Settled Beneath

**************************

Earl 'Miracle Maker' Garner

I breathe heavily as I lean on the wall to my right, out of breath and trembling. I was in the middle of investigating this mausoleum when the bullets started to exchange out by the walls. And... something found me when I panicked to escape.

I need to get out, or else I can't use my Ail to hide in the earth.

But as I open my eyes fully to the dark hall, I pause in shock. The colossal hall unfolds before me like a plain beneath the moon. Its towering pillars reach toward a ceiling shrouded in shadows, so high that it defies reason, at least a hundred feet. I came in the back way and never made it to this side of the building. Still, I don't let myself halt too long.

It's still after me.

I lost it for a little, but it's still coming. Why is it here, though? It doesn't make any sense! I was almost sure this place had no traps or guards! A man here or there is understandable, but this? Shaking my head, I move with the utmost caution. I hug the walls, each step taken with deliberate care to avoid creating any kind of noise. The sheer scale of the building, stretching over hundreds of feet lengthwise, adds an imposing layer to the challenge at hand.

Why is it so dammed huge! Fuck!

I stay low, transforming my Ether into cloud-like shapes on my feet. It muffles my footsteps, but it doesn't turn me invisible.

Every inch of my surroundings is scrutinized as I navigate through the darkness, a silent oaf weaving between the massive pillars of the mausoleum. I don't even know who is buried here, but based on who or what is guarding it, it has to be a past Prime.

I reach behind me toward my pack laden with gear to steady it when I shift.

Yet, despite my efforts, my heart maintains a relentless cadence, audible proof of the tension that courses through my veins. It is the part of my body that is hardest to command or control. Still, I don't cower. I've learned my lesson from doing so.

Nothing gets done on one side of fear, while all is achieved on the other.

Suddenly, a guttural growl pierces the air without me mucking it up, freezing me in place. Swiveling my head around, dread grips me as I lock eyes with Harvey's guardian beast—the Tinihowi, a fearsome hybrid of wolf and ferret, tamed by the eleventh Prime during his youth. Wyatt's not the only one to tame a Sigiled animal, but because of how rare it is, it does speak volumes of their owners.

The Tinihowi is powerful, a 6th Sigiled beast born with that very strength. And it has had many years to hone that power.

Awareness of my vulnerability intensifies as the guardian beast fixates on me. My brain works into overdrive to shake off the fear. This thing will kill me!

The internal scream prompts swift action. My instincts kick in as I feel the lead leave my muscles and dart toward the nearest exit. The stealthy pursuit transforms into a desperate race against time in an instant as I'm stuck in a long hallway without any place to hide. The monumental pillars cast elongated shadows in my wake as I scramble forward.

Each heartbeat reverberates in my ears as I strive to escape the looming threat that shadows my every move. With each beat, however, a profound crash rocks my world as the beast behind me lunges to catch up with me.

My mind races, grappling with the improbability of its presence outside the confines of its home. It's only supposed to be within the Harvey Estate! Why is it here!? No! I need to focus.

Instead of getting lost in thought or fear, I pivot around a pillar as the Tinihowi surges toward me and sprint towards the door. However, the maneuver is not enough to circumvent the Tinihowl wholly as its claws reach around the pillar toward me, so I approach my hips with my right hand.

My Jumper springs into action as I point my hips upward, clicking the unlocking mechanism with my thumb. Hooks shoot out and latch onto the towering pillars as I nudge the metal with my Ether, guaranteeing the perfect focal for their impact. Then, weightlessness uplifts me, and tension hauls my body forward, transforming my evasion into a wild swing through the immense mausoleum.

I abandon the subtlety that marked my earlier movements, urgency propelling me forward. Wind flaps at my face and my clothes as I spin around the pillar, using the momentum to get closer to the door. The distance to the exit narrows as I race against the Tinihowi's pursuit.

Glancing down, I find the beast below me still. Its orange eyes seem to yearn for my soul. As I begin to lose height, I unlatch the cables and reinitiate them on another pillar. Swinging again to gain more height, I prevent the Tinihowi from lunging at me again.

Recklessly abandoning stealth, I forsake the shadows for speed. Even when I get out of here, I'm just going to have to keep fucking hauling it. This thing would chase me forever if it could. At least, that's what its face seems to tell me.

Nevertheless, the door looms ahead, my only escape, and I hurl myself towards it. As I do so, I retrieve a sheet of Crimfere from my pack. The weight is what makes my pack so unwieldy despite its thinness, but I bear it against my shoulder. Momentum propels me through the entrance with the sheet of metal, and I crash into the open air.

The sheet of Crimfere warps slightly as I feel weightless once again, the impact surely cracking my clavicle or scapula. My body tumbles down a series of gargantuan stairs, each step towering over two feet tall. I reach, attempting to regain my balance or composure, but the swiftness of my Jumper's leap toward the door refuses any recovery.

The descent is brutal, bones colliding with unyielding stone. Blood trails down my nose, and bruises blossom on my body. I roll to the bottom, my gaze instinctively rising to meet the eyes of the Tinihowi still poised above. I cough heavily, bloody flakes falling onto my hands.

