Gavel lay there with his eyes closed as he could hear the lumbering Death moving dead bodies across the ground.
"The harvest is such a fun ritual. Too bad my mom isn't here to taste the sweetness of such a victory. It is sweet." Death said as Gavel dared to open one of his eyes to see what had become of Eagles Perch. As he did so he saw many purple floating orbs chained to dead bodies as two of deaths incarnation and Deaths many reaper minions took it upon themselves to feast off the orbs themselves. The woman in the white tuxedo and the headless biker took their time cutting the chains and devouring the purple orbs. As they did so Gavel trembled in fear.
"Takes forever though. I am rushing more souls to you." A minion said as he took an arm load of purple orbs to Death. Death slowly smiled
"Death is always in a hurry. If I don't hurry with my slow pass. I would surely lose all to Time and the quick rush of life." Death said as Gavel turned slowly over and tried to sneak out of the room.
"And where do you think you are going? You are the guest of honor this evening." Death said as he slowly turned to face Gavel.
Gavel took no and sprinted only to be surprised as death rode his motorbike around him and then parked it right in front of the supply rooms only exit. "You heard me, where do you think you're going. You still have to show me where Young Jamin is hiding.
"Rats, and I thought you were too slow to keep up." Gavel cursed as The other incarnation of Death touched him from behind on the shoulder with the cold icy hand on her beautiful side. This chilled Gavel to the bone as he hopped away and turned around to see the white tuxedoed woman going tisk tisk,
"That's what most people think. They think that they can beat me because I am always rushing through the battle. They think I will make a Mistake with a combination of my slow crawl and my fast paced mind, but many have found that ultimately I will win in the end,
"Gavel frowned as he looked at the half burnt girl realizing this is exactly where he saw his end," he felt through his pockets and grabbed a fountain pen and did a double take as he pulled he saw it in his hand. "Wait, what? The pen is real. I thought that was just a dream." Gavel said as both incarnations of Death just shook his head as Gavel faced the headless Death as Death's female incarnation came up behind him with a smile on her face.
"In the end this is your last destination. So I envy you." The female said.
"Why that. I mean, your winning right, why do envy the loser of a fight." Gavel asked.
Both incarnations of Death thought for a second and then the headless biker death rode over to beside Gavel and put his cold pointy finger into his chest. This made Gavel jump back and bump into. Death's other incarnation
"It's because ultimate you get the one thing I will never have, the one thing I beg for since day one of becoming me." Death said as Gavel tried to move away, but Death's female form held him in place.
"What's that, a swift kick in the junk." Gavel offered as Death laughed.
"No. The thing I have always wanted. A Life's purpose." Death offered as Gavel recognized what
Death had just said.
"So living forever has robbed you of the beauty of that having an end gives everyone. Well, what can I say that's the beauty of Death. It's the quickest way to meaning but not the only one."
Death laughed with recognition. "He gets it no one ever gets it. You would be the first to ever get why I live in torment, why I will never be happy till my mom becomes god basically." Death said as he let go of Gavel.
Gavel moved to the far corner of the room between two shelves. "You what, I think such insight deserves a reward. Do want to know my secret." Death asked as he rode over to beside Gavel and held. A huge black lantern with a purple glowing fire in it up to Gavel,
Gavel just nodded his head as he eyed a clock not knowing what to do, "for each culture there is a version of me. A spirit of Death or Shinigami so to speak. For every culture there is a version of my or maybe several, she is the Hel Libatebena, the beauty of Death the carnival versions of me are called farewell to the flesh also known as carnivals. There are so many Shinigami of maybe five for each culture well, maybe there is more. I've lost count, but this a one is the stands before you is the best one. Do you want to know why? " Death offered as Gavel shook his head no.
"Look, something tells me your going to tell me anyway. I am a captive audience after all. So let's get this over with. Please!" Gavel said as Hel shook her head.
