Board 8 > The Notes of Cain, Topic 3 [CYOA]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Enoch or Aaron. Or both.
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B

Probably about time for Jamison to go down.
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I think Aaron isnt long for this world.
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feeling a little bit low energy this week just due to some unrelated IRL stuff

didn't even realize how many days had already slipped away but I'll get to this before the end of the week
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Hope it doesn't drag you down too much. The stuff, I mean.
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Since I just caught up I have no issue with the delay lol
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bumpo
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27: A Calling for Home

"Ungh..."

Kidd lay on his back, his eye swelling with pain. There was a deep blackness waiting above him. He was pretty sure that was only because he couldn't see the ceiling right now. Not through all of the stars that were spinning in front of his vision.

It was probably pathetic, he thought it was pretty pathetic, but he imagined that Susal was there. If she saw that he was hurt she'd probably rush to his side and try to help him to his feet. Or, no, at least he could lay there like this and be doted on by her. Did anyone know that the legendary badass, Gunslinger Kidd, had these kinds of thoughts? Or did they all imagine he was some tough guy with no feelings?

Shit.

The back of his hand went to cover his face and he felt something wet dripping down from between his fingers. It made his face feel warm.

Before answering that question he tried to piece back together the rattled fragments of memories that had just been bounced all over the inside of his skull. What was he doing here...? What had happened...?

There were brief flashes; The rebound knife, a confrontation, and more than a bit of blood. He remembered being the only one that moved in the final moments and for that he must have suffered.

The pieces started coming back together.

"I've said this before and, as far as I'm concerned, things haven't changed." Aaron was making a pretty aggressive and imposing posture. He was trying to assert his dominance over Enoch and, in a way, over the rest of the people in the room. He didn't want a repeat of last time where they all sided with Owen. "I fully intend to get out of this alive."

"And that means I can't trust people like you," Aaron concluded.

Enoch held the book low, but he was holding onto it tightly with both hands. Then, with his chin lowered and his eyes pointed up, he took a step forward. The book disappeared somewhere into the folds of his coat. That book, whatever it was, that was the cause of a lot of misery here.

Leone had warned the rest of them about what was transpiring. Kidd was trying to remember what Enoch had said to him. The Book of Promises. Even though it was called the Book of Communion, Enoch had called it the Book of Promises. That was it... right? It was hard to remember now because his head was spinning.

At that time, Enoch had put his book away. However, he wasn't backing down. Rather, that act, was an admission that he had no intention of turning the book over. "This book is my entire reason for being here," Enoch replied. "There's no chance I'll be turning it over to a brainless thug like you."

Enoch took a step forward as well. Shortening the distance between them was a wise strategy for the guy who had the shorter reach. Whether it was going to turn into a fight or not, Enoch was already thinking at least one step ahead. He was dangerous.

Kidd, who was still behind Enoch and near the shelf at the far side of the room, realized that Enoch was dangerous. If it were anyone else he might have pulled out his gun right then and gotten ready for whatever might happen next. And maybe now he regretted that he hadn't readied his gun ahead of time. But Aaron seemed like he could at least take care of himself. It didn't feel as urgent in this situation.

Leone looked past the two, making eye contact with Kidd again.

Just what was Leone trying to tell him...? Why did he keep looking this way...?

Aaron spun his weapon and then drove it point first into the ground. Oh. He didn't even intend to use that weapon. "That choice doesn't belong to you anymore." Aaron glanced over at Torrin. "Old man, tell him to stand down." He paused for a moment, giving emphasis to his words. "Otherwise I will make him."
---

Torrin lacked confidence in this kind of situation and he wasn't fully aware of all of the facts. It would have been easy for him to be cowed by Aaron and go along with the circumstances. But, to his credit, Torrin tried to remain impartial. Even if that was totally the wrong move here.

Enoch had clearly gone off the deep end as soon as he found that book, and it was hard to say if the guy had ever been trustworthy. Now Torrin was giving him the benefit of the doubt. "Just what is that book? Why is it so important to you?" Torrin asked, giving Enoch a serious look.

"This is the way forward," Enoch replied in a low voice. "The path for humanity to regain what we have lost in the path."

"You're talking about things larger than you could possibly know or understand," Leone replied quickly. He stood there with an air of unexpected confidence as Jen moved to his side. With the two of them behind Aaron it didn't look like Enoch was in a favorable position.

