Crystalline Universe: Team Fortress 2 Overwatch - Volume 3: Crystalline Universe: Bloodline's Curse Chapter 72 Sepoltura Prematura And Toro Sfacciato Part 2
The train rolled past the vast lands of Hungary toward its next stop, Budapest. The vehicle’s arrival at the station will be in 1 minute.
A dilemma stands in front of Toro:
1. Stay on the train but the team of traitors could escape during the train’s stop at Budapest.
2. Get off the train but the team of traitors could stay on the train and escape.
Time is running out as the train slowed its speed due to its approach toward the station, Toro must make a decision.
[Sepoltura] – “Brother, the train…
[Toro] – “I know, something must be done… We cannot let them escape. ”
[Sepoltura] – “What’s your plan then, brother? ”
[Toro] – “The dark path to a greater good. ”
As much as he hated involving innocents during his work, Toro had to make the sacrifice in order to accomplish his goal. The executioner hastily walked toward the driver cabin and upon knocking down the fortified metal door, Toro grabbed the terrified conductor by the neck. As the crystals on his forearms glowed, the driver quickly fell unconscious to the ground.
Toro quickly sat on the driver seat and accelerated the vehicle which flew past the station like a bullet.
[Sepoltura] – “Bro… What we do now? ”
Toro analyzed his surroundings and then turned his attention toward the GPS screen beside the control board.
[Toro] – “We may not have much time but just enough to get the job done… *A moment of silence* …Get ready to fight, Sepoltura. ”
[Sepoltura] (in an anxious voice) – “Are we still going with that plan? What if… ”
Toro raised up, approached Sepoltura and stared deeply inside his eyes with a gentle smile.
[Toro] – “Brother, when we accepted you into our family, I saw an unparalleled amount of courage inside your heart, that kept you going even when your original parents left this world. You have it inside you, you must be the man that will start a fight courageously and win the battle with all the fire you can let out of your spirit. The point is: when there is work, you gotta man up and do it! ”
The younger brother, inspired by his older brother’s words, had his face slowly filled with determination while the anxious and fearful side faded away.
[Sepoltura] – “I won’t let you down, I promise, bro. ”
[Toro] – “Let’s do this then, let us exterminate those harmful pests from our great association. ”
*Meanwhile inside the team’s private room
[Mergiann] – “No, I promise, I saw the two guys talking! They are executioners from the association, they are on this train trying to hunt us down! ”
[Darlynn] – “But Mergiann, how could they have found us? We didn’t leave any clue behind. ”
[Karson] – “Or it could be just 2 XX intel crooks discussin’ our case, so they pose no real threat to us if they don’t possess any ability. ”
[Mergiann] – “What do you say, Azur? ”
Azur pretended to be asleep on the couch with her cap tipped over her face.
[Darlynn] – “I think she’s asleep, let’s keep it down. ”
[Karson] (in a frustrated tone) – “Oh, I’m gonna wake her bloody ass up! ”
Karson unhesitantly approached Azur’s ear and prepared to clap his hands and yell to wake her up but before he could commit anything of the actions, one of Azur’s crystals grabbed him by the back and the other by his arm and pulled him down.
[Karson] – “Ow! God f.u.c.k.i.n.g damn cack, ow!
While the sapphires kept on twisting his arm, Azur sat up from the couch as Karson kept on screaming out of pain.
[Azur] – “You may wanna think twice before acting next time, asshole! ”
[Karson] – “Alright Alright, I got it, it’s a damn joke, you bloody prat. ”
Azur released Karson and picked up her hat from the floor and used it to blow some wind onto her head.
[Darlynn] – “So, Azur, you heard what Mergiann was saying? ”
[Azur] – “Yeah, Yeah, the two guys? I don’t think so because if they were executioners, they would have killed us already. ”
[Mergiann] – “What makes you so sure of that? ”
[Azur] – “Do you honestly think, that you can hear their conversation, and run back here alive, and not having all of us being dead at this moment if they are real executioners serving with IDD? ”
[Darlynn] – “Good point but we still… *wipes the sweat from her forehead* …need to be careful. ”
Mergiann opened the fridge beside her and grabbed a cold can of drink to press against her burning red face. Meanwhile, Karson took the jacket off his back and pulled his collar to let the heat escape.
Every passenger on the train was overwhelmed with heat and the bathrooms were all occupied because people needed fresh water to cool themselves down. The waiters were on full duty as everyone inside the train ordered drinks of every kind to deal with the constantly radiating heat around them.