"Fair enough. I guess you got a point." The biker death chuckled and then reached into his satchel and pulled out a severed head,"This is what binds me to this world. If I lose this I will die as well one day. Any last words now, death said as he raised his scythe with his free hand and prepared to strike.
"Yeah, what's the deal with this freakin pin, I mean I didn't have it on me before the dream. It was in my dream, but now it's in my hand. What is its deal." Gavel exclaimed as Death looked cross-eyed for a second.
" I tell you all that and all you want to know about is a stupid fountain pen. Sheeesh." Death said as Gavel raised the fountain pen into the air and readied to strike.
Whatever," Gavel said and then plunged the pen as far as it could go into Death's head's eye socket. The fountain pen filled with death's white and cold blood as some of it trickled out onto his face. This caused both incarnations of Death to be stunned for a second as both his incarnation shook with pain and fell over onto the floor." Gavel grabbed the pin after it finished filling and then took off under Death Left arm and ran to hide in the best place he could find. Gavel noted that every reaper had fell unconscious as the winced with the pain that was caused by stabbing death. The biker Death pulled his head back into its protective casing as the lady Hel version of him moved into the hallway that Gavel went into.
"That was a nice trick. Maybe I shouldn't have opened up my softer side to you. It was dumb of me to think you wouldn't have taken said opertunity to strike. I was going to give you a break if you let me know where Jamin is hiding but it's to late for you right now." Death's Lady form said as she moved down the hallway frustrated and physically shaking with pain,"
Gavel hid around a nearby corner under a table with a cloth on it. "Great, now he, she, it, is, whatever it is, is angry. I got away, but to what end."Gavel whispered as he put the pen back into his pocket, he took a peek out of his hiding space and saw death's motor cycle with him on it, ride with as the repairs that were with him helped him look for Gavel." I am guessing they're all hunting for me now. It's not like I will make it out alive. I mean this pen did allow me to delay the inevitable, but it really is just a stupid fountain pen for now until I know how to use it. Gavel offered as low as he could speak.
Just as he was about to move a scythe came through the table straight into Gavel's head with a killing blow.
Chapter Fifteen Part B
-----------------------------
"What could you possibly offer Eden that she would possibly want. I mean Meta Eden at That. She would reject such things if this really is an avatar of the system itself. She is doomed to protect it from all threats like, you. In the end you may have to reconsider." Bradley abruptly stopped his sentence and thought for a second. "I think I know what you can offer her but you'd be offering it to sister's younger self not the older version. that would cause a lot of conflict between the two or herself. The question is are you offering what I think your offering?" Bradley asked as the voice of the crystal ball sighed.
"That's exactly it though. I know. You know. Heck, even Wilka and Lense know by know what adult base Eden wants and if Base Eden gets what she wants then the system is doomed. If she doesn't though he's definitely doomed though." Ranti offered and then sighed again..
"No, wait, but isn't my sisters mission. No you wouldn't." Bradley shuddered at the thought that just passed his mind.
"That's right, if she saves Gavel she cannot save the system in her ultimate form. This would ultimately lend Morigan enough cycles to get into the system itself. It's a shame to every time Base Eden has won over Meta Eden She saves Gavel leaving me stuck in this giant crystal ball and thus the bad guys are doomed to win. If this keeps up, yada, yada, yada. Rinse and repeat while hopefully using avian influenza infected moisturizer. You know this is getting old the trillionth time it's done. Here are your two doors. Blah, blah, blah. The one on the right leads to Gavel. Just make sure it doesn't hit your tailbone too hard on the way to ruining everything again. That's what you're going to do either way. I know we;ve been here before." Ranty offered as two doors formed out of the crystals the cave was made of as if they were liquid metal. As Eden rolled her eyes heading toward the one on the left as if she had enough of this stride. As she walked toward the door, she paced back and forth and started mumbling to herself. Her face grew vacant as went back to her younger self. 'I am not letting you win you old crown. Can't you see nothing means more than love?" Eden said and then turned back into Meta Eden. "You petulant little child. How many times do we got to go around these cycles till you realize that we are needed elsewhere, to save existence nonetheless. The system will be Morigan's if we keep doing this again and again. Are you dumb?" Meta Eden angrily spat and then her voice trailed off as she turned back into Base Eden.