And he must have known that Kidd might shoot him in the back at any time.

'Surely he hadn't forgotten about me?' Kidd was thinking now.

"And what?" Torrin looked to Leone. "Are you saying it's dangerous for him to mess around with it?"

"It's because of that fear of danger that nothing ever gets done." Enoch lamented. "And that fear is born out of ignorance. Not because there's any real danger."

"Maybe you thought I was kidding..." Aaron stepped forward, a somber expression on his face. His mailed fist was held low at his side but it was made into a fist. And if he swung that upward with crushing force, using the forward momentum of a lunging attack, he could probably break the other man's jaw easily. "But I'm not interested in having a chat about this anymore."

"Wait!" Torrin insisted. "What is in the book?"

"It's an evil book," Leone warned, answering quickly once more. "That kind of thing needs to be destroyed." He looked at Kidd again, this time with a sense of urgency.

Kidd returned the look but he wasn't sure what to do or say. Did Leone really want him to shoot Enoch in the back? Something about that sort of tactic felt... wrong. He had no qualms about using sneak attacks but honestly he was often in a position to fight someone head on and win.

It felt like, and maybe this code of honor was a bit stupid, he needed to at least make a formal declaration of war against someone like Enoch before acting against him. Regardless of what else had happened the two of them had at least fought together and slept around the same campfire more than once.

Yes, at that time, Enoch's persuasive and poisonous actions of the past... all of the goodwill he had meticulously built up with the rest of the group... it was all acting like some kind of status effect that prevented them from acting against him. Even Leone, who was urging Kidd to act here, was in the same position. The only reason Leone hadn't acted yet was because he had that same irrational attachment to the calculated and charismatic man before them.

If they took off that blinding tint of personal bias they would have seen it, though. In that moment Enoch definitely looked like another Cainas or Avel. He looked like someone who had probably been here for his own nefarious reasons. To make some kind of Communion with the Elder Gods, the same ones who had bombarded humanity and wiped out major cities before, all in the name of what he considered good.

Just what was waiting behind those eyes? What ambitions did they hold?

There was no time to talk about it now.

"Three." Aaron began his count.
---

"Evil is a subjective term to begin with," Enoch spat back at Leone. "You seem to know a great deal about the book-"

"Two." Aaron didn't seem to be slowing down.

Was it all going to come to a head, soon?

"-so tell me, Leone the Cat," Enoch glared back at Leone. "What exactly brought -YOU- here?"

"Hand over the book," Aaron warned one last time.

"I'm not on trial," Leone replied. "You are."

Enoch took a step back.

"I'm sorry Enoch but I need you to cooperate with us," Torrin urged him. "I don't want this to-"

"One." Aaron took a step forward.

Enoch swung his arm in a pitching motion. Without hesitation, without warning, it seemed almost as if he had drummed up this chaotic conversation just to disarm Aaron and catch him off guard. There was a flash of metal between them as a knife went flying at Aaron.

CLANG!

Aaron's arm swung in front of his face, his bracer blocking his body temporarily. The knife, hitting the armor piece, spun wildly to the side and flew in a horizontal arc across the room. One could imagine it like the brush stroke of some painting, having cut the room in half. But the knife wasn't that deadly. It couldn't really cleave a room in half.

It couldn't even penetrate Aaron's powerful and heavy set of armor.

There was a soft thudding sound.

Aaron lunged forward.

Enoch other hand rose to meet him, this time the knife was gripped firmly. It was a narrow punching blade that could convey and impart a great deal of penetrating force. As long as Enoch held onto that pick firmly and stabbed forward with enough space and enough force on his attack he might be able to punch a hole through the armor. And if he aimed for a narrow gap in the fitting he was going to skewer the other man by ignoring the armor entirely and impaling some of his exposed skin.

Kidd began to move forward when he realized this fight was going to be a bit more messy. Though, honestly, with how quick that type of battle tended to be over he might already be too late. He cursed himself as he felt the weight of his damaged leg holding him back.

Aaron swung his arm down and battered the knife wielding hand of Enoch. The blade was knocked down and away. His other arm shot forward in a jabbing motion at the same time. It was a bit of a disappointment when Enoch managed to slip the attack and partially parry it by raising his forearm and sweeping the incoming blow to the side.