Soon, it became obvious that no amount of icy drink or cold water could bring down the constant fiery heat burning like wildfire across the train. Suddenly, a waitress collapsed on the alley due to a heat stroke but the passengers were too eaten away by the heat to even care.
Azur stood up by pressing her hand against the wall and was shocked to realize that the wall was stinging hot. Through her eyes’ captors, she realized that the current room temperature is around 52C.
[Mergiann] (in an exhausted face) – “Gottverdammt, we are under attack! ”
*(german word for “god damn it”)
[Karson] – “This isn’t supposed to happen, they shouldn’t know that we are here! ”
Darlynn could barely stand on her two feet due to dehydration and had to use her sword as a walking stick. As for Azur, she observed the environment outside the window and realized that much afar, the birds are still flying freely as if nothing happened.
[Azur] – “Darlynn, look, the birds. ”
[Darlynn] (in a weak voice) – “Wha- what about them? ”
[Azur] – “They are still flying as if nothing happened! Can you see them? ”
It didn’t take long for Darlynn to understand Azur’s message; the ability has a range of about 500m.
[Darlynn] (in a weak voice) – “I got it, Azur, but we’re still done for… ”
[Mergiann] – “Huh? We just gotta… ”
Mergiann suddenly realized that, while trying to wipe the sweat off her head, her movement became slower and slower up until the point where she moved as fast as a character in a slow-motion movie.
[Mergiann] – “Wha- t- is- ha- ppe- ning- ”
Even her voice sounded like slow-motion as her mouth’s movement was also restricted.
One after another, the passengers inside the train passed out as the temperature kept on increasing. Through the alley full of passed-out and dehydrated people, Toro and Sepoltura in full body armour searched every person for any clue of the traitors.
[Toro] – “Soon, they would die or submit, that’s how we hunt! The hunter will always get the upper hand. ”
[Sepoltura] – “What should we do about Mazzatello’s order? If he finds out about us disobeying his command to not engage if not under direct order from Sniper, we will be in trouble! ”
[Toro] – “Brother, life’s not bound to any rule but laws established the common norms of society. But when the time to disobey comes, we do it for the greater good! We disobey not because we are criminals, we don’t listen because the rules, in this case, chain justice to let crime run free. We will achieve what others failed and that being to kill those parasites living under our eyes. ”
[Sepoltura] – “So we are justified to act? ”
[Toro] – “Justified to disobey, yes! We are the executioners of unbound criminals. ”
After checking a few hundred passengers, Sepoltura sat on the ground to rest after the long search.
[Toro] – “What are you doing, brother? ”
[Sepoltura] – “I’m just resting, not much. ”
[Toro] – “What if they suddenly appeared and killed you? ”
[Sepoltura] – “But… They couldn’t move, no? ”
[Toro] – “Brother, to succeed in life, is to prepare for the unpredictable. You lowered your guard in the midst of a fight, that’s how you will lose. ”
[Sepoltura] – “But I thought they were the hunted? How’s this a fight? ”
[Toro] – “We are slowly killing them, this is the most critical moment since they will fight to survive and to do so, you will be their prime target. ”
[Sepoltura] – “I’m sorry, brother, I deceived you! ”
[Toro] – “I won’t blame you, you are learning after all. In the end, you will be a greater warrior than me. I believe in you and you should believe in yourself too, brother! ”
[Sepoltura] – “I understand, brother! ”
[Toro] – “Don’t step down because of fatigue, only step down when there is no more blood to bleed from your wounds. This is our clan’s spirit, you are a member of our clan, victory is on our side! ”
Meanwhile, inside the private room, Karson and Darlynn dragged Mergiann’s body, passed out from heatstroke, toward the fridge. To speak, Darlynn had to use her sword to write the letter on the floor since it’s the only thing that can bypass the movement restriction beside Azur’s crystal, which can only achieve minimal movement.
[Karson] (in a broken voice) – “We mu-st con-front the-m di-re-ctl-y or we are do-ne for! ”
[Darlynn] (through ground writing) – “We need to get their attention then… but how? ”
Azur, with the help of her sapphires, wrote on the ground: “The driver’s cabin, micro. ”
Since they are not far from the driver’s cabin, Darlynn opened the road with her ability on her rapier while Azur exhaustingly dragged Karson and Mergiann behind with her gems.
Through a few minutes of struggle, the team made it to the train’s c.o.c.kpit and activated the intercom system around the train.
[Azur] (though the micro) – “Bas-ta-rds, we ar-e in the tr-ain’s co-ck-pit! ”
Through the surveillance camera, Azur saw that there are two executioners in total.
