Chaos Unleashed ~ Sirius

".....and that's the plan guys. That is, if you think it'll even work. Do you?" I finished with the question I wasn't too excited to hear the answers to.

"Well," Leviathan started. "If all this works out correctly, we have around 30, maybe 40 percent chance of success and survival." he paused. "Hell yeah I'll come with you, I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

I noticed Lykfilia's smiling expression go to a very concerned one.

"Wait, how do Lyka and I fit into this?" Reyna asked curiously.

"Well, actually-"

"You didn't actually think we'd just sit on the sidelines waiting for Spectre to come in, dragging your dead body back to the tavern?" Reyna cut me off.

"Actually Videns, Spectre would leave us to die in pain-"

"I HAVE A NAME YOU KNOW?! Gods, what is it with you and Spectre and using everyone's last names?"

"It's got something to do with respecting people you aren't close to, as in, not violating their rights of silence and talking about them as friends when you're not friends. And in case you haven't noticed, we aren't exactly close to you." Leviathan explained to her, but it didn't have the right effect at all.

"Well, the society has changed quite a bit since your time, Lesauvage." Reyna added.

"Hey, calm down you two, I'm quite sure Spectre would like to have a non-burnt tavern to return to. Besides Reyna, don't take this the wrong way, but you aren't exactly a fighter nor are you a healer, so I didn't count you in on this. Lyka, I really do not know what you can and can't do, so I didn't count on you to be safe on your own, sorry." I tried to ease the tension in the room, with a little success.

"I don't mind Sirius, If I were there anyways, you'd have a decent 15 percent chance of success and survival. " Lykfilia said, smiling. "I just wish you luck, and hope this works out for you two. Now get going already! The walk to Worthwood is quite a long one if you don't go before dusk."

_______________________

"Alright, Leviathan see that building over there with the iron pillars on the stairs?" I pointed over to the academy-looking building. "Those are the Godsends' headquarters. You know how this goes, right?"

"Yes, I remember your disaster of a plan, but right now it's our only shot at getting Spectre back."

"Alright then, I'll see you on the inside." I then walked over the the front entrance, and as soon as I had reached the top of the stairs, I was immediately noticed by the guards.

"Hey, what are you doing here kid?!"

"I would like to talk to your leader, Cortana Discordia."

"Yeah right, as if she wanted to talk to a child like yourself!" they replied.

"Well, It wouldn't be the first time I've talked to her, so I didn't think it would matter. Now, are you going to let me in, or are you going to make me stand here all day?" I asked, slightly panicking on the inside. The whole plan revolved around me getting in and distracting Cortana on time, or she would notice Leviathan sneaking in somewhere.

In that moment though, I heard a voice I recognized.

"James, don't worry about him, his intentions are pure, and he's not lying to you." Azriel came out of the shadows on the inside and stood in the doorway.

"So, Arden, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to talk to Cortana about the offer she made me the last time we met. " I replied, hoping he'd take it as the truth.

"Well, come on then, don't let me stop you. Cortana's office is on the third floor, fourth door on the right, middle corridor. " Azriel sent me in the right direction, before going back out of the building. Great, I thought. He most likely won't be here, so that's one angel down. I kept on thinking as I walked up the staircase to the third floor.

Finally, I found the door with a shining bronze tag that read 'Cortana Europa Discordia, head office of the Godsends'

I knocked twice, and waited a bit in between. Finally, there came an answer from within the room.

"Come in!"

I opened the door carefully and walked in. Cortana looked up from her files and smiled lightly.

"Ah, Arden. What on earth brings you here?"

"I wanted to discuss the offer you made me. The offer to join the Godsends?" I replied, trying to make me sound convincing, but I wasn't sure I did.

Cortana nodded slightly, and gestured for me to sit down.

"Speak, Arden. Why are you really here?"

I froze.

"W-what do you mean, why am I really here?" She couldn't have possibly seen through me already, could she?

"You see, you hesitated too long before you answered, therefore, your answer cannot be the truth."

"I came here because I was curious as of what you did with Spectre. That's the truth, I swear." I knew I didn't sound genuine, my voice was far too shaky for that.

"Hm. I might as well show you, since it's not like it'll affect anything. " Cortana stood up and turned to the wall behind her, picking up a small portable radio that was currently giving feedback noises. "Yes? She's talking nonsense again? I'll be right there Nathaniel, just make sure she doesn't do anything else, understood?" Then I heard the static of the radio being turned off.

"Come with me Arden." she said, walking out of her office, and instead of going back to the elevators, she turned and went deeper down the corridor before she reached a set of stairs.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked her, confirming my suspicions.

"We're going down to the basement. It's where we keep our prisoners, which right now is only two people. "

I felt slightly panicked. Two? Does that mean they captured Leviathan already? Or was it someone else? I hoped for the latter, and continued following Cortana without a sound.

When we finally came to a stop, I felt a slight stroke of horror run through my veins. This place was lined with bronze everywhere. Every doorway, window, everything. Even the walls had bronze through them in thin lines. I realized that if Leviathan had made it inside, the rest would be suicide.