Enoch stumbled back from the force of the assault and he realized just how quickly the tides of this battle were turning against him. If Aaron didn't slow down, if he kept coming with that much weight and power, Enoch wasn't going to be able to stand his ground and fight back. That surprise knife thrust had really been his only chance and he had-

No one said anything in particular and yet, as they all fell silent at the same time, they all seemed to notice at the same time that something had happened. There had been a short delay due to the action. That had drawn everyone's attention.

Now, though, even Aaron and Enoch stopped.

Both of them slowly turned to the right and looked that way.

Torrin was laying on his back, completely limp. The initial knife that had been thrown was deflected and shot straight into his eye. It was buried hilt deep from the force of Enoch's initial throw and Aaron's powerful strike. Rather than asking if Torrin was for sure dead, the question was whether or not he had died instantly.
---

He definitely wasn't moving now.

And Enoch, whatever else about him was fake, seemed genuinely troubled as he realized what had just happened. "Torrin! No!" He took a step that way, his expression and his body language all looking weak at the same time. It was like something had been compelling him to fight and yet he was starting to feel like there was no reason to keep going.

Yet, at the same time, he was in a position where he couldn't stop anymore.

The pain of going with the motions, of seeing things through to completion, was weighing on him heavily. His goals, his motivations, he felt like a slave to them at that time. The strain of regret was something heavy. That was taking its toll.

"You bastard!" Aaron snapped.

"Hey, Aaron, wait-" Jamison moved to Aaron's side and reached out for him.

Aaron swung his arm back and elbowed Jamison cleanly in the face. The glasses, which Jamison had just finished repairing, shattered again and the frames bent inward. A spray of blood shot out of Jamison's nose as he was knocked off of his feet and ended up on his back.

It took Kidd a second to realize that Aaron hadn't done that intentionally.

Then, Aaron grabbed his spear from where it was stuck in the ground behind him.

Enoch turned and lunged toward Aaron.

The spear came free. Enoch, however, had already moved inside of Aaron's reach. The spear, which was incredibly deadly at the tip, had much less impact at such a close range. His lance in particular had a history of mortal conclusions -- the tip glowing white hot with intense magical power -- but all of that was worthless against a foe who was inside of the haft.

Enoch grabbed the haft and, knowing he couldn't win in a grapple against Aaron, pulled on it anyway. As soon as Aaron began to yank back, attempting to hold onto his weapon, Enoch let go. This action caused the larger man to pull the weapon back quickly and unexpectedly, striking himself in the face with it, and topple over backwards as Enoch leapt over him.

"Someone grab him!" Aaron commanded even as he toppled onto his side. He managed to catch himself on one knee and force the haft of his weapon behind him. With that, he could push himself back to his feet quickly. But it wouldn't be fast enough.

Enoch was wearing only a light set of clothes and no armor. There was no way Aaron could catch him now. Even as he made for the door he took steps to prevent the others from following him. A bag of white powder was thrown into the air between himself and Leone. A blade was thrown into the bag and severed it cleanly in half. When the powder came free it released a cloud of obscuring white dust in an explosive pattern from the breaking point.

Kidd, who had already been charging from a moment ago, was the only one who gave chase.

He ran directly into the white cloud, aiming for Enoch's flank, and trying to cut him off before he reached the door. He wanted to shout his affirmation to Aaron but that would only serve to give away his intentions and his positions to his target. Better to sideline Enoch and take him down, then get credit for his quick action and determined enthusiasm later on. Enoch had forgotten about him, after all, and-

Enoch hadn't forgotten about him.

As Kidd lunged forward he found himself approaching a man who had been backpedaling toward the door, fully anticipating an attack, and preparing his own counter. He had even used the cover to his advantage effectively -- knowing that Kidd wouldn't know what he was doing until he was already too close to react.
---

Enoch held onto a punching blade between two of his fingers, closed his hand into a fist, and sent the blade right at Kidd's face. It seemed he had fully committed to this course of action and was perfectly content with killing Kidd if that's what it took to escape.

"You gotta be-" Kidd threw his hand in front of his face and kept charging forward. There was a sickening pain as the punching blade tore through his hand, ripping at the flesh between his middle and ring finger on his extended hand. The attack, which had been aimed for his face, was redirected.

Though the blade didn't hit him, Enoch's attack still connected in a way. The metal spike bent upward but the base of the blade and Enoch's fist struck Kidd right on the top of the skull.

