1.16 Devil Part 7

Damn it! Damn it! Just damn it!

We can still fight.

Can we Lion? Can we really?

Such sarcasm is unwarranted and unnecessary Leo. We still have things we can do.

Like what?

If we can kill some more of the creatures, we can make another shot. Plus we still have our guns and most of our ammunition.

Like they’ll do us any help.

And you’re forgetting what Drakvar gave us. From what he said when he handed the device to us, I am assuming it is a weapon to be used against Apocalypse or one of the other Harbingers.

But it is all pointless since Apocalypse is just going to kill us in a second before we have the chance to do anything to stop him.

But before either Apocalypse or Gears can do anything, there is a flash of light and a bright beam lances at Apocalypse. It strikes the Harbinger in the right eye, tearing through the flesh as the projectile, whatever it is, lodges itself in Apocalypse.

Then it explodes.

Gears blinks at this sudden downfall of good fortune as Apocalypse howls in pain, clutching his right eye with both hands.

Well, that was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

A welcome one too.

Still, I don’t trust it. It seems too suspicious.

Is it really so strange that somebody else harmed Apocalypse? There are many others here fighting the Harbinger and it is likely that one of them is also capable of hurting him. They probably just waited for the opening that our attack provided.

I guess that makes sense.

Regardless of what just happened, we need to focus on how it affects us. Now is the time to strike. While Apocalypse is off-guard.

As he falls through the air, Gears grabs the device that Drakvar gave him. He aims it at Apocalypses and the metal parts form a floating ring at the end of the device, held together by what appears to be an electromagnetic field.

The machine hums and several orbs of bright blue energy with a white glow form in the ring of floating parts.

Any ideas on what those are or what they do?

I-I genuinely have no idea. I never seen anything like them. All I can tell that it is extremely advanced and uses electromagnetism in some manner.

Then let us find out what it does. Unleash its fury upon Apocalypse!

Gears pulls the trigger and there is a flash of light as the orbs surge forwards towards Apocalypse, moving faster than Gears can track even with his armour.

But the effects are clear to behold as the Harbinger tumbles out the sky. Without time to regenerate, the rapid succession of powerful attacks have taken their toll on Apocalypse.

The gaping hole where the right eye once was has been completely blown open with the majority of the right head now gone. The chest has been shredded with the left side torn away.

From the shoulder, the already injured left arm has been blown off and the limb is currently tumbling through the air as it falls to the ground. The leathery wings have also been torn to shreds while the legs and right arm have also suffered major damage if not as serious as wounds inflict on the rest of Apocalypse’s body.

Doesn’t matter if you regenerate and are fast if we actually get a good beating down you.

From our estimates, I say that Apocalypse will take at least a couple of weeks to fully recover from these wounds.

Excellent.

Gears smiles he realises that they now have a good chance of finishing off Apocalypse. Or at the very least, somebody else can kill the Harbinger.

But Apocalypse begins to fall, now truly looking like a fallen angel, a large circle of shining white light above the Harbinger.

What is that?

I don’t know for certain, but it looks like a portal to me.

Whose?

I don’t know.

There is a flash of lightning and Gears feels beautiful static in his head. Realising that the static is of hostile origin as he feels his body being to freeze up, Gears spreads it out amongst his companions, breaking its power and hold on him.

What was that static?

I have no idea.

According to Guardian’s records, it might belong to Ziz, the second-in-command of the Dozen Harbingers of the End Times. But it also says that she favours various songs and melodies.

Another Harbinger? But there is only supposed to be one per a month.

Perhaps the fact one of their own may die has caused them to break their own rules?

That sucks.

Bright white light and crackling blue electricity engulf Apocalypse’s falling body and rapidly pulls the Harbinger up into the portal.

As he also falls through the air, Gears thinks about his next course of action.

First of all I need to survive this fall with a badly damaged and half-functional suit of power armour that lacks flight capabilities.

Fire your remaining KEPs at key points to slow your descent and make a landing sounds good.

Sounds like a plan.

But Gears doesn’t get a chance to implement his plan as a familiar sight comes towards him. Bolt swoops in and grabs Gears out of the air.

“Rest down helt,” says Bolt as he heads for the ground, “You have earn it.”

1.16 Devil Part 4

Beowulf and the three non-English speakers take point whilst Bolt and the villains hang back with Gears.

Gears glances over at Draugr. The woman has clearly taken interested in the original source as shown by the fact she is basically unnaturally tough animated corpse with superpowers.

“How did you manifest Draugr?” inquires Gears as he hops over the rumble.

“What?” says the woman, snapping her head around to look at him.

“I’m curious,” says Gears, “You have an unusual power set and Enhancement that resembles the actual source of your codename and I am wondering what the cause behind it was.”

“Enhancement is what you Americans call the body of the Begavet?” inquires Draugr.

