Semantics of Free Will

The Halo Bearer! There she was! It could feel the pull back to its realm, back home, but not this time. This time it was being fed. The angel kept it here. To get the Halo, it must get the Halo! But this Bearer had power…

“Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!” cried Ava as they backed away down the hallway. She turned to look at the other women. Bea was watching the entrance to the amphitheater, a divinium tipped arrow nocked and ready to draw. Ava could see her shaking. Camila and Yasmine both looked like they wanted to break down and cry and Dora was working hard to get her breathing under control while she drew her divinium maces. Lilith stood flat against the wall unwilling or perhaps unable to move, her eyes wide with terror.

“Okay,” said Ava, breathing hard. “Bea, Dora—it looks like we’re the only ones whose brains are working at the moment. Any ideas?”

“Get the fuck out of here?” said Dora.

“I like that one,” replied Ava. “Bea?”

The sister warrior stayed silent, not looking away from the entrance. Her body was tense, a coiled snake ready to strike. She blinked. “They’re not following us,” she observed. “Ava, we should go have another look. Dora, see if you can help Camila and Yasmine calm down. Lilith…” She turned toward the demon woman. “Breathe.”

Ava and Bea crept noiselessly towards the entrance. Ava had drawn the Halo and could feel her blood dripping down her hand. When they peeked around the corner, she saw that five of the Tarasks were standing and staring around the room but not necessarily looking at them. But the giant in the back—the Tarask with a bright white line running across its body from its left leg through its right shoulder—was staring directly at her.

“Jesus!” she whispered as she whipped her head back behind the wall.

Bea gave her a nervous look. “Why was that one staring at us?”

Ava swallowed. “I think that’s the one I sliced in half in Italy—it looks like it remembers me.”

“Well,” whispered Bea, “on the bright side it’s on the opposite side of the room and the others aren’t paying attention.”

“Bea…”

“Maybe we can take out the nearest one quickly and pull back before the others attack. They can only come at us one at a time in the hallway.”

“Beatrice!” Ava whispered harshly. “Are you fucking crazy?”

“Ava the Tarasks are here. And they are staying here. How could they possibly be doing that?”

Ava felt her heart pound even harder in her chest as realization flooded over her. “Reya!” she said quietly as she closed her eyes. “She’s come through the portal!”

“Which means the wraiths are coming through the portal anytime now.”

“Fuck!” Ava peered back into the room again. “Okay,” she said, “they’re set up three and three. Maybe we can take the ones closest to us by surprise before the other three can attack? I can easily take out one with the Halo. Can you and Dora take one? That leaves Cam and Yasmine to unload their clips into the third while Lilith…” She looked back at the others, Lilith had not moved from her spot on the wall. Ava sighed. “While Lilith has a breakdown from her PTSD.”

Bea turned and looked back. “I’ll talk to Lilith. Go tell the others the plan.”

“You two are fucking crazy,” said Dora, once Lilith and Bea had joined them after Ava had finished telling them their idea. Bea shrugged.

“That’s probably true,” she agreed. “Any other thoughts?”

“You two are fucking crazy,” repeated Camila. Ava suppressed a snort of laughter.

“So I’ve heard,” said the Warrior Nun. “And luckily so are all of you so this will work.” She took a deep breath as she looked around at her friends.

“Yasmine and Camila stay back with Lilith and don’t be stingy with that divinium ammo. Dora—you wanted divinium maces, let’s see how they do. Bea…” She looked at her girlfriend and gave her a quick yet burning kiss. “Don’t miss!”

She sighed one more time and looked at the other women with a bright smile. “In this life or the next!” And before they could answer, she turned and was out the door.

They charged around the corner, bright blue bullets flying through the air and converging on the nearest Tarask. Ava bypassed that monster and, sticking the Halo into the air, flung herself up and over the second brute and towards the back of a third. With the Halo in her left hand and the Cruciform Sword in a reverse grip in her right, she landed on the Tarask’s back, stabbing both weapons on either side of its spine. The internal fires of the beast were burning her skin as she slid down its back, both weapons sliding through the creature and ripping it apart as it shrieked in agony. About halfway down the top half of the Tarask burst into flames and sent her flying across the room back towards her sisters.

The Halo! She had it out again! The strength of this Bearer! Why was she attacking its brethren? They only wanted to bring her home. The angel—the angel was not the Halo Bearer.

Dora ran at the closest Tarask. Yasmine’s and Camila’s gunfire already had the creature distracted and angry. She used its confusion to her advantage and slammed both divinium maces into the its knee, shattering the joint and causing the monster to collapse. As it fell, it swiped a massive claw at her, she ducked and slid underneath the burning limb, the heat from the giant leaving burns on her arms and face despite that she hadn’t actually touched it. Her slide brought her to its other leg and she quickly pushed away and got to her feet, reeling from the excessive heat from the beast. It swung its spiked arm back at her with a roar and she batted it away with one mace and then slammed down hard with the other, shattering its elbow.

