The end of Joseph, The Master of Deimos
This story is the prologue to a book I'm writing, so far it's the only place to have this and this is still a rough draft. So the actual prologue may be completely different. If I do change it, then this story will be a cut off alternate world piece.
This story is set in a world where science and magic has combined into a way that everyone knows magic. Yet in this world, there are those that do things that are so amazing, that they are considered to be demi-gods among the people. These beings are called abnormals and they are the superheroes and super villains of this world. Yet there seems to be a traitor among the heroes, but few no why he became a traitor nor will they know. For great powers, above even these superheroes comprehension are working against everyone...
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The end of Joseph, The Master of Deimos
By: Liht Tarnussay
A 37 year old man named Joseph stood upon the roof of a large skyscraper, within the city of Pylons' glory, with his arms raised slightly letting the ice cold, whip like wind hit him as he smiled lightly. The wind as it passed along his black oversized baggy pants, it fluttered and whipped around while his pink T-shirt was pressed against his chest while the back fluttered around. As the shirt moved the wind raised it slightly to show his black chain that he used as a belt. Joseph raised his head a bit as he felt a large gust of wind hit him and was actually lifted off the ground and back a few feet before it died down again and he staggered back as he regained his balance.
Joseph shook his head a bit as his balance returned then sighed and looked up saying, "Why has it come to this...Why Deimos, why must it play out like this." As he finished his sentence a sphere formed out of thin air. The sphere glowed a dull yellow, as it glowed it started to change and alter turning into the upper half of what looked like a demon with arms that were larger than it's body and horns that were tilted back just enough to look as if they were his ears, the bone of the horns went around his forehead fully to connect together forming a headband like horn around his head. The demon flexed its hands a bit before nodding slightly.
He sighed again before looking down mumbling, "I wish it didn't have to be like this. I wish there was another way..." The demon shook its head then looked around as its eyes tightened and became alert. The man as well, his back straightened and he started to look around for something. As he looked a large ball of energy shot up behind him then nine more as well all around him. He saw some of the energy balls then stepped back some as the balls arced and started to come back down on his position. He brought his hands up and over his head putting the ends of his hands and arms together like he was defending himself from a blow as he said, "Soul shield." The demon moved with him at the same time connecting his arms together. As he said soul shield the very arms of the demon changed and altered into a medieval kite shield.
The first sphere hit the shield straight in the center, two more followed in consecutive strikes off the center of the shield. Each time the sphere's hit they exploded as if they were shells of artillery. Joseph all the while kept looking around him as the blasts kept coming until a crack formed in the shield causing him to look up as a blast his causing the crack to deepen. Joseph took a deep breath and just as the next blast connected, he released the shield and started to run.
The shield though stayed up for just two second after being released but shattered as the next blast hit it, the shards disappearing in the wind, as the arms reformed behind him yet the demon's head and body were nowhere to be found. Joseph ran with all his might as he began to dodge the sphere's that seemed to home in on his position as they travelled. The moment he reached the edge of the roof he jumped with no hesitation, almost appearing to fly. As he arched high in the air from the jump, while spheres flew over his head and exploded on the roof. Yet he began to fall from his jump, heading down past the roof gaining speed in his descent as the earth awaited him below
Joseph made no sounds, not even a scream, as he started to plummet down to the earth from the building. He only took another deep breath and twisted his body till he was pointing straight down then spread his arms open as he screamed, "Soul flight!" The demon arms behind him turned in that instant into large angel like wings and caught on the wind pulling up and taking Joseph with them as they began to soar upwards. The wings finished their transformation, moving closer to his shoulder blades as his ascent stopped and he just floated above the ground, the sphere's slowly stopped firing at him as he easily dodged the few remaining ones.
He sighed a bit then looked straight down and smiled as he began to descend towards the ground far below. The wings fluttered and flapped slowly, the pure color of the feathers shining off from the sun, each flutter causes many beautiful feathers to roam around in the air, as he slowly touched the ground with his feet. The moment his feet touched the ground a young woman charged after him drawing a large broad sword out of thin air with both hands as she screamed, "Die traitorous bastard!!!" Joseph turned quickly to face her as his wings fell apart, the feathers scattering and disappearing in the winds while the arms reappeared. He charged at her as well silent and moved his arm as if he was grasping a sword with his right hand, in the same instant a long katana appeared in the right hand of the demon.
* * *
The moment the two neared they both swung their swords at the same time. The woman's long coat flew back from the wind's movement around her sword and she dug her heels in deep into the ground to steady her sword as she slashes horizontally. The man's strike though was silent and the air moved little, only displaced by his own arm's movement. Their swords struck together in the center of their slashes, as they hit the momentum of both, even though the Joseph's strike moved nothing in the air, the instant it touched her sword a dull ring rang through the city and a shockwave of force rocked out from the moment of contact. The woman stood her ground but, Joseph, who had not steadied himself, was thrown back landing his back to the wall of a building gasping as the air was pushed out of his lungs.
