I made my way towards the tower. HELLFIRE was helping my bad leg move better, so I wasn't as slow as I'd otherwise be, but I was still sore and exhausted from everything going on. The sun was beginning to set, as I felt something powerful approaching us.
"Shit," I muttered, drawing my weapon and turning to slash at the massive dog leaping at me out of the foliage.
The Black Dog drew back as I grazed its snout. It growled, and began circling me, growing in size as it did. Damn thing was huge...
Well, this is happening, HELLFIRE said. Got a plan?
"Oh yeah," I said. "I got the perfect power to deal with this."
With that, I tapped into the Fear of Vermin's power, and sprouted my rodent tail.
Is this a joke to you? HELLFIRE asked.
"Come on, dude," I replied. "It'll be hilarious."
You are going to get us killed! HELLFIRE snapped.
"Just keep me mobile and we'll be fine," I replied.
The Dog made a move, but I was quicker. I dodged under its chomping fangs and slashed at one of it legs, while simultaneously whipping another leg with my tail. Both of my attacks were enough to draw blood. The Dog howled in pain, and turned to chomp at me again.
Jump! NOW! I thought.
HELLFIRE focused all of his power into my legs, and we took off into the air, jumping above the Dog's muzzle. I landed on the beast's face, and quickly bound its mouth shut by wrapping my tail around it. It tried to force its mouth back open, but my tail proved to be strong enough to hold. It started to desperately shake me off, but I planted my feet firmly into its face and held my ground. As I did, I licked one of my eye teeth briefly, and noticed something.
Are they... bigger? I wondered.
I glanced down at one of my hands, and I noticed my fingernails, which I had trimmed earlier, were several millimeters longer than I remembered. Fascinating. There's more to this power than I initially thought.
Pulling myself away from that momentary distraction, I stabbed my sword into one of the monster's eyes, and jammed my cane-sheath into the other eye. It growled, and continued trying to throw me off. As it did, I felt the air around me growing colder.
Shit! I thought. Do you remember which side the Cold Boy's on?
It's against the Dog, I know that much, HELLFIRE replied. As for us, it may be wise to extricate ourselves from the conflict.
Good call, I said, loosening my tail and allowing the Dog to buck me off. I slammed into a nearby tree, and slumped to the ground. The Dog, blinded, but still able to sense the approaching threat, abandoned me and fled into the forest. The Cold Boy passed through in pursuit not long after, and shot me a sadistic smile before moving on.
"Okay, cool," I said. "I'm just gonna... close my eyes for a minute..."
As I did, I felt a familiar chuckle ring through my head. It sounded like me... but... somehow different.
"Yeah, sure," the voice said. "Your universe is going to shit, but fine. Go ahead and take a nap. You've earned it, champ!"
I opened my eyes. I was inside my own soul, knelt against a computer desk. Standing over me was, well, another me. He was different, though. He was dressed in a black and white plaid hoodie, wore his hair down, and his eyes were yellow, with horizontal, slitted pupils, much like a goat.
Which is wildly impractical for a bipedal predator to have, but I guess it's cool aesthetically... I mean, HELLFIRE makes his eyes seem cool...
Speaking of HELLFIRE, he was there, and immediately reacted to the other me's presence.
Who are you!? He demanded. How are you-
Suddenly, a bunch of massive, jet black swords rained down around HELLFIRE, jabbing into the ground, limiting his movement.
"Not now, HELLFIRE," the other me said. "The main characters are talking."
"Main characters?" I asked.
"That is the role we tend to play," he said.
"So you're from another universe?" I said.
"Bingo!" he replied.
I rose to my feet, drawing my sword.
"Oh?" he said. "Do you view me as a threat?"
"Oh, please," I replied. "I'm morally compromised at best. I can only imagine how fucked up my variants can get."
"Good point," he said. "I've seen a lot of us throughout the years, and we do have a tendency to go down dark paths. Don't even get me started on the Red one..."
"So, what do I call you?" I asked.