“We prefer the term menneskelig,” mutters Bolt under his breath.

“Yes,” replies Gears, “We have different names for each type of Enhanced. Bellator for the function-oriented, Aphrodite or Adonis for the form-oriented, Abnormal-”

“I am aware of the different types,” cuts in Draugr, “I am aware of the different power ratings of the Western world. For your information, I manifested after I was slain. I experienced a vision where I was gifted the power of Revenant by a being claiming to be Hades. I then work up like this, much to my annoyance. A corpse that never rots. But I suppose my power makes up for it. I certainly got my vengeance and rule the criminal underground in multiple countries. Yours?”

Hmm. Should I tell her about my manifestation?

She did just tell us hers.

And isn’t like we got anything to hide about it.

“Nothing as exciting as yours,” replies Gears as they begin to near Apocalypse again, “I was one of the lucky ones that got their powers at the start of the year. That said, it wasn’t all fine and dandy for me. When I first got my powers, I had to-”

Gears stops speaking as several of Apocalypse’s creatures pounce on them, the monsters clearly having prepared this ambush in advance. As the others rush to action, Gears fly straight up at a massive cat-beast with rippling muscles and spike covered flesh.

As Gears stabs his halberd into its chest, the cat-beast swipes a large paw at him with oversized fangs. The halberd pierces the chest whilst the claws scrape against the side of Gears’ helmet, causing the superhero to grit his teeth.

That damage was limited to the outer plating, but that was too close.

We should try and disengage so we can attack at range.

Good plan.

As they tumble through the air, Gears tries to grab the beast by the throat with his other hand only to remember he has already lost it.

Damnit! 

We can get a replacement once this is over one way or another.

Gears lets go of his halberd and uses his KEPs to fly around the cat-beast before it can strike him again. A couple of metres above it, Gears decides to try out his new ability to summon his halberd back to him.

How does this work again?

Just think about it reappearing in your hand or on your back and will it to do so. It will then do so provided it isn’t being blocked from doing so.

Gears does just that, willing his halberd to reappear back in his hand, being careful to think about his right hand rather than his left.

The black and red halberd materialises in his hand and Gears aims his halberd at the cat-beast as it falls to ground. Gears lobs his halberd at the falling creature before drawing his handgun as he looks around for another target.

Over there!

I see them.

Gears aim his pistol at the demon-bird engaged in aerial combat with Bolt. As the superhero blasts away with his electric-looking energy bolts at his trailing foe.

Gears fires at the creature at it and Bolt draw close to him. The bullets smash into the head of the demon-bird and Gears notes that these ones are Pounder bullets.

Pounders. A solid slug of heavy Gardium. Good for smashing into things using mass, momentum and kinetic force.

Not the best choice of what we have, but they’ll do.

Especially since I want to save the more dangerous bullets for the more serious threats.

And it isn’t like we have the ability to swap over to a different type right now.

As the trio of bullets smash into its face, the demon-bird turns to face Gears and swoops at the American vigilante. Gears dodges out of the way with a few controlled bursts of his KEPs and empties the other nine bullets into the demon-bird at point blank range.

The demon-bird screeches in pain as bullets leave several holes that leak a sickly green liquid, but continues to fly through the air, coming back around to engage Gears again.

Pretty tough for a birdy.

Did you expect anything less from one of Apocalypse’s creatures?

A flash of blue-white lightning smashing to the side of the demon-bird as Bolt lights up the injured left side of the beast. With the exposed bullet-holes, Bolt’s attacks are much more effective this time around as it fries the internal flesh and bone of the demon-bird with crackling sizzles.

Sensing an opportunity as the demon-bird is distracted by Bolt, Gears flies in at creature, holstering his pistol. He swings his hand at the creature, summoning his halberd as he does so. The ruby red blade tears through the black, murky feathers of the demon-bird and into the flesh and bone below.

With ease, the halberd tears through the head of the demon-bird and Gears can feel the charge building strong.

I might as well charge up as best I can.

Gears hacks away a couple of seconds to hack away at the corpse before it falls out of range. 

“Was that last bit really necessary?” inquires Bolt as he flies by.

“Yes,” replies Gears as he flies after Bolt, “Inflicting harm and death charges my halberd’s energy beam.”

“That is an interes-” Bolt starts to say, but his voice trails off as a massive shadow appear over them.

1.16 Devil Part 3

Remembering how Tar’garieth hit him even after he dodged, Gears won’t let Apocalypse get off so easily either. He swings the halberd towards Apocalypse and the beam slams into Apocalypse.

Got him!

Good shot.

The Harbinger howls as unnatural energy tears into his side, ripping through the outer flesh of the arm, leaving the limb hanging loosely at the side.

Almost instantly, the wound begins to regenerate and Apocalypse turns his head to look directly at Gears.