Joseph gasped for air as he slid down the wall sitting down. The woman kept her stance steady and unmoving for a while longer till she unlocked from the stance and then shivered and flexed her hand as she held the sword breathing in and out. As the two recovered a blast of energy rang out heading toward Joseph causing him to scramble back one arm rising up as a smaller shield appeared on the free arm of the demon shielding him from the blast as he curled up tightly keeping himself directly behind the shield. The woman grinned and charged then as the blast stopped. Joseph rolled to the side as her vertical slash came down chipping away at the concrete sidewalk but missed Joseph as he scrambled away then stood and dug his foot in ahead of him as he turned then pushed off from the foot now behind him and charged at the woman again.
As he charged she brought her sword up to block him and started to charge as well. Joseph brought both his arms across his chest with his arms pointing down, making an X mark with his arms. His hands both looking like they were wielding swords. The demon arms as well mimicked the motion as a katana appeared in the hand of the one that had the small shield yet the shield was gone, disappeared after the attack. The moment Joseph got close enough he slashed outward and upward, the demon's swords mimicked and slashed as well in an X fashion the slash hitting the woman's sword stopping the slash but the force itself was enough to push the woman back then off balance as the slash kept going then knocking her high in the air and back seven feet. As her sword flew out of her hands and disappearing into the same nothingness it came from.
While she flew in the air she kicked and turned curling into a ball then sprung her legs out beneath her the moment she was near the ground. The second her feet touched the ground she started to slide back and brought her left knee down to keep her steady and in partial control of her movement as she slid back, coming to a stop with her right foot right against a wall. Joseph himself though started to charge after her as she came to a stop but himself was stopped by a sudden blast of blue energy between him and her causing him to stop and turn toward the origin of the blast as the blast itself went off just two feet past him exploding in a flurry of scattered energy particles.
Across the distance just a shy 28 meters away stood a man with blue glowing energy bracelets rotating around his wrists slowly. The man growled then narrowed his eyes as the bracelets glowed brighter and spun quicker before another blast was released, aimed right for Joseph moving quickly. Joseph had little time to evade when he had a perfect lock on him so instead he brought his right arm up as if it alone would block the blast. As he brought up his arm the demon's right arm rose up and a round shield formed on its arm and took the brunt of the blast, spreading and dispersing the particles of energy. At the same time as the blast was launched, the woman kicked off the wall and charged forward.
She crossed the space of the six feet between her and Joseph quickly as he blocked the attack. The moment she reached two feet away, she drew her left arm back to slash at him as a long, thin, yet deadly sharp double edged sword appeared in her left hand. She swung the sword for his back side. Joseph though had felt her coming closer and as she swung brought his free, left hand up and turned his body slightly as he swung the arm and the demon's arm while gripping an invisible sword. Causing the demon's katana to appear and block the sword, Joseph's arm shook as it struggled with the demon's arm to block the sword as it stood just a few inches from his face.
The woman pressed her attach harder grabbing her sword with both hands and pushing harder on the sword to push harder on the demon's katana while the energy blast kept his right arm forced to block the attack. Joseph started to sweat and pant as the weight of the two attacks and using his demon started to take its toll on him. In the moment that his block against the sword attack began to weaken the blast ended and with his right arm suddenly free, he swung it around while turning his body to act as if he was gripping an invisible, two-handed sword and kicked forward. Knocking her off balance and also tumbling forward over her rolling forward then coming to a stop with a few heavy pants before rising forward and charging forward balling his right arm into a fist and brining it down as he glared at the woman, aiming the demon's now right fist at her chest.
She saw the fist as it came down, glowing slightly brighter against the speed and shine of the sun. With a small twist to the right and a push off with her right hand she rolled out of the way just as his fist slammed down, so hard a small crater formed in the ground from the impact. Joseph turned his head slowly and started to swing his fist low to the ground aiming the demon arm at her as a wave of energy raced toward him causing his attention to snap back to the man and instead swing his right arm up and form the shield as the wave hit and split clean in half against the round shield, the wave tore in the ground and sent rubble flying in every direction as the woman finished rolling, landing on her belly and pushing forward standing and running forward for his back quickly as she drew another long, double-edge sword and swung for his back.
Joseph's attention and arms were focused on the wave that seemed to have no end so when she swung he never noticed and if not for a small push forcing him forward a step he would have been cleaved in two. Instead, the swung sliced the tip along his back just barely missing his spine as it dug in then out slashing diagonally. He screamed loudly and fell forward dropping his shield as the woman jumped to the side toward the left side of the split wave. Instead of entering the wave she hit the ground and kept moving back as Joseph was enveloped in the wave disappearing in its energy as the man who was sending out the wave calmly stepped forward till he was just a few feet from him then stopped the wave.
