Legends of Amacia The Caverias Rebellion
Chapter 26: The Tower Rescue

Ten minutes after leaving Josephine’s core, Hanna, Nemesis, Enoch, Hunter, along with a mix of their remaining teams overran the Cadre’s Tower guards outside of Nicodemus’ cell. After slaughtering the resisting guards, Nemesis blew the cell door off its hinges with the pulse cannon built into his machine arm. The splintered door flew across the cell, smashing into the opposite wall with a crash. Hanna rushed in, followed by Nemesis, Enoch, and Hunter. The rest of their team took up defensive positions outside the cell in case of a Cadre counter-attack.

Hanna looked around urgently upon entering, seeing a chained Nicodemus lying on his side dying. “Oh, no,” she cried out in utter dismay while rushing to him. Dropping her sword as she knelt down beside Nicodemus, Hanna pulled the ancient prophet into her lap. “Don’t die,” she pleaded while gently shaking him. “Please don’t die, Nicodemus. Please wake up, Nicodemus!”

A moan escaped Nicodemus as he slowly came to. Looking up and seeing the bloody, burned ghoulish image of Hanna’s face, a smile inched across his lips. Despite her terrible visage, Nicodemus recognized Hanna. “I am content,” he whispered. “I have seen the face of our salvation.” His eyes fluttered when a raspy cough rose in his throat.

“No; please don’t die,” Hanna pleaded with tears in her eyes. “You can’t! Your people need you. I need you!”

“Shhh,” Nicodemus hissed softly. “Don’t cry for me, little sister. I go to see the most holy Ancient of Days, whom you so graciously revealed to us. Thank you. I’m grateful that He allowed me to see your face one last time before I take my final journey.”

Hanna’s emotions overloaded. She started sobbing, knowing she could do nothing to keep the Reaper from claiming Nicodemus. “No, you can’t!” Hanna cried. “You’re my friend. I won’t let you go! I need you!” Nemesis’ organic eyebrow rose with Hanna’s statement, having never seen this side of Hanna before.

“You have to,” Nicodemus whispered in a raspy voice. “My time is over, as is my job. The mantle is yours, little sister. It’s always been yours. I was just standing in for you. Now go, my mutated son of Caverias, and finish what you started. Go get her....” With a shudder, Nicodemus slumped dead in Hanna’s arms, urging her on with his last breath. Hanna heard his breath hissing between his broken teeth as he passed on.

A howl of excruciating grief and rage escaped Hanna’s lips as she clenched Nicodemus’ lifeless form to her chest. In the short time she’d known Nicodemus, both as Hannibal and as Hanna, she’d come to see him as a father-figure. Now, history had repeated itself with the Darkness ripping what she’d come to love from her fingers. Rage blossomed as Nicodemus’ passing caused her to recall the day on Mt. Rainier when the assassins slaughtered her parents decades before. Then she suddenly stopped crying when a stunning thought entered her head.

History was truly repeating itself with the death of Nicodemus: the last prophet to the cursed lands of Amacia. His death heralded the end of the Emperor as well as the end of the Age, just as it did in the 1st Age when the first Emperor killed the last prophet of that time. When the thought broke through her grief, she stopped crying and gently laid the old man on the floor. Her face steeled with such rage that it surprised everyone around her. Grabbing the Caverias sword as she stood up, Hanna stood over Nicodemus, wiping her tears away with her free hand. “I promise you, my friend,” she swore, “your death will not go un-avenged. I swear it by my blood and the Ancient of Days.” With a shout, she cut Nicodemus’ chains with the Caverias sword. Sheathing the ancient blade, Hanna picked up Nicodemus’ body and turned to the team with the iciest look Enoch had ever seen on her.

“Are you okay, little sister?” Hunter asked cautiously, not knowing whether to approach Hanna.

Hanna shook her head solemnly while cradling Nicodemus. “Don’t worry, Hunter,” she croaked. “I’m not lost to my rage yet, but I’m damned close. If the Emperor were here now, I’d kill him outright.” Hanna walked up to Hunter with Nicodemus. “Please take him home to Antilla, Hunter,” she pleaded. “I’m not leaving him here in this hell.” Her tone betrayed her grief, rage, and desperation.

