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Starving Children The barren landscape scrolled past the windows as Vince and Robert sped down the countryside on their bus. Robert drove, and Vincent gazed out the windows. Both of them were silent. They had seen the destruction the demons could cause, and yet, the devastation had never failed to leave them awe struck. It was the day after they had moved into Paetre Cave. Stephanie had come to him in tears that morning, crying about how she had forgotten to bring supplies from Pedos and that they would now all starve to death. She blamed herself. It had taken all the words that Vince knew and more to calm her down. They had used the radio in the bus to find an open frequency and request some supplies. A man called Sikton Koftus from the city of Turin had answered their call, offering aid, but they would have to go to Turin to retrieve them. Thus, here was Vince and Robert driving to the city of Turin while Stephanie and Alice stayed back to defend Paetre and care for the children. They had been driving for almost an hour now, and finally, something came into view. It looked like a military complex. Huge stone walls had been erected around the entire area and people were walking around carrying guns and sharp blades. If it weren't for the fact that half the people here were wearing white Alliatus robes and the other half were dressed in civilian clothing, Vince could have easily mistaken the place for an actual military base. Carefully, Robert guided the bus toward a gate. Guards were stationed on either side. "Hi, I'm Vincent from Pedos," he told a guard through a rolled down window. "I radioed in about an hour ago about getting some supplies." "Right, I heard about this," the guard replied. He then switched on his radio. "The refugees have arrived to pick up their foodstuffs. Request gate open." "Roger that," came the reply, distorted through radio technology. "Opening gate." With a loud mechanical whir, the gate opened, both of its doors swinging outward. The inside of the base looked even more like military, with large concrete buildings reminiscent of bunkers and barracks. Various trucks and vehicles moved about inside the city walls, some painted with desert camouflage, some painted with Alliatus white and silver, and some just painted like regular civilian cars. "All right, come on in," the guard invited. "Just follow that blue pickup. He'll take you to the supply depot." "All right, thanks," Vince said as he rolled the window back up. Vince and Robert followed the truck in their bus and soon arrived at a small square building made of rusted steel. Standing in front of it was a slender woman in white robes carrying a staff--a Priestess, Vince thought. Robert stopped the engine, and he and Vincent exited the bus. The Alliatus personnel from the blue truck emerged. "I am Priestess Klaire Koftus," the Priestess said, reaching her right hand out to Robert. "Robert Ginns," Robert said as he shook her hand. "Pleasure meeting you." "Vincent Zeng," Vince said as he shook the Priestess's hand. "Vincent Zeng..." the Priestess said to herself. "Why does that name sound familiar?" Vince froze with fear. At a time like this, would they still be worrying about the Dark Fiends? "Maybe someone mentioned it to you," Robert said with an overdramatic grin on his face. "They probably mentioned his name when they said we were on our way." "No, that's impossible," Klaire said, still lost in thought. "They said that the people who radioed in from Pedos never said their names..." Suddenly, a look of horror flooded her face. "DARK FIEND!" she shouted as she raised her staff and pointed it at Vince. Vince took a step back. Robert took a step to the side. "This man is a Dark Fiend!" the Priestess yelled. "Look, I'm not the enemy," Vince tried to explain. "You are a minion of the Shadow," the Priestess accused with an authoritative voice. She took another step forward, forcing Vince to take another step back. "How can you not be the enemy?" "First of all, you're at war with Hades, not the Shadow," Vince explained. "Second of all, I turned my back on Skias. I'm not working for him. I'm on your side." "He lies," said one of the Paladins, who had drawn his sword. "You lie!" the Priestess shouted, taking yet another step toward Vince. "You're actually here on a covert op to get some food for some Shadow camp, aren't you? Did Pedos get taken by the Shadow?" "No! No! Pedos was taken by the demons," Vince said. "We fled to the caves. We're just trying to surv--" "Taken by the demons?" the Priestess asked. "Have Hades and the Shadow allied, then?" "You're not listening to me!" Vince shouted. "I'm telling you, I'm not part of Shadow OR Hades." "We won't fall for any of your tricks, Dark Fiend!" the Priestess spoke forcefully, taking another step toward Vince, again forcing him