In His Mind
#6 of Paranormal Detective Agency
Eventually, the bottle of fine spirit wine was finished and the two changed into their regular outfits. Steel made sure that his gun was loaded, cultists rarely listened to logic and reason. Even the Grim Reaper made sure that she could swing her scythe correctly, "That's a sign of the times, ain't it? When Death needs to fight back. What a crazy world." She opened a portal and the two entered.
The Grim Reaper led Steel to an old library, one that held countless books from all of recorded history. It wasn't long before the attackers opened fire and the two were forced to take cover, "Seems like you know your stuff."
"Don't I always? We need to get rid of them and then you can investigate, alright?"
Steel returned fire, "Sure, fine, whatever." He yawned loudly, "Mind if you assist this time? Or are you going to be a passive observer again?"
He was still Steel, but his opponents brought out his more serious side. These cultists would do anything to get some knowledge, or even a piece of Armageddon from someone who was cursed. Steel had learned in his private research that the highest ranking cultists were equipped with magical weapons meant to harvest, but there was only so much that books could teach.
Pages flew around the room and the Grim Reaper moved to another position, "Hey, there are ten of them, you know where."
Steel listened closely, then for the first time in many years, felt his heart sink, "No, there are more than that. Can't you hear it?" He slumped against the bullet-riddled bookshelf, "You know what I haven't had in a while? Pizza."
The Grim Reaper was concerned at the new tone, "Steel, what are you..."
"I'm tired. Literally and mentally, do me a favor, would you?"
"Don't talk like that! You know what will happen!"
Steel smiled to himself, "Keep an eye on the others. They can't deal with each other without me, but they're good at heart. Who knows? You might make a friend or two. At least with Aqua, she likes everyone."
Bullets whizzed by, but the Reaper was too slow to react. Steel jumped into the open and kicked down one of the cultists before shooting him in the head, then spun around to shoot two more. He jumped up a few bookcases to reach the top of the tallest, then made his stand.
Three more shots took out three more cultists, then he was left with his own two hands to fight. The Grim Reaper knew that he was more than capable, but he would not be allowed to die. She sliced through a bookshelf and five cultists only to witness her worst fear.
Steel knocked two more down to the ground and was in mid-spin when one of the cultists, a man in very decorated robes, fired the gun he had pointed at Steel's head.
Time stood still as a white glow erupted from the hole, "Come to me! I will allow you to reach full potential and destroy all life!" The cultist reached out for only a moment, then Steel's lifeless body collapsed. Needless to say, the Grim Reaper did not take this well.
The lead cultist and one other were able to escape the full wrath of death, but their comrades were not so lucky. Eternal suffering would have to wait, Steel needed to be recovered. Throwing caution to the wind, she lifted his body and was surprised to feel a pulse. A weak one of course, but still a pulse. There was also a hole, leaking out energy from somewhere deep inside his own soul.
.......................................
Steel was sitting in a red world. The ground was soft and rough at the same time, the sky was too inconsistent to describe, and a glass wall separated him from a gigantic, grotestque blob, "So you're the thing that's been haunting me for a while. Shouldn't you have left already? You know, join your buddies in their world domination schemes?"
The blob sat there, motionless, "Oh. Oh! I get it." Steel couldn't stop himself from laughing like a madman, "You're just a shell for the soul! No wonder those morons couldn't get in here!"
Steel looked around at the nothing, "So, what do you want to do for an eternity or so?"
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The Grim Reaper tackled through the door of the Paranormal Detective Agency's fourth floor and set the partially-dead Steel on his desk. Cleopatra, Aqua, and Sabrina were in shock beyond words, as were the vampire guests. The young girl screamed, "You there, give me every bit of information you can find on this cult. Now!" Aqua almost lost control of her form as she rolled away. Cleopatra put a hand on Steel's head, "He's alive. Somehow. His soul is in there, but it's leaking. We don't have time to wait around."
"Who did this? I see no wound."
"The cultists did this, they were after the Piece of Armageddon stored inside of him." The Grim Reaper was moving erratically.
"Is he... going to be okay?" The little vampire girl inquired.
Her father placed his hands onto her shoulders, "A Piece of Armageddon, that sounds familiar but I cannot place the knowledge."
Liliy was wearing clothes finally, but she quickly lost her cool, "Ahhh!" As Aqua's temporary assistant, she grabbed everything she could hold.
"NOT... NOW!" The Grim Reaper quickly turned around and screamed so loud that the entire block shook. Everyone turned to see a woman in glistening armor and beautiful wings, now embedded into the drywall, "Steel is not to be touched, understand slave?"
Aqua focused on her books and set a few down next to Steel, "This was all I could find, there isn't much."
The angel fell from her hole, but was too hurt to move, "Years ago, before your lifetime, Steel was cursed by a cult, a spell was cast to summon a Piece of Armageddon. Not just any Piece, but the soul. If that would be released, it could very well end all forms of life. It is likely that it was stolen, but the host would have died."
"Armageddon... is the least... of our... urk... worries." The angel struggled to speak.
Cleopatra was working hard, the hardest she had ever worked in her life. Despite her enormous collection of powers, this situation was still beyond her grasp, "Hurry up, stop talking! What's this sentence mean?"
The Grim Reaper looked over and remained silent, "This is... unfortunate."