“Of course, little sister,” Hunter replied, taking Nicodemus from Hanna. “Right away; the Emperor will not have his head as a trophy.”

“Thank you,” Hanna murmured. “Now go, brother. Fly!” Hunter nodded and left with four members of the team as backup.

Enoch gently placed his hand on Hanna’s shoulder, asking, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Hanna touched Enoch’s hand, grateful for the contact. “I will be,” she stated. “Thanks for asking. Now let’s go get Selina before they finish her off.”

“Follow me,” Nemesis growled, heading out the door. Everyone followed Nemesis out the cell, meeting Morpheus and a squad of rebels near the entrance to the Tower stairs.

Seeing Hanna’s grim, icy expression, Morpheus asked, “How’s your rage, Miss Hanna?”

“It’s ready to do some major damage,” Hanna hissed. “If I see even one of those fucking Cadre wizards, I’m going to cut them down where they stand. No one is getting between me and Selina any longer.”

“Then we’d best get moving,” Morpheus insisted. “Platoons of reinforcements are pouring into the fortress. Our time is running out.”

“Then let’s go,” Hanna growled, stepping up beside Nemesis. “Take me to Selina, Nemesis.”

“This way, everyone,” Nemesis ordered. “Keep your guard up, too. The Cadre wizards and their soldiers are not to be underestimated.”

“They’re dead if they challenge me,” Hanna snapped, following Nemesis into the stairs.

Meanwhile, in Selina’s Tower cell, Selina lay on her cushion in a fitful sleep. A loud noise aroused her. As she opened her bleary eyes, the door opened. Shouts echoed from below her in the Tower. Ahriaman suddenly entered the cell with malevolent intent in his eyes. He slammed the door shut and approached her menacingly. Selina rubbed her eyes with her good hand as Ahriaman hissed venomously, “You stupid little feline bitch! All of this has happened because of you! You have cost me dearly!”

“What are you talking about?” Selina asked innocently. Her question only enraged him further. His hand shot out and the chains snatched her back to the wall. She cried out in excruciating pain as she slammed against the wall. Her ribs crackled loudly and she found that she could hardly breathe because of the pain.

“Don’t play coy with me, bitch!” Ahriaman snarled. “The fortress is under attack! I don’t know how she did it but that mutated Beowulf is still alive and here inside these very wall wreaking havoc alongside of Nemesis and Magnus! The Emperor cannot stop her! He should have killed you both when he had the chance instead of playing his twisted sadistic games!”

Selina wheezed and gasped for breath as her telepathic link to Hanna suddenly exploded into life with her approach. She mentally reached out to Hanna for strength and found more strength, power, grief, and rage than she’d ever felt in her before. Suddenly, Selina chuckled softly, saying, “So, the snake is afraid.”

Ahriaman growled venomously as he pummeled her in the face saying, “Shut up, you feline bitch! I didn’t say you could speak!” His blow drew blood.

Selina spit her blood out into his face, asking, “What chance do you think you have if the Emperor couldn’t stop Hanna? She will rip you to pieces, snake. That’s what she does to snakes.” The roar of battle kept getting closer to the cell: the screams of the dying echoing everywhere.

Ahriaman punched her square in the chest just below her breasts with a curse. Selina cried out in pain and gasped for breath as Ahriaman hissed, “I have you, cat! If that mutated bitch doesn’t surrender, you’re dead.” Selina couldn’t answer. The blow had not only knocked the wind out of her but also broken two more ribs. She gasped and coughed up blood as Ahriaman looked at her evilly. He began to violate her again by groping her as she slowly caught her breath. Her pain and torment turned him on.

A few moments later, the sound of battle came to the door. The shouts of the victorious and the screams of the fallen roared from right outside the door. Selina managed to speak as he roughly fondled her again. “Enjoy it for it ends now, snake,” she whispered in excruciating pain.