back. "Priestess, please!" Vince pleaded. At this point, Robert noticed that the Priestess had moved far enough so that she had her back to him. That and she was in range. Quickly, Robert dashed forward, grabbed her staff in his left hand, and slammed her side with his knee. The Priestess grunted in pain and dropped her staff, which Robert tossed aside. Then, with his left arm, he grabbed her from behind. With his right hand, he drew his handgun and pressed the barrel against the Priestess's right temple. She gasped. The two Paladins from the blue truck raised their swords into combat stance. "Nobody move!" Robert shouted. "Drop your swords, or else I'll shoot." The two Paladins looked at each other, then dropped their swords. "Robert, there's no need to resort to violence," Vince pleaded. "These people are humans. They aren't our enemies." "I know they aren't," Robert replied. "But we need the food, and as we both know, talking isn't going to work." "Robert--" "Vince, I didn't want to go to this level either," Robert said. "I didn't want to have to threaten in order to get what we want, but I already thought through the different possibilities, and this was the best I could do. I'm sorry, Vince." "Robert..." "Just trust me on this one." "...All right." Robert turned to one of the Paladins, and as he did, he pulled the Priestess around to keep her in grasp. She squealed in fear. "You!" Robert cried to the Paladin. "Open that door for us." The Paladin looked around for a way out, then gave up and went to the door of the rusted steel building. After he inputted a series of numbers into the panel, they heard a click, and the door came open. The Paladin pulled open the door, revealing shelves so packed with boxes that there wasn't even an inch of air between them. Most of the boxes were made of brown cardboard and were labeled "Food", "Weapons", or some other type of supplies. Some of the boxes, however, were made of steel and were unlabeled, but this was certainly not the time to ask. "Okay, Vince," Robert said. "Let's go see what we--Ahhh!" Suddenly, Robert clutched at his head, dropping Klaire in the process. The Priestess whirled around, and a look of joyous relief entered her face. "Sikton!" she cried. "What?" Vince yelled, confused. Vince turned to where the Priestess was looking at and saw a man in silver chain mail. The man's mid-length hair fluttered in the wind as he held his left hand to the side of his forehead. The strangest feature, however, was the silver mask he wore on his face. Even the eyes were made of tinted glass, so Vince could not see a square inch of skin on him. "I'll take care of these two," the man said in a muffled voice. "Just be sure to lock up the supply depot." The man placed his other hand on the other side of his forehead, and Robert screamed again. "Sorry, Vince!" Robert shouted through the agony. "I can't control it." Vince turned to face his friend, only to see him raise his gun and point it at him. Robert's entire body was convulsing violently. "Robert, what's going on?" Vince asked. "That guy," Robert groaned. "He's got like mind control or someth--" The gun fired. It had been pointed directly at Vince's heart. Under any other circumstances, it would have been lethal, but Vince was a Dark Fiend. The magma came forth from his skin just in time, catching the pistol's blast before solidifying into red dragon armor. The Dark Fiend of the Inferno turned toward the masked man. "Let him go!" he shouted. "Bow down to me," was the masked man's reply. Suddenly, an excruciating pain entered Vince's head. His vision became clouded. Vince felt his muscles loosen up as multi-colored clouds and ribbons danced all around him. "Dark Fiend," came the masked man's voice, this time from within his own mind. "Dark Fiend, you will die!" Vince screamed as the pain heightened. Was there anything he could do? How do you fight against an enemy who attacks your very consciousness? "Focus!" said a voice. It surprised him. He had only heard this voice once in his life before, and that was the day he received his Inferno Armor. "Y-you!" Vince exclaimed in his mind. "How is this possible?" "Focus," the voice repeated. "And you will be able to fight." Vince focused his mind. He concentrated his thoughts on his surroundings. He visualized himself opening his eyes. Remembering that there were two Paladins, a Priestess, and a man in a mask, he tried to picture their exact location in his mind. Soon, the fog lifted, and Vince could see again. He and Robert had fallen to the floor and were bowing. Behind him, the two Paladins had their swords readied, possibly for an emergency. In front of them were the masked man, who still kept both hands on his forehead, and Klaire, who stood beside him. Vince tried to move, but it felt as though his whole body were encased in solid blocks of concrete. "Focus," Vince reminded himself. As he pushed