Cortana pulled out a chain of keys, chose one, and opened the metal door.

Inside was Spectre, half standing, half hanging up by handcuffs connected to the ceiling with a bronze chain. She looked terrible, and looking back on it now, I think that was an understatement. She had cuts and bruises almost everywhere, especially her right arm, the one she fights with. She had her eyes closed, muttering something under her breath, like she was performing a ritual or something.

Cortana stepped away from the door, leading me closer to it.

"And that, Arden, Is what we do with traitors like her. " She turned to me, and I looked straight into her stone cold ocean blue eyes. "So pray hope you won't betray us, eh?"

I nodded, and opened my mouth to say something, but my words were cut off by the sound of the warning bell.

Cortana's expression hardened, and she turned back to the cell, as if she was checking to see if Spectre was still there.

"Stay here Arden. We'll solve this rather quickly, and the I'll continue this conversation." She ran off to find an angel or heavenly to tell her the situation.

"What.....are you...doing here, Arden?"

My whole body shot up, turning around to face the cell.

"I'll ask again. What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Spectre's voice was like a thousand needles piercing your body all at once, and it was honestly a bit scary.

"We came to break you out of here?" I replied, unsure of what to say.

"I already took care of that, believe it or not."

"Um, no offense, but you're handcuffed to the ceiling, how can you have the situation handled?"

In a split second, Spectre was out of the handcuffs and standing in the doorway, wielding Joyeuse with her left hand instead of the right one.

"I told you I had the situation handled Arden, now get out of here before you manage to kill yourself doing something unbelievably stupid." And then she ran off down the corridor, going the opposite direction as the exit.

I decided to go after her, since I wanted to know what she was doing going the other way than the one she needed to go.

I followed her until she stopped in front of another metal door, this one lined with copper.

"I thought I told you to get out while you still could, kid. But I guess you must have a death wish then. Best of luck to you, Arden." Spectre slammed the end of her quarterstaff on the midlle of the door, and sent an electric shock through it, breaking it off it's hinges.

When the dust settled down, I noticed someone sitting inside the cell, on the floor. I decided not to ask, but when she stood up, I became confused. What was a fairy doing in an angel prison?

"So, what did they throw you in here for, eh Vine?" Spectre questioned her.

Vine chuckled and replied with a smile.

"I refused to give up the coordinates to the tavern."

"When was that?" Spectre asked again.

"Oh, uh, could be a month, could be years? I don't really remember. " the fairy replied, still smiling.

"So, who's the kid?"

"Sirius Arden, grandchild of Marchosias. Ya know, the only human to join the swordsmen, ever."

"Wait, really? He doesn't look like him at all though." The fairy seemed fairly interested, but then shook it off. "Where's the exit?" She asked me.

"Oh, the exit's the other way." I answered, still not wrapping my head around all of this.

"I'm Vine by the way. Vine Faerondal, dark fairy and the only female of the Seven Swordsmen, since Spectre refused when Marchosias retired." She put out her hand, and I hesitated slighy before shaking it.

I heard voices coming from the end of the corridor, and when I turned around, Vine was examining the wall on the other side of her cell.

"Whatever you're gonna do, do it quickly, before those guards reach here!" I said, half shouting it.

Vine began to whisper something, a spell of some sort.

It was taking too much time. The guards were slowly getting closer, too close.

"I'll go distract them, you guys need to be quick about this, or you'll be going right back into those cells." I said.

"And why should I trust you?" Spectre's words were unexpected in the moment.

"Bec-because I'm the only thing that can stop those guards from seeing you and reporting back to Cortana? Look, I know I'm a backstabbing bastard in your eyes right now, but please remember that when I told them, I didn't know what they were gonna do to you. I also didn't know you as well as I thought I did. " I said.

"Well, do what you need to." Spectre said, and turned to Vine, who had finished her thing.

Vine then set both her hands on the wall, shouted "Vinea mea crescunt: conteram in pariete!" And then the wall blew up.

"Whoa. I didn't know it was that effective." She said, stepping out of the building, followed by Spectre. The guards had believed me when I told them no one else was back there, so they'd left before the wall broke.

I stepped out behind them, and lead Spectre to the rendezvous point, where we were waiting for Leviathan to return.

"So, Vine, where will you go?" Spectre asked her.

"I don't know. I've just been travelling around Araycien until those damn angels found me."

"May I suggest you go find Dagon? Find him and just, talk to him. About everything. Because I'm sure he doesn't get a lot of visitors, and I'd visit him myself if I didn't have a tavern to run. "

"Y-yeah that might be a good idea. I'll tell him you said hi."

Vine then proceeded to melt into a tree, transporting herself away.

A few moments later, Leviathan came stumbling through the trees and nearly faceplanted on the ground in front of us.

"Oh hey Spectre, nice to see you here."

"Dear god, Lyka is not going to be happy about this." Spectre replied, and opened up a portal to the tavern.

"Step through boys, I'll be right behind you."

I helped Leviathan stand up and walked through the portal, Spectre right behind us.