Kidd, who had kept moving forward with the intent to press the attack even through the pain, found his upper body pushed back from the force of the blow as his lower body continued forward. This had the effect of ripping his own legs out from under him.

And, within a matter of moments, he was the third person to be knocked to the ground a Enoch escped.

Oh gods above and below... this guy was good.

The cloud of flour settled to the ground and Kidd's view cleared once more. He could see the ceiling again. There was a small sense of weight and motion at his side. Then, he realized Zephyr had jumped down from one of the nearby shelves and landed beside him.

"... Are you alright?" Zephyr asked. He began to dig at the metal spike buried in Kidd's hand and try to pry it free.

That hurt like hell, but nobody was asking. Kidd figured he had to just be quiet about the pain and bear with it. "Yeah. I was just a bit dazed." He turned his head to the side and examined the immediate surroundings. Zephyr must have tried to get into position to attack but didn't have the time or a clear shot.

Maybe if Kidd hadn't run into the smoke then Zephyr could have fired blindly. Instead, and Kidd was grateful for this, Zeph had held off on shooting at the risk of hitting Kidd by accident. "Don't worry, we'll catch him," Kidd concluded.

Zephyr didn't look so sure. "Are we even going to...?"

Jamison was groaning and rolling on the ground in pain.

Leone and Jen stood there in disbelief, but had eventually moved over to where Torrin was. They were... it was hard to say. There was clearly no time to mourn. And, really, there didn't seem to be any value in stopping to examine his body. They could check to confirm that he was dead but he was definitely dead. Even Kidd could tell that while having the sense knocked out of him, laying on his back, on the opposite side of the room.

It was more like Leone and Jen didn't know what they COULD do and so they were standing there with total uncertainty.

Then, Aaron came lurching that way. "Let's go! We're going to catch that bastard!"

"He's crafty," Kidd warned. He managed to sit up by the time Aaron reached him. And, to his surprise, Aaron even offered him a hand to help him get back to his feet. "I'm all for getting the guy, but I'm just saying... we can't rush carelessly ahead. He's already shown what he's capable of."

It pained Aaron to admit it but that guy hadn't just beaten him -- he had completely outplayed him and an entire room full of enemies. Kidd's assessment was right here. Enoch wasn't someone to be taken lightly. "This time he won't have the element of surprise," Aaron replied at first. But that sounded too much like he was making excuses. He softened his expression. "I'm saying... yeah, I think you're right. Let's take him down without making any mistakes."
---

Jamison was still scrambling to his feet, but Jen had gone back that way to help him up. As much as it should have made it easier for him... the obvious action of having an ally assist him... Jamison seemed to get flustered and have difficult regaining his balance as soon as Jen got close to him. "Oh-... Th-thanks... I just..."

"Hey," Aaron called back to him. "I'm sorry."

Jamison took his ruined glasses, inspected them for a moment, and then tossed them aside. At this point it was more effort than it was worth to try and fix them. He sighed, wiped at the blood on his face, and looked back to Aaron. "Ah. Well... It could have been worse..." His eyes drifted over to Torrin's corpse. He could have been the one who died.

The seriousness of their situation became so much more apparent when he saw the damage even accidental attacks and friendly fire were capable of. Jamison furiously averted making eye contact with Jen and somehow slipped past her with a weak thanks while trying to rejoin the others.

As they prepared to move into the adjacent hall, Kidd stopped for a moment. It would be more valuable for him to watch the rear and make sure nothing ambushed them from behind. Sure ... they needed to focus their attention on not just Enoch (who had slipped into the below ground passage) but also the threats in front of them. In spite of that it would be foolish to drop their guard to anything that might come from behind.

As Jen waited for Leone, she found herself standing there with Kidd.

Then, Kidd looked at Leone. He tried to return a look, similar to the one they had shared earlier. And... for whatever reason... Leone looked away from him. He was hiding something, wasn't he? Kidd tilted his head. It felt like he was still missing something important.

Still, even if Leone had secrets, he didn't seem dangerous. Not like Enoch had been. Once the three of them joined together, they headed off down the passage after the others.

This left Owen, who had erased his presence completely, standing in the room by himself.

"... Huh."

He stood there, thinking about the silence of this room and how... safe he felt at that moment. With Torrin gone it felt like Aaron had taken charge of the group somehow. Considering the fact that Aaron didn't get along with him so well, Owen felt strangely fortunate at this turn of events.