No more than Selina had spoken, the door exploded, sending pieces of metal and wood everywhere. A sword-wielding maniac and a giant cyborg bear beat the Cadre guards back into the cell. Hanna stood in the front line, cutting through the guards with the worst berserker rage she’d ever been in. As she felled the last guard, Hanna’s eye fell on Ahriaman and Selina. Both of them looked in astonishment at the ghoulish Hanna dripping with blood from her kills. Ahriaman and Hanna locked eyes for a moment. “Rege!” Hanna roared in recognition. “Go back to the hell that spawned you!” She hurled the sword like a spear at Ahriaman as he turned to her. The sword struck home just to the right of center in his chest, penetrating and running the wizard through up to the hilt. It happened so fast and with such force that it knocked Ahriaman away from Selina and pinned him to the wall, hanging him at the same level as Selina. A gurgling cry escaped Ahriaman’s lips as Hanna approached menacingly, her eyes blazing and red with fury. A white aura abruptly swirled around Hanna, her eyes turning white at the same time. “Time to die, wizard,” she hissed with great rage. “Say hello to the Old Ones when you meet them, Rege.” Hanna’s hand shot forth, plunging into Ahriaman’s chest and ripping his heart out with a gush of blood. She looked at Ahriaman’s beating heart in her hand and hesitated as the white aura dissipated. A prick in her conscience caused her to stagger back a couple steps.

“Fate be merciful,” Nemesis breathed, not believing what he and the others just witnessed. “She just ripped out Ahriaman’s black heart. Hanna, are you okay?”

“Everyone be still,” Enoch warned, “The rage may still have her.” After seeing what Hanna’s rage had done, everyone remained motionless.

Hanna abruptly looked towards Selina, looking more like a demon than when she came out of the abyss of Acheron. The bloody heart in Hanna’s hand enhanced her ghoulish look; her features still twisted with rage and grief. However, everyone noticed Hanna’s rage level dropping noticeably. Just by looking at Selina, Hanna felt her rage ebbing. Only when Hanna’s berserker rage dropped below the lethal level did the horror of what she’d done register on her face. A look of terror filled her face as icy chills raced down her spine when she looked again at Ahriaman’s bloody heart beating in her hand. She looked around at everyone with a look of indescribable pain, grief, and horror. “Hanna,” Selina croaked through her pain. “What happened to you?”

Hanna’s face jerked back to Selina, and then to the heart. With a gasp, Hanna dropped the heart as if it were searing hot. The look of rage and hate still on her face suddenly melted away with Selina’s call. Dropping to her knees, tears flooded Hanna’s bloody face. “Oh, my god,” she cried in horror. “What have I done? I’ve become the Emperor!” She leaned over, covering her face with her hands, and sobbed bitterly in repentance. At that point, everyone knew the rage had passed. Nemesis and Morpheus moved in to console Hanna. Enoch, on the other hand, stared in astonishment at Selina. She looked like a smaller, more intense version of Kida.

Kneeling down beside Hanna, Nemesis touched her on the shoulder with his organic hand. “It’s okay,” he cooed, “Calm down, little sister. You haven’t become the Emperor. The Emperor would not act as you did. You killed in defense of those you love, not out of spite.”

“Hanna,” Selina called out weakly. “I know what you went through. Don’t let it get to you. You are stronger than that. You did what you had to save us, and me.”

“Milady is right,” Morpheus agreed. “Even though you did go wild there for a while, you never attacked anyone who didn’t deserve to die. This stinking snake on the wall deserved his punishment.”

Hanna stifled her emotions and rose, looking at Selina. Her whole world hung there on the wall in Selina. In fact, with the death of Ahriaman, the chains were slowly relaxing, letting Selina down. “Thank you, fellas,” Hanna sobbed softly. “I’m so privileged to have such good friends and allies.” She walked to Ahriaman’s corpse pinned to the wall with the Caverias sword. Her rage doubled just by looking at him, but it remained well within the manageable range. Grabbing the sword, Hanna took great relish in yanking the sword from Ahriaman’s corpse, letting it fall to the floor. With a swing, she cleaned the sword of the blood on it. Turning to Enoch, Hanna presented the Caverias sword to him.