"I'm glad you asked, Dr. Ferris," he said. "We need some way to distinguish ourselves. You may call me Nightmare."
"What, because you live in dreamworld?" I asked. "That's kind of stupid."
"Like I said, I've seen a lot of us," he replied. "And there are two traits we all share."
"Which are?"
"One," he said, ticking one of his fingers. "We're a bunch of stubborn cunts."
"That checks out," I said.
"And two," he said, ticking another finger. "We are absolutely terrible at nicknames."
So what are you doing here? HELLFIRE asked. This isn't your universe. Do you claim to have a stake in all this?
"Not immediately," Nightmare replied. "But I must admit, I've never seen the Algernon get this bad in any other world. If it continues to progress at this rate..."
"It could escalate into a multiversal threat," I finished for him.
"Bingo," he replied. "Bad enough having one of those running around..."
So do you intend to assist us? HELLFIRE said.
"Tough to do much from here," Nightmare said. "Can't exactly leave..."
"So why contact me in the first place?" I asked.
"Because those allies of yours are fucked if you and your blade don't get there in time," he said. "So I figured I give you some words of motivation, and a touch of advice."
"And what advice to you have to offer?" I asked.
He stepped forward, gave me a demeaning pat on the head, and said "Check your pocket, dumb-dumb!"
He then slapped me across the face hard enough to wake me up.
And he's gone, HELLFIRE said. What do you think he was talking about?
"Good question," I said, rummaging around in my coat's pocket. "Maybe I've still got some of Ciel's good shit on me..."
Then my fingers fell upon a familiar, rectangular shape.
"Oh... I'm an idiot...," I muttered.
How so? HELLFIRE replied.
"I completely forgot I still had this," I said, drawing Abdalin's card out of my pocket.
Isn't that what you used back when the forest first appeared? HELLFIRE asked.
"Yep," I said. "Abdalin never came to take it back..."
Think it's still got any juice left in it?
"Only one way to find out," I said.
I invoked the card's power, and felt an invigorating rush of strength and mobility flow through me.
"Oh, fuck the hell, yes!" I gasped. "Let's fucking go!"
I took off again, and caught up to all the action. There was a lot going on. I think there was a tank. There were definitely more plant monsters. I got to work, dispatching as many of them as I could, before making my way into the building. I could see some people struggling to get through some vines sealing off the door to the basement.
We stick to the plan, right? HELLFIRE asked.
You help them, I said. While I hold off the forest. We just need to find the right host...
How 'bout her? HELLFIRE asked, turning my head to see a girl I recognized from Tony's files as the woman who accidently set this whole thing in motion.
Robin.
She'll do perfectly, I thought.
Beside her, one of her allies had a close scrape with an infected monster, but was able to put a bullet through its skull. I teleported up to Robin and addressed her.
"You need a hand?" I asked her.
She turned to look at me, and gave me the correct answer.
"Yeah," She said. "That'd be much appreciated. Thanks."
"Cool," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "HELLFIRE, help her out for a sec. Don't be a dick about it."
Screw you, HELLFIRE replied.
"Excuse me?" Robin asked.
"You ever host a Dying Man shard before?" I asked her.
"No," she answered. "Wait, what!?"
"First time for everything," I said, as HELLFIRE transferred over to her. "Have fun with him. He's a charmer."
I swiftly dispatched of another monster, and turned to her friend.
"You should really pay more attention to the battlefield," I informed them.
Then, as if karma itself had something to say, I was caught off guard by a bunch of roots entangling my arm and breaking it. I cried out, and as I did, I felt the effects on the card wearing off.
Damn...
Walking was out, but I still needed to get the cane to the ritual room. So, thinking quickly, I clicked the button on my cane, causing the blade to unsheathe. I allowed the sheath to fall to the ground, and tossed the sword-cane over to Robin.
"That's what's left of the Newborn!" I told her. "Use it well!"