Bradley looked shocked and was unsure what to do as Wilka and Lense came into the cave confused.
"So this just goes on back and forth for two hours till Base Eden wins and we're doomed. We are doomed? This time I think?" Ranty sighed.
"That's horrible. We can't change, anything can we. I mean, if we do will it change anything or will it?" Lense offered.
"Maybe, maybe not?" Ranty said again as inside the crystal ball turned into one of a compass that pointed to Bradley. "Yeah, that's the only person that can change anything for now, but I don't think he's got much time. He's got half an hour till Eden is unreachable to the argument that is roaring on in her mind. He's already changed one thing. Can he do it again? I have no clue. It's worth a shot though." Ranty said as Eden kept changing her forms as the argument roared on.
"Him? I get that he can change things. He's Edens brother. But why? And what did he change in the first place to warrant you saying he can do it again?" Wilka asked.
"Yeah, now by this time in every cycle he's dead by now. Died because Morigan killed you back at the four doors and infinite white space known as the Metaverse. I know because Eden morns him before moving on. Not sure why, but someone used the Authors pin not only saving Bradley but Bradley in turn saves Klume from his fate with the last test." Ranty sighed again.
Bradly walked forward as he put his hand on the crystal ball as the compass continues to point at him. As Klume got back to his feet.
"I would have chosen that fate. What was wrong with me? What was wrong with me? Why would I have?" Klume offered.
"That's right. How would you even have known? If I or didn't use those follow up questions. It's questionable my sister would have also asked her follow up question if I didn't point out what I did. No, you're right, someone is changing things and I think I know who, but You said he was dead." Bradley offered.
"I know he's dead. He only has one chance and that's the down door on the left. look." ranty said as the crystal ball turned into an image of Gavel lying dead on the floor where death had left him.
"That's what those spirits meant. Ranty can you zoom in right by Gavel's hand? Right there." Bradly pointed as Ranty did as he said.
"What? Okay, I will then. What could you want to see I wonder?" The image in the crystal ball shows Gavel's right hand with the pin.
"Somebody save me. I don't want to die. please." Bradly read aloud. "That's why Meta Eden loses every time. This pin. If I am right can rewriting causality if it's filled with the right kind of ink. I remember the day we built it into the system. We didn't tell Gavel. He was to busy programming out the necessary functions of the system. We wanted it to be a back door, but why does Gavel even have it. It shouldn't be in the normal system. It should be beyond a fire wall like the green one surrounding us. It's the executive functions physical avatar and thus shouldn;t be left unprotected." Bradly offered.
"If that's true, what's this have to do with the spirits we saw? I mean the ones that have told us that prophecy." Lense asked.
"The spirits said you two were sent to protect Eden and Gavel. Maybe this is a change that whoever made to get both Eden's to move on and save Gavel at the same time." Bradley and then went over and grabbed Eden and physically shook her as hard as he could. Eden was not phased by this as she kept arguing with herself changing from one version of herself to another. "Oh, forgive me for doing this will you." Bradley apologised to his sister and then reached back and with as much force as he could, slapped Eden on the left cheek.
Eden's form stopped shifting and settled on her younger self. Base Eden took note of Bradlely with a shocked look on her face. "You slapped me but why? I got to do something or..." Eden said and then is hushed by her brother.
"I get that you are split between your two mission's. You of all people tried to save us back in the beginning by shutting down the system but there are very important matters that need you right now. Yes Gavel needs you but the four multiverse's need you more. Can't you see that? So if you don't mind I we got to go stop morrigan." Bradley offered as Eden got to her feet.
