forgiven and forgotten. It would have been a new start. But no. Fillipo's death had seemed the only option. He wanted to get this mission over with. This Labyrinth already had held too many surprises for Dugal and they had only met two obstacles. The sooner they were done the better. The Will still felt a bit far off though. Dugal sighed and lead to them doorway and beyond.

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Frankfurt


Cain smiled as he took a sip of the sweet German coffee. Not too long ago he was at a similar cafe. Though, the cafes in Paris were a little nicer. He checked his watch. Payne had 13 more minutes until he would be picking up the tab on Cain's expensive tastes. Cain looked over his shoulder at the bank, wrapped in yellow caution tape, police swarming inside of it. He was already formulating a plan on how to get to the top of the organization, but it would require using most of Rome's background generation reasources, which would be difficult.

[Agadar]

The chamber which the heroes entered was awkwardly small compared to the two enormous rooms they had been in before. It was roughly ten feet high, ten feet wide, and twenty feet across. In front of the heroes stood a large and ancient wooden gate, most likely build during the old pre-medieval Roman period. Numerous candles resting on iron staves shone light upon the interior of the chamber. Marble busts of medieval Roman historical leaders and heroes were proudly presented against the walls. There was even a bookcase filled with old scrolls, covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. It was quiet in the room, despite the fact that someone or something obviously had lit the candles not too long ago. And indeed, there was movement within the shadows. From out of the shadow of the large wooden gate, a male hooded figure appeared. He stared upon the heroes for a moment in complete silence. Then suddenly, with an unimaginable speed, a second hooded figure had appeared right behind the closest of the heroes, which was Dugal, threateningly holding a bayonet against his throat, but not moving a single muscle. Then, the man standing in front of the gate spoke. "Who are you, and why have you come to the City of the Damned?"

Cafe 'Der Traum Blume', Frankfurt
A casually dressed man entered the cafe, and stood still in the little entrance hall as he took off his winter coat and hung it inbetween all of the other coats belonging to his fellow guests in the cafe. He gave a friendly nod to another man who was leaving the cafe, after which his gaze went across the room in search of a friend of his. He spotted his friend sitting at the bar, sipping from a steaming glass of coffee. The man made his way towards his friend, and kindly greeted him by laying his hand on his friend's shoulder and then taking a seat besides him. "Good morning, Cain," the man said with a friendly tone. It was, of course, Harold Payne.

Somewhere in Rome
It was late at night, but Dacarus Bartolt was still awake. He was sitting in a brown leather chair and was staring at two television screens, the light coming from the screens being the only light sources in the chamber. When the sound of knocking came from the door and the door opened, Dacarus did not even look to see who was entering. "Still up, Your Excellency?" a female voice asked. It was Celestia Morrigan. Dacarus did not reply. Celestia walked over to him, and looked upon the two television screens, which seemed to have Dacarus's undivided attention. The left screen showed Harold Montego in his bedroom. The lord high inquisitor was meditating upon his bed. His eyes closed, his arms and legs crossed. A strange blue aura seemed to have enveloped his skin. "What is Montego doing?" Celestia asked curiously. Dacarus sighed. "He does this every night. I'm not sure what he's doing. Perhaps he is speaking with the other Apostle's Wills. Perhaps he seeks an even stronger human to serve as his host. I don't know, and to be frank, I don't specifically care either." Celestia's gaze switched to the screen on the right, which showed another bedroom, this time with Ansed Booth laying upon the bed. He too was awake. Ansed held in his hand a photo, at which he was staring intensely. A tear went over his cheek. "Is he... crying?" Celestia asked. Dacarus did not reply.

The photo which Ansed was staring at was taken more than a decade ago. It showed Melody as a young baby girl, sleeping quietly in a crib. Around the crib stood many familiar figures: Snowflake, having a casual chat with Annette Fedorov and Max Morton. Dugal Cain, laughing together with Ansed. Bardarus Bismarck, who had fallen asleep in a comfortable chair, as was usual with people of his age. They were all so happy back then, despite the losses they had suffered during the Omega Crisis.

Ansed closed his eyes, and prayed to God that he would dream of those good old days.

