Crystalline Universe: Team Fortress 2 Overwatch - Volume 3: Crystalline Universe: Bloodline's Curse Chapter 76 The Final Decision
Mazzatello sat under the obscurity of the private room darkened by the lack of light from the small weak lamp on the nightstand. He blended perfectly in with the darkness which made him almost impossible to distinct apart from the gloom.
Sometimes, Scuoiamento even asks herself; is there even a man inside that dark clothing?
Scuoiamento circled anxiously around the chamber while waiting for Mazzatello’s decision over Toro’s desperate call for help. Time flew by, and Mazzatello remained still and without a single word. By looking at the clock, Mazzatello knew that making Sniper and the rest wait for him isn’t acceptable and he has to make a choice and quick.
In a cold and unforgiving voice, Mazzatello opened his mouth and whispered: “No, we will stay until everything’s over”
Scuoiamento was so shocked by what she heard that she almost chocked herself with a gasp.
[Scuoiamento] – “You can’t be serious, aren’t you? You gonna leave Toro to die like that? ”
[Mazzatello] – “I have to do what must be done! Our loyalty is to lord Sniper, to the association and we shall, under no circ.u.mstances, betray his majesty’s order and trust. ”
[Scuoiamento] – “You… you can’t do this! He’s our comrade, he… he’s a part of this team… ”
[Mazzatello] – “Are you questioning my authority? ”
The words iced Scuoiamento’s to the bones as Mazzatello stared at her with eyes that she couldn’t even see in the darkness of his clothes. There is nothing that could be seen under that hat, it appeared as if Mazzatello doesn’t even have a face or a physical body; there is only an empty shadow of a man under that hood.
Scuoiamento felt afraid, the fear of darkness once more reminded her where is her place.
Without hesitation, Mazzatello stood up and exited the room to rejoin Sniper and the rest of the guests waiting for him while Scuoiamento stood still in sorrow and obeyed her final order, an order she’s not yet ready to disobey.
Mazzatello, while marching in the hall, felt uneasy for the decision he made. It felt like a repeated mistake to him, it felt like reliving the past once more; the mistake of ignorance over feeling, the mistake of blind lies over open reality.
[Mazzatello] (in a determined voice) – “There is no mistake! My loyalty is to lord Sniper, I was born to serve a greater purpose, not to tear for friendship and step down for feeling. ”
The man became darker and darker until it almost felt like people can’t see him as he walked across the hallways.
*Back in the unnamed city
[Sepoltura] – “Brother? Bro? Can you answer? ”
The device couldn’t emit a single sound since the communication is totally cut due to the damage sustained to Toro’s helmet.
[Sepoltura] (in a worried tone) – “Damn it! Did anything happen to bro? What should I do? ”
Sepoltura panicked as on one side, he’s clueless on the whereabouts of his brother while on the side, Azur is still running free amongst the citizens.
[Sepoltura] – “I must do this… I can do this! If this is my mission, I must succeed! I’m the beast, I’m one with the spirits, my arms open, and the power of infinity runs free. ”
His final decision is made, Sepoltura will make a sacrifice, he will trade the lives of innocents for peace and justice just like his brother back on the train.
With a slow movement of his hand, his ability coursed through the people and the entirety of the metropolis. Soon, the cloud in the skies stopped moving and the cars in the streets came to a hold. The worse is the livings who are under the ability’s influence; everyone in a 2 km radius around Sepoltura slowly choked to death due to the air’s slow movement.
Azur gasped for air amongst others in the crowd, she knew if Sepoltura has enough gut, he will end up killing everyone in the city alongside her.
Only two of her crystals remains now, there is no way she could make a proper escape plan without choking to death first. Upon seeing the people around her dying, Azur came to the conclusion that she must give herself up to Sepoltura to put an end to this rampage.
Painfully, Azur dragged herself toward Sepoltura’s location supported by the two of her remaining crystals.
Sepoltura closed his eyes to avoid seeing the horror that is happening in front of him. He tried thinking of something calm and relaxing but the thought of the mass massacre kept on knocking his mind out of the peaceful thoughts.
All of a sudden, a hand grabbed him by the shoulder; it was a woman holding her child.
[woman] – ” *gasp* please, mister, save my child… *gasp for air* I don’t what’s happening but… we are *gasp* choking… please!!! ”
The woman suddenly fell to the ground due to asphyxiation with her dying baby wrapped in her arms.
Sepoltura was beyond shocked and disgusted by his action. The situation is clear, he needs to stop this unnecessary and nondiscriminatory rampage but in the meantime, he thought about his prey and his brother.
Sepoltura breathed heavily while looking at the baby and woman dying in front of him and time is running out. He must decide rather he will choose to spare or to let his brother down.
[Sepoltura] – “I… I’m sorry, brother! I can’t do this! I don’t know why, but I can’t. ”
In tears, Sepoltura withdrew his ability from the city and kneeled on the balcony in anguish.
Azur breathed a sigh of relief as she felt fresh oxygen entering her lungs freely once more.
*On the train
Karson is trapped, there is no escape in this boiling hot oven that is cooking him alive. It looked like hell around him as everything started to be tainted with a red colour due to the heat. His shoes melted away long ago and the skin on his feet melted away and stuck to the floor.
He can nor walk or find an exit; his ability doesn’t grant any mobility power beside offensive.
Karson is running out of time, he must find a radical solution. He stared at the hole through which Sepoltura fell and bit his lips in anger before ripping a piece of cushion from one of the seats and putting it in front of his chest.