The Bearer was fighting! Fighting against going home. Fighting to stay—curious. The Halo Bearer wanted to stay. The Halo Bearer had the power to stay—to make the Halo stay. It should not fight the Halo. It should fight for the Bearer.

Ava found herself surrounded by four Tarasks. Three of the monsters lumbered slowly towards her. Her friends were focused on fighting the fifth. She was about to be surrounded. She locked eyes with the last Tarask, the scarred creature she had so severely damaged. It tilted its head to the side, like a puppy that could not quite understand a new command.

Okay that’s weird.

She was almost completely surrounded. She frantically waved the Halo and the glowing Cruciform Sword at the monsters as they approached, close enough that she could feel herself cooking in the massive oven that they created between them.

Dora was being overwhelmed by the immense heat of the Tarask that she fought. It reached for her as it limped closer. She took a valiant swing at its outstretched claw, batting it away with her mace. But the heat was too much. She collapsed to the ground.

Then Lilith was there, teleporting next to the fallen sister warrior. She gathered her up in her arms and flew her to safety as more bullets rained on the creature and one of Bea’s arrows caught it in the eye. It crashed, unmoving, to the ground and Bea turned her attention towards Ava.

A divinium arrow pierced the side of the head of the beast that blocked Ava from her friends. Then a second. Then a third.

Ava turned away from the wounded monster and faced the other two creatures in time to see a sight that would shock her completely. The scarred Tarask let out a vicious roar and charged—not at her. It sent hard damaging blows from behind into the others, sending them both hurtling to the ground and forcing Ava to run. She ran past the third Tarask, still being pelted by Bea’s arrows, and back to her sisters. They watched together in fascination as the four beasts ripped into each other. Her Tarask…

That’s interesting to think of it as mine.

…having had the element of surprise was able to incapacitate the other two, keeping them alive but unable to move.

It fought with its final enemy, their roars thundering through the amphitheater and echoing off the walls. They traded powerful fiery punches that exploded upon impact. Both beasts were evenly matched until Ava saw an opening.

“Ava! No!” cried Bea as the Warrior Nun charged forward, Halo flaring to life. With a Halo-powered leap she flew into the back of the other monster and sliced its arm clean through with the Cruciform Sword. Her Tarask was then able to finish the job easily.

The sister warriors slowly approached the Warrior Nun as she stood, staring into the eyes of the Tarask that had just saved her life. The room smelled faintly of smoke and incense.

“What the hell just happened?” asked Bea quietly as she limped lightly up beside Ava and put an arm around her waist.

“I have no idea,” she replied, sounding awestruck. “I think I made a friend.”

“Apparently even supernatural devil monsters aren’t immune to Ava’s charms,” joked Camila.

“Well,” said Dora, “she charmed Beatrice so…” Bea looked over at the woman as she was helped along by Yasmine. Angry burns covered her arms and face but, Bea was happy to note, nothing seemed so severe as to threaten any major scarring.

“I’m glad your sense of humor is still intact,” she said to Dora seriously, “if we could even call it that. Still, it’s a good sign that you’re attempting to make jokes.” The sister warrior smiled at her.

The sound of burning flames erupted around the room as the two incapacitated Tarasks were pulled back into the other realm. Bea turned to see Ava still sharing a look with the scarred Tarask standing in front of them. The creature was gazing back at the Warrior Nun, as if waiting for her order—or perhaps her permission.

“Thanks dude,” said Ava quietly. The Tarask slowly bowed to her and then abruptly the fires of the portal ignited around it and called it home.

“We need to move,” said Lilith. Ava turned towards her. She looked better—far more herself—now that the Tarasks were gone.

“You’re right,” responded Ava. “Camila and Yasmine, stay here with Dora. Treat her burns and then go see what’s happening outside.”

“Ava…” said Camila, ready to argue.

“No Camila!” replied Ava harshly. “Reya is down there! Get everything under control up here and keep whatever might come out after us from escaping. Bea and I will keep her distracted while Lilith blows the Arc.”

“Are you sure about this?” asked Yasmine.

Ava looked over at Bea, who nodded at her. “It must be done,” said Bea. “Even if we trap Reya here we can’t let her pull more wraiths through.” She turned to Lilith. “Can you scout ahead? Carefully.”

“I’ll be back soon,” said the demon warrior and she teleported away.

Camila ran up to Bea and Ava and pulled them both into an embrace. “Keep safe,” she said, tears dripping down her face. “Don’t take too long,” she warned. Yasmine and Dora both hugged each of them in turn before they headed together to the elevator.