The others had literally wandered off without giving him a second thought. Sure, his psychic abilities had helped facilitate this process, but it seemed like the stress of the situation had spurred them on to immediate action without stopping to consider all the variables in play.

Owen, in that moment, knowing he had been completely forgotten... was forced with a difficult choice. Going after the others meant putting himself at the mercy of Aaron. If he abandoned his post now, if he deserted the others, it felt like a safe and comfortable escape was awaiting him. Sure... that might cause Aaron to trust him even less... but he wouldn't have to deal with Aaron anymore, would he?

"Is anything even waiting for me back there...?" Owen muttered to himself.

He looked at his hands and felt strangely alone for the first time in days.

[End]

.

27. So, what happens next?
A. Owen rejoins the others and they make a plan to capture Enoch.
B. Owen rejoins the others and they explore the lower levels while watching out for Enoch.
C. Owen abandons the group and leaves them to explore on their own.
D. Stella returns and meets with Owen.
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Wow... ehhhh...

A. Enoch is too dangerous and can now sneak attack the group.
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And this is why I love trenchcoats; they hold a lot..and hide a lot.

D.
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I think I'm liking

A

B sounds too risky with Enoch lurking around
C I'm not a fan of my boi Owen leaving us
D Also not a fan of that much
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Well that escalated quickly

27. A

Helping out the team. Punch would approve
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crazygamer999 posted...

And this is why I love trenchcoats; they hold a lot..and hide a lot.

how many more secrets do you think he's hiding under there
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Hey, it's your story, not mine.

(Probably a lot,though)
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D. Need more Stella.
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A.
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Going with A.

Poor Jamison, he could really benefit from acquiring a rabbit's paw or something like it haha
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Haha holy crap, I expected someone to die, but not the way torrin did.

A.
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chaos259 posted...

Poor Jamison, he could really benefit from acquiring a rabbit's paw or something like it haha

Broke his glasses again
Got friendly fired
Still can't get laid

Truly he has suffered the most
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hahah I love picking on Jamison honestly. he's just such an easy target.
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bump
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Think A is going to win but I was wondering what would happen if Stella met with Owen when she appeared so gonna go with

D
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Fortune favors the bold

D
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You know what, I'll change to D. Curious what the interaction between these two will be.
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Hehe

I'm slowly corrupting you all.
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AAAAA
DDDDD

<__<
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Switching to D because sod it
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accidental friendly fire bump
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MariaTaylor posted...

hahah I love picking on Jamison honestly. he's just such an easy target.

I'm fine with it lol. It's probably helped keep him alive.
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I was initially torn between A and D.

But I'm going D
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predictions for when the next update will be??
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3 days.
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Day or two!
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Oop
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bumpo
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no update today, sorry. not sure about tomorrow either.

I got really into reading and it distracted me from the time I'd spend writing normally.
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Been there. No shame in that.
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up
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tomorrow is the day

get hyped, all!
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Entry 28: A Wish for Death

Cainas' eye had become a tiny black hole filled with violence. He held a latch-lock pistol forward, aiming it at his father's face. "Give me the book," he said, his voice dry and harsh. "Father." Others had been coming around lately in search of that book. It wouldn't be long before someone took matters into their own hands.

He had to do it first. Before someone else could. "Give it to me."

Cain looked at his son with a reluctant sense of defiance. This wasn't a battle that he wanted to fight. And, maybe, because he didn't have the will to fight that battle, he had already lost. He thought about what might happen if he turned the book over now.

Cainas was laying on his back. The world seemed dark and dim here, at the altar of the gods. His eyes flickered from the pain and the light. Something bright and something large was looming over him. That was... probably...

"That's not our way," Avel told him. "I don't think you should have done that."

The latch pistol wasn't effectively accurate and couldn't do much damage. But at such close range he wouldn't miss. And even the latch-spring projectile would have punched a hole through his father's eye and turned his brains to mush. "But I got the book, didn't I?"

Avel, who had always been friends with Cain, looked sad. "Your father was my friend. You should not have taken that by-"

"Maybe he was your friend. I don't know." Cainas sneered. Would a friend keep something so precious from his dear friend? Would he leave something so valuable there, and wait only for the next wanderer or someone else to come along and steal it? "But you and I are kindred spirits."