Not good! So totally not good!

Run!

“Run!” yells Gears to Beowulf as he takes off into the air.

Gears doesn’t make it far, barely reaching the buildings again when he slam into the ground. He cries out in pain as he feels his left arm crushing inwards, the armour doing nothing other than resist for a couple moments before breaking and tearing into his flesh and bone.

As Gears grits his teeth in pain, the crushing suddenly stops and Gears looks up to see several figures standing over him.

“Gar det bra?” asks a voice and Gears hears Beowulf reply in Norwegian

Gears calls up his armour status on his HUD.

That...that is pretty nasty.

I am unable to heal it in this realm.

Gears’ upper left arm has been compromised with broken armour, internal and external bleeding, bruised and torn muscles and a fractured bone. The lower half of the arm and the hand are...missing, simply torn off by whatever Apocalypse did.

The Harbinger must have used his telekinesis.

That is the most probable answer.

How good are you with your right hand?

Good enough given I’m left handed. At the very least, I am good enough to last this battle.

“Father,” says a familiar and welcome voice via his internal speakers.

Jaylyn? I am so glad to hear her voice again.

We missed her.

“Sentinel,” mutters Gears as he remembers to turn his external speakers off, “What is the status at home?”

“The Slaughter Seven have been sent in full retreat,” replies Sentinel, “Friend and most of their lackeys are dead while Necromantress and Aquiline have been captured. Demonica has taken over leadership for the survivors. Less than three hundred people were killed. We got lucky. Very and extremely lucky Father.”

Aquiline got captured?

“And our casualties?” ask Gears.

“Other than Guardian, nobody whom you know was killed or injured beyond the ability to heal,” answers Sentinel, “Other than that, some interesting things happened in the aftermath. Oh, Mother is fine and completely unhurt by the way.”

Good. That is one less thing to worry about.

What about Guardian?

She’ll be fine.

“So what interesting things happened?” inquires Gears as he feels the pain in what is left of his left arm begin to fade away.

“Well, Grandma Danica manifested and is A Class,” replies Sentinel, “She, Grandpa Cecil and Mother’s family found out your secret identity after DSA revealed it to them. They themselves found out after Mother let it slip. Secretary Scott himself showed up and it turns how he is Sentry’s brother! Other than that, when they tried to retrieve you from the other dimension Demonica sent you to, they accidentally got an alternate version of you instead. So now you have a twin sister! The DSA is currently in the process of sorting out the paperwork. I should also inform you that you have suffered severe damage to your arm? Should I begin to fabricate a replacement?”

Well that is a lot to take in. Shouldn’t all of that seem weirder?

Meh.                                                                                                 

Weird is relative to us these days anyway.

“Yeah,” mutters Gears as he sits upright and looks around.

Beowulf is there along with a brown haired Adonis in a brown and dark green costume. Standing next to him is a red-white spandex clad Aphrodite with flaming hair while to Gears’ other side is person wearing thick and bulky grey armour. Next to the armoured person is hovering Bellator man in dark blue spandex with white boots and gauntlets and glowing mane of hair.

To the front of Gears is a white-haired female in Viking armour whilst tending to what remains of his left arm is another person in Viking armour, this one an Adonis.

“Are you okay now Helt?” inquires the man tending to his arm in heavily accented English.

“Yeah,” replies Gears as he gets to his feet, “The pain is gone.”

“Good, my potion has done its work then,” says the man, “I am Ragnar. You are the fabled Gears right?”

Beowulf must have-wait, fabled Gears?

He must have heard of us.

“The one that scares Darkness right?” inquires the woman in front of Gears in a deathly cold hiss.

Ah, that will explain it.

So both Darkness and we are known here in Norway. Not bad for a couple of Americans.

“That I am,” confirms Gears as he picks up his halberd with his right hand, “Who are you guys?”

They all take a few moments to explain their powers to each other as the Viking woman keeps up a telekinetic shield around them.

The man in green and brown is midlevel brick called Bjorn while the flaming hair woman is Pryokinetic called Flamevinge and the armoured man is a low level brick and Gadgeteer known as Jernside. None of them speak English, but all of the rest do.

All of them are local government heroes led by the hovering man, a specialised energy projector at lower upper levels called Bolt. The two in Viking armour are both supervillains and part of Darkness’ international Syndicate.

Ragnar is a Norse enchantment tinker at B Class while the woman is an undead Abnormal at A Class level called Draugr with half a dozen A+ Class powers.

“Super Strength, Nigh Invulnerability, Regeneration, Telekinesis, Cryokinesis and Phasing,” Dragur had said, “I am the leader of Scandinavian Syndicate Division.”

“Okay guys,” says Gears as he looks at wear Apocalypse is now hovering over the city, “Let’s go and hurt this guy.”