“We can’t allow her to stay here, Ava,” said Bea quietly once they were alone.

“I know,” the Warrior Nun replied. “I have some ideas. How many divinium arrows do you have left?”

“Eight.”

“It’ll have to be enough.”

They met Lilith outside the elevator. “She’s alone,” said the demon warrior. “I don’t think she noticed me.”

“Okay,” said Ava, placing a reassuring hand on the taller woman's shoulder. “Let’s go.”

The Warrior Nun and sister warrior reached the end of the long hallway and walked slowly into the underground amphitheater. It looked the same as the last time they were here. The only difference being that Adriel’s cross had been removed. A lone figure in white bony-spiked armor stood staring at the Arc which, Ava was relieved to see, was currently inactive.

“I have been waiting for you, Halo Bearer,” said an ethereal voice. Reya turned away from the machine and began slowly walking down the ramp towards the pair of them. Physically, she was perfection. Tall, elegant and graceful, the angel moved so lightly it seemed as if she walked on the air. She looked indifferent; the human suffering she must have known had been happening above held no interest for her.

“You have brought me the Halo. Now you must give it to me, or agree to come to my realm.”

“I don’t think so,” said Ava. She was slowly walking towards the angel, the Cruciform Sword held loosely in her hand, leaving Bea standing alone behind her. “I like my world and I don’t want to give it over to the wraiths.”

Reya tilted her head and blinked. She gave Ava a disarming smile. “I would rather destroy them outright. I have no love for the wraiths. Come with me and we will extinguish them together to save your world.”

“And then what?” Ava asked. “You invade anyways? I know your endgame, Reya. I’m not going to help you destroy humanity just so you can restart your War.”

The angel narrowed her eyes, a twisted, evil look passed briefly over her face before she schooled her features. “That was Adriel’s desire. That was why he stole the Halo from me. Now, you will give it back.”

“We’ve talked about this already,” said Ava easily. “I wouldn’t give it to you when you had me at your mercy in your realm. Why would I give it to you now?”

Ava’s confidence was unnerved by Reya’s leer. The angel seemed to be sizing her up and checking her out all at once—the sensation caused her to shudder. “You could not die in my realm, Halo Bearer.” Her leer turned into an evil grin. “But I assure you that you,” her eyes flickered hungrily in Bea’s direction, “and all that you love can die in this one.”

As quick as a flash she slashed at Ava with a viciously spiked gauntlet. The Warrior Nun was only barely able to dodge backwards as she brought up the Cruciform Sword to deflect the angel’s other hand. Reya continued her onslaught forcing Ava backwards down the ramp—towards Beatrice.

She jumped backwards, spinning horizontally in the air, sword extended, and forcing Reya back to avoid the tip of her sword. She pushed off the ground before she even finished her landing, spinning again with her sword leveled at Reya’s head. The angel was forced to duck—right into Ava’s foot. The Halo-enhanced kick put the angel on the defensive and Ava pressed her attack.

Bea watched as her girlfriend attacked the fallen angel—the speed of the two combatants was dizzying. A lesser warrior would have grown nauseous from the action, but Bea stood tall with her bow drawn, waiting for a moment when she could level a shot at Reya without risking Ava. The opportunity never came.

With the eye of a master observing her apprentice at work, Bea could see the outcome of this fight before it happened and her heart sank. The world slowed as she followed Ava’s movements. In slow motion she watched as her girlfriend slashed across and to the left, forcing the angel to duck. Her heart beat stalled in her chest as she watched her girlfriend’s next swipe down and to the right. And her breathing stopped as Ava thrust forward and overextended her attack—the way she always did. She watched it happen—she knew it would happen—and there was nothing she could do. She never got a clear view of Reya.

Bea didn’t have time to cry out a warning or shed a tear as Reya sidestepped Ava’s lunge and grabbed the young woman’s forearm and yanked her off balance. She barely had time to register Ava’s terrified eyes as dark chocolate and amber met together in the briefest of moments.

A red-orange flash of smoke instantly materialized next to the fighting pair as Lilith appeared and shoved Ava out of the way, propelling the young woman through the air and sending her halfway up the ramp. Ava twisted in mid-air and watched in horror as Reya thrust her clawed hand into Lilith’s back and up into her chest, lifting the sister warrior off the ground. The Warrior Nun crashed onto the floor and slid to a halt before she screamed.

“No!”

Bea lowered her bow—shocked by the terrible scene. Tears had already started running down her cheeks as she met Lilith’s eyes. Her sister hung extended on Reya’s arm. Blood was dripping from her mouth and her body was shaking as Bea watched the light fade. “Lilith,” she whispered sadly.