Glitch IV: Chapter 2 Abduction

[LadyTevar]

"Leah. Leah honey, look at me." Angela wasn't a medic, but she'd kept her first aid card current, and shock was a real possibility.

The voice roused Leah slightly, and she looked in brief confusion at the small female goblin. She knew this person. The vectors, which had twitched slightly as Thog had moved, relaxed again. Yes, Leah knew this woman. She was safe too.

Angela was shocked when Leah turned her face out of Thog's shoulder. Her face looked as though she'd been dragged backward through Hell. "Oh, baby girl! What have they done to you?" she asked, mainly of herself. "In Vas Zu Mani!" (healing sleep)

Blessed, wonderful darkness, and a relief from her pain, however brief. Leah drifted off and knew no more.

[Charon]

Matt looked at the carvings that had been etched into the wall, reaching out some, the dark paladin/bookstore owner ran a leather covered hand down the etchings, his fingers slipping into the grooves. That hadn't been chiseled in. It looked more like it had burned in, but there weren't any scorch marks.

Matt stepped back and looked at the big picture. The carving above him was of a group of Dark Riders coming forth out of a great blackness, no, riding before the great blackness. They were heralds, heralds of what though? Matt moved on to the next carving. As the others moved on quickly, Matt was slow in his step, methodical, he did not seem rushed at all despite what he knew was coming. He could almost see it himself now, but there was something whispering just at the edges of his conciousness, calming him.

Matt shook his head and looked at the second carving. There were many more Dark Riders now, they were spread out among the worlds, doing the bidding of this great blackness, some were being fought, but the Dark Riders were not stopped. Coming to a stop Matt walked over to one of the figures carved into the wall, inspecting it closer. Raising a mailed arm Matt ran his fingers over the grooves, a sneer appearing on his face. "Cloud..." There were a few others that he recognized, including Derek and the other two that had been here last time, but they were dead now. Matt stepped back again, his fingers lingering on the image of Cloud, almost seeming to try to dig the face out of the carved stone itself. There were a lot of Dark Riders though, some faces he recognized from newer games, some from old classics. Above all of these though, was the council. Standing above the Dark Riders these demons in the form of game characters ran everything.

Matt shook his head slowly at how some of these heroes could have fallen as they did. Then he noticed that to the right of the carvings was a list, a long list, of all those who had become Dark Riders. Matt began running through the names, memorizing them quickly for later recall when he had access to a pen and paper. Some of the names even seemed to have been crossed out after the fact. Mostly minor names, none of the big guns were crossed out.

Matt moved on to the next carving, and he noticed it was more words.

I have walked the edge of the Abyss.
I have governed the unwilling.
I have witnessed countless empires break before me.
I have seen the most courageous soldiers fall away in fear.
I was there with the Angel at the tomb

I have seen your future.
And I have learned.

There will be no more Sadness. No more Anger. No more Envy.

M

Matt stopped cold as he read it. This wasn't the scrawling of some wannabe pretender to the thrown, this felt like the real deal. This was a message from The Glitch. Matt hung his head as he contemplated what all this meant when he noticed something strange on the floor, leaning in closer he noticed neat piles of stone dust that had collected under the scrawlings. These carvings were fresh. The Master must have known they were coming. Matt slowly got to his feet again. Had this been carved for them to read? He doubted that any of the council would be stupid enough to carve this message just in time to run away. This had been meant for them to read. Then Matt saw the last scrawl in the wall.

I live.

Matt felt a shiver run down his spine. "The Glitch..." was all he could whisper.

[Dark Silver]

[background music - Final Fantasy 7 - City of the Ancients ]
Hardly....

The voice resonated from the growing darkness in the hall, till only Ottomon remained illuminated, before the words scrawled into the dark stone.

The Glitch could never have done what I have accomplished. I have destroyed Robert Page, I have created a vast empire which bows to my whims. I have already eliminated the threat of the Earth. All that stands before me and unimaginable power......is yourself.

The cloaked form of the Master took a step forward, and suddenly he was next to Ottomon, his fist driving into the man's gut. The armored form of the Dark Paladin flew back, hitting a energy barrier, before crumpling to the ground.

Weak....broken....powerless to stop me.

Again, a flicker of speed, and the Master was ontop of Ottomon, looking into the man's face. For a brief moment, the light penetrated the shadows of the Master's hood, revealing the being beneath. It almost seemed planned, as the energy barrier fell, and ottomon was sent backwards again, the outstreched arm of the Master showing where he threw him.

Take this moment to reflect upon your life, Ottomon. I suppose on the eve of my eventual Godhood, venegence should really be beneath me...Ah well....no score to small to settle I always say.

With that, the Master stepped back into the growing darkness, and disappeared. In his place, small pinpricks of red light appeared, hundreds of eyes, as Bit Errors emerged from the walls and floor, forming from the void.