Joseph was down on his knees smoking slightly from the energy his mouth hanging open as if he was dead and his eyes glazed over and his head hung down while his shoulders drooped. The man and woman both smiled then sighed slowly and the man said, "Sarah...We did it. We killed the traitor." Sarah smiled and nodded slowly before saying, "Yeah Marcus, now we just need to tell the boss and we'll be heroes!" Marcus nodded happily his smile widening into a grin. As Sarah grinned back now and started to step forward Joseph spoke two words quietly, almost like a whisper filled with pain, "Soul release..." The two froze right then and there and their grins faltered, as they turned to face Joseph.
A breeze blew out in a wave from Joseph's spot exactly, the breeze warm...Yet cool and filled with, in an odd way, love. Following the breeze a wave of energy knocked the two people back and away sending them flying a few feet away. Joseph slowly lifted from the ground as if invisible hands were lifting him then set him down on his feet as the smoked cleared from his body and the demon appeared fully formed behind him. The demon's form was larger now and his mouth was split with a large grin as it rose a bit then fell straight down into Joseph's body filling his body with its energy and giving his body and eerie dull yellow glow. His eyes opened and then glared forward at the two as it glowed, bright and rage filled red as if all his anger was showing to the whole world, years of rage pushed into one moment. Yet deep within the rage filled eyes, one could see a second and third pair of eyes that had only kindness in them.
He jolts his foot forward, and then rolls his shoulders and neck, grinning evilly as he slowly started to walk towards them. His speed soon increases, his steps making feet shaped craters behind him. He soon was racing towards them, his hands that were glowing with his dull yellow aura slowly turned golden yet without a luster shine. Even in places of his hands tiny bits of a demonic red aura could be seen pulsing where the golden concentrated aura couldn't get too. From all this, his hand began to change, his nails grew long and sharper while his fingers bulged and contracted becoming thicker yet also longer and stronger. Marcus and Sarah both took a few steps back while also stepping away from each other separating and spreading out.
Joseph looked at Marcus and grinned wider as he charged into him in the space of an instant and crouched while curling his left hand in a fist then struck upwards. Marcus never saw the blow coming as Josephs' fist contacted with his jaw and sent him up and high, flying back from the force into the nearby park nearly two hundred feet away and skidding along the ground as he landed, gasping for air. In the space of Joseph's movements Sarah had lost herself and began to run frantically away. Her fleeing did not go unnoticed as he disappeared the moment Marcus flew away and reappeared swinging his right leg back in a spin at Sarah. She barely had time to curl into a ball as she was hit and sent flying in the same direction as Marcus landing a few feet shy of his spot. Joseph chuckled a bit then stepped back one step and crouched low to the ground before pushing forward with the foot behind him, jumping forward high and fast nearly disappearing again as he went to where they were. The entire time in the attack was 9 seconds long.
* * *
Marcus had somehow during that time managed to propel him away from where he was and Sarah had landed, so when Joseph landed all he found on the ground was a Sarah struggling to stand up straight. He grinned at this and brought his left arm up pointing his hand to the sky and facing an open palm at Sarah as she gasped and fell back down shaking and whimpering, "Pl-please Joseph...Don't..." Joseph ignored her protests and in one movement brought his hand down. In the same instant a force could be felt moving through the air and slammed into her. In one instant she was engulfed and disappeared while Joseph looked around for Marcus. The time elapsed since the transformation has been 15 seconds.
As Joseph was striking Sarah with that open invisible palm, Marcus was 28 meters away preparing an attack. The moment Joseph's attack had finished Marcus launched his attack and two pillars of pure energy shot forward around him and curved their way to Joseph. Joseph, more concerned with finding Marcus than a potential attack never saw the pillars and was stabbed from behind though his left shoulder with the first, and as he turned his head to look at what hit him and possibly the source. He was stabbed through the front right shoulder with the next. The time elapsed so far has been 24 seconds.
Joseph fell to his knees from the combined attack and looked at the pillars and noticed that the blue around them was more pronounced and deeper as if they were over saturated with energy. As he looked at the pillars Marcus had limped behind him holding a third dark blue spear of energy in his hands which themselves were covered along with his whole body in dark blue lines. Marcus grinned and in one swift motion stabbed the spear through Joseph's chest, right through his heart. Joseph gasped then screamed before coughing up a cloud of blood and curling forward while his chest wound bled openly. At the same time a drop resonated in Joseph's mind signaling the time limit of 30 seconds had been reached. In one swift motion wind rushed around him then was pushed back as he held onto the form and grinned.
