The God Breaker's Ruin

by Billy Spencer

  “Damn right she’s gonna be safe,” she said putting her gun back into its holster. “But I’m gonna need something from you. Not today, not tomorrow, but sometime soon I’m gonna cash it in don’t worry you won’t get hurt, but you are gonna help me and put some sort of fucking honor on your god damn badge.”

  Janet left the office of Briggs that night feeling better than she ever did when it came to being a Draken police. It wasn’t about just the badge to her, not about being chosen to be a guardian. It was about doing what was right, and to make sure that justice would be done and she was willing to put it all on the line for a girl named April. A girl who lost her friend, who had to have that memory of them being murdered played over and over in her mind for the rest of her life. She wished she could bring them both back, but even the smallest of victories were worth celebrating and to know that the world is ever so slightly spinning in the right direction.

  50

  Nick stood in front of Cameron's shop with everyone else. He starred at both his sides seeing friends, and family stand side-by-side preparing to defend, to hold their ground. He saw the red-hooded figure with a goat mask walk closer towards them. The black-robed figures counted at what seemed to be twenty or more. “They want to try and shut us up, to stop us from going any further. They can try but we won’t let them. This is topside and even if this was the undercity we would still defend it like hell, because this is our world, and our people,” he said grabbing lightborne from his back and pointing it towards the red-robed figure. “We send them back where they came from, let's make the spirits fear us.”

  “I know you’re scared as hell boy. Hell we all are, but that fear is also your courage, use it, all of you,” Cameron said holding his hammer in both hands in front of him. “Lightborne, shine again, let it come through. We will not fear what comes, we trust in the almighty, we thank you, the protection and love you give us. Lord O Lord keep us protected with your strength.”

  Lightborne glowed as bright as the sun in Nick's hand. He starred into it and saw many faces, many names in its blade.“What, what’s going on,” he said looking at Cameron confused.

  “The almighty smiles upon you boy,” Cameron said as he began to rush towards the hooded figures with Abigail, and Jenni trailing behind him.

  Nick held lightborne out and starred looking deeply into the glowing blade. “Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel…” he said. His eyes stayed focus on the names for a moment. The names were familiar to him, but why would they have shown themselves in his blade, it was something he didn’t quite understand.

  “Never thought about going against my father,” Veronica said holding Silverbite in one hand aiming it in front of her. She stood firm, aimed, and fired rapid shots trying to distract the enemies.

  “Sometimes it’s hard to go against those we love. But I’m sure he sent these vengeful spirits to us, to try to slow us down,” Nick said standing next to her.

  “No doubt, just promise me that when we do eventually encounter my father together, that you don’t kill any of the vorpal. They will only be following orders, and many of them only follow because he is our leader,” Veronica said looking at Nick. He knew the enemy was not the eternals, it was the leaders who tried to start a war, to piss off God.

  Nick nodded at Veronica and walked towards everyone else that was fighting. He could see people scattering away from the streets, cars stopping, and left abandon. He saw Cameron fending off a few of the hooded spirits with Abigail by his side. She held close but used some sort of holy gauntlets on her hands to do impact on the spirits. He saw Jenni with daggers in each hand enchanted by some magic that made the lightning of Zeus strike with each swipe she made towards the enemy. Her smile said it all.

  “Hey, buddy, why don’t you and me do rope a dope?” Nick said swinging then thrusting lightborne into the red hooded figure. The Goat face figure turned to Nick and swung its sickle, scraping the side of his arm. He stepped back with lightborne in hand and held the blade forward, the pain was like a knife that remained even when the blade left. He could feel his blood dripped from his arm, but he forced himself to keep hold of his weapon.

  “The…master has no use for you mortals,” The Goat faced figure said floating towards Nick. They then threw their sickle straight towards him.

  The sickle flew with the speed of a bullet but stopped midway when a few bolts shot at it stopping it dead in its tracks. “Was gonna help Jenni, but she’s a big girl, you seem to need more help anyways,” Veronica said rushing towards Nick's side, aiming her Silverbite at the Goat Face figure. “Got a name beautiful? Or do you just want me to call you minion trash?”

  “Baphomet, all will fall. Your humanity has gone far, has seen many ages, but you do not deserve to go any further,” Baphomet said grabbing their sickle and then tossing it into the air. They pointed a finger to the sky and dark red and black liquid started to trail from them to the sky. “An end of times, the end of man, the last of sin.”

  A large pentagram started to form in the sky, with a goat face in the middle with symbols all over it. Nick and Veronica starred not knowing what they were looking at. “What the hell is that? What spell is he trying to cast?” Nick said looking at Veronica waiting for an answer but all he saw was fear spread across her face.

  From behind him, he could hear Cameron scream at him. “Stop them from casting that spell dammit. They are trying to open a portal to summon more of their minions. He is not part of Lucidians realm, Baphomet reins in the realm of the old gods.”

  Nick rushed towards Baphomet, swung lightborne at their body, taking down their legs. The upper part of them continued to cast and chant. The portal slowly opened like an eye that was waking up. “I can’t let you bring in demons from another realm, you just want to destroy,” Nick said slicing Baphomet with lightborne at different angels each slice taking a chunk off the top of their body until the only parts left were bits of their head and parts of their arms that continued to cast.