In the Master's place, stood Cloud, the demons wing wrapped around one shoulder, the First Tsurugi held lightly in a single hand, the lank white hair falling around his face.

"I heard you were looking for me.....your not Sephiroth..but you'll do...."

[Charon]

[background music - Mad World]

Matt coughed as he slowly got to his feet, his gut still felt like it had a hole punched through it. Breathing deeply the lone man looked behind him, at the doors that the others had only recently run out. How long would it be before they tried to come back in. Before they'd have to face this. Matthew looked back at Cloud and smiled briefly, it was kinda funny, now that he was facing him, revenge wasn't so important. Slipping the bandana that had once belonged to Yuffie around his arm, time seemed to slow down as the once fallen paladin looked around the shattered cathedral. The once proud statues of heroes and villains stood torn asunder, their faces cut, pieces of marble scattered along the ground.

Picking his sword up from the ground, Matthew turned and once again faced Cloud and the swarm of bit errors. "If you plan on getting past me, you'll have to do better than that."

Cloud smiled some. "Very well." The fallen hero held out one of his arms, and among the bitnulls, giant demons came up. "Perhaps you'll recognize some of these creatures from this world. Find solace in that when you die."

Matthew took another step back, and the minions of Cloud charged forward, intent on slaughtering the man. Matthew slipped into a ready stance and drew his blade up as though ready to go into a stabbing motion. Tensing for a moment, the air around the dark paladin grew darker, more sinister, many of the charging bit errors turned from their course to avoid the man's aura of despair. As the remaining swarm continued it's charge, Matthew whispered a prayer to the dark god, in response his weapon began to glow with an eerie malevolence. Yelling out, Matthew met the charge of nulls.

The black blade cut deeply, slicing through a half-dozen errors as the paladin ducked and scrambeled under the arms of a demon. As the errors diverted to fall upon him, Matthew turned on his heel and brought his blade into the leg of the demon he had just passed, without any seeming resistance the blade sliced cleanly through the demons leg and brought it down to the ground. Jumping up into the air, Matthew was bated out of the air by a seeming wall of errors as they crashed head-long into the hero. Bouncing along the ground from the impact Matthew crashed into the walls of the cathedral. Scrambling to his feet another swipe of his black blade destroyed a half-dozen more errors as he tried to gain distance on the creatures. Passing by the demon he had brought down before Matt barely spared a moments thought in removing the creature's head from it's neck as he continued to run, whispering another prayer under his breath.

Matthew ran headlong into the base of the statue of Megaman, the shattered base could not support the weight of the statue as it fell, crushing another demon under it's weight as well as dozens of errors. Matthew scrambled away from the statue, turning to examine where the other creatures were. Suddenly half his vision became blurred, then gone. Matthew felt something warm running down his face. Swinging his blade wildly, the fallen paladin caught the demon that had plucked out his right eye in the ribcage, cleanly bisecting it. Matthew staggered back as the pain hit him, he continued to swing his blade wildly as he backed up against a wall. The three remaining demons circled the hero, their gigantic mouths grinning in victory while the errors around them began to chirp in glee. Snarling Matt charged again.

Ducking low, the half-blinded paladin passed beneath the swiping blades of the demons. Coming to a quick stop, his armored feet skidding across the ground some, Matthew changed his direction back towards the demons, his blade calling out almost as it was driven deep into the demon's back, with a quick twist and pull, the blade exited the demon's body through his collarbone. Pushing off the body as it began to disintigrate, Matthew saw that Cloud had started walking towards the doors. "No!"

Matthew yelled as he charged forward, 20 feet, 15 feet, 10 feet. Then there was the sound of crunching as Matthew came to a sudden stop. Pulling forward Matthew found he couldn't move forward, turning back the dark paladin learned why, his left arm had been caught in the mouth of one of the demons, who held the bleeding limb with a fury. Matthew looked back at Cloud with hate in his eyes as the white-haired former hero simply smiled and turned back towards the doors and began walking again. Yelling out Matthew turned his blade on the creature, but as he did the enchantment upon it faded, and without it, he found himself unable to cut the demon down. Gritting his teeth Matthew continued to bring his blade down on the creature's mouth, but against the armored hide of the creature, his efforts were for naught though. Cloud was getting closer to the door now, in desperation Matthew brought his sword down on the creature's mouth harder, and in response to this, his blade broke in half. Without even the briefest of pauses Matthew began bringing the blade down on his own arm, slowly cutting through the flesh and muscle and bone as blood and flesh spurted from the wound, splattering on the floor and on Matthew's face as he continued to slam the blade down on his own arm. With a satisfying snap, the bones broke and another tug from Matthew tore the rest of the flesh that was holding him.

"Cloud! DIE!"