Marcus took a few steps back now sensing something was off as Joseph spoke up through a weak voice, "I...Won't...Die...Alone..." With what little strength he had left brought his hand to his chest and twisted, as if opening a valve. In the same instant Marcus started to run away as a look of utter fear appeared on his face and he used his surplus of energy to try and speed away. Joseph coughed more blood once before saying, "Soul...Resonance..." In one instant, the entire city was engulfed in light. If anybody but the two abnormal humans had been in the city at the time. They would have been blinded by the brilliance as the white lighted dome rose and expanded engulfing everything in the city in its powerful yet beautiful light.
Then just as soon as it was created, it dissolved, tapering off in shreds leaving nothing harmed, nothing damaged. But, in the center of where it originated, a white, porcelain statue that looked exactly like Joseph could be seen in the same position he was in just before the light engulfed him. A short distance away a thud and crash could be heard as a statue that looked like Marcus before he was engulfed in the light had fallen out of the sky and landed with a crash through a glass bus stop shielding yet the statue had not a scratch on it from the fall or the crash.
A small wind swirled around Joseph as a small glowing dull yellow orb rose out of him and then sped away to the east and parts unknown, for a purpose yet to be known. Shortly afterward, a helicopter flew over the field with a camera man staring out and down at first Marcus then Joseph and circled slowly before government copters and vans started to appear and the news copter was ordered away.
* * *
Three days later...
A man took a puff from his cigar as he leaned back in his swivel chair as he looked at the computer on his desk then reached a long and thin finger out to replay the battle. The battle between Joseph against Marcus and Sarah played for the fifth time as he sighed slowly and took another puff of his cigar before placing it in an ashtray on the left side of his desk before standing up and moving his chair out of the way so he can see out of his large office window and down at the abnormals that busied themselves with work and preparation for the news crews that would ask the obvious question that the man in the business suit asked his secretary who stood in front of the man's desk with three folders in hand, "Why did they fight?" The lady nodded then set the three folders down causing the holographic screen of the computer to blur then disappear as the crystal that projected it was covered by the middle folder.
She smiled and pointed at the middle folder and said, "I prepared three speeches but this is the most convenient and casts the greatest doubt on Joseph the soul master, mister Portland sir." Portland nodded then sighed and shook his head as he muttered, "Why did our most decorated have to find out..." After closing his eyes for a bit he reopened them showing a coolness and calm that would unsettle a normal person yet the secretary just stood with a sadistic smirk as she pointed to the left most and said, "This one though, will make it seem as if the three together were infected with a disease that caused madness and points everything to the Syndicate. They are willing to accept all the blame as well per their usual terms." The man shook his head and said as he watched the youngest member of his company scurry about trying to find work, "No, we will do the middle one. It will be hard but if word gets out of a disease that affects abnormals like that then the disapproval will go down further, and if Henry gets his hands on anything of it...That law may just get passed restricting our little demi god game even further."
The secretary nodded then sighed as her smirk faded to a frown and she gathered the folders and started to turn around before stopping and asked timidly, "Sir...How did he find out the truth?" Portland closed his eyes then opened them with anger before punching the glass, causing a reverberation but nothing more, not causing any below to notice except for one agent, a young boy that Portland had been staring at who could see farther and hear better than anyone else as he read his lips as he yelled out, "Like hell am I supposed to know we didn't kill off all the god damned creators!"
The boy read every word as if he heard them from within the office itself and even heard the echo that none other could hear and gulped. Using the time when Portland had been enraged to go about his business as questions and doubt crept into his mind along with a twinge of curiosity as he wondered who these 'creators' might be.
Portland finally regained his cool and turned to his secretary as she cringed and listened as he spoke with his eerie calm and cool headedness again, "Has the traitor been located?" She shook her head, "What about the recovery of the items?" She again shook her head, "Not even Deimos?" She shook harder and stepped back as Portland gripped his desk so tightly the wood creaked and the metal under the wood strained to hold together as he ordered, "No recovery then, the order is to destroy the Deimos soul item. Use the disposal team for the job, but don't tell them what it is. Now go." She bowed deeply while nodding quickly and squeaked out, "Yes Mister Portland sir."
With that she rushed out of the office and shut the door before letting out a deep long breath and shaking horribly as she thought, 'Oh dear gods...He's furious..." With that and an odd shudder of pleasure she rushed off to inform the disposal team of their orders and to prepare the speech fully. Portland sat back down in his chair and brushed away the folders, the screen reappeared instantly and he grabbed his cigar and placed it between his teeth. As the scene showed the final attack of Joseph, the whole screen lighting up in the brilliant light. Portland lit his cigar with one finger shooting out a small amount of flame then puffed on the cigar one last time before leaning back in his chair and slowly falling asleep with a deep, cold sigh.