Gods From the Machine

by Andrew Ly

  “What are you trying to say?” Nick said.

  “That situation…I find it to be very nostalgic, or should I say ironic? Your records indicate that you were one of the young soldiers that participated in that infamous mission at that Fyrian village six years ago. It was known as one of the biggest tragedies in Glenhaven Garrison history. Susan Stillwell was among some of your best knights that fell that night, and it was all because of your inexperience and cowardice. After that you battled with insomnia and relied on an intense regimen of medication for years because you could never stop reliving the moments of horror as you witnessed her death. Throughout it all they never did catch the perpetrator responsible, did they?”

  “All the demons that were involved died that night in the fire,” Nick said.

  “That was the logical conclusion they came to when the cavalry arrived afterwards. However, I have a different recollection of the events,” Doctor Numerous said malevolently.

  “What are you saying?” Nick said.

  “The cries she made were heart wrenching, weren’t they? She must have suffered right until she died,” Doctor Numerous said.

  The realization hit Nick harder than he could have imagined. “No…it—it can’t be! You were there that night!”

  “Yes, I was the one leading that raid, Agrian. I remember that night so vividly, almost as if it were just yesterday. I was cornered by her after she took my eye, on the brink of defeat and certain death until you showed up! You were calling out for her, calling out like a lost child for his mother. She dropped her guard down for that instant and it was over. I left her alive, but severely wounded before I blocked every exit and then I lit the entire complex on fire. I waited from afar on high ground and away from the scene, watching from until all I could hear was her bloodcurdling cries for help.”

  “I…I didn’t know…”

  “We shouldn’t be fighting, Agrian. No, I should be thanking you. If it wasn’t for your timely intervention I would have been the one that died that night and none of this would have ever occurred. Ironic how fate works isn’t it?”

  Nick felt nauseous. “All this time I could have saved her.”

  “Yes, but instead you sealed her fate! Because of your foolishness she now lays in a pile of ashes and soon you and the rest of the world will join her!”

  “If you’re too afraid to fight Nick, then why don’t you try fighting me?” Garreth said.

  Doctor Numerous laughed uproariously. “Did you think that you could goad me into one on one battle with you? You may not be at your full strength, but there’s no chance I would risk my chances of success on foolish game of pride.”

  “Because you know he’ll find a way out and beat you,” Garreth said.

  “Silence you insolent brat!” Doctor Numerous roared. A click of the button and a large jolt went into Garreth. His body convulsed violently before he also fell to his knees. “I will become more powerful than anything you could ever fathom!” he screamed.

  “Stop it! Leave him alone!” Nick shouted as another jolt went through Daniels’s body this time and he echoed Garreth’s pain, writhing violently.

  “I realize that these shocks would do little more than anger you, Agrian. So instead, all frustration I feel will result in a nasty surprise for your friends.” Doctor Numerous waved a hand towards his captured friends. “And I’d hate for you them to die before you got to see the real show. It’s going to be quite the spectacle.”

  “No!” Nick shouted.

  Doctor Numerous laughed as he tossed the controller in the air in front of Daniel’s face, taunting him before quickly swiping it back.

  Nick’s initial reaction was the same as the others, but in this situation he had to choose his words wisely. It was bad enough that they were all captured, but now everyone except for him had lost their strength and will to fight. He needed to find some kind of weakness to exploit. One thing he’d learned from Peter was to never go into a fight without at least a chance of success. He had to do something that was failsafe, something that he could use in case a direct attack was impossible. What he needed was some kind of opening, a way to figure out what to do before the Doctor got bored and decided to kill them. Problem with this was he couldn’t see any discernible weaknesses from the Infernal. Suddenly overhead speakers crackled and the familiar female generated voice came on air.

  Beep. Soul Eater at maximum capacity. Readying launch in approximately thirty minutes. Beep.

  “Dawn is approaching. Soon it will all come to an end.” Doctor Numerous’ eye gleamed with delight. “Now all I have to do is wait for Bergice to return.”