It hasn't even hit me, and I already have some internal damage. Shit. I know, physically, I'm weak as all hell, but still. It hurts to see the massive gap. A Jumper is only enough to buy some time. Soon, it will figure out to stick at the cables.

The Tinihowi strides down the steps as I crawl backward, gradually returning to my feet. But as the beast arrives at the final stair down the hill where the mausoleum sits, I hear a shout that fills my whole body with relief.

"Earl!"

Twisting, I discover Wyatt and Bonfire running toward me from atop the hill on the other side of this valley. Similar stairs ride up the other hill toward them as I stand in a circular construct. It's made of the dark stone, Onyx, that Onyx Gate is so well known for, but the stone is so intricately carved that it sends a shiver down my spine.

Nevertheless, it pays dividends to be a Gambler. After all, I've been frantically using Reshuffle for the past five minutes nonstop.

I smile as much as I possibly can at the moment and wave at my friends as I scramble toward them. I... probably have far more panic in my voice than I want to admit.

"Help! PLEASE!"

Yup.

Wyatt and Bonfire speed past me with such momentum that I nearly fall over, and before my eyes can follow their movements, both are upon the Tinihowi. Chains emerge from Wyatt, wrapping around and piercing into the beast's earthen-like fur. It rages with a fury, lashing out toward Wyatt, but he retreats just in time to dodge it.

As he does so, Bonfire explodes with a righteous fire of a brilliant black, though it is tainted with more silver than before. I continue to watch in awe as the two take down the Tinihowi without much trouble.

Neither even gets the slightest injury before the beast becomes a charred mound of meat. I know they're strong... Angels and all that, but still... it's terrifying to see the actual difference between us.

I picked the right path. There is no way in hell I can keep up with that. Especially not Wyatt. Bonfire started halfway here, after all, at the 4th Sigil when we met him. I've stood witness to every step of Wyatt's journey. It has been arduous, perilous, and fraught with risk at every turn, but I'd be lying if I said it was slow.

Barely over a year, and he stands at this level of strength? Incredible.

"What was that thing, Earl? I've never seen or heard of anything like it."

Wyatt's question rips me from my thoughts as I crouch and stare at the Tinihowi's eyes. They haven't even seen the craziest part yet.

"We should... uh go. That's the Tinihowi, the Many-Life Ferret."

I catch Bonfire's eyes widen as he recognizes it. And because I know the man, I step in front of him with broad arms and a frigid voice to cool his temper.

"No! You will not test its immortality! We will be leaving now!"

Bonfire sighs, and I notice Wyatt's confusion. Shaking my head at his lack of knowledge, I shamble away from the body before the Tinihowi revives itself. No one knows how it works, but the damned thing never dies. It can be put down, but it will come back eventually.

"Come one. I'll tell you about it later, Wyatt. I doubt it'll chase us when it revives, anyway, as we'll be too far. I assume you're here to learn Eli's location?"

Both of my friends nod with a short pause, and I take that as proof that I should keep talking. However, the tall stairs to the top of the hill are not easy to climb for my bruised bones and are too awkward for the Jumper at my hips. Regardless, I make my way up without complaint.

"Good. Well, not so good. I came here to make sure Eli wasn't hiding in the depths of the mausoleum, as this was one of the last possible locations, but I'm pretty sure he's not. If he were, there'd be more than just the Tinihowi. Plus, I wouldn't have gone as deep, and there would have been signs before I even entered. I think the beast is a decoy. Eli Weiss has to be in the Harvey Estate. There is nowhere else he could be. His own house is empty, devoid of life. So, we'll head to Desolation's old house."

Wyatt's head sinks in thought as Bonfire simply nods approvingly to my words. I squint at them both before giving up. They'll think what they want. For now, I need an update on the current situation as we head toward the Estate.

Wyatt's going to be a little annoyed to indulge my questions.

***************************

Eli 'Underground Tree' Weiss

Shockwaves demolish entire sections of Primary as the Bladeless Monster heads toward Vincent's home. Maddox is not far behind him, trailing alongside the devastation. At the very least, the Slumbering old bastards will slow them down a little.

Lennon Hull... what an intriguing man. I thought I had crippled him.

Apparently, I underestimated him. I do know, though, that he will not ally with anyone. His blade is lonesome, and as such, anyone who comes to help him at this point will die. He no longer needs even the slightest aid.

Sitting in my chair at my desk, I rest my head against my knuckle, entering a deep meditation. Unlike that of Abbots, however, this one is purely a mental configuration. It bestows no power other than supreme focus, a manifestation of my own self-control, something I regard particularly favorably.

Lennon might be the feather that signs my death. Hmm... I accounted for the Slumbering and even the Graves becoming an Angel, but... they know too much.

From what I can tell, they are moving with purpose, coordinated purpose, striding right toward my lodging, Harvey's Estate. Hmm... I'll have to prepare my traps sooner than later, then.

A spy must be in here someone. That's the only explanation.

Wyatt Graves appeared out of nowhere with no reports on the outer wall. Same with the Shattered Flame. He's a real wildcard, though. I can manipulate the child with carefully placed words and effigies, but Emmet Knox is tainted by our worst enemy.

