Thief eppisode 12

[Cetacious]

Unfortunately EVA02's soul has had serious technical problems lately. Hence, he could not continue posting on Animeboards. A few weeks ago he contacted me, sent me an advance of his work and asked me to post it here. I intend to do so. Except for minimal spelling corrections, this is all his original work. I therefore do not make myself responsible.

Thief Episode 12:

Viktoria eventually stopped in the middle of the forest clearing that Garrett had only half-looked through on his way in, beckoning the thief towards a large mossy tree trunk . Garrett could feel the cold burning of eyes watching him from every direction, the many inhabitants of the new look Maw of Chaos emerging from their hiding places as it seemed the danger had passed. Even the trees themselves relaxed, what once felt enclosing and overwhelming was now laid-back but cautious of the newcomer. In return, Garrett's eyes flickered across the murky darkness around him, his hand flexing across the hilt of his rapier, face turned down in slight disdain as the shadows continued to spy on him. Only when Viktoria broke the piercing silence with a summons did Garrett's head snap back towards the task at hand. "Larkspur!" she said to the darkness "I must speak with you"
A tall, slightly soiled-looking man with a woven backpack appeared out of the darkness behind the tree-witch, causing her to turn around. Garrett stared at the oppurtunity, his rapier was already in his hand, his Secondary Training would be more than a match for the Pagans, but the cut on his arm and the soft, subtle rumbling in the earth underneath him urged him away from the idea. "What do you need, Lady Viktoria?" Larkspur asked, but before Viktoria could say anything an audible, sarcastic half-chuckle from Garrett made them both look in his direction. Without turning back to Larkspur, Viktoria adressed him. "Do you have what I asked you to get?" she enquired, tapping her scissor-like fingers on the hard surface of the tree trunk. Larkspur removed his backpack and began removing the items within, talking as he went. "I have, Lady. The maps are merely sketches, but it was the best we could do. They are at least 96% accurate, I have found crystal shards as well, several of each element." he said, placing a handful of small bundles amongst a few large pieces of paper.
Satisfied, Viktoria took a step towards Garrett, finally acknowledging his existence. "The man you are looking for is Karras, leader of the Mechanists". The words struck home in the young man's emotion-filled mind. On one hand, he finally had a name, but on the other hand the guy was the head of the Mechanists and Garrett was running seriously short on any supplies whatsoever. Nobody would deal with him if they knew whose toes they were treading on to do it. His thieving career was dead and if he didn't strike at the source, sooner or later he would be too. "Okay" he simply said "How do I get rid of him?"
A smile appeared to come to Viktoria's lips, but then faded so quickly it could have been an illusion. "He's a recluse, usually, but tommorow night we know he's going to demonstrate something to a few select guests, give them a tour of the living quarters he built for his followers to go with it. You have to go into Angelwatch and-" she started, but before she could say anymore Garrett quickly interrupted. "Is this how the deal's going to work? I run errands and you keep looking for ways on getting me killed?!" The thief said, contempt and anger beginning to lace his voice again. "Garrett, please!" Viktoria replied "If I wanted to kill you I would have been able to do it quite easily before, you may not like our plan-" Another interruption. "You can't call that a plan!" Garrett stated, his voice rising beyond it's usually hushed tone. He strode over to the Tree trunk, grabbing Larkspur's backpack on the way there, and shovelled everything back into it. "I'm making my own, you try to impede it in any way and I walk, understand?" A sigh emanated from Viktoria's direction, even though her red gaze remained fixed on him. "Very well, Garrett, if you insist, but you only have a day to make it. Wouldn't it be better with our help?" she asked, a small hint of defeat noticed by Garrett's keen ears. He stopped, backpack hoisted over a shoulder, and imagined the weeping once more. He shut his eyes, trying to block it out but it kept coming, so he replaced it with a different image, an even more powerful image, and the sensation of pain that went with it. Eyes still closed, he spoke through closed teeth. "Let me remove your eye with my own hands without any form of anasthaetic, and leave you to die, and then ASK ME THAT AGAIN, VIKTORIA!" he replied, his voice rising again to a shout before composing itself once more. "You should be thankful I'm even doing this, I've been used as a pawn too much as it is!" With that, he pushed Larkspur out of his way, and began retracing his steps back to the light of day.

