So, I went and checked out this intruder and found Zero waiting for me... I'm not stupid. I knew what was up the moment I saw her. I approached cautiously.
"Great timing. Showing up while I'm in a cemetary... You need something, Archangel?"
Zero shook her head and simply remained standing there. I wasn't entirely sure what it wanted, but it's presence was unnerving.
I didn't have much more time to think about it as Nathan arrived. He was wearing the mask again. That strange chef's hat mask.
It occurred to me that I recognized that mask... When I had worked for The Convocation there had been talk of a Fear Mercenary. A servant not to one Fear, but almost all of them. Doing jobs for each of them as some sort of arbiter and blessed with power from each of his patrons... This was him... The Fear Arbiter. Well... That explained a lot... It might even explain The Archangel's presence.
The stories said that The archangel had never approved of The Arbiter's existence... There was supposed to be some animosity there... Had The Archangel come to watch the fight? Surely he could have done that without making his presence known... Was he going to get involved? His help would be useful, but I hoped not. I wanted to settle this myself. I approached Nathan and pointed my Machete at him. He had been staring at The Archangel, but turned his attention back to me.
"You ready to end this? You ready to die on the ground that sits above your sister's corpse?" I asked. Pissing people off was always one of my favourite parts of fighting, but it was arguably stupid here. I mean the guy was, as he said, as pissed off as he'd ever be and could already crush me like a bug, so trying to make him angrier, was probably really really stupid. Regardless it didn't work anyway.
"Yes," he simply responded and then glanced at The Archangel again, "Who is that? A friend of yours?" he asked. I was a little shocked. It was strange to me that he couldn't tell The Archangel, though I guess he didn't know about Zero... He wasn't one of the children... He was just related to one of their members. So, seeing Zero didn't mean anything to him. This revelation did not, however, at the time present any advantage, so I simply shrugged.
"No friend of mine," I responded and then charged at him. I swung my machete and he sidestepped, hesitating just slightly, as he glanced between where I assume my copy was and then where I was before grabbing my head, pulling me forward and slamming his knee into my gut. There was probably a knack to fighting with the copies that I hadn't quite figured out. I coughed and then he stepped aside and slammed my face into a gravestone. I'm fairly sure I lost a couple of teeth and my nose was bleeding... It hurt...
He released me as I crumpled to my knees. Maybe this wasn't such a great plan... I was beginning to regret... Pretty much everything...
I managed to lift my head. He was waiting for me. Just standing there. The fight wasn't over yet. I stood up, using the gravestone to support me. I raised my machete again and slurred out a taunt.
"I thought you were tough, but that was like being savaged by a pillow," I responded... Blood dripping from my mouth and nose... One eye probably starting to swell up... Yep Sergei... You definitely showed him...
I think my mind might have shut down a bit at this point as I only vaguely remember the next few clashes, but he definitely broke the fingers of my left hand... Luckily I'm right handed... and if he hadn't snapped my machete in half and tossed both halfs away at some other point in the fight that might have been useful...
The next thing I remember clearly... Well through a haze of pain and blood at least, was being tossed at a gravestone which fell over. He was coming at me and I in desperation grabbed the gravestone with my right hand and flung it towards him... Dislocating my shoulder and sending it a measly and inneffectual foot through the air... He stared at me with something close to pity, before continuing towards me. I forced my arm back in to its socket. I mean it's not like the extra pain was going to slow me down much at this point and I would definitely need at least one working arm if I was going to survive this.
I scrambled through the cemetary desperate to find a weapon. He was leisurely following me. It was at this point that the thought had occurred to me and I yelled back at him.
"It's still daytime! We could have been doing this by moonlight, you lack any sense of drama you fuck!" I yelled. Luckily there weren't many people in the cemetary... Or any at this point... Probably anyone who might have seen the fighting had fled. There might have been cops on the way... I don't know... Man I was and am really pissed that he didn't wait until the moonlight...
Anyway while I was focused on this I tripped and fell and felt something cut into my skin... It was the top half of my machete. I grabbed it, the blade cut into my hand, but I held it tightly. He was still approaching.
An idea formed and I waited, pretending to be tired and unable to continue. Which... Not that far off of the truth honestly.
When he got close enough, I suddenly sprang stabbing the machete blade into his knee. He let out a sound more of surprise than pain and kicked me hard in the ribs. I'm fairly sure some of them cracked... Shattered more like... however, as he kicked me all his weight fell on the leg with my machete in it and it crumpled under him. The blade mangling his knee as he fell and I grabbed it and yanked it out stabbing it into his gut and pulling upwards, he let out a hiss of pain and grabbed hold of me even as his guts began spilling out and pulled me forward. I don't know what he was planning, but I pulled the machete blade out of his chest and stabbed it into his throat and he stopped. His eyes stared at me and he opened his mouth, but no sound came out and then I heard footsteps and an all too familiar click from behind me. I dived out of the way instinctively, crashing against a gravestone as the shotgun blast went by me and took off most of Nathan's face. He crumpled to the ground and I turned to see The Archangel approaching, it was no longer wearing Zero, but was now wearing 4. Nathan's sister. It leveled the gun at me.
"What... The Fuck?" I asked far too tired and beaten to deal with The Archangel's shit.
"Well... Let's see if I can explain it in a way you'll understand. I wanted him dead and everyone wants you dead. So, I thought I'd let you two kill each other and then claim the winner. Is that simple enough for you?" it asked and I simply glared at it.
"Dick move..." I said and it simply pointed the gun at me as it's form changed into that of my daughter.
"Not joining me in hell like I asked wasn't very nice either. Mom, Harold and I are waiting for you," it responded and my eyes narrowed.
"Fuck you... Archie" I responded and it pulled the trigger, but I was gone. I didn't want to have to do it... I had promised myself I would not flee into this strange domain during the fight with Nathan, but technically The Fight with Nathan had ended by that point so I feel justified. I exited the domain again somewhere random and yet someone was waiting for me there and the place wasn't... random at all... It was my old house... The one that burned down and waiting for me there were Sandy and The Facet.
I'm dictating this to The Facet who is typing for me. We're not at my house anymore. I left my laptop at the graveyard so, I'm using a new laptop The Facet lifted for me.
I've made my decision. I will lead The Children of Nothing on one condition. We have to find some way to fuck over The Convocation and The Archangel then we can bring The Quiet or whatever... It's not like I give a shit what happens to this world now.
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