  “Before you go through with this, can I ask you something?” Nick said.

  “What would that be?”

  “I know you once shared the dreams of becoming an archangel. What changed you?”

  “Interesting question, Agrian,” Doctor Numerous marched back until they were face to face. “Fate has delivered me a great favor by bringing me this far, and making me almost complete. We are so similar, yet our choices make us different. You chose to be weak and stand with mortals, while I elected to rise above them. That’s the difference between you and me. I can never be satisfied until I am the strongest.”

  “We’re not alike at all. I believe in justice and in humanity,” Nick said. “I’d never stoop to your level.”

  “You are quite right, Agrian. Because unlike you I won’t squander my newfound power. As you know I was once human too, but I gave that up when I swore my allegiance to Ozarael and revealed the secrets of the Garrison. I exchanged my humanity in order to receive powers beyond my wildest imagination—beyond the limits of any human. It was an easy trade.”

  “It was a stupid choice.”

  “It was the only way to escape a life of mediocrity. Since childhood, I knew I was given life in this forsaken world to become something greater than what had been offered to me. Unfortunately, my weaknesses as a human hindered that. Only as a demon, could I finally show the world my true capabilities.”

  “You could have done so much good in this world if you didn’t turn,” Nick said.

  “Perhaps, but you are in the position to say that because you were born to be coveted and admired, where I was not. Years and years ago I was just a knight named Frank Barrett with prodigious skills as an alchemist. I was average in everything except for my ability to synthesize potions and spells, which was why I was forced to work as a teacher in the Fyria. I’d slave for days and days teaching kids how to become great knights worthy of becoming the next Clarion or Michael. However I was always filled with the shame of my own failure to become one. Days became months, and months years before I realized I was no longer happy with my own life. I hated living attached to my fate as a pitiful alchemist and I was determined to do more. But the more I trained, the more my goals slipped further and further away. I was becoming older and weaker in a world where new knights with talents and potential that far surpassed my own were thriving. I had almost given up.” A grin came upon his face. “That’s when fate stepped in.

  “One day I came across the forbidden demon text known as the Book of Ozarael and was instantly captivated by his life and his teachings. It was an archive of demon rituals and spells he had created during his reign—it was black alchemy! I became obsessed with demons and I quickly learned that their powers could be attained!” Doctor Numerous threw his arms in the air, unable to contain his immense excitement. “Yes, it was then I devoted my life to becoming something better than I already was—a demon! I practiced black alchemy until I memorized every spell and incantation. But that wasn’t enough. I needed to meet Ozarael myself.

  “Then, one night I used my knowledge to paint a summoning seal on the floor and called upon Ozarael. Charismatic and intelligent, he promised a new world of possibilities in exchange for my soul. I gave it to him freely and in turn became a demon. I performed several tasks to prove my loyalty and quickly I became an Infernal. It was then I finally understood the impo
rtance of having true power. I was reborn. No longer was boring, weak Frank Barrett. I had become Doctor Numerous! Now I am among the ranks of gods. And soon I will ascend and be like you, a God from the Machine!”

  “Being a demon is nothing to be proud of when you lose everything that makes you human.” How a man could purposely choose to destroy his own humanity was beyond unthinkable to Nick. This man took everything he had for granted; it was infuriating to see someone so selfish.

  “Your eyes are becoming a brilliant red. You must be truly teetering on the edge of reason. I can feel your hatred, your seething anger. How does it feel to be completely out of control? How does it feel to be completely at odds with the demon inside you?”

  “Like a pain you won’t ever be able to imagine,” Nick said.

  “You hate me, but if the positions were reversed, would you not have done the same? We are both split down the middle in terms of our loyalties. But our separate upbringings allowed us different advantages. You had some to help to embrace the inherent good that resides at your core, something that was impossible for a demon. Quinn brought out the light hidden inside darkness. I, on the other hand, was never that fortunate. I found solace in evil.” Doctor Numerous rolled up his sleeves and pulled off his black rubber gloves. His arms were reptilian and scaly like Nick’s, but they were black, and more jagged, a true representation of a demon’s hand.