Avel had nothing to say to that. His mouth hung open slightly. Then, finally, he replied. "Maybe things have moved faster than I expected. And... I don't... I don't regret anything that we've done here. But the world is going to change very soon. You realize that, don't you?"

Avel was thinking, at that time, maybe if they stayed the same... maybe if they kept some part of their humanity intact... even if the world changed, things wouldn't be so bad. They could preserve some of the good things that had come before them.

"Yes, we are the only ones seeking progress in this stale world," Cainas replied. "People like my father will only hold us back. And if you try to stop me from making progress..." He left the rest unsaid.

Stella's hair stood on end and her antennae perked up. She looked ready to attack.

"No," Avel said. "You are right."

"To make progress we need to keep moving forward."

"I loved your father as a brother of mine, but..."

Cainas twitched, trying to move his shoulders.

He was laying in a puddle of black and red slime that seemed to ooze from every pore in his body.

Ah, maybe this was the way of things after all. If a human tried to get too high then something very big and something very strong would simply swat them back down. As long as he learned his place then that was fine, right?

Maybe he had been misguided in thinking he could bring humanity forward.

It was clear now that humans were always meant to stay in the place they had been.

And... if they tried to rebel against that nature...

"He was holding us back," Avel concluded. "I think you did the right thing. Now, let me see that book..."

Something curled its fingers above him with a cruel smile. It was as if that thing read his thoughts and it knew what he was thinking. Yes, it was just having the same thought too. It just remembered that it had been a while since it had swatted his pathetic and broken form.

Her fingers seemed especially pointy at the ends.
---

Her massive hand opened up above him.

Isn't that funny?

His palms were pointing upward. But her palm was aiming down.

Cainas saw the flash of a halo as something heavy smashed into his body from above. It shook the ground. It should his body. It shook his bones and cracked and broke them. He felt his leg twitching. But, at the same time, he couldn't really feel it. And he definitely couldn't move it. But it was like he could feel it just enough to feel that it was twitching.

He tried to move his shoulders, but he realized that his back was broken.

As she pulled her hand away he thought he saw something between the gaps in her fingers.

Something... incomprehensible. Imperceptible.

Yet he could perceive it in that moment.

His mouth was the only thing he had control over now. It was hanging open, but he formed the corners of his lips into a smile as his eyes began to light up. Down here, at the very end, something very simple became very clear to him.

He should have done this a long time ago.

Or maybe he had been too scared back then.

"Cainas... Cainas.... just what is it that you wanted to show me?" Gordon was asking him.

"My brother, keep your eyes open and the truth will be revealed to you," Cainas tells Gordon.

Gordon looks around and he sees things that he doesn't like to see. Things that he doesn't want to see. Monsters feasting on fleshy remains. Were those... the missing villagers? And there were eggs. So many eggs. It was like they were hatching more down here. "Cainas, there's... monsters down here. What should we do about it?"

"This is a place for monsters, yes," Cainas agreed. "Gordon, there's something I want you to do."

"Yes." Gordon nodded. He would do anything his brother told him.

Something sharp stuck him in the arm. It felt like a needle. He felt himself begin to grow faint.

"This is our place," Cainas tells his brother. "We need to keep it safe. You need to protect this place from anyone who might come here and try to hurt us."

Cainas will to live was faltering but it was fine. It was something he should have done long ago. But maybe he had been too afraid back then. All he wanted to see was God, the incomprehensible God that no one else could ever see. It was called Xetni, or The End. And it only appeared to those who had already moved to the next life.

Why didn't he realize it sooner? Because, it was so simple.

All he needed to do was make a Wish for Death.

Nothing else had to happen here. All of the things he had done up until now... was he going to regret them? The people who had died, the monsters he had bred, his father and Gordon, maybe even putting the whole world at risk.

Cain handed the book to his son. "Just promise me... you won't do anything you regret?"

In that twisted mural of sights and vision, the past and the future, he saw his fathers eyes in that moment. His intense look was saying it all along and yet he had been too foolish to reason it out. That moment, right there, had been The End of everything.

And now, he had found a new type of ... finality.

Of course The End was going to appear at The End. This kind of circular logic was very basic and yet so effective. Cainas knew that he was either dead or dying. And that was because he was finally seeing the formless God. It wouldn't last long, he knew. But it was worth it.

It was unlike anything else he had ever seen in this-

SMASH

The hand came down again and bashed the life from his worthless body.