Garrett knelt on the floor of his new hideout. In front of him lay the maps procured from his trip into the Maw, spread out so he could work out a way of getting in. /This is crazy/ the thief thought to himself /AngelWatch is one of the most secure places in the city. How am I going to get in there?/. The day continued to pass as Garrett sat motionless, just reading, burning it all into his head just as the Keepers had done to him. A small whisper, almost inaudible, passed across his lips as he scanned. A reflection of his thoughts. "I should have asked for help" he softly said.
In the distance, the clock-tower near SoulForge cathedral chimed, indicating to the man sitting on the floor that there was no time left to waste. On his maps, an area was circled. A steam pipe entrance was situated on part of the outside design, on the third floor. From there it seemed there were three places it came out inside: third floor, fifth floor and second floor. Garrett would have to find out where Karras was when he got in there somehow. Steam was dangerous territory, and being Mechanists a lot of the floors would most likely be incredibly noisy steel plating. His supply of moss-filled bolts was just replenished thanks to Viktoria but he would still have to make them count. Slowly, he got up and headed for the roof, to the thieves highway. Whether Garrett liked it or not, it was time to begin.

The City guard was out in force tonight, patrolling everywhere they could imagine. There were times when even Garrett had to slow down and wait, or take a detour through an open window, but eventually he reached the closest rooftop to the dark, steel angel adorned building of AngelWatch. A guard had conveniantly passed out on it, smelling of booze and surrounded with bottles. Garrett ignored him as he climbed onto the ledge set up to prevent people from falling over the edge and sized up the fall. /Hmmm, the jump will be fine but I don't know if I can get back up here afterwards. I might need to find another way out/ he concluded, while at the same time getting ready to spring off the ledge. The fall was soundless, and the wind started rushing against his face. The rush stopped with a soft clicking sound as Garrett landed on the third floor of AngelWatch.
Recovering quickly, Garrett ran to the vent cover and tried to open it. Beads of sweat started to show on his usually pale face as he pulled on the cover, but eventually it eased open enough for the thief to slip through. The sweat remained, though, as he dropped into the baking steam vents. Even though the heat bit at a face that was more familiar with cold temeperatures than hot, threatening to fill his mind at the expense of his plan, Garrett grit his teeth and pushed on, mentally and physically. The closest exit was on the third floor, but as soon as Garrett got to the junction he knew that exit wasn't an option. Neither was the fifth floor exit, which lay past the third floor cover, both of them blocked off by billowing white plumes of pure steam. There was no way to get through them, over them or under them, so there was only one exit left for the cursing thief to go. Past that junction, down the ladder, and through a twisting, turning steam pipe until he got to his destination.
Huddling up with his back against the wall of the vent, Garrett took a glance through the grate, watching and listening intently for the sound of any patrolling Mechanists. Nothing but a steady hum came to his ears, so cautiously he pushed open the grate and uncurled himself out into the light. However, before he could take two steps the sound of footsteps started coming from both directions. Garrett looked around for an escape route. Back in the vent was no good, the footsteps were too close, they would see the grate closing. There were two man-sized windows on either side of the vent though, looking out over the cavernous first floor. From where he was, Garrett could see the pristine white marble statues of the two angels. He maneauvered as quickly as he could while still treading softly to the left window, stepping his foot out slightly, hoping to feel a small ledge or something he can hide away on, but there was nothing. nothing but the statues. The noises were coming incredibly close, and Garrett could feel his Secondary Training start to kick in, but he struggled against it. He did not want corpses this early in the job, when there was no way to dispose of them. Slightly panicky now, Garrett did the only thing he could think of, he flew silently through the air of the giant chamber and hoped to feel smooth marble underneath his hands.