[Jedi8246]

The Labyrinth
Dugal led the others through several passages, before emerging into a new chamber. This chamber was fairly smaller than the previous ones, which struck them all a little odd. Dugal looked about to see a large wooden gate, as well as bookcases. It looked very old,as if it had been sitting there for thousands of years. It probably had been. And yet not all was at rest. Candles with wax still hot stood throughout the chamber.

"Be slow and quiet. Someone else is here." Dugal whispered.

Alas, it was too late. A hooded figure stood in the gateway, unspeaking. Before Dugal could react, another hooded man appeared almost out of the thin air behind Dugal. A bayonet was pressed to Dugal's throat, softly poking him. A small drip of blood rolled down his neck. The first man then spoke. What was this about a City of the Damned?

"I am Dugal Cain. These are my allies." He pointed a thumb behind him at the others. "We have come here on a mission for the Pope of the Vatican and Romans. We seek an entity known as the Will of Peter. Please, do not harm us. We mean you none. What is this City of the Damned?"

---

Inside a Tunnel, The Rockies
Lucas and Dr Bishop crawled down the clean cut tunnel, deeper into the mountain. They didn't know what to expect, but the crawl was proving fairly easy. The surface had been so well cut that it was nearly a cinch. They crawled for sometime, until all traces of light were gone from behind them. Lucas didn't speak, allowing Dr Bishop to lead them wherever they needed. After a while, Lucas could begin to see some form of low light ahead of them. It seemed to be coming up out of the floor in a circular area. As they got closer, the light became clearer. Eventually, Dr Bishop came to a complete stop.

"This light comes from a hole in front of me. The drop seems survivable. I will go now."

Before Lucas could say anything, Dr Bishop dropped into the hole. Lucas sighed and followed him. At once, he fell through the air and into the unknown.

[Agadar]

The hooded figure standing in front of Dugal remained silent for a moment and slightly raised his head. "Dugal Cain?" he asked inquisitively. He knew that name. The hooded figure stepped forward to take a good look at Dugal's face. The man stared at Dugal for a moment, then looked at the other heroes. He recognized them. All of them, except for Milus and Melody. "Let him go," the hooded figure ordered his comrade, who was still holding his bayonet against Dugal's throat. The figure immediately loosened up, sheathed his bayonet, and positioned himself next to his fellow man. Both men now took off their hoods, revealing their bare faces in the light of the candles. It was uncertain whether Dugal and Snowflake would recognize the two men, but Bismarck, Sebastian and Karl definately would. The two figures standing in front of them were Marcus and Geraldus Palmer, the two brothers who had been members of the inquisition's Section 1, Max Morton's and later Sebastian's team, until their sudden and mysterious disappearance more than fourteen years ago.

Sebastian immediately stepped forward. "I'm glad to find the two of you are still alive, but what in God's name are you doing down here?" he said stoically, though a small hint of relief could be detected in his voice. Marcus sighed. "Shortly after the disappearance of lord Moretti, lord Morton tasked us with finding him. After several months, we had traced his footsteps to the entrance of the labyrinth. We thought we'd be fine if we were accompanied by the dungeon keepers, but... " he paused for a second. Geraldus finished his brother's sentence: "We were wrong. Dead wrong. We managed to locate lord Moretti, but something had happened to him. He seemed almost mad, and ordered us to leave him alone, or else he said he wouldn't be able to control himself. We refused, as we had our orders to bring him back to Rome. But when he started to become violent, we made a tactical retreat so that we could get in touch with lord Morton to ask what course of action we should take." Geraldus sighed. "Unfortunately, the labyrinth's reputation was not exaggerated in the slightest. We quite simply couldn't get out. We had memorized our every step both in our heads as well as our communicators, but those memories turned out to be wrong. Something, or someone, was messing around with us. I'm sure of it. We wandered around these halls and chambers until we stumbled upon the City of the Damned. It's what it says on the tin. It's a community of prisoners, both innocent and guilty, who have gathered to protect one another from the threats which lurk within the labyrinth. Despite its name, it's quite peaceful in the city. My brother and I are two of the people who ensure that no evil men or entities enter this place and do its inhabitants harm." A moment of silence broke Geraldus's long speech.