  Veronica tried shooting bolts at them but it did nothing, the cast continued and little by little the eye of the portal was opening up as large hands and arms eagerly began to try and squeeze through. “Shit, shit, what do we do what do we do? They are going to get through and we’re going to be fucked as all. I don’t know what is behind that portal but I sure as hell don’t want to find out,” Veronica said pacing back and forward trying to think.

  Nick looked around and saw his friends, his family all busy fighting the hooded figures, he could see them slow down the longer they fought. He could see Jenni still fighting but she was scratched up and bleeding from her leg. He saw behind him Cameron and Abigail staying close together, his hammer growing heavier, and the light from her gauntlets starting to fade. His body began to shake, he saw lightborne glowing ever brightly, he thought of his father and wondered if he felt the odds against him in a battle that meant so much. Was he scared in the last moments? Or did he go down swinging? Deep down he knew that he had to use his magic, but he was afraid of what he would lose, who would he forget, what if he forgot himself? A roll of the dice, if it landed right he could lose so much, but he saw those he loved around him and they needed something.

  “I Veronica Van Versushada call upon you the dark one, in my time of need. Take part of me as an offering, aid me in smiting my enemies and bathing in their blood,” Veronica said. She held her hands out as dark spheres appeared in her hands. She squeezed her hands together and pushed the energy forward towards the remains of Baphomet that was still casting. It struck like a flash of dark energy passing across them and turning them to dust, it continued towards the other hooded figures and turned them into dust. The portal started to disappear and the eye began to slumber again. Veronica collapsed on the floor, her hands up to her elbows of each arm turned a dark purple.

  “Veronica, Veronica,” He yelled rushing towards her, he tried to pick her up, but her body was limped. He feared for the worse, and looked around him, thinking of what to do. “She’s hurt,
she did something, she needs help.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I ain’t dead yet,” Veronica said placing her dark purple hand across Nick's face, smiling. “Couldn’t let them harm y’all, it was worth the price.”

  The price was all that he could think of and the worth of it. She was willing to cause herself harm to save them, but if he wasn’t so afraid, so reluctant to use his magic he could have done something. He felt it was his fault she was harmed, and all he could do was bury his head against hers and let his guilt stream down him.

  51

  Veronica opened her eyes and saw images of kids playing in the yard, a woman was smiling holding a baby. The woman was young, and her husband held her close to him, smiling and enjoying their day.

  “Mom and dad loved being out in the open. We grew up in a town where people knew them and would go to their shop.”

  Mary stood in the doorway and smiled at Veronica. “Don’t be afraid, you are in good hands. Nick is someone that I know, don’t worry,” Mary said sitting at the end of the bed.

  Veronica looked around and saw more pictures, a small bookshelf, and a statue of a crow. “Where am I?” she asked starring at Mary.

  “Just my home away from home. This is where my parents use to live, where I grew up. Nick thought you would be safe here, you were badly injured,” Mary said laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

  She looked at her hands, saw how dark and purple her skin was. A part of her was upset about her vorpal taking over, but she knew she did what was right, she knew it was worth it. Nothing like a few battle scars to go with you, Veronica. I didn’t know I had that kind of power inside of me, just did not want Nick to get hurt, didn’t want to see anyone get hurt. She thought.

  “You know Nick was worried about you, he kept saying sorry, that it was his fault, he thinks he almost got you killed,” Mary said putting her hands behind her head.

  “It had to be done, but I don’t know what to do. I’m not strong enough. That being was so powerful and all I had was Silverbite. If it wasn’t for my vorpal part we wouldn’t be here right now, but should I just let that part of me take over?” she said turning to Mary, her mouth trembling and her eyes beginning to swell.

  “Nonsense, don’t think that way. You are who you are and whether it is vorpal or not, you are the person you are meant to be. Power is not the end-all to anything, it helps yes, but it can’t solve every problem. Look at who you helped, what you did, and at a cost to you. You did that, not because you are vorpal, but because you are Veronica. Nick didn’t tell me much about you, but the things he did tell me, made me know you are not a regular vorpal. You do not obey Grendil,” Mary said grabbing Veronica's hand. She thought her father was doing what was best for everyone. Sending out monsters to attack them on topside could cause a war between them, people could have got hurt, or worse.

  Grendil, a name that she felt she didn’t know anymore. He helped her understand what it meant to be eternal. He showed others in the undercity kindness. He was someone that she respected and admired, but to find out, to know that he had something happen to children, and to try and sweep it under the rug like it was nothing. All she could think of was Jake, and to wonder was his death was worth whatever Grendil was trying to hide, what more could he be keeping in the shadows, and how could he lie to her mother.

  ***

  Veronica sat down in Mary's kitchen, she could smell pork in the air and saw she was cooking it with eggs, listening to very loud, and upbeat music. “What are you cooking, and who is singing that?” she asked massaging her chin with her hand.