“Can you cut her down for me?” Hanna asked Enoch, choked with emotion.

“It would be my pleasure,” Enoch replied softly, graciously taking the sword from Hanna. Once Hanna positioned to catch Selina, Enoch broke the chains with the Caverias sword. Selina gently slid into to Hanna’s blood-soaked arms.

After kissing her gently on the cheek, Hanna said softly, “Come on. Let’s get out of this hell hole.” Just then, the fortress rumbled and shook, sending dust and pieces of dirt falling.

“Looks like the bomb in the Harem just went off,” Nemesis reported. “It should provide a sufficient diversion to allow us to escape.”

“I hope so,” Enoch stated. “I definitely don’t want to be around when Josephine’s drones blow. That’s not going to be pretty. Come on. Let’s bug out of this abysmal rock pile.” With the Caverias sword in hand, Enoch led the way back to the portal in the lower dungeon catacombs. Nemesis and Morpheus waited until last to leave.

Nemesis walked up to Ahriaman’s corpse with a scowl, hissing, “I told you I’d have your head one day and now that day is here, snake.” With great malice, Nemesis kicked Ahriaman’s corpse over. Plunging his mechanical fingers into the wizard’s lower back at the hip, Nemesis ripped Ahriaman’s spine and head completely out of his body with a victorious shout. Morpheus watched in horror at Nemesis’ mutilation of Ahriaman’s corpse. Nemesis then shifted his mechanical hand so he held the head and spine just below the skull. He flashed a cruel smile while looking the dead wizard in the face. “I win, snake. You lose,” he growled. Throwing the head down violently, Nemesis took great relish in crushing the head with his foot, grinding it into the stone floor as if he were putting out a cigarette butt. “Now my girls and friends are avenged,” he declared. “Come, Morpheus. Let’s leave this dead end.”

Morpheus stared at Nemesis in fear, seeing his power and hate for the leader of the Cadre. “Okay, brother,” he answered cautiously, following Nemesis out of the cell. “Remind me never to cross you. I don’t want to be on your bad side.”

A wry smile crossed Nemesis’ bear lips. “Don’t worry,” he cackled. “You’re on the right side of this fight. As long as you’re loyal to Miss Hanna, you won’t have anything to worry about. I reserve this treatment only for my worst enemies.”

“Miss Hanna has earned both my loyalty and trust,” Morpheus declared, following Nemesis out of Selina’s cell. “I’d rather jump into the Chasm of Acheron before I betrayed her and you. She is the One. She IS the Last Caverias.”

“That she is,” Nemesis agreed, moving down the corridor at a brisk gait. “I knew it the moment I first saw her when she was still the man Beowulf. I just pray to the Elder gods that Josephine survives and can restore Hanna to her true male status.”

“It’s a little thing,” Morpheus stated. “We must have faith. But I suggest we beat our feet out of here. I don’t relish encountering the Emperor after what we’ve done.”

“I hear you,” Nemesis answered. “Josephine’s core and drones are due to blow at any moment. Come...let’s make sure there are no stragglers.”

“Right,” Morpheus agreed, racing down the corridor with Nemesis. A couple minutes later, Nemesis and Morpheus caught up with Hanna, Selina, Enoch, and the rest of the team.

They encountered moderate resistance on the way back to the portal. But it was nothing Nemesis, Enoch, Morpheus, and the rest of the team couldn’t handle. Before they knew it, they reached the portal. Magnus stood waiting with Andrew, Hunter, and the Captain of the Guards. They and a couple dozen of Magnus’ team had set up a perimeter. As Hanna and her team arrived at the portal, she asked Magnus, “Did we get everyone?”

Magnus nodded, saying, “Yes, ma’am.”

Just then, one of the rebel guards came running up saying, “We need to get out of here now. Three hundred Black Legion reserves are coming into the dungeons right now. They’re killing everyone they encounter.”

Magnus roared and the perimeter guards retreated to the portal. The sound of hostile soldiers echoed through the passages in the distance. Then, without warning, the entire chamber shuddered as a series of distant booms rattled from all directions.