Matthew charged forward, holding his shattered blade in one hand as he dashed madly towards Cloud. He saw Cloud turn to face him again, shifting the giant blade from his shoulder, the failed experiment drove his sword forward. Matthew's eyes bulged as the blade drove through his armor and into his body, carving through flesh, muscle, and organ. Coughing up blood the dark paladin staggered backwards, pulling himself off of Cloud's blade. Matthew's hand became limp, the shattered blade he'd held dropping to the floor, clattering on the bloodstained marble and sliding away. Matthew dropped down to his knees as Cloud turned away from him again.

Matthew screamed in frustration, anger, and sadness. His death knell ringing out, passing through the stone walls of the cathedral and ringing clearly throughout the entire town.

[Devonie]

Jules stopped her headlong flight as the scream passed her and spun around.

"No!" she screamed and ran back toward the castle, knowing even as she ran that she would be too late, yet not able to stop herself from trying.

She came to a screeching halt in the door of the hall. Bit Errors, Demons, Blood.... and a blank-eyed Cloud walking away from a near-dead Matt. "Oh my God!" she whispered.

Immediately the horde of bit errors turned their attention to the door. Jules blinked as she realized they were looking at *her*.

She turned again and sprinted back down the path. "Thog! We've got company! RUN!!"

[Agent Fisher]

Decimus heard the scream and saw Jules run forward and then back towards them. When he heard the words 'got company', he raised his blaster. "Thog, go back and find another exit. I don't think this one is going to work.

[SirNitram]

Thog looked up at the Bit Errors, frowning deeply. He held Leah closer, and hoisted his hammer. "Fall back, run da odda way!" Yea, he wasn't at his brightest. He thundered away from the errors, hurling the hammer at the door. It shattered under a throw that was pure brutal strength, and the hammer.. Swung back into his hand. So the Half-Giant and the others thundered down the hallways, trying to keep away from the horde.

[Charon]

[Background Music- Savior]

Get up.

What?

Get up hero, there is work to be done.

I’ve done all that I can, I’m dying, I can’t do anymore.

Not as you are, no.

You’re that one aren’t you? The thing that gave Al and Leah their powers.

Get up, and destroy that which is plaguing the system.

Cloud didn’t notice as the air began to shift and spin in the building, nor did the others as they ran for their lives from the horde Matthew had given his life to stall. Cloud's minions did notice however, and in their fear they began trampling over one another to get away.

Slowly, the prone body of Matt began to get to its feet. Blue energy seemed to be radiating around him as his body as it shifted armor here, twisted musculature there. Soon the energy dissipated, and Cloud came to a stop just in front of the door, turning back around to see that had happened.

Matthew Hielmer stood tall, staring at Cloud with his one good eye, dressed in black armor. Where his missing forearm had been, there was now a prosthetic limb, carrying a repeating crossbow on it. Placed on his shoulder, held by his good arm, rested a giant sword.

“Like I said, if you plan on getting past me you’ll have to do better than that.â€

[Dark Silver]

Cloud was dead, Matthew was ascended, his power enough to defeat one of the more tenacious of the Fallen.

The Master watched from a distance, his robes settled over his frame loosely, disguising any sense of person, not even a visible portion of face beneath the cowl.

They won, this small round. MORGANNA was destroyed, Cloud was eliminated, the bulk of the Riders destroyed. But there was still a chance to obtain victory. He simply needed to cross over.

The trek would be long, he could not just teleport to the site of the Portal, he would have to travel. He knew already they would follow, he would see to it that they followed. But first, he'd let them rest. He required it also.

Then he'd travel south.

[Shark Bait]

(OOC: finally i post...)

Ted scratched the back of his head with the pen in his hand trying as hard as he could not to yawn. He had spent the last few days awake at the local hospital, he owed them many favors and they had tapped him for Psych rotations and victim counseling. There was a massive flood of distraught family members with the grey death floating around and he was more than qualified for crisis counseling. It looked like Mrs. Markovnikov was coming to a pause in her incomprehensible sob choked speech about missing her husband, so Ted reached out and held her hand.

“Once he was admitted we put him on pain killers he went very peacefully.â€

[Dark Silver]

The pinprick opened to a full sized portal, a brief window between both worlds. On one side, the human world, the other, a room in the local inn, hardwood floor, a fireplace - cold and dark in the middle of the Zion day - and a bed.

Ted tumbled out of the portal, as the energy which sustained it withered and diminished by the crossing. Ted, wearing the flesh and clothing of Vadlenar, landed with a resounding thump onto the hard wood floor.

The figure which stood over Vadlenar, drapped in his black robes, face hidden. His voice echoed from all parts of the room, and seemingly beyond, You are not Fitzroy.....

The Master seemed to scowl down at the prone Warlock his clawed hand rising towards the human, a reg glow forming around it.