Ah... had it all been worth it? Had he lived a life without regrets?

Had humanity made progress because of all the things he had done?
---

And was progress a good thing just for the sake of moving forward?

Well...

"Father. I'm sorry."

"I failed."

...probably not.

There was probably a moment where she was eating him and he was still alive. Thankfully, the intense shock of death prevented him from truly perceiving the horror of that moment. Instead... he got to enjoy the sight of the formless God that stretched out in front of his eyes. It broadcasted time and memory onto the landscape of infinity.

He showed himself in a way that couldn't be described in words.

So if this story could only be told in words then... it was all pretty pointless, wasn't it?

But Cainas was smiling anyway.

At least he got to see something in The End.

---

Jamison was sitting by himself on a rock formation in the lower platform below the circular tunnel descent. They had already found the bodies. Goetic above, and whatever was left of Dismas was up there as well. Maria and Cata were down here in the place where the group was currently exploring.

It was hard to say if Abom had made it any further than this. It was possible his body had simply been dumped into one of the bottomless pits strewn about the area. There had been more than one side crevice and alternate paths hidden among the rocks, as well.

Those weren't just a concern for missing corpses. Aaron was thinking that Enoch might be hiding somewhere and setting a trap for them. For that reason they had chosen to move very slowly and very cautiously.

Jamison was now examining a glass jar that he held in his hands. Inside of there was the last Honeyflower he had taken, and stashed away somewhere for safety. Was there any meaning behind that anymore?

He didn't know.

Jamison had gotten used to the sensation of blood and broken glass by now. It just felt nice to know there was still something he held close to his heart, and it hadn't broken yet. It reminded him of when he first got to this village, but that was a happy and a painful memory.

'Look at that. Everything else is dead, but the Honeyflower is still growing.'

He couldn't even remember if those were his exact words, but...

Aaron asked him to perform an autopsy on Maria, and then to double check her corpse again to confirm that she was really dead. And to confirm that the body was, definitely, without a doubt, a dead body. "She's... dead," Jamison confirmed for the third time.

Aaron had grown increasingly suspicious of anyone he had ever suspected before. Someone like Maria, who was difficult to trust, was on the top of his list. He'd been chewing frantically at his nails and muttering about her secret intentions. Had she faked her own death in order to spring a trap on them? Had she been working with Enoch this entire time? They might have shown up separately in order to mask their true intentions.

"I wouldn't put it past someone like that," Aaron muttered to himself.

"And what about your 'best friend' Mr. Owen?" Aaron said, badgering Jamison. "I notice that he took the time to escape as well, and who knows where he is or what he might be doing. I never trusted that guy either."

"I don't-" Jamison began.

"No, I wouldn't expect you to tell me." Aaron remembered seeing the two of them together at times. As well as the fact that he overheard them talking about things from before they came here. If those two knew each other, that meant... He gave Jamison an intense glare. "It might be hard. For me to keep... trusting you."
---

Jamison stood up and let out a sigh. He didn't have the energy to fight or argue about it.

"If you're saying you suspect me then please don't bother asking me to perform an autopsy," Jamison told him, point blank. That probably took more courage than he was used to showing. But, thinking of everything that had happened, he definitely felt more courageous now than he did two days ago. His mind would have broken down long ago if he hadn't adapted to these circumstances.

"I'm not going to waste my time discovering information for a guy that can discard it offhand with his paranoia."

Aaron looked somewhat hurt at that, or maybe he was showing regret. "Sorry. That wasn't..."

"I didn't mean..." Aaron was finding it difficult to correctly articulate the words.

"Hey," Leone asked, "What do you think that was?"

He grabbed Kidd by the sleeve and tugged on it, indicating the movement of something at the far end. It was near the tunnels. He was pretty sure he had seen something move over there. After what had happened before he was definitely going to trust his instincts no matter what.

Kidd said nothing, but he peered into the darkness.

"Did you see that?" Leone asked.

"I didn't see anything," Kidd admitted.

Jen made a faint series of noises as she moved closer to Leone. The tension inside of her muscles and bones increasing, and she seemed to be radiating an intense amount of energy in that moment. It was like a spring had been completely wound up and was ready to be unleashed.

"Oy, Aaron, come here," Leone shouted. He didn't know he was cutting the other man's apology short, or breaking up the awkward conversation between Jamison and Aaron. But, even if he knew... this probably seemed more important to him that moment. "Something is over there. I think it's watching us."