[Karson] – “It’s not about which one of us has the better strategy, it’s about who of us has the better motive, and my motive is to survive through this so I could kick your ass one more time! ”
The energy flew across the arm and charged his glowing crystals before he lifted his arm toward himself. With a daring smile, Karson punched himself in the chest, sending himself flying through the multiple wagons ahead of him toward the train’s front.
After a short period of time, the train came to complete stop as the damage caused by the fight broke the engine.
The German countryside blew waves of refreshing wind toward the smoking train while the peaceful grass danced with its rhythm. It’s calm and peaceful, away from wars, conflicts and struggles.
Toro clumsily rolled out of the train’s underside while leaving trails of blood behind him before coming to a stop after hitting a rock. Meanwhile, through the hole in the c.o.c.kpit, Karson crawled out carried by Darlynn on her shoulder.
Karson coughed out of splash of blood since his ribcage and parts of both of his lungs were injured due to his punch. Toro gradually stood up by pressing himself against the boulder while Karson approached with Darlynn’s help.
When Karson got close enough, he ordered Darlynn to move away from the fight, which despite her worries, she obeyed. Now it’s just Karson and Toro face to face, a fair fight between 2 equally injured men with different beliefs.
[Karson] – “You can’t win… You can’t erase an idea, you can’t burn knowledge… ”
[Toro] – “It’s a weapon of peace only if used by those who wield it right and a menace if used by those who use it wrong. You had an idea for an old-world but I have enlightenment for the new age. You have to accept the fact that Mike is a criminal, you have to accept to learn how things are. ”
[Karson] – “Yes, I learned… I also learned another thing. You know, if you guys really are the so-called bringer of peace of justice then why would you exercise brutality upon civilians, why would you suppress knowledge, why would you commit war crimes? Mike is your enemy, which means he’s an ally. ”
Toro knew everything Karson said as facts without question but he quickly dismissed those claims due to his obsession with the idea of the new world by Sniper.
[Toro] – “To bring good, sacrifices must be made like how people died to bring peace back to Europe during World War 2. This is the same and it will be the last! ”
[Karson] – “To the Germans, starting a World War was to bring justice to the oppression made to them by the Versaille treaty! Their definition of peace back then was to start a war. You are the same, just like a fanatic mindless minion loyal to your emperor and the idealogy! You mixed peace with violence! ”
[Toro] (in a cold stance) – “If you refuse my peace, then burn with the rest who refuse it. ”
[Karson] – “The Nazis burned books but those ideologies they sought to destroy survived. If I die today, someone else will take my place, you can’t burn it all, a fire will always die out. ”
The two sides stood in a cold silence; it’s a duel, a final duel who will decide which mind survives.
Suddenly, in a flash, Toro sent a tsunami of fire toward Karson but with a deep breath, Karson only sent one punch in return.
Through the wall of fire, a single silver grenade flew out and headed toward Toro. The executioner tried to block it but it was too late as he only had time to see his own reflection on the round grenade’s surface before it piece though his abdomen and exploded a few metres behind him.
The blast pushed Toro forward and landed in front of Karson as the wall of fire disappeared as the crystals on his arm stopped glowing.
Karson waited a few moments before realizing that Toro is still alive. As he lifted his fist to deal the final blow, Toro, with his weak and bloody hand gave him a sign to hold his attack.
[Toro] – “You won… I just needed someone to teach me I was wrong… You’ve learned everything you could about me and I now teach you one last thing: … to break a defensive shield ability, you only need to use your hands and concentrate your power to open it like a sliding door. ”
[Karson] – “Huh? Why are you telling me this? ”
[Toro] – “Because in my last moment before defeat… I understood why you fought so furiously. It was for that brown hair girl, isn’t it? I respect your determination, young man. This fight never was a battle of strategy, it was fight won by whoever has the will to die for it. ”
[Karson] – “You did your best too, I didn’t want to make enemies neither, I only wanted her to be safe. ”
[Toro] – “We are on the same train, young man. We all wanted peace, we are all human… now I wonder… why did I choose to fight in the first place. ”
[Karson] – “Because we had different beliefs, because our fate differed from one to another, because of the decision we make. ”
[Toro] – “I’m glad… you are more knowledgeable than me, don’t walk a blind path. This death is an honour, I hope you meet your destiny… of greatness by making the right choices. ”
[Karson] – “I hope too… but… was it a dream too far? ”
Karson stayed silent for a while before realizing that Toro died peacefully in front of him.
[Karson] – “Cruel world… for those who realize it. ”
To be continued… Next Chapter: [Mergiann Meyer]
*EXTRA
-Profile: Toro Sfacciato (translation: Brazen bull)
-Real Name: Pallaton Abornazine
-Ability: [Fahrenheit 451] – “Allow Toro to control the movement of molecules to create heat. The main way Toro attack is by melting his opponent while he’s protected against the heat in a special armour. His attack can reach a maximum temperature of up to 8000C. On top of the basic heat attack, he can create fire by using whatever flammable gas in the air or object he can find. And like other crystals users, Toro can use punches enhanced by his ability to attack or defend. ”
-Affiliation: Talon, XX executioner, Divine Servant squad.
-Role: Minor antagonist
-Backstory: “Not much is know but we know he’s born into a Native American family who also adopted an Indian orphan who became his younger brother, Sepoltura. Throughout the years, he was faced with racism toward his community and hate grew inside of him until he found out about Talon’s existence. Sniper, after inspecting the young executioner recruits, found an unparalleled loyalty from Toro and made him into a member of his personal squad of elite executioners. ”
-Reference: Brazen bull, ancient execution method consisting of cooking someone alive in a bull made of bronze.
ABILITY STATS:
Power – A
Speed – C
Sub. Speed – D
Range – A
Durability – A
Sub. Durability – None
Precision – E
Potential – D