Marcus raised his head and looked Dugal in his eyes. "You said you were here to look for the Will of Peter. What makes you think it is here? And what ever happened to His Holiness if his Apostle's Will has left him? Is he... is he dead?"

[Jedi8246]

The Labyrinth
Dugal was relieved to know that these men were friends. He didn't exactly want to be stabbed in the neck. Dugal listened with interest as Sebastian talked to them about past events. Apparently they had been stuck down here a long time if they had taken orders from Max. He had been dead nearly 16 years. The one named Marcus then turned to him and asked some questions. Dugal answered.

"I know the Will of Peter is here based on intelligence that Sebastian and the others gathered. I can also sense the Will itself because I too wield a Will. We have been wandering here following my senses. As to his Holiness, he is not dead. He is right here. Allow him to explain himself."

Dugal focused briefly, creating a blue circle around them all. It created a pocket of the spirit world, where all people would be seen in their soul forms. Dugal's body revealed the glowing white robes again, as well as others showing spirit forms. Bismarck would be revealed in the owl's body. Max too could be revealed and come out of the sword and talk, if Max so chose.

[Agadar]

The souls of Bardarus Bismarck and Max Morton appeared in front of Marcus and Geraldus, who immediately bowed deeply. Max had the usual annoyed look on his face, while Bismarck said: "Stand up straight, Marcus, Geraldus. There's no need for formalities here." The two brothers rose. Geraldus looked at Bismarck. "Your Holiness, lord Morton, what happened to you? Why are you in the body of an owl and a sword? What happened to your own flesh and blood?" Max looked the other way, annoyed to have been reminded of the fact that he's dead. Bismarck on the other hand, kindly answered Geraldus's question. "It's a long story, Geraldus. We'll explain once all of us are somewhere safe. May we enter your city?" Geraldus nodded somewhat frantically, still overwhelmed by the whole situation. "Of course. Please, follow me," he said. He turned around and opened one of the gate's double doors. He stood aside, to allow the heroes to enter the city. Once they and his brother had entered, the gate was closed again. The companionship now found themselves in a large underground city: the City of the Damned. It was unexpectedly clean and aesthetic. The buildings littered throughout the enormous chamber had been build according to ancient Roman architecture, and the great majority of them were still fully intact. There were houses, shops, and even farms on which peculiar and exotic fruits and plants were being grown. The fantastically high ceiling resting above the city was as dark as a night without stars nor moonlight, but the city itself was lit up with numerous light sources, from candles to relatively modern lamps. It was without a doubt that a long time ago, this city had been used in a similar way as it was being used right now: as a safe haven for those who had been forced into the labyrinth.

Geraldus and Marcus led the heroes to a small marble building which served as a trading post as well as a cafe. Bismarck and Sebastian explained to Geraldus and Palmer what had happened during the past fourteen years. The two guardians listened with agony. The world above was in peril, so it seemed. Death and despair filled the streets of nations worldwide. The two brothers were so focussed on what they were being told, that they did not even pay the slightest attention to the hot beverages they had ordered, which by now had already cooled down to room temperature. When the entire story had been told, they leaned back, their minds trying to process everything they had just heard. After a moment of silence, Marcus leaned forward. "I fear that we can be of no help in your search for the Will of Peter. We never even knew it had left His Holiness, let alone that it was brought somewhere here in the labyrinth." Marcus was visibly disappointed with himself for that. Nevertheless, he carried on. "There may be one man who could help you reach the Will of Peter in one piece, though. The Keeper of the City. He's an old and sometimes grumpy guy, but he is the leader of those who protect this city, and his intentions are just. You can find him in the temple-like building in the middle of the city plaza. You can't miss it." Sebastian stood up, ready to seek out this Keeper. "What is his name?" he asked curiously. "Nobody knows," Geraldus answered, "And he's always stubbornly refused to answer that question himself." Sebastian frowned curiously, then turned his head to gaze into the distance, where he could already see the building Marcus had mentioned.