Vadlenar was only saved thanks to the window crashing in, sending shards of glass at the cloaked figure, even as two others entered. One was weilding a large sword, the other not so much as swung in, as fell face first, holding a large gun - both were dressed in red.

"Stop right there, Master!" Auron shouted, as the dark clad figure instead ran to the door.

Auron and Vash gave chase without checking on Vadlenar, their quarry close by.

[Shark Bait]

Ted looked down at his hands they were the wrong color and long and knotted, his head still hurt as he looked around the room while Vash and Auron chased after the robed figure. Ted pushed himself up to his knees as a wave of nausea washed over him, he forced himself to stand and staggered towards the door.

“What in the name of god….â€

[Charon]

Matt's head suddenly turned to the side as the sound of gunfire. "Trouble."

Matt turned and gave chase, slipping the giant sword he held back into it's holster behind him. The others should be safe for now, but if there was something else going on, it would be best to stop it before they reached the group. He glanced back before he was out of sight. "Stay here."

With that Matt disappeared around a bend.

Matthew charged forward heedless of danger, his eyes spotted a shattered window and he slowed some, but then a black cloaked figure flew down the street and disappeared behind the bank. Matthew growled. "Derek..." and gave chase, running full speed into the two men in red who were giving chase as well.

[frigidmagi]

Magneto followed, he did not run, that was beneath him. Instead he flew through the air. When he sighted his prey he tore metal from his surrounding and flung it towards the runner, wrapping his legs and spinning him upside down in mid air.

"None escape us. We are Magneto." He firmly declared.

[Agent Fisher]

Jack, in Decimus's body, just stared after them. "What the fuck was that about?" He checked his blaster to make sure it was fully loaded. "Ok, Al, where to now?"

[Shark Bait]

Ted stumbled down the hall and out the door of the inn trying to follow Auron and Vash he shook his head as he walked, it was still throbbing painfully as he began to chase them down the street. He really hoped that Auron and Vash were still on his side, they were the closest thing to an ally he could think of at the moment.

[Dark Silver]

You humans do get annoying... the cloaked figure spoke even as Magneto turned him upside down.

Auron and Vash where running out of the inn he had just left, Matthew and Magneto where there, Magneto had him suspended in the air. They surely thought they had him. He could let them think that was so, but that would only delay them.

Besides, without Fitzroy here, he'd be that much longer to getting to his destination. No time to dilly-dally. Still, he needed a moment. Taking out Auron and Vash would be a large step in delaying the interlopers.

So...you have me.....now what will you do Magnus? It is not like you could kill me, even your vaunted Mutant Powers pale to what I can weild.....

[frigidmagi]

A chunck of metal "accidently" slapped the back of the monster's head before it wrapped around his arms. Magneto only smiled in reply.

[Rukia]

Rory as Sivri took a second to decide what to do next.

"Well I'm not gonna stick around here and twiddle my thumbs. I'm going with them." She unholstered her gun and checked her daggers. Then she took off down the hall following Matt and Magneto.

[Charon]

Matt growled as he brought his sword around to prepare an attack. For now he was ignoring Vash and Auron, they weren't important. Killing the master now was.

Yelling out Matt launched forward, he had to hit him now, while he was still so sure of himself and might need just a little time to break free. The massive blade blurred as Matt swung horizontally, aiming directly for the Master's gut as he would pass by.

[Dark Silver]

Magneto's little "accident" barely phased the dark cloaked figure, even as the metal wrapped around his body. Auron and Vash appeared just as Matthew was preparing his slice into the Master.

Vash'sgun rang out through Star's Cove, the bullets impacting into Matthew's blade, and sendin it into the ground.

"NO!" Vash called out, "We can't kill him."

Auron was already nearing Magneto, "Let him down Magnus, but keep him bound. As much grief he has caused, he is the key to getting all of you home and securing your world's safety."

[frigidmagi]

"There is no more Magnus. We have become Magneto." Magneto said quietly has he lowered the master.

[SirNitram]

"If mutant powers aren't enough, how about an Ascended?" Came the voice. Albert was at peace, calm, as he stared down the Master.

"I suggest you start talking fast. Spilling the beans, as the saying goes. I'm already considering your weakpoints."

[Rukia]

Siv watched silently. The one man that needed to be killed most was the key to their servival. -Well that fits...- She looked at The master, then Magneto, then Al, but she spoke top Vash. "What happens when we let him go? Won't he just try and get rid of all of us in one fell swoop?" She looked at the Master again, "Not that he couldn't do it now anyway...."

[Charon]

Matt brought his blade up again and slung it on his shoulder as he looked back at Vash and Auron.

"If he's to be believed, he's already 'eliminated the threat of earth'. Though I know don't believe him." Matthew looked the master square in the eyes. "After all, he screwed up killing me, he can't be that powerful." Matthew grinned as he coaxed the vastly more powerful being.