Feelings of relief passed over the thief as his hands did hit marble, and he tried to grip on anything he could. Even though his hands had stopped, his body continued to move due to it's momentum, and his hand lost whatever little grip it had. Instinctively, the lashed out again, for anything, and Garrett felt the cold smoothness of marble again. His body jerked in the air, carried in the new direction, overshot again and landed nestled on the back of the statue, the point where the wings joined the back keeping him held up. Breathing heavily as the adrenaline coursed through him, Garrett heard the footsteps stop, now muffled by the distance, and two voices started saying things that the thief couldn't hear properly: Things about a 'demonstration' of some sort, a form of 'defense' possibly, he couldn't be sure. When the footsteps started up again, and eventually vanished, Garrett tried to work out a way to get down. That's when a new voice started up, this one far below, at the foot of the chamber. Garrett tried to get a view of him without disturbing his shaky position on the wings of an angel, but couldn't. The high-pitched, almost mechanical tone gave him a few ideas on who it was though.
"My esteemed friends and donators to the cause" Karras wheezed "It is truly an honour to see you all for the first time. Today is a very special day, for you see, today is the day where my Knights Mechanis are launched to defend my entire reason for being. It will be a momentous occasion for you all" Garrett shifted his weight on the crux of the wings to stop himself from slipping off the sides, and wiated for the only discernable voice in the chamber to pick up again. "My friends" it rasped "I give you the Knights Mechanis!" Suddenly, Garrett felt a rumbling in the statue underneath him, intermittent like footsteps, and loud crunches from the ground below. He still couldn't see, and now had to work harder to regain his balance on the delicate marble due to the monstrous footsteps. Then, just as suddenly as they had started, they stopped. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief, and then his ears picked up an answer to an unheard question. "They are more than simple robots, they are the height of mechanist work. They will not eat, drink or sleep like clumsy City Watch fools -no offense intended Sherriff- but will spend their existance watching, waiting and defending to the utmost. Allow me to give a demonstration" Karrass said.
The mechanist leader's high-pitched whine was replaced with a different one, and then screaming erupted from far below Garrett's position. "You see, they are very lethal" Karrass told the invisible masses "As you will all, now, experience". Garrett heard more screaming, but it only lasted for a few seconds before it was replaced with the deathly sound of silence. After a moment's pause, the thief heard Karras speak again. "Yes, Sherriff. They are all dead now, as the holes in their chests would indicate. It is irrelevant, they have lived up to all of their usefulness, unlike you. Until Garrett is found, you can enjoy life to the fullest, it seems" he exclaimed.
Garrett decided that now was the time to try and get out of that chamber. Trying to not shift his weight any, the thief tentavely took out his mini-crossbow and fitted it with a wire dart. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything from where he was, so he took a deep breath, and tried to gain some footing on where he was sitting. As soon as the first foot touched the marble, Garrett slipped and lost balance, and his hiding place was now receding into the distance. Instinctively, he shot the dart towards the statue, his plan quickly crumbling to hope as he waited for his descent to jerk to a stop, one way or another. The ultra-strong wire grow taut immediately, and the sudden jolt from go to stop was enough to warrent a few seconds of unconciousness. When he came to, the light chased away the shadows of his mind to reveal the mini-crossbow dangling a foot in front of his face. He groaned as he got up off the cold marble floor, detaching the crossbow from the dart and slipping it back into his cloak. A soft cough brought him back to reality, and the realization that he was not alone in the room came to him as quickly as Karras's subtle reminder. He slowly turned around, back still slightly aching from the small drop, to face his enemy.
"Hello Garrett" Karras said, the raspy voice coming from behind a golden mask that obscured his face. The man reached into his flowing robes, addressing the sherriff beside him at the same time. "Well, Mister Truart, it seems you're no longer useful after all, goodbye!" A shot rang out from the gun Karras now had in his hand, and Sherriff Truart said nothing as he dropped dead, blood oozing from a hole in his skull. "As for you, thief" he said, still staring at Garrett behind his mask "you will come with me, I need to talk to you in private". Garrett didn't move, instead he refused, his mind racing with all possible options he had left. "What makes you think I'll go that easily?" he asked, and a small laugh was Karras's reply. "Nothing at all. However, I am not being easy on you, Garrett" he said, and the gun turned to face him. "I know you're agile Garrett, but it would be incredibly difficult to dodge this, at least at this range" Garrett stared at the gun. Karras knew how to use it, and even so his new toys were flanking him. Seven foot tall pristine white monsters, hunched over to look even more menacing. Their right arm was a large barrel, meant to fire very large shells if the numerous torn bodies were any indication "Okay, whatever. Let's just get this over with" he said in resignation.