Knowing the sounds of large detonations by heart, Nemesis sprinted to Hanna, putting his huge arms around her and Selina. He set his feet to brace himself while shouting, “Everyone get down and brace yourselves! That’s Josephine’s drones detonating. The blast will be here any second!”

Before anyone could adequately prepare, potent shockwaves poured into the chamber, carrying smoke, dust, and a peculiar odor of brimstone, sulfur, magnesium, and burning ozone. It flattened everyone except for Nemesis...who shielded Hanna and Selina, Magnus, Morpheus, and Enoch. The blast flung one of the rebel guards into the portal ring before anyone could catch him. His death cry echoed throughout the chamber as the energy ring vaporized the man. Hunter and Andrew quickly found their feet and snatched several friends and allies away from the dangerous portal ring. A gladiator flew through the air towards the portal ring, only to have Enoch snatch him from certain death. Several other rebel guards from Magnus’ team were blown through the center of the portal to the Red Tower. In less than ten seconds, the shockwave passed and everyone recovered, standing back up, weapons ready.

As Nemesis backed off from shielding Hanna and Selina, he asked, “Are you girls okay?”

“Yeah,” Hanna replied, growing weak from exhaustion and her wounds. “That was some punch. I didn’t think the blast would reach all the way down here.”

“Neither did I,” Nemesis agreed. Calling out to everyone, he asked, “Is everyone all right?”

“We lost one,” Magnus reported, “The blast blew him into the energy ring. Other than that, everyone seems to be in one piece.”

“Is there any danger of radiation?” Enoch inquired while helping some of his allies up. “That blast smelled of radioactive material.”

“That it did,” Hanna declared. “Can you track radiation, Nemesis?”

“Already on it,” Nemesis answered, scanning with his cyborg eye. “As a matter of fact, there is some radioactive fallout in the shockwave. I can see it, but it’s not hazardous if we get out of here right now and clean up afterwards.”

“Then let’s get out of here,” Enoch called out. “The Red Tower has excellent decontamination facilities.”

“You heard the man,” Hanna said bluntly. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“You go first, Hanna,” Magnus ordered. Hanna didn’t argue, but went through with Selina. Seconds later, the rest followed Hanna with Nemesis, Magnus, and Morpheus coming last.

Once everyone cleared the portal, Hanna called out to Elias “Shut it down!” In seconds, the portal closed. Ten minutes later, the Black Legion soldiers flooded the area.

Hanna immediately headed for the Healer with Selina unconscious in her arms. Everyone looked at them with wonder, seeing an almost sisterly resemblance between Hanna and Selina. Nathanael immediately followed along with Enoch, Hunter, and Andrew. Hanna could feel Selina’s pain despite her unconscious state and knew that time was of the essence. Minutes later, she arrived in the healing chamber to see Izanami, Myra, Tasha, Jennifer, Trinity, and Althea on the tables bathed in the Healer’s warm glow. Two other tables remained open. Hanna rushed to the nearest empty table and gently laid Selina on it. The table instantly formed itself to Selina’s body. The crystal immediately lit up and went to work on her, playing the strange music as it worked on her.

Hanna made sure that Selina was laid out perfectly, looking down into her face. Her emotions rose again and she leaned over her, crying on Selina’s bruised, teddy-covered chest. Enoch and Nathanael came in as Hanna cried over Selina. Nathanael went to Hanna’s side and put his hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right. You reached her in time,” he declared softly. Hanna ignored the words as she sobbed.

Enoch suddenly noticed Hanna bleeding rather profusely from several places where the weapons had penetrated her armor. He pointed it out to Nathanael and they grabbed Hanna, gently pulling her off Selina.

Hanna looked at them in a puzzled, far away manner. Tears continued to flow, but now she seemed to be losing her equilibrium. “Leave me alone!” she protested weakly, swaying while trying to push them away. Nathanael and Enoch began to take her armor off to replace the wounds. “What are you doing?” Hanna asked as she got dizzy.

“You’re wounded.” Enoch replied as he uncoupled Hanna’s arm guards. “We need to see how badly. You’re bleeding all over the place.”

Hanna began to sway noticeably as she said, “All of a sudden, I don’t feel so good.”