"Is it that bastard?" Aaron inquired. He was burning too, just like Jen. But for Aaron he burned with a different sort of energy.

As for Enoch himself. Well... no, that wasn't him down there. He had crawled up through the tunnels and around to the high platform. Unknowingly, he had taken the same route as Maria and Cata when they came this way. And now, while the others were down there with the ritual totems and the bloody remains of that same ritual, Enoch had been up here watching.

There was definitely something down there. That's why he had been afraid to keep going.

And Enoch knew that unless he got rid of these guys they were probably going to keep coming after him. So now, in this moment, when that group was vulnerable, he decided to make his move. He drew a throwing knife and held it between his knuckles. He balanced the blade.

Aaron was the most annoying and the most dangerous.

But if he had to take someone down first... that would need to be...

FWOOSH!

There was a slight change in wind pressure as the blade arced through the air between the high cliff and the low circular platform. The knife spun a half of a single turn, expertly twisting so that the blade itself would be facing forward at the moment when it struck.

And it was aimed for the back of Leone the Cat's neck.

Obviously there was no way Enoch could hope to keep sneaking around and ambush the group as long as Leone was still watching for him. For that reason he needed to kill Leone with a singular and powerful strike. He didn't particularly want to do that, but he knew that he had to.

Maybe he'd regret it a little bit. Who knows? But Leone had to die. He knew that much for sure.
---

And with that throw, that trajectory, and that knife inbound on its target... There was no changing what was going to happen anymore. Enoch had settled matters. With that kind of throw there was a zero percent chance that his attack could miss. Or, to put it another way, there was a one hundred percent chance that Leone was about to die.

Their eyes were still fixed on the distant passage. And Enoch had no doubts that something was definitely there. Leone's senses should be trusted completely. That meant their group was about to be ambushed. But, before that, with ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CERTAINTY, Leone the Cat was about to die.

If the blade touched his neck while moving at that velocity it was going to kill him.

If Enoch had thrown the weapon properly then the blade was definitely going to touch his neck.

And, without a doubt, Enoch had thrown the weapon properly.

To say it another way; Leone was already dead and there was nothing which could stop that sequence of events from playing out. The blade hit him, he was dead. The blade was going to hit him. Therefore -- he was already dead.

CRUNCH

Enoch saw two red orbs shining below. For a moment he thought they were spurts of blood that must have shot out of Leone's spine as he was punctured. Then, he realized, it was a pair of violent eyes staring up at him.

Those weren't just black holes, but, rather, they were like collapsed stars that had already swallowed black holes. And inside of them he could see a well of infinite energy burning. What were those? What were those eyes? Why were they staring at him? No, those weren't eyes. Those were... something else.

Leone let out a yelp and jumped as something cold and metal touched his neck.

As he turned, he saw that Jen was holding the handle of a knife which was pointed directly at him.

Enoch raised his head slightly. Had she... caught it...?

Her irises had turned red already, but soon even the whites of her eyes were burning with a ferocious intensity. That's because her instinct to destroy had completely overwhelmed her desire to protect. Or maybe the two instincts of hers were basically feeding off of each other.

This wasn't additive strength, Enoch didn't think so. It probably wasn't even multiplication.

Rather, she had two thoughts at that moment. She wanted to protect Leone. And also, she wanted to kill the thing that tried to hurt Leone. And, in that exact circumstances... the best way to protect Leone was by killing the thing that tried to hurt him. That was very, very unfortunate for whatever she was thinking about killing.

With an exponential sense of primal instinct, Jen threw her body forward. There wasn't a moment of hesitation. Because, if there had been, Enoch might have had time to pull back and hide. Instead, all he could do, was stand there wide eyed and watch her form.

It wasn't a form for throwing knives. Not the proper form.

Jen's arm snapped backwards completely, flexing in the reverse direction as far as it would go. Her forward foot hit the rough stone patch first as her leaping motion ended. Her hips were twisted backward but they began to rotate in the forward direction.

The knife was in her trailing arm and that began to swing forward with the momentum of her hips, which was carried upward into her shoulders. Soon the weight of her entire body was being broadcast upward from her foot all the way to her finger tips in that trailing hand. Her second leg came forward and swung down like a pendulum. The force of that motion dragged her entire upper body with such intensity that she almost pulled herself off of her feet.
---