against the magical force that held him in place, Vince could feel a magic burning painfully in his flesh. His lungs gave a cry of rage, and his body fired off a powerful shockwave. Screaming his fury, Vince broke through the magic and stood up. "You've broken free?" the masked man said. "How interesting." "I'll take care of him," the Priestess offered. "No, I can handle him," the masked man replied. Vince felt the magic pressing on his limbs again, but with a battle cry, he forced it off and charged toward the masked man. Suddenly, he felt a stinging pain in his back. The force of the attack knocked him off balance and threw him to the floor. Slowly, Vince climbed back to his feet and glanced behind him, searching for the source of the attack. Robert stood a few yards behind him, pointing his blaster at him. "Robert?" Vince asked, surprised. "I'm sorry, Vince," Robert replied. "I can't control it. It's the masked--" Before Robert could finish, his fingers moved, sending another energy particle at Vince. The Dark Fiend tried to dodge the shot, but Robert fired more, and not only did he fire quickly, but Robert had some damn good aim. One shot hit him in the leg, and Vince tripped and fell to the floor. Another shot hit him in the waist. The next shot was aimed at his face--a kill shot. Quickly, Vince put his arms up to his face and formed a shield. The shot rammed into the barrier of flame and dissipated while the Inferno Fiend gathered more energy into his hand. Throwing his hands forward again, Vince let a fireball fly at his friend. Robert screamed as the fireball exploded in his face. As he staggered backward, he clutched his face with his free hand. "Sorry, Robert," Vince said, climbing back onto his wounded leg. Taking advantage of Robert's momentary disorientation, Vince charged. Yet, he never arrived. Guided by the masked man's magic, Robert regained his balance impossibly fast and readied his gun. However, this time, the gun wasn't pointed at Vince. Robert was aiming into his own forehead. "Vince!" Robert screamed. Vince stopped. "What?" he cried, turning to the masked man. "You--" "Surrender," the masked man said simply. "Or else he dies." In his heart, Vince felt nothing but rage. How could a man from the Alliatus use such vile tactics on him? Using mind control to make him fight his own friends, threatening to make his friend kill himself, how dishonorable could this man get? But there was nothing he could do. Vince fell to his knees, still seething with rage. "Klaire," the masked man said to the Priestess. "Finish him." The Priestess drew a dagger from the masked man's belt. She waved her hand around it, and it started to glow with Holy energy. Slowly, she walked up to Vince, readying the dagger to strike. All the different possibilities ran through his head. If he attacked the Priestess or tried to block her attack, the masked man would indubitably kill Robert. If he tried to attack the masked man from long range, he would kill Robert. He could try to stop Robert from shooting himself, but at this distance, it would be impossible to reach him on time. What could he do other than take the (most likely) fatal blow? Apparently, Robert didn't have the power to break free from the masked man's control by himself. Otherwise, he would have done so by now. After they killed him off, what would they do to Robert? If they were dishonorable enough to use such tactics, how could Vince assume they be honorable enough to let Robert live? Even if they did, there would be no way Robert would be able to deliver the food back to the children at Paetre Cave. The children would starve. There was a chance that Vince could fight back and get the food to the children himself, but Robert would die. Was it worth the risk? What was more important, his best friend or a camp full of hungry children? He didn't want to be responsible for Robert's death, but what choice did he have? Did he really want to have another death on his conscience? Who else had he let die? Tina... No, he couldn't let Robert die. "I'm sorry," Vince whispered. Time was up, the Priestess was right in front of him, ready to strike. Vince closed his eyes, accepting his death, but not wanting to see it arrive. He waited for the killing blow. But the blade never arrived. "We're under attack!" cried a nearby voice. Vince's eyes snapped open. Both Paladins, the Priestess, and the masked man had turned away from him, looking toward a Mystic who was running toward them, screaming at the top of his lungs. "We're under attack!" he repeated. "The Demon Army!" "What?" the Priestess asked. "Here? Impossible!" From the corner of his eye, he saw the messenger Mystic being dog-piled by a squadron of diminutive demons. The Mystic screamed as they clawed into his body, and moments later, they scattered, leaving behind his bloodstained robes. One of the demons noticed the