I broke free of the roots, and dropped to my knees, catching my breath. I reset my arm, and retrieved the sheath to support myself. I teleported outside. The vines and trees were moving closer to the building, sensing the threat approaching it. I needed to hold it back. Fortunately, I still had one last trick I hadn't used yet.
This forest, the Algernon, as Nightmare called it, is a Fear. And I had been in its presence for a quite a while. It was time so see what kind of power I had gotten from it.
And I already had a pretty good hypothesis...
I gripped my sheath tightly, using it for support as I raised my broken arm, palm outstretched and focused. The approaching plant life began struggling to move any closer.
Clorokinesis. Control over plant life. Exactly what I had been hoping for. Using this power, I was able to slow the forest's movements. However, it was still a struggle. It was my will against the will of the forest, and I was already pushing myself pretty damn hard.
The vines inched forward, bit by bit, as I did my best to fight back against their progress. As they drew closer, a figure rushed through the foliage, slicing through it with a flaming blade. Professor Malkator landed beside me, wings outstretch, and flaming wakizashi in hand.
"You holding up?" he asked.
"Took you long enough," I said, glancing at his sword. "You don't use a forward grip very often."
"Forest slowed me down," he replied. "And as fond as I am close quarters, this is an enemy I'd like to keep at a distance."
He cut through a vine that was getting a little close for comfort, while I double down on my efforts to hold the plant life back.
"We need a hand!" Malkator said to the blade of his sword, and suddenly, a mysterious phantom-like being appeared, hovering over him.
It was tall, and seemed constantly out of focus, save for its eyes, which were a fierce red, and clearer than any other part of it. In its hand was a large, fiery naginata. The being raised its free hand, and shot a massive fireball into the trees, driving some of them off.
"And who's this?" I asked.
"He doesn't have a name," Malkator said, slashing at more of the approaching vines.
"I'ma call him Burner," I said.
"Can you please focus?" Malkator said, annoyed.
"Trying," I said, gripping my sheath as tight as I could.
I continued pushing back against the forest. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it up. My leg hurt, my arm hurt, I was covered in bruises, I was just thrown against a tree a little bit ago... It had been a long day. After a while, I ended up squeezing my sheath too tightly, breaking in. I fell to my knees, losing my concentration.
"Daniel!" Malkator yelled, kneeling down to support me. "Stay put. I'll handle it from-"
"Shut it," I panted.
I wasn't done yet. I was exhausted, and injured, but more than anything, I was angry. I rose to my feet, struggling a bit on my bad leg, and I faced to forest directly.
"Algernon, is it?" I asked defiantly. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Daniel Xavier Ferris. But I prefer Dr. Ferris."
I raised both my hands, and tapped into the forest's power once more.
"And I'm a stubborn. Fucking. Cunt!"
I forced all of my power against the forest, and as I did, something new came over me. An aura of black light began enveloping my body. And as it did, I felt my power over the plants become stronger. FAR stronger. The could barely move at all under the weight of my willpower.
"What is this?" Malkator asked.
"Questions for later," I replied.
I focused on one tree in particular, and watched as my power cause it to tear itself to splinters. I then focused on some vines, which began ripping each other apart.
"Neat," I muttered.
Together with Malkator and Burner, we continued destroying as many of the oncoming plants as possible. It was awesome for a minute, but even with my new power boost, I was still pushing myself too hard. I fell to my knees yet again.
Suddenly, wires began to sprout from the ground around us. Several of them began clashing with the vines. My aura began fading, and I felt myself growing faint.
"Oh good," I sighed. "The Newborn's back."
Suddenly, a massive tendril of flesh and steels slammed into the ground next to me, narrowly missing me and Malkator.
"Ah, bollucks," Malkator muttered. "The Newborn's back."
I started to slump over from exhaustion, but Malkator caught me before I hit the ground.
"We'd best leave them to it," he said. "Oy! Stragglers! Over here! Hurry!"
The last thing I remember seeing before losing consciousness was a glowing blue light opening up in front of me.
I came too inside my soul room, with Nightmare kneeling over me.