"What is?! Ahhh! What is?!" Liliy was clearly bad in tight spots.
Sabrina took the vampire girl and Liliy into the back room at the behest of her father, "I'm Sabrina and this is Liliy, and don't worry, Steel isn't too hurt. I think."
"I'm... Vanessa."
Liliy was hugging Vanessa, almost too tightly, "I'm scared!"
Her father was assured of her daughter's safety, "I can feel it too angel, as can Death. We are handicapped now though, and we cannot take on the threat."
The Grim Reaper rested her head on Steel's chest and whispered something that nobody could here, "Hey! Don't be quiet! We need to think!"
"Did you know? I suppose not, he wasn't one for talking about himself. Steel was a leader of men. Funny in a way, considering how he is now, but back then he was a living legend. Some even said he was part divine, but that wasn't the case. He was the Immortal Mortal, or the Mortal Immortal depending on region."
"Slayer of Demons, Agent of God, the Divine Crusader. All of those titles were applied to that man if I recall." The Angel was finally able to speak without a struggle.
"I found him when my essence was called, unfortunately during that ritual. Hundreds were sacrificed, and he was in horrible shape. I could do nothing myself, but there was something strange about that man. Something that made him unique and worth saving. Realized what had happened, I entered a pact with Steel, and since then we've been allies." The Grim Reaper's concealed head didn't leave Steel's chest.
"Uh... everyone... the sky is turning red." Aqua was shivering and looking out of a window, where the sky had indeed turned red. Lightning streaked across the cloudless sky, all meeting at a singular point above the city park.
"Steel respected the old ways, he looked into everything he could. One of the few mortals that understood the true nature of this world, he learned about enchantments, spirits, demons... everything that you could possibly imagine. Steel vowed to fight all evil and preserve all good, independent of any powers that be. Such a brave fool... it made me doubt my own actions on occasion."
"Miss Cleopatra, when did you get this armor?" Sabrina peaked out around the wall.
"What?" Cleopatra and the vampire investigated, only to find a set of armor. Metal arms, legs, and helm with a chainmail chest covered in fine leather. The damage wasn't severe, and on the whole it lifted their spirits. How, they could not say, "I didn't... uh..."
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A voice echoed, "You promised me, that as long as you lived I would have a say in this world. Please don't forget."
He chuckled, "Well then, when did I say that? I'm old. What do you think blob? Yeah, I agree. I'm a man of my word, can't let down those that rely on me just yet." Steel stood up despite powerful tugging from the ground, "I'm off, keep the place tidy while I'm gone."
There was no clear exit, so he chose a direction and marched. Hours passed, maybe minutes, possibly centuries, there was no way to tell. The nothingness was boring and eternal, but the Grim Reaper cared enough to wake him, that meant a lot, "What am I doing, wake up brain. You know better." He shut his eyes and reached out, "You know what would be funny..."
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"HERE'S JOHNNY!" Steel popped up, knocking the Grim Reaper back, "What? No laughs?"
The ladies were just about in tears, while the vampire was ready to defend himself, "Steel, welcome back." The Grim Reaper was the first to smile.
He smiled back, "Couldn't leave a promise to a pretty lady unfulfilled right?" He jumped from the desk, "Now, what's going on here?" He stretched and popped most of his muscles and limbs. The Angel, the Grim Reaper, and the vampire instructed him to follow the group outside.
The four stood at the edge of chaos, watching the red sky create havoc and panic. Civilians of all ages ran for their lives, ignoring the strange band of people standing in front of an even stranger building, "That is what we need you for." The angel pointed out the obvious.
"I'd love to make a four horsemen of the apocalypse joke, but that looks like a pain in the ass. I'm going back inside. Let me know how it turns out." Steel went inside, followed by the Grim Reaper.
"The Steel I knew wouldn't hesitate, especially when it was a demon prince."
Steel rolled his head, "Yeah, well, I think he died a few lifetimes ago. Besides, you have an angel on your side, why do you need me?"
She hit the stop button in the elevator and pressed against Steel, so closely that their whiskers touched, "You promised me you would help, just as I made promises to you. You know better than anyone here that the angel will fail on her own, and my powers are limited. A demon's lifeforce doesn't exist in this world."
"I know, alright... I know... keep an eye on the people here, I'll be back soon." Much to her surprise, Steel gave her a peck on the forehead before starting the elevator.
Everyone gathered in the residential floor, except for Steel, "Where is he? He's still okay right? Not hurt? Not sleepy? Shouldn't he rest?"
"Liliy, calm down. We won't learn anything if we ask too much." Aqua, the intellectual, was the voice of reason in the hall, "Ms. Death, where is Steel?"
The Grim Reaper laughed, quietly at first, but it evolved into a deep belly laugh, "What's so funny?! Answer!" Cleopatra wasn't used to not being the most important person in the room.
"The Demon Slayer rides again, his armor blessed by the gods of Olympus, his skill honed over centuries, the bane to all demons. Also a fan of pizza and beer." The Grim Reaper calmed down, "Steel is the one man that you do not want to mess with dears, but he is a very good friend. Just wait, all will be well."
The angel grabbed the elbow of her relaxed arm, "That man is much more than a man. I think it's fair to say that we, everyone, owes him more than they could possibly imagine."