The two walked in silence until they reached the large double doors of Karras's office. The guards outside gave Garrett untruly stares as Karras opened the door, and as Garrett slowly walked in he heard a whisper. "You're just lucky, thief" said the guard on his left, and then the rush of air behind him signified the doors had closed. He was now alone with a madman. "What do you want Karras?" Garret asked, bored with all the games by this point. Karras turned to face the young man, and from behind the mask came a smile which made Garrett's mouth open slightly. It made him feel somewhere he belonged, familiar, he knew a man that used to smile at him like that. It was with no further word that Darius removed the mask and stared at his student with his own facial features. "Hello Garrett!" He said, still smiling.
Garrett tried to speak, but no sounds emerged from his throat. The now-common feeling of having his world crumble around him decided to show up again as Darius spoke again. "I guess this was to be expected, you must think you're seeing a ghost" His soft voice said. At the mention of ghosts, Garrett finally remembered how to talk. "The...Keepers. They're all...dead" he stammered, trying desperately to grasp the situation. Darius shook his head. "No" he replied. "They're not?" Garrett asked. Had he imagined that? Was he going crazy? His mentor smiled again, the warmth burning from within. "I'm sorry, all but twenty-two are dead, yes, but that is not all." He told Garrett. "Wai..wait? Twenty-two?" The thief asked, uncertainty still gripping his voice. "Yes" came Darius's reply. "You, me, and the twenty best keepers which will make up your final trial"
Garrett staggered back against the door, clarity begining to flood into his eyes. He saw Darius standing there, choosing who lives, and visciously killing the rest. Killing Mephisto, desecrating him to spur Garrett on in his quest. All for one thing. "You, you killed them all... because the book said so?!" Garrett asked incredulously. Darius nodded happily, glad that his student now understood. "Yes, as it was written, as it had to be! Their deaths, the planted seeds of the Mechanists, all was planned many years ago to propell you into a final course of action. A final decision!". "My decision" Garrett whispered, before his voice started to rise. "Damn it! I can't do this! I CAN'T MAKE THIS KIND OF CHOICE!"
Darius's smile turned into a steely glare. "You have to" he said, sternly. "The cogs are nearing their final turns, you have passed all of your trials bar two and as the book says 'One meets Twenty-one, and the decision is made. Will he destroy us or save us? Only he can say!'"
Darius's student stood silent, digesting everything. His hand started twitching involuntarily, as more pieces of the puzzle fell his way. If those keepers were his last trial, as Darius put it, then what was the one before? Those robots? Would he have to work his way through them as well? Darius stood before him, and if he needed Garrett alive then Garrett could do whatever he wanted. Suddenly the rapier waiting to be activated on his belt felt heavier and heavier, urging him to take it and use it. With a cry of "Screw you, Darius!" The grey blade was in his hand and heading towards his former mentor, but before it struck him an invisible barrier caused the blade to fling from his hand and spark on the ground, useless. Darius stood emotionless. "Good" he said "Now you are forced to use our sanctified weaponry once again". Garrett stared in shock at the fizzing blade on the ground, the only one he had brought. The voice of Darius brought him back to attention again. "Don't worry, Garrett. I have ordered the followers of Karras to escort you out, unharmed. Go to wherever you call home, get some sleep, and prepare yourself." He said, before staring into the young man's eyes. "The world has reached a dead end, young Garrett. It has been forced to change or end. You have the power of choice, and I have the power to facilitate that choice. Goodnight!"
With his final word, the doors swung open, and the pair of mechanist guards latched on to Garrett's shoulders and led him outside into the cold night of The City. When they let him go, Garrett managed to take a few careful steps forward before the waves of nausea hit him like a brick wall. However, this time felt different. It was not a natural expulsion of adrenaline, it was out of pure disgust. For himself, for Darius, for the world, for a book that gave the fate of everything to a man like him. It all came out, expelled onto the snow-covered ground. Only when it was all over, when Garrett had finally had enough, did he go back to the Maw of Chaos and tell Viktoria everything.

To be continued

I think he can still view the AB, so your coments will be apreciated. I'll post my own later.