"Did I... did it work?" I asked.
"It seems so," he said. "We'll have to wait and see what happens next, but for now, it seems the Algernon have been stopped in its tracks."
I looked at my hand, flexing my fingers a bit.
"That's good," I said. "But... that power..."
"I've seen something similar before," Nightmare said.
I suddenly had a vision of another version of my, dressed in a black vest, and wield a sword made out of that same black light. The image faded, and Nightmare shook his head, sighing.
"Only ever as a sword though," he said. "I've never seen it as an aura."
"I felt like I was using all of my powers at once," I said. "But... that's impossible, isn't it?"
"For most Devil Killer's yes," he said. "Perhaps this is worth further research."
"Any chance I could get the assistance of someone with... I dunno... a whole wealth of knowledge of alternate universes?" I asked.
He shot me an annoyed look.
"I'll check my schedule," he said. "Now, wake the fuck up."
I suddenly found myself in a sprawling landscape of multicolored, glittering sand, with streams of bright liquid flowing through it. Malkator had one of my arms over his shoulder, and was dragging me along.
"Good," he said. "You're up. Mind making use of your good leg?"
"Right," I said.
I started helping to support some of my own weight. It was still awkward, but it was better than being dragged along. Malkator then looked over his shoulder and shouted at someone else.
"Oy!" He snapped. "What did I say about touching the water!? You know what, don't even look at it! Just keep your hands to yourself and keep moving!"
"We're in the Streams of Destiny," I observed.
"Yep," he replied.
"How many others did you get out of there?" I asked.
"Um... an amount?" he said. "Didn't bother counting."
"Kai?" I asked.
"He found his own way out," Malkator said. "Didn't see any immediate danger in his future. Stop worrying."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"So... I have a question for you," he asked.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Where the fuck is HELLFIRE?" he asked.
"I um... lent him to someone to get through the plants," I said. "He must have gotten lost in the shuffle."
He was silent for a moment, but I quickly got the feeling he was scowling at me.
"You planned this," his said.
"What?" I said. "No... I'd never."
"You son of a bitch!" he said, accusingly. "You took advantage of the Hell breaking loose so that he could slip away amidst all the chaos!"
"You can't prove that," I pointed out.
"The SMSC put you too together so that you could reign him in," he said. "Now you've set him loose! Do you have any idea how dangerous he is!?"
"The SMSC wanted to keep us both under lock and key so that they could use us for their one ends!" I snapped back. "Now he's free of that life! Besides, you don't know him like I do."
"I know that he made me murder my best friend's sister as a child!" Malkator growled.
I fell silent for a bit. I gave him a minute to silently seethe before speaking again.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't realize... how personal it..."
"No, I should... apologize...," he said. "You're no hero, but you're a good person, deep down. If any of that could of rubbed off on him..."
"Trust me," I said. "He's a good person too. You know, deep down and all..."
"Right," Malkator said. "Anyway, we have reached our destination."
A portal opened in front of us, and we were back at the bus we drove it on. The whole Demi-God team was there, and to my surprise, both Phantasm and the Demi-God Hunter had their hoods down... I was very curious what I had missed.
Malkator brought me over to Kallaway, shoved me toward him, and said "Here's your dumbass back."
Kallaway hugged me tightly, then set me to lean against the outside of the bus, while Malkator, and everyone else you had escaped through the Streams, went off to rejoin their own groups. Kallaway had a seat next to me, and ushered Ciel over to have a look at my arm. She berated me for recklessly setting it myself. She will break it again if I say that I caught her smiling when she saw I was still alive, some I'm not going to say that.
"I'm glad you guys made it out," I said. "How'd that happen?"
"Oh, we've got a lot to talk about," he said, opening a can of beer with his gauntlet and handing to me. "But for now, let's just enjoy what I hope was a victory..."
"Amen to that, brother," I said, taking a swig. "You know, I should have a word with Kai's parents."
"About what?" Kallaway asked.
"His internship, of course," I chuckled. "I think that kid could go places."
