"Let's start on a side and move on from there. We can't let their flank be affective." Your mentor nods. "There was a reason why I saved you, even if I didn't realize it at the time."

"Which is...?"

"You're smart."

You'd blush if could, you like compliments, "No, the reason why you got me in the first place."

"You'll find out at some point."

You both laugh. Kelso drops information every once in a while, and at some point you want to just have several hours with him to discuss everything. Was the world always like this? What happened to it? What is my purpose? And on and on.

By now the collection of lights are nearing, so you stop chatting with your master and turn your attention to them. Keeping your head close to the ground and sneaking to the right, you prepare to overtake the group of five on that side. Your mind flashes back to your training in the training you did with Kelso in the dunes. You try your best to channel your anger while you run, Kelso behind, at the Zealots.

Why should I hate the Church? Your mind answers. Because they hate me for what I am. The man called Sebastian called me a 'demon'; I'm not that. I know I'm not that. But they will crucify me if they can. And I won't let them do that to myself or Kelso.

With your mind settled on some sort rage, you vent it with your sprinting, reaching the Zealots quick enough. They're big people, the C.E. Soldiers. Stygian black metal overlays their entire bodies, with an obvious group leader with a different helmet (with horns, like a medieval knight's would have.) The rest have a simplistic SWAT-team-like helmet with a visor. The most notable part of their ensemble is their heavily tusked rifles, which take up both of their arms, if only to carry the heavy block of metal. You assume that that's the thing that Kelso mentioned; the lightning bayonets. 'That, and their lit cross on the chest, flashing on and off. Thankfully, they don't seem to notice you, yet. Their heavy metal probably restricts them of that.

You pay little attention to where Kelso is, and you angrily lash out on the leader, leaping from over eight meters away from the ground. While in the air, you let your claws grow out and you come onto the huge black being's chest, and sink your claws into him, through the weak parts of his armor. Wet, sticky blood pours out, and you messily continue to clutch onto him while he tries to shoot you off with his tusked-bayonet. He manages to shoot up wards once or twice before slumping to the ground, the Other Zealots probably pissing their pants at this point. You roar at them, jumping off the corps of their leader and sending a heavy-fisted slash at a close one that is unbashfully trying to use hiw walkie-talkie. The hand you send clunks off of his helmet, but the heavy crunch you feel from it obviously means you broke his neck.

While you were busy with two, Kelso (still unseen) has done fine work with the remaining three, his body half-transformed into something... Animalistic. With hairy, muscular arms and sharp teeth he overpowers them easily, ripping heads off at insane speeds, to the point that you're convinced that you imagined part of it. After several lightning flashes from the last one, Kelso's new body soaks up the energy from it and grabs the Zealot, throwing him to the floor. Now, all that remains are you and your mentor. You hungrily sink your teeth into a nearby combatant, reinvigorating yourself. Kelso morphs back, seeming tired, and takes a helping from one of them. After only ten seconds, he grabs you to stop with him.

"That's one group down. There are three more groups to annihilate, two to the left (what used to be the middle) and the third which is standing back, way over to the left. I'll assume we're moving on to the middle?"

You skip the middle and around to the other side.

"Divide and conquer, Mentor. Let's take out the smaller groups first."

With Kelso in tow, you make your way around to the other side. It takes longer, and you're certain the Zealots in the middle know you're there, but if you can finish off the five then the remaining ten are just more sheep coming to the slaughter.

Running, and dodging bolts of lightning from your right, you find the group from the left, dangerously close to the middle ones. In fact, it's almost like just a large group of fifteen, ready to fight you. But there is a gap, if you and Kelso can make it...

The green-lightning erupting from the rifles aren't very accurate, from what you've gathered, but when shot in large numbers you admittedly weren't surprised when one slammed into your armor. It stings, but the metal absorbs most of the impact. So much, in fact, that it begins to burn and boil your skin under it. You immediately throw it off, by then close enough to the group that you won't have to worry about dodging another shot from them. While they reload, you jump at them, kicking in mid-air and ruthlessly cutting through the weak spots in their armor, near the neckline. After killing one, the other spears your back, holding it up in the air while another charges at you with his bayonet, ready to pierce...

Thankfully, Kelso was fast enough to jump, twist and turn so that his feet gained momentum--  and slam his foot on the incoming soldier, sending him several meters away. Not a problem for now.

But the rest of the Zealots closing in are. Using your blind-fury, you manage to make a slight somersault while your back was tusked, releasing you from it's tearing grip and causing the soldier to flip over.

Even with these successes, you realize that it is no use. Lightning is shot into the back of your head, causing you to fall on the ground, your head burning but regenerating. You can't find Kelso during this, but you realize one thing; bad strategizing did this one in for you. Your flesh didn't heal itself when shot multiple times in quick succession.


You have died by the hands of the Church.