Nathan Umbra
Sorry for the period of silence, we've been settling into our new home here in Bangkok. That's right, the Deicide are in Bangkok; oriental setting and the city don't know what the city is getting. The creme de la creme of the STAB world in a show with everything with Yul Brinner.
(Elijah's note: We're not exactly short of people who will take the job of Lieutenant seriously, Nathan. Get it together.)
Alright, time to recap!
Elijah had gone to pick Knight up from wherever he had gone to, while I was tasked with picking up Cecilia and that other chick. They had allegedly gotten a tip regarding the Rake's location from some guy who calls himself "Jack of All", whom Cecilia had referred to as a completely reliable source. We drove to a forest just outside of New York City, referred to by the locals as "Wilhelm Wood". Noticing that Elijah and Knight were running a wee bit late, I began directing our APCs and Helicopters to surround the forest. Our troops, armed with flamethrowers, acid sprayers and Tesla coil based electric weapons seemed confident that we would kill a Fear that night.
Elijah had gone to pick Knight up from wherever he had gone to, while I was tasked with picking up Cecilia and that other chick. They had allegedly gotten a tip regarding the Rake's location from some guy who calls himself "Jack of All", whom Cecilia had referred to as a completely reliable source. We drove to a forest just outside of New York City, referred to by the locals as "Wilhelm Wood". Noticing that Elijah and Knight were running a wee bit late, I began directing our APCs and Helicopters to surround the forest. Our troops, armed with flamethrowers, acid sprayers and Tesla coil based electric weapons seemed confident that we would kill a Fear that night.
I wish it were that simple.
After the last of the troops had driven away, the limo that Elijah and Knight were in pulled up. The chauffeur exited the driver's seat and held the door open, as Elijah stepped out and adjusted his tie. Knight followed after, albeit looking shaken and paranoid as per his usual meetings with Elijah. Elijah walked up to Cecilia and placed the tracking device in her hand. A sticker, no larger than a nicotine patch. He put his hand on her shoulder and told her that he was sorry, but she would have to go in alone lest the Rake become suspicious. She responded by saying that it probably already knew our plan and had a counter-plan ready, but she would gladly meet it alone regardless. Knight opened his mouth as if to protest, but immediately closed it when Elijah shot him a glare.
Cecilia looked at him and said "I've been meeting Fears since long before you were even born, Knight. I'm sure everything will be fine." She smiled at him, which seemed to reassure him slightly. Waving a goodbye to us, she took off into the murky darkness of the forest.
The four of us sat for what seemed like hours waiting for Cecilia to return, with Knight growing more and more anxious with each minute that passed. At one point I made eye contact with Cecilia's other friend, who just gave me a look of disgust and spit on the ground next to her. Seemed like conversation wasn't an option. Desperate for something to do, I called one of the helicopters back to pick Elijah and I up. The moment I set the radio back on my belt, Elijah pulled out his GPS and exclaimed "She did it. We have a signal." Internally patting myself on the back for calling in the chopper ahead of time, I signaled for them to land just as Cecilia came running out of the forest. I pushed my way into the cockpit and grabbed the pilot's radio as Elijah boarded.
Just as we began to take off I sent out the APB that would begin the assault; "All units, the crow has left the nest. I repeat, the crow has left the nest. Let's go kill ourselves a Fear, gentlemen."
Elijah Shepard
By the time out helicopter had made it to where the battle had started, the earth had already been scarred by the flames, acid and electricity that was flying about the area. The Rake, seemingly unfazed by the weapons that had caused Wendigo so much pain, was slaughtering out troops. Realizing that a ground assault was a pointless endeavor, the APCs loaded up our soldiers and fled as our helicopters and VTOLS unleashed armageddon on the clearing, courtesy of roughly fifty Hellfire ATS missiles. As the smoke dissipated, we saw the Rake, now visibly wounded, stand up in the center of the newly formed crater.
Yes, we had injured it gravely, but that had only served to make it angry. Letting out a feral cry, the Rake leaped into the air and divided one of the VTOLs into three different sections. It then disappeared into "The Godsway" and took out three more within the span of a second, startling the rest of the pilots into a mass retreat. Not willing to risk anyone's lives for no reason, I ordered the pilot to get us away from there.
And...
Well...
The Rake peered out from behind the pilot's seat, holding his head in one hand, and with the other...
No word of a lie, the damn thing was giving us the middle finger. Or claw, whatever you prefer. The point is we were now short a pilot, and our helicopter was plummeting towards the earth. The last thing that went through my mind before the crash was a memory of my sons Zeke and Jack on a camping trip with me, years before they both disappeared.
...Pardon me for a moment, I need to regain my composure. You see,the disappearances of my sons is what caused my feelings of hatred towards the Fears. There is no doubt in my mind that they are responsible, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that they all pay for what they did.
...Even if it means allying myself with one of the more (and I use this word loosely) "benevolent" Fears. As I lay in the clearing, fighting with all of my strength to remain conscious, the pain of the crash slowly disappeared from my body. My eyes fully opened and I saw an elderly man with pitch black glasses kneeling above me, holding his hands to the sides of my head. The Blind Man was saving my life... And I had to feed my curiosity. He knew we were trying to kill the Fears, why would he help us?
"It's simple, Mr. Shepard. I also know how it feels to lose your child to... Let's just say a pair of monsters. I know your pain. I share your pain... Which is why I wish to devote all of myself and all of my resources to your cause."
I was caught off guard by the offer, and frankly didn't know what to say. I took a moment to consider the options, and came to the conclusion that the Blind Man's vast library of knowledge was far too great of an offer to pass up. A Fear of all things was willing to help us destroy it's brethren, so who were we to refuse? STAB command had mixed feelings on the matter, but in the end the council voted in favor of the alliance due to the Blind Man no longer being considered a "threat".
As Nathan mentioned earlier, we are using the site of the Archive's main base in Bangkok as our new headquarters. This newly formed Alliance is mutually beneficial, as it allows the Blind Man's influence to grow as the other Fears die, as well as allowing us access to all of his resources and even his Domain.
The Blind Man has officially become the secondary Commander of the Deicide.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Father chose the Harbinger to follow
Soon the End will make him hollow