[Jedi8246]

Dugal listened to all of the new information with interest. Apparently these Palmer brothers were close allies to the Pope and such. Dugal didn't recognize them though. They must not have been part of the Inquisitors during the time of Londim. Either way, their next objective lay ahead. It was time to go. Dugal stood as well.

"Well it was very nice meeting you two. I'd ask you to come with us, but I'm sure you wish to remain here. If we retrieve the Will, we can come back for you. Good day."

With that, Dugal let the soul circle close. Everybody's normal attire returned, as the souls of Bismarck and Max returned to being invisible. Dugal turned around to lead the group towards the building with the Keeper.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Milus had been following the group ever since they went over to Melody's side when she called out to them. He followed Dugal as he led them in the direction he thought the Will of Peter was located, leading them to the two guardians of the City of the Damned instead. It appeared that the two guardians, the Palmer brothers, had a story with the Rogue Inquisitors, but he felt it unnecessary to inquire further. After all, whatever relation they had was none of his business.

After standing by as the newfound companions exchanged words with his friends and the Rogue Inquisitors, Milus followed Dugal as he headed to the large temple-like structure that was the place the Keeper of the City was located, at least according to Marcus and Geraldus Palmer.

[Agadar]

The grand temple was a beautiful sight to behold. Its grand marble pillars and walls were virtually untouched by time. Men dressed in the same dark blue hooded robes the Palmer brothers were wearing were standing guard at the entrances to the temple, but a single nod from Geraldus to one of his colleagues gave the heroes permission to enter. The interior of the temple was just as magnificent as its exterior. It consisted of two long hallways originating from four different entrances, crossing one another exactly in the middle of the temple. All four of the large chambers within the temple had a specific purpose. One of them served as the headquarters of the city's guardians, one as the Keeper's private library, another one housed a beautiful garden, and the last one was the private quarters of the Keeper.

When one of the guardians inside of the temple spotted the heroes, he nodded to them and politely pointed towards the entrance of the Keeper's library, indicating that they would be able to find him in there. And indeed, behind a desk littered with books and scrolls in the very centre of the library, sat an old grey-bearded man, who looked up to see who was entering, and closed the book he was reading. The Keeper leaned back and took a good look at each of the heroes before he finally said: "What brings you to the City of the Damned, Shepherd?"

The Warship
Janner remained silent while Zeta spoke. Despite the fact that most of the Nasagori clones found the Board of Directors to be nothing more but a nuisance and a distraction from their scientific works, being promoted by them was the greatest confirmation a clone could ever receive that their works were important and recognized. When Janner was asked whether there were any other resources he was interested in, he thought briefly. Janner was tempted to ask the Board for the locked documents regarding a certain cosmic being he was researching, but he decided not to. He did not want to have his research revealed to the Collective just yet, even though there was a possibility that the Board already knew of what Janner was doing. There was however something else which Janner desired to know, something about a rumor he had found while going through Mentar's research papers. And so Janner spoke: "Let it be known that I am grateful that you recognize my research. I thank you for the resources made available to me. They shall be put to good use." He paused for a moment. "There are currently no other resources I require immediately, but I do have a question for the members of the Board, assuming I am authorized to be given an answer to it." Janner squinted his eyes as he looked at Zeta. "I happened to have stumbled upon a rumor, which says that there are certain elements within the Collective which have become silently opposed to the Ministry. How much of this is true?"

[Warhaven]

The Board and The Director looked at each other, then at Zeta. Quickly each brought out the little pyramid that guarenteed absolute privacy. The room shrouded, each turned to a bank of consols.

"No sign of eaves dropping from The Cosmic Shadow dimension." One board member said.

"No traces of previous eaves dropping either." Another one said.

"All personnell within this room normal. We're clear." A different one said.

Zeta looked Janner dead in the eyes when he spoke.

"All of it." He said.


He cleared his thoat.

"For too long, the shadows have been directing the collective experiments. Morallity and ethics are irrelevant to the pure pursuits of science, yes, but some experiments are not truely faithful, if that option is taken away, experiments in sociology, and in a myriad of other areas. Such a minor issue, the larger one being that not everything you, and the rest of the collective has done, has been by your own will. Such as Neostigma research.