Nathanael and Enoch moved Hanna to the table next to Selina and sat her on it. Her head began to throb and the dizziness increased as they stripped Hanna down to her blouse and trousers. The wounds weren’t hard to replace. Five great gashes on her back and side oozed blood. Numerous gashes on her arms and legs were bleeding profusely. By time they had stripped Hanna of her armor, she passed out. Nathanael laid her down and the healer went to work on her as well. They watched for a few minutes as the wounds slowly stopped bleeding. Nathanael looked at the pair and shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” Enoch asked.

“Oh, nothing; it’s just that Hanna can be so careless and reckless at times, especially when it involves Selina,” Nathanael replied solemnly.

“Come on, Nathanael,” Enoch ordered in a friendly tone. “Let’s go and see to the others we rescued today. I’ll get Electra and Kida to bring a change of clothes for Hanna and Selina.”

“What about the contamination from the blast?” Nathanael queried. “Shouldn’t they be decontaminated?”

“The Healer will do that,” Enoch reported. “It automatically scans for radioactive contamination and neutralizes it by drawing off the radioactive material. Look...the machine is now starting the decontamination procedure.” They watched as a transparent shield rose out of the table Hanna laid on, completely sealing her inside. A hiss followed as a white mist filled the pod. Nathanael’s eyebrow rose as the mist swallowed Hanna. The Healer’s scanning beam changed color to a scarlet red and swept Hanna from head to toe inside the pod. The beam refracted in the mist that now shielded Hanna from view.

“What’s it doing?” Nathanael asked.

“The mist is the cleansing agent,” Enoch stated. “It will penetrate every part of Hanna and bond to the radioactive material from the blast. The scanning beam excites the mist, allowing the bonding process to take place. Depending on how bad the contamination is, the process could take anywhere from two minutes to an hour. You can monitor it at the control panel for this table. Come see.” Enoch and Nathanael stepped over to the control panel for Hanna’s table and observed the readings. “Oh, this is good,” Enoch chimed. “The contamination level is low. Look, it’s done with the process already.”

“My word; that was quick,” Nathanael commented.

“That it was,” Enoch agreed, looking back at Hanna in the shielded pod. “Now, the Healer will vacuum out the contaminants and neutralized the residue. Watch now.” They hear a hum and a hiss from the sealed pod. The mist, which had turned slightly brown, vanished from the pod. Next, the scanning beam focused a bright, strong light on Hanna, sweeping her from head to toe four times. Finally, the hum subsided and the transparent shield split and retracted into the table. The eerie music returned as the healing beam widened and bathed Hanna from head to toe.

“Is that it?” Nathanael asked.

“Yeah,” Enoch stated. “Look here at the display. It shows normal radiation levels.”

“It sure does,” Nathanael conceded once he saw the readings in the safe range. “I had no idea the Healer could do that. I guess it just shows I still have much to learn about these ancient machines.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Enoch stated. “You couldn’t possibly know about that function in the short time you’ve been exposed to the Healers in Tiamat and here. I, on the other hand, grew up with these machines. It’s second nature to me and it will soon be for you too. Look...it’s already decontaminating Selina and the others who were brought in here.” They looked and saw Selina and those who were caught in the blast from Josephine’s drones beneath the transparent shields on their respective tables.

“I guess we’d better go decontaminate ourselves before we do anything else,” Nathanael stated.

“You’re right,” Enoch agreed. “We need to clean up before we do anything else. Then we can see to the others. When you are done cleaning up, be sure to take your contaminated clothes to the incinerator. It’s the only safe way to get rid of them.”

“Right,” Nathanael answered. “Are you going to dispose of Hanna’s and Selina’s clothes too, even though they’ve been through the Healer’s decontaminator?”

“Yeah,” Enoch stated. “The armor, weapons, and Seal can be cleaned satisfactorily, but their clothes I’d just don’t know. That’s why I’m going to dispose of them.”

“Sounds logical to me,” Nathanael stated. “Let’s get out of these contaminated clothes.” Enoch nodded and they left the healing chamber to decontaminate themselves.