Priestess and leapt at her. The Priestess' blade, still held inches from Vince's face, suddenly moved away and sliced the infernal being in half. A gunshot rang out. Vince spun around, fearing the worst. Robert was standing his ground, blasting away at incoming demons. Apparently, with the demon attack, the masked man had released him to take care of a more threatening force. A demon leapt at the Inferno Fiend. Vince kicked it aside and sprinted toward the supply depot's door. "Robert, guard the bus," Vince said as he ran right past his friend. "I'm gonna get some supplies." Vince grabbed the handle and pulled, but the door wouldn't budge. Apparently, one of the Paladins locked it after the masked man showed up. Focusing the energies in his palm, Vince formed a fireball, smashed the control panel, and tore right through the lock. Kicking the door open, he ran inside and started grabbing some boxes. When he came back out, there were four boxes of food balanced on his arms. Unfortunately, at that moment, two demons decided to leap at him. Vincent swore. "With these heavy boxes on me, I can barely defend myself." He took a few steps back, preparing for impact, but gunshots rang out, and the demons were torn apart by energy blasts. "I got you covered," Robert yelled from the bus. "Just hurry up and load the supplies." Vince nodded. He quickly loaded the bus with the four boxes. Then, he made another trip and grabbed four more boxes. Then, as Robert still provided him with cover fire, he grabbed three boxes of blankets and spare clothing and one box of munitions. "All right, that's enough," Vince said as he tossed Robert the keys. "We should get our asses out of here." "Okay, I'm on it," Robert replied. Robert started the engine as Vince pulled the bus door shut just in time to see a demon smack face first into the glass. Robert slammed his foot on the gas, and the bus, tires screeching, sped away. As they raced toward the main gate, they ran into and over anything and everything in their path--demon, Paladin, someone's SUV, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered now was their own survival. "Vince," Robert said. "Yeah, I'll clear the way," Vince responded. The Inferno Fiend opened the bus door and leaned out. Waving his hand, he fired a blaze, scorching everything in their path, be it living or non-living. When they arrived at the main gate, they found it closed and locked. Robert stepped on the brakes and turned the bus, which skidded and threatened to turn over. Vince had to grab onto the seat behind him to keep himself from being thrown out the bus. Finally, they came to a stop when the bus sideswiped into a jeep, which turned over and crushed a few demons. "Over there," Vince said, pointing at a spot on the wall. The gate had been closed, but the demons had to have entered the city somehow, and Vince was pointing at that "somehow". There was a hole in the stone wall, about 20 feet wide. "Yeah, I see it," Robert nodded. They began moving again as Robert steered the bus in a large arc to guide the bus out through the gap. Just as they arrived, however, a fat, ugly demon stepped into the city through the hole and blocked their way. It was 12 feet tall, 10 feet wide, green menace. With a shout, Vince threw a burning blaze into the demon's belly, cutting it open, and the bus plowed right through the demon. When they emerged from its back, covered in demon blood and entrails, the great beast roared and fell over. The impact had knocked Vince off his feet and tipped a supply box on its side, but the bus was still moving, and from here, it was smooth sailing. The battle was behind them. Giving a sigh of relief, Vince rolled the bus door shut. Suddenly, a something smashed into the dirt in front of them, sending flames and debris in all directions. Robert barely had time to swerve out of the way. "Whoa!" Vince exclaimed. "What the--" He looked through each of the windows in turn until he saw something to his right and far in front of him. It appeared to be a giant sand-colored wurm with many segments. It was hard to tell at this distance, but the beast looked maybe ten, fifteen feet in diameter and a couple hundred feet in length. The wurm let out a shrill cry and raised its head to the sky. Like a cannon, the beast spat an orb of flame from its mouth and sent it flying toward Turin. "What the hell is that?" Robert asked. "I'm not sure," Vince replied. "No doubt it's one of Hades' weapons. We should probably avoid it." Robert nodded and turned the bus to the left, sending it on a great detour. Soon, several more of the wurms came into view, and every one of them started spitting fireballs at the city. The roar of the wurms filled the air with high-pitched squeals. "By the Heavens," Vince whispered under his breath. "I hope we don't have to fight those," Robert said as he steered the bus across the landscape. |