Don't misunderstand, Janner, your research has been quite interesting, and we await eagerly to see where you take it. It's groundbreaking enough, that it might very well earn you a seat on The Board of Directors, when number three here retires in a few years." Zeta said, pausing a moment for Janner to absorb the two big surprises he had been given.

The board member, known as number three smiled and nodded. Retiring was similar to execution, except it happened by free will. Not every clone wanted to live forever.

Having given Janner a few minutes to get over the fact that The Collective was indeed rebelling, and that Zeta was considering him for a future spot on The Board of Directors, in a few years, he continued on.

"Rome's position will not last. The truth shall be revealed, and Janner, be aware, The Ministry is here on Earth. When the truth is revealed, the time to strike shall come soon after." Zeta said.

"Now that that's accomplished, there are some side tasks we'd like your assistance with." Board Member number three said.

The privacy barrier was still up. Janner of course could not leave until it was dropped.

[Agadar]

A subtle, almost unseeable smirk appeared on Janner's face when he learned that the Board of Directors as a whole was plotting to dispose of the Ministry. His suspicions had been entirely correct. The news that he was considered to be a worthy candidate for the Board did not even come close to the importance and severity of the former news. Janner was not sure which side would win in an all-out war between the Collective and the Ministry. Nevertheless, it would leave behind an enormous power vacuum, and whoever would be left standing after such an epic war would be the ones filling that vacuum. The power that could possibly be Janner's entertained him to no end. The resources he would have. The experiments he would be able to perform. The researches he would be able to conduct. The things he would be able to discover and create. The possibilities would be endless. But he had to play this smart: he should not pick a side just yet. No, Janner would wait and observe. He would see which side would conquer the other, and then join the winning side. Or crush whatever was left standing.

When one of the members of the Board said that there were some tasks they required Janner's assistance with, the Roman scientist looked at him. "What tasks would those be?" he asked.

[Warhaven]

"Two things:

As I'm sure your aware, Omega saved seven entities better identified by the biblical reference, The Seven Deadly Sins. There are also several powerful families on Earth.

For your part, I need assistance acquiring the bloodling of the house of Bardarus. Also, if you can somehow get ahold of the bloodline of Melody Booth, that would be of tremendous assistance, I don't want to have to get her mother and father seperately, when their there so neatly combined in one teenager.

I'm also looking for the blood of The Cain Bloodline if you happen to come across them, and I'm sure I can secure the blood of the Reznov dynasty on by own.

The point being, under the category of my personal research, I'm going to see what happens, when I combined all those bloodlines, plus my own, and all seven deadly sins, into a single entity. Such a person, would be well worth studying. I think I'll call it, the Eighth Deadly Sin, Corruption. Since nearly every version of Rome once considered an eigth sin by the same name it seems appropriate." Zeta said.

"His power mad fantasies aside, we've also decided this Earth should be marked for Long-term preservation, and as such have decided to give it a more helping hand. For now, in secret, in the future, in public.

Zeta will soon unveil our educational methods in Japan. Your other task is to get Rome to adopt them. Amalgamation Corp will help spread it to the USNA. With the three largest powers adopting it, the rest of the world will fall in line and adopt it. The point being, current educational methods are lackluster at best, students remembering 50% at the most of everything they learn. Our methods have been proven to take that figure to 99%. We don't want a world of uneducated dolts fumbling other benefits we'll extend to this interesting and unique place in the future." Number 3 said.

"I'm not power mad, infact, according to nearly every psycho I've spoken to I'm perfectly normal." Zeta said, jokingly.

He got up and moved around to Janner, calculating the code which would turn Janner into a Beta.

"Oh, before you go, make sure you also put in for a mini-Quantum Reactor, unless you can already support the power requirements of Replicators and Maturation Chambers. I'd suggust you think about those Lab assistants too, since they could do most of these side projects for you, allowing you to concentrate more fully on Neostigma.

I wonder which is more corrupting, the ancient and legendary Hellfire which will soon be seen at its best, or the modern and continually improving Neostigma?" Zeta said as he came closer.

He didn't need to say it, having his own Genetic Replicators and Maturation chambers would allow Janner to produce clones of himself directly now.