[Darlynn] (through ground writing) – “I’ll use my ability to propel you and you use your crystals to escape the zone of influence of his ability and get some help. ”
[Azur] (through ground writing) – “No, I can’t leave you here, they will kill you! ”
[Darlynn] (through ground writing) – “It’s the only way, your escape will divert of them to follow you and we will have a better chance to win. ”
Through Darlynn’s sweat, Azur could see a drop of tear leave her eye as she difficultly passed her disc of information on the XX’s war crimes.
Word didn’t need to be spoken for Azur to understand Darlynn’s message: “If I die, make sure to complete what I started. Don’t let others suffer anymore, the world needs to know those people’s crimes. ”
Even though Azur changed a lot since the many incidents she was involved in, she still felt sorrow toward Darlynn, the only person who has been a true friend to her since the very start.
Darlynn raised her rapier toward the sky and Azur approached her hands to the blade. After cutting a hole she could fit through on the window, Azur was launched toward the sky with the last of Darlynn’s strength before she passed out.
Toro and Sepoltura arrived only in time to see Azur fly out of their ability’s range.
[Sepoltura] (in a panic) – “Brother, she escaped! ”
[Toro] – “Follow her, Sepoltura, follow her! ”
[Sepoltura] – “But what about you? We need to stick together, right? ”
Toro approached Sepoltura and tapped him on the shoulder before smiling with a proud face.
[Toro] – “You can do this, brother, don’t be afraid. You cannot always stay on the ground, you must learn to fly away on your own. Remember everything I taught you, you can do this! ”
Sepoltura nodded and flew away using his ability toward Azur while Toro turned his attention toward Mergiann and Darlynn. Seen that the two passed out, Toro thought that the team only has 3 members as Karson hid behind the cabin door.
As Sepoltura flew far enough away for his ability to lose grip onto Karson’s body, the young man pulled a bottle of water from his pocket and emptied its content.
[Toro] – “Since you two are passed-out, I will make this quick then! Better pray for the spirits to pardon your crimes! ”
After gathering all of his remaining strength, Karson suddenly charged toward Toro with his fist. His sudden intrusion caught Toro totally off-guard and without time to defend, Toro received the full power of Karson’s ability in the head.
[Karson] – “TAKE THIS! ”
[Toro] (in shock) – “What the hell? ”
The punch shattered part of his helmet and left the left side of his head bloody while the secondary energy charge ripped the train c.o.c.kpit open.
Sepoltura heard the crushing sound through his communication device with his brother and quickly turned back to investigate.
[Sepoltura] – “Brother, what happened? ”
[Toro] – “I’m fine, keep chasing her, you can do this! ”
[Sepoltura] – “But… ”
Toro raised a thumb up in the air for his brother to see. Upon seeing this sign, Sepoltura was filled with a new sense of confidence, and duty and went full-on to chase Azur.
Back inside the driver’s cabin, Karson threw a barrage of punch toward Toro, who could hardly block them. Karson clearly is faster than him and he needs a solution to deal with the situation or he’ll be soon overwhelmed.
The solution could be to just burn Karson to a crisp but due to his injuries, his armour could no longer protect him from his ability’s extreme heat, so he needs a solution adapted to the situation.
As he blocked Karson’s punches with his palms, he added heat to his hands which burned Karson’s fists. Soon enough, Karson found both of his fists 2nd degrees burned by Toro’s ability. Karson screamed in pain as he felt his hands melting in front of him.
[Toro] (in agony) – “Pain is good… Through pain, we learn from our past mistakes… Throughout the years, I’ve been teaching others but today, you thought me a lesson. Fighting is learning, and knowledge is the most dangerous weapon! ”
Karson stared in agony and rage toward Toro while desperately trying to regain his cool despite the horrendous suffering.
[Toro] – “You are a brave warrior, I’ll offer you a fight and grant you and your friends, an honourable and painless death. ”
Karson knew full well that in strength, Toro surpasses him by a lot and his ability is clearly no match for the executioner but looking back at his fallen comrades, Karson knew he’s the last barrier between them and death. He glanced at Mergiann, who could die any second from dehydration.
[Karson] (in an anguished voice) – “I’ll protect my friends, I’ll protect Mergiann… If you wanna harm them then prepare for a fight without surrender… EVEN IN DEATH! ”
Karson suddenly charged toward Toro and dragged him through the hole inside the c.o.c.kpit down onto the speeding train’s railway.
[Toro] – “What the hell? Are you trying to… AAAAAgh! ”
The two men fell toward their death through a train running at 550Km an hour.
To be continued… Next Chapter: [Karson Tristram]