When will they understand? When?

Our real enemy is the Gods and only the Gods. No matter what must be done to face this, it must be done. Hesitation and cowardness will only be our downfall.

Maddox Adkins.

Wyatt Graves.

Emmet Knox.

Tomas Travis.

Billy Grimes.

Keely Dewey.

Johannus Doyle.

Parker Callahan.

Sylvia Harvey.

Joseph Jeremiah.

Ten, ten Angels are against me. And those are only the human ones. The Quartet sent by the Dominions is just as dangerous as the humans—fourteen in total against my four Angels. Not very even, if I must say so.

Myself, Clarence Love, Brimstone, Tyron Harvey, and my Roots. Of which, I'm running dreadfully low. It isn't easy to brainwash and contract so many to the point they will die for me. Still, I can get them to wield Arcas to temporarily elevate themselves forcibly to the strength of an Angel.

The negatives of the object will likely kill them, but that's a worthy sacrifice. Counting them all, I'm hardly at ten Angels as I don't have many Roots left capable of wielding such Arca.

Still, though, the Virtued artifacts left behind by Vincent should be enough to even the field. More Slumbering might show themselves, but I reckon three is the limit of the Estates. After all, the life-extending techniques do not work for everyone, and even then, there are side effects. Four or more is simply impossible, seeing as how many Angels prop up every century. The numbers just don't allow for any more.

I'll have to be careful with Tyron, though. His cousin-in-law might be able to convince him to switch sides if I let them speak. He'll have to stay away from Sylvia. The Harvey's, even married in, are not to be toyed with. I should get moving now. There is little time and much work to do. If I am to live to the morrow, I must do the impossible.

Standing up from my desk, I exit my meditation. Because of the transition, my vision turns bleary for a moment, but I recover quickly. Then, I continue through the vast halls of the Harvey Estate before finding a spiral staircase that heads into the earth.

For many years, I wondered where the elusive Gate Of Death was. I knew humanity had dug a hole years ago to experiment with its powers, but it was hidden from us. Turns out, it was beneath the Harvey Estate all along.

Or... Vincent moved his family's residence atop it when he took power. Or... he moved the Gate Of Death. Both are possible. The man is beyond any convention or reason.

Frankly, it doesn't matter, but I can use both the Gate and the hole that leads to it.

The best way to win without incurring tragic losses will be to force the opposition to fight amongst themselves. Considering the many different groups coming for me, I don't foresee this being all that much of an issue. I'll merely have to slow them down to independently so they all arrive together. From there, it'll be light work.

Lennon will start a fight with anything in his view. Maddox is prideful, while the Slumbering are desperate. Wyatt is naive, and Emmet is rash. The other Pillars, aside from Maddox, are more experienced and veteran-like in their affairs. Especially Sylvia and Jeremiah. It will likely be pointless to assign any resources to the Pillars.

Instead, I'll focus on the first five alongside the Quartet sent by the Dominions. There is a chance I can spark infighting, considering there are two demons among the four—an uneven cast.

Stoke the Pygmy's arrogance while belittling the scarred demon, and they just might come to blows. Beyond that, though, I must prepare myself.

As I stride down the spiral stairs, I check the vials on my belt. Many think Coiled Steam is my most incredible creation, capable of going toe-to-toe with the Lumens, but they have no idea.

The Vial-Infuser is far better. It can synthesize and inject any serum I may need. Even actual Serums, though Elixers, are too difficult to do on the go. I'd need far more congealed and purified Darklight for that.

Still, from rejuvenation to invigoration to defensive properties, Vial-infuser can deliver it all to me. It can even bring me back to life, given that I don't have my head crushed or removed.

That mixture, though, is a one-time thing. There is no getting a second as I didn't make it at all. It simply hangs at my belt, found long ago in a ruin. Creating one of the worst Outlaws ever known was worth such a thing.

I'd trade a dozen Phantom Pains for the Revival Fluid. It is only such a shame that the other ones in the ruin were destroyed. After many minutes of inspection and careful mixing within the belt, I reach the bottom of the stairs.

They are long, and that is an understatement.

But when I stand in the hallway that leads to the Gate Of Death, I cannot help but feel sleepy. It's almost as if it calls me toward eternal rest.

I shake off the feeling as I stride forward to the hole that has been filled all the way at the tippy top by concrete and stone. A short inspection verifies my thoughts, as I like to be absolutely sure.

It'll work.

Then, I turn around and smack away the drifting spirit nearby with a flourish of Ether that spreads from my hand to prepare my plan, growing on its own. The Gate sometimes lets through these feeble things, or more so, it attracts them from the surface. I don't think anything actually comes through it onto our side.

My feet stand back on the stairs as I head up. As I do so, I pause for a single moment in thought.

The Gate Of Death is so odd. No matter where you dig, you find it at this exact level. The ground here has only ever been damaged by Vincent, but even he would have to spend years and years to shave enough rock to get any deeper.

I know it is the work of a God, but it can't be the work of just one. Just one wouldn't be able to be so intricate and well-balanced between all facets of death. Death must have had help creating her realm.

I wonder... which God did it?