  “This is what my mom use to make us as kids growing up. It ain’t healthy for you I’m sure, but it tasted so good. Make some scrambled eggs mixed with Chorizo, and then put it on toasted bread and top it off with a slice of yellow cheese. I always loved moms cooking, she’d also listened to Selina or Vicente Fernandez. I don’t understand tons and tons of Spanish, but the food, the music, and just my upbringing was always something I held importance in my life,” Mary said fixing a plate and handing it to Veronica. Family, it stings a bit to hear that. She just felt that Lily was the only family that was left to come home to.

  She took a large bite of the toasted Chorizo sandwich and the melted cheese mixed with the porked eggs fired up her taste buds. “Oh god, this is damn good. I was always afraid when I became vorpal I wouldn’t be able to enjoy foods like this,” Veronica said tapping her foot to the beat of the song.

  “Enjoy, enjoy, I got to go to the shop and open it up before people think I’m closed for the day,” Mary said taking a bowl and walking out of the kitchen.

  She has good taste in music and food. Makes me think about my human family that I had, we were not close, and we didn’t talk a lot but usually, we could get together around a large meal. Sometimes she would wonder if the people that she left behind for her eternal life remembered who she was. They probably thought she died, probably thought she just ran off with some people she knew and got tired of her blood family. Somedays I miss just waking up and going downstairs to watch television, things were easier when I was a kid. She thought.

  Nick walked inside the kitchen, took lightborne from his back, and leaned it against a wall as he sat down next to Veronica. “Sorry you got hurt, it shouldn’t have happened,” Nick said starring out the window, avoiding her gaze.

  “Just think of it as being even for me trying to kill you,” she said offering Nick the rest of her sandwich. She knew he took what happened to her seriously, his eyes looked like he didn’t sleep for hours.

  “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place, I was so fucking scared of using my magic. I was afraid of losing memories of my father or someone else,” Nick said burying his head into his arms.

  Veronica rubbed Nicks back softly. She starred at him and knew he felt guilt and held burden. “I don’t blame you, not for something like that. We who have magic, it has a price, and that’s yours. Why would I want you to pay such a price that could do damage to you? To forget who you love. I rather pay the price I did over again, just so you didn’t,” she said. “You don’t get to put that blame on yourself, only I can, and I won't, so don’t think you need to beat yourself up for what happened to me.”

  He looked at her arms and placed his hand over hers. “Next time I’ll do better, if I have to use my magic even just a little I will, just so you won't have to go through that again. I can’t stand to see those I know hurt,” Nick said starring at her.

  “Enough of you being down Nick. We have to figure out what to do about Grendil,” Veronica said leaning back in the chair. Her father was a proud vorpal. He would not go down without a fight. She had never seen him fight, but she knew how powerful he was, she felt it, and it made her fear him. She couldn’t keep letting him continue what he was doing and pretend nothing was wrong, it would be irresponsible and she wasn’t someone who backed down easily.

  “We have to go talk to him, hear him out,” Nick said sitting backcrossing his arms. “If he won’t hear us out at all, then we are going to have to bring him in and I know for sure Janet would be willing to take him into custody.”

  “The eternals of the undercity do not trust humans right now. Maybe hold back on Janet for a bit. If they saw the Draken police coming in all of a sudden they are going to get the wrong idea,” she said. She didn’t know if it was the best idea or not, but she knew what she would feel if she saw a bunch of police coming in close to her home. She would wonder why they were there and what if they took her next, especially if she was a kid, the fear would drown her.

  “So we are going to have to meet him, just the two of us?” Nick asked leaning forward.

  “Just the two of us. Don’t tell anyone where we are going, they will try and come, and we can’t have Grendil think something is up,” Veronica said massaging her arm and looking around the kitchen. Looking at the images of Mary's family, different little statues of animals, and just pictures of little kids hanging off the door of the fridge.
Know who your family is. She thought.

  “I can do that, but he will expect something if you walked in the castle with a human, especially me. I’m sure he knows who I am. What do we do about that?” Nick said. He was right about knowing who the enemy was. Her father would see a human and think something was wrong, no human visited he count.

  “There’s a wagon that heads into the castle around midnight, dead bodies, some waste, and they take it inside to prepare for meals,” Veronica said looking wide-eyed at Nick.

  “You can’t be serious,” Nick said with disgust on his face.

  “You just cover yourself with the blood and guts, and the guards will think you are dead, it’s the only way right now, with tensions high in the undercity,” she said clapping her hands together.

  Nick got up from the chair, and grabbed lightborne from the wall, and pointed the handle at her. “When this is done I’m gonna take five showers and you are going to grab me a pepperoni pizza with jalapenos and pineapple. Oh, and never ask me to lay in shit again,” Nick said stomping out of the kitchen.

  “Don’t worry maybe if you smell bad my father will let you go because of it. Plus it gives you a good excuse to clean up real good. Hey, when it came to the pizza, did I have to put pineapple?” she said as she got up and began to follow Nick.

  52

  Nick stayed within the shadows, he saw a car pull up and two vorpal getting out and leaning against the vehicle. This is so gross, can’t believe I am doing this, this smell is gonna take weeks to go away and even longer for me to forget. He thought.