"But I can't let him die. He is the only one that gets me. Without him I will be lonely and die of that alone. The universe wants it's mate."
"Yes, I get that. Gavel gets the multiverses like no one ever could. He has an understanding of physics and how they apply that goes beyond an education that you can even get in a school. Not sure how he got that but that's why I hired him. He will be alright. I promise you that. Now let the multiverse that you are apart of do its job. You are just one fraction of it and you are holding it still in a loop just to fail again, and again. You know you what I am saying is true." bradley offered and then order Lense and Wilka to take the door on the right." Wilka nodded as Lense Gulped.
"I thought you would say that. I am going to regret this but I will help defeat death. In the end I think my choices are nill in this matter." Lense said as he followed Wilka who had a wild eyed grin on her face. The two went into the door on the right as it hit Lense on the but. "Ow." He said and then followed Wilka down a tunnel as the door disappeared,
"It hit him on the tailbone instead of Eden. I may be freed after all. Me of all people. The dark will be freed." Ranty sai as the crystal ball slowly started to show signs of it cracking,"
"Baase Eden moved into the look into the Crystal ball as the door that wilka and Lense had went into fell apart leaving nothing in the space.
Eden started mumbling to herself as the crystal ball showed before Gavel trying to find a place to hide from Death.
Chapter Fifteen part C
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Wilka and Lense opened a newly formed door onto the aftermath of where Death had laid siege to Eagles Perch. The area was deathly quiet as the door they had came through disappeared. A dead body of a Alkonost warrior slid down a nearby wall as Lense frowned. "I am guessing Gavel is still dead then. I mean this over here would be were his body is, right." Wilka looked confused as Lense rolled his eyes at such a thought.
"I think we have arrived at a point before Gavel had died. I don't think we would have been sent back otherwise. The door lead to a point in the past where Gavel could be saved. That would make the most since." Lense said as Death's voice can be heard from around the corner. A few minutes later Gavel came flying around and literally bumped into Wilka as the two fell to the floor.
"Quickly, Gavel, this way." Lense said catching the attention of Gavel as he and Wilka got back up onto their feet.
"You two. Good, I'll need your help because I have no real fighting ability. Other than a razor sharp qwip or two. I am just a glorified weekend scientist after all." Gavel said as the three headed down the opposite hallway that Gavel had gone down before.
"Where are we going. Death is back that way." Wilka complained as she had a eger look on her face.
"I think we need to make a quick stop by the old armory. It would be easier to protect Gavel or have Gavel protect himself because you are the only one with magic and a weapon at this point." Lense pointed out as Gavel nodded in agreement.
Wilka frowned for a second but Lense pointed down the hallway to a door marked with an X.
Gavel ran into the room and grabbed a Alkonost machine gun and made sure it was loaded as lense followed suite. Hel Death's voice came from down the hallway as the table Gavel had originally hid under can be heard being sliced up.
"That would be were he died last time." Wilka pointed out as Hel death disappointed voice came from down the way.
"So what's the plan. We got to incarnations of Death and his reapers to face today." Lense asked Wilka.
"I think we are just going to wing it." Wilka replied as this frustrated Lense to now end.
"Don't worry guys. Death has a weakness. You have to destroy his head." Gavel said and then explained what he half learned about Death.
Wilka grinned as Hel death yelled out Gavel's name from outside the armory.
Wilka headed outside the room leaving lense to guard Gavel.
"It's You. The one I dream to defeat. My temporary equal." Death said with both his incarnations.
"It is me. I am not your equal. I never will be. The only thing a medic like me seeks to do is rid the world of you." Wilka offered as she also in returned smilled.
"As you wish it but I warn you. If you kill me, you will have to take my place or science will forsake this multiverse and leave it a white void lacking darkness." Death offered as both of deaths incarnations moved to both sides of the room. Wilka headed towards the biker death as Hel death move toward the armory.