  “Your arms!” Paul gasped.

  Doctor Numerous gazed down with pride. “Strikingly familiar is it not? Though I cannot manipulate fire like you do, I promise I can wreak as much damage without it.”

  “What if this doesn’t work? There are, and can only be, five Crowned Princes,” Nick said.

  “This is true. But Ozarael created Agrian and the other four the first time, which means it’s certainly possible for him to do it again. In any case, a spot among them will require a vacancy before it can be filled.”

  At this point, Nick was certain he had lost. He was trapped without any way out. Then just as he had given up, her voice spoke from across the room.

  “Nick, remember what I told you! Every angel needs two wings to fly!” Alyssa said.

  Nick touched the necklace that Alyssa had made for him and suddenly it all became clear. Orichalon was the holy substance made to coat weapons and it was sent from Sanctuary to help humanity combat demons. Of course! The bars were similar to Luxilight and that technique became harmless when it came into contact with itself. Since he couldn’t pass or touch it because his soul was occupied by a demon, perhaps he could do so with a fresh coat of Orichalon! However, he realized that even if he were to escape, Doctor Numerous still had Alyssa as leverage. What could he do?

  “What are you babbling about, girl? The stress of torture must have caused you to suffer a mental breakdown,” Doctor Numerous said.

  “Doctor Numerous, you consider yourself an expert on torture, but what you put us through is nothing I haven’t faced before. Electric currents? It’s juvenile. Not to mention something I’d expect from an amateur,” Alyssa said.

  “Alyssa, what are you doing?” Garreth said.

  “You’re a failure at everything you try, which is why even if you kill Nick, you’ll never take his spot!”

  “Shut your woman up, Agrian. I don’t want her to die before Bergice returns.”

  “The all-powerful Doctor Numerous can’t even control a single prisoner, what a joke!” Alyssa said.

  Doctor Numerous glared at her. “Very well, then perhaps punishment is in order.” He pulled out his remote and sent a jolt to Alyssa’s steel bed. She was in terrible pain, but refused to scream.

  “Stop it, Alyssa!” Daniel cried.

  “That’s all you got? I’ve fought Hellbeasts with more bite than that!”

  Another jolt at a longer duration, yet she still refused to scream. He kept a steady pace of electric shocks until smoke came from her body. Doctor Numerous’ wrath was focused solely on her. The time to act was at hand.

  Nick yanked off the necklace and crushed the stone into a fine powder which he rubbed all over his hands. He grabbed onto the bars, the coating idea worked as he expected and he was able to prevent any burns or bodily harm to himself. With all his might, he bent the light to make an opening large enough to crawl through. Once free from the prison, he transformed into his demon form and threw a well-placed fireball that destroyed the remote that Doctor Numerous was holding.

  Doctor Numerous clutched his hand and spun around in awe. “How did you get out? No demon can escape my light prison!”

  “A gift by my guardian angel.” Nick set his arms ablaze. “Before I begin to beat you into the ground, I hope you for your sake you live up to your title.”

  Doctor Numerous laughed heartily. His eye turned crimson. “Now I will show you the power of an Infernal. I am called Doctor Numerous: for I am many.”

  18. The Many Forms of Numerous

  Doctor Numerous trembled violently, as if he was having convulsions. He grunted and groaned aloud, like he was possessed. Suddenly two identical copies of himself emerged at each side. So this was the unique ability the Infernal possessed—the man had the ability create perfect clones of himself!

  Nick had no idea how to handle a situation such as this, as no training could have possibly prepared him.

  “Shocked, Agrian?” the Doctor Numerous’ said in unison. They all stood poised exactly the same way. “I am Pestilence of the Infernals, and like poison I will spread like a virus and devour you into oblivion,” the doppelgangers said together.

  “You monster!” Garreth shouted. “That explains how you could be in so many places at once!”