"He's on his way back. Watch out for him Lense." Wilka warned lense who flung open the door to the armory and fired a grenade launcher round to destroy death. Hel death put out his hand as a red energy like water field extend and as the grenade round met the field, the two stopped and froze as the field turned blue.
Gavel came up from beside Lense and fired rounds of the machine gun into the grenade rund making it explode as the two took off toward another room. Wilka drew some sun flare spell grenades and through them onto the back of the biker death bike to disable it. The explosion destroyed the bike but hardly did anything to biker death. Hel death grabbed his bag that had his head in it and then turtled around it to protect it. Wilka started casting a spell as Death cast the same spell of a field he did to protect from what ever wilka was gong to through his way wilka aimed her hands outstretched at the floor as this caused the floor to buckle as small black hole like ball formed sucking most of the floor up from under Death.
This causes Death to mispeak his spell and drop down a floor slowly. Wilka took out another sun flare grenade and through it and the bag that held deaths had as it fell into the room before death could grab it. The explosion caused death to fall as if he were moving swiftly through time with a red energy. Death wensed and shook with pain as he laid there on the floor. Deaths body began to dissolve into a red glowing pollen. Wilka frowned for a second and then does a prayer for Death. As she does so the dust that had been death's head forms into a ball and comes after Wilka. Before she could act Wilka's skin is coated in the ashes and becomes one with it.
Chapter fifteen part D
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The crystals in the cave glowed intensely as the crystal ball sadder into a thousand pieces as what looked like a man with midnight black skin stood there with a literal grin from ear to ear but no real mouth on his face.
"I'm free." A clear version said as t seeped off him. "I finally, am free. Another image of him said as it moves to his opposite side.
Eden sobbed tears of joy as Bradley looked at the black skin void of a man as the smile went away and he opened his eyes to reveal that his right eye was like that of a cat and his left eye was like that of a lizard. He began to walk out of the cave and as he did so bradley turned to face ranty himself.
"So you are. I am not done though. I still have a few questions for you." bradley said as the man looked back,
"I already know what you will ask me, for one you want to know who imprisoned me and why this test was set here in the first place." Ranty said.
"Of course. It seems a little obvious that this was set up in a way for us to fail but it's also seems that someone is trying to get us to win.and we know it's not the systems Eden. she is here now but is being toyed with as well. So yes, I'd like to know who imprisoned you." Bradley said.
Laughter came from next to Bradley right ear as ranty nodded. As you wish oh great freer of the system devil himself. The one that has been toying with you is Morigan herself. She has been setting on the throne that rightfully belongs to the author of the system albeit temporarily. She has you stuck in this loop. Though I wouldn't worry about her powerful she may be, a god she is not. If I were you I would be more afraid of the author. The GodHead so to speak, he may not be evil but he has set all in motion and only desires to keep the tales a spinning for as long as he can. Ranty warned.
"Interesting. This GodHead or author. Would you say he is all powerful then. The sort of person that toys with people for fun. A kind of evil god that seeks no end?" Bradly asked.
"I will only say this. He seeks to tell the tales at must be told. If the doors are open he can breathe. If the doors closed he will suffocate and die. To force all to evolve and continue. To breathe the fresh air of newly forged worlds. Not to save all but to save himself from the life that he is trapped in the meta-verse." ranty said and then faded away as Bradley shook his head.
"So he is. So he will breathe if all the doors to the worlds are open. I guess he is trying to open those four doors back there were we were but why. To what ends." bradley offered,
Eden ran a jump hugged Bradkey who want taken by surprise. "I am sorry, you were right. If you didn't change things this would all been for not and it would of been my fault." Meta eden offered.
'I am guessing that the door on the left is Morigan. You can fight her in your state right.' Bradley asked.
"Of course she will be easy unless she has another trick up her sleeve." Eden proofed.