  The Doctor Numerous in the center chuckled with superiority. “Yes, and with my abilities I was able to travel around the world and reside wherever I pleased. I kept everyone focused on this wild chase, making them believe they were hunting demons. What they didn’t know was that I was biding my time, readying myself for the perfect opportunity to launch my greatest assault on humanity.”

  “What was that?” Nick said.

  “My ultimate goal is ascension. To achieve that end, I would personally deliver millions to early graves in order to prove myself to the princes. But even my powers are limited. Even if I split myself into a million copies, as a single man I couldn’t hope to stop the wrath from the Garrisons alone. It was then that I remembered the Tower of Graves in Hyperion. The conception of the Holy Shield. The birthplace of tranquility. The beacon of hope that allowed humans to live their lives without fear of demons. How perfect it would be that the ultimate symbol of protection suddenly became the greatest weapon of mass destruction. Unfortunately, the process took longer than expected because I was forced to keep the knights off my trail,” Doctor Numerous said.

  “Sorry to have interfered,” Nick said.

  “Minor obstacles since my plans fell into place regardless,” Doctor Numerous said. “Now that you know, it’s time to for you to die!”

  “You’re not going to have that chance!” Nick rushed towards him, his arms glowing more intensely with flames.

  Doctor Numerous created more three more copies, making a total of six. He charged Nick; the copies following on his sides zigzagged between each other, making it impossible to tell which one was the real one. Nick threw two fireballs, destroying two copies, but as they exploded into black smoke, two more appeared to take their place.

  “What—!”

  The Doctor Numerous’ laughter echoed throughout the chamber, as the room filled with more copies. “Try again!” they jeered.

  Nick hurled bursts of fire relentlessly all around, but the copies multiplied faster than he could destroy them. It didn’t seem like there would be an end. There had to be some method to stopping this madness, some key weakness that he did not see.

  “Why don’t you fight me one on one, you coward?” Nick shouted.

  “As Pestilence, my powers are superior to yours, or any other demon,” the entire group cackled. “You should be grat
eful you are among the privileged few that have been able to witness it!”

  As more and more copies appeared, he was unwittingly being pushed until he felt his back up against the wall. From his sides, a few stragglers from the large group managed to lash out and grab his arms, forcing them into a lock and preventing him from blasting any further. Nick struggled to push them off, but the horde was too powerful in their numbers. There were close to a hundred of them now.

  They forced him to submission on his knees. Several of the copies wore deranged looks on their faces, like a cannibalistic tribe ready to kill and devour him.

  “For your insolence, I will show you true pain.” The doppelganger closest punched Nick across the face and then in the stomach as the others held him down. Doctor Numerous repeated the combination a few more times, gratifying his sadistic appetite with the harsh blows. Blood formed on Nick’s lips, but he couldn’t retaliate. He was intrigued by the mad alchemist. His single eye was glowing red, the color of pure malevolence.

  Doctor Numerous reminded Nick of himself when he had lost control the first time, when he was drunk with the rush of power and inconsolable rage. Like his first time fighting Daniel, he was out of control, bent on destroying him. However, Nick couldn’t let himself dwell on this fact for long since his eyes were swelling, and his vision blurry. He had to think of something fast before he ended up as a bloody pulp…or dead.

  A doppelganger grabbed a fistful of Nick’s hair and pulled his battered face close, so close Nick could smell his warm, putrid breath on his skin.

  “How does it feel to be at my complete mercy?” he asked condescendingly.

  Nick spat blood in his face. “Does that answer your question?”

  Doctor Numerous dropped his head and wiped his face, grunting with disgust. “Truly as revolting as I’ve heard. It’s high time someone taught you manners.”

  Nick wanted to reply with something snarky, but his head was pounding so hard he could barely think.

  “You’ve always been hailed for your famous fighting prowess.” Doctor Numerous rolled up his sleeves. “Innovative and powerful is what Bergice told me to expect, but I’ve yet to see you display any of these qualities. I suppose he over-exaggerated.”