The Second Archon War, Carmen Dei 8 (Patreon)

Looking down at herself, Capri felt slightly embarrassed. She was dressed in skin-tight black and purple tights, with a cape of all things! It was thankfully padded in the right places not to be too obscene, but she still felt practically naked in this getup. She tried to examine herself, but without a mirror, it was a bit hard. She was currently in an alleyway a kilometer from the Gesellschaft facility, with her own clothes in the brown paper bag this getup had been in.

Just as she was deciding she was going to tell Venti off for this preposterous idea, Naomi peered around the corner and grinned. “You look great! Aren’t these fabulous?”

Naomi lept out from behind the wall and went en pointe, doing a pirouette with the wind gusting about her. She giggled and then stood with her hands on her hips, chest thrust out to show off her own costume. Naomi was wearing the stupid domino mask, hers was green, and her own costume was mostly white, with blue highlights. A Star of David in Blue was emblazoned on her chest, and for some reason, her costume had a headdress and horns. Venti hadn’t been clear on why that was important.

It was also not fair. Naomi was ridiculously sexy in that outfit, to the point that Capri wanted to take her back to the van and have some quality time together. Looking down at her own costume, Capri grimaced at the red Roma Chakra on her bosom, the sixteen-spoked wheel that was the symbol of her own people. “I, uh, I look OK? Not like a dork in their PJs?”

Naomi lowered her leg slowly, then came over and draped her arms around Capri’s shoulders, smiling at her happily. “We’re capes now, remember? We have to look the part. And both our people need heroes, don’t you think? Be proud!”

“Yeah, I guess…”

Naomi kissed Capri on the nose, which made her snort and laugh. “Ok, fine! You win. I’ll stop being so grumpy. I bet Venti didn’t have to wear the stupid suit.”

“Have to? No. Want to? Absolutely! And I look rather dashing, I must say!”

They both looked up to see Venti on the rooftop above them, posing dramatically. His braids whipped behind him in the wind, and his green cape billowed out behind him. His spandex was green on white, with the Anemo symbol on his- wait.

“Venti, are you a girl?” Capri blurted.

Grinning, Venti hopped down on a gust of wind, landing easily. “I figured this should be a girls’ night out sort of thing! Plus, you know, secret identities are all the rage!” Oddly enough, Venti’s voice wasn’t any different that Capri could tell, though her bust and hips clearly indicated she was female. “Mine is just a tad more thorough than most!”

Naomi paced around Venti, frowning slightly. “You’re maybe a hair shorter, and there’s a few obvious physical differences…I don’t know how good of a disguise this is, Venti.”

Nodding seriously, Venti produced a pair of Groucho Marx glasses and put them on. “What about now?”

Capri and Naomi shared a pained look, and Capri sighed. “Just stick with the domino mask. We should be taking this seriously, you know.”

“You’re no fun, you know that?” Venti, heaving an even more dramatic sigh, then taking off the glasses and putting on her green domino mask. She grinned and saluted. “Ready for deeds of derring do, my faithful companions?”

“I’m ready to kick some nazi ass,” Capri growled, smacking a fist into her palm. There was a loud crackle of electrical discharge as she did so, and purple sparks flew. Her eyes even glowed, resulting in a rather impressive display.

“Capri!” Naomi gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “Your eyes!”

“What about them?” Capri asked, frowning.

“They’re purple,” Naomi said. “I would show you in my mirror, but it’s with my things.”

“I have one.” Capri rummaged in her bag for a moment and pulled out a compact mirror. To her shock, her eyes really were turning purple. They weren’t totally violet yet, but purple flecks floated in her irises. She looked at Naomi, and frowned. “Your eyes do look more green than usual…hard to tell in this light. Sun’s almost set.”

Snatching up the mirror, Naomi examined her own eyes, then lowered the mirror and looked at Venti. “Wait, will they…”

“Your eyes are changing color,” Venti confirmed. “Your hair might too. Darker hair tends not to change as much, though some people don’t have their hair change color at all. Not everyone has the physiological changes, but it’s pretty common.”

“Weird,” Capri said with a shake of her head.

In contrast, Naomi grinned. “It’s so magical!”

Once the sun was actually down, Venti led them toward the Gesellshaft Facility. It was in an older industrial district, with warehouses and various factories around it, as well as two fences, the second of which had razor wire along the top, guard posts, and security guards that were heavily armed, some of whom even had dogs with them. There were plenty of signs proclaiming that it was a hazardous and secure facility, and trespassers would be dealt with.

Capri swallowed, glancing over at Naomi, who looked equally nervous, though she did give Capri a smile and reach out her hand. Capri took it and gave Naomi a squeeze, then turned back to the facility.

“So, how do we crack this nut without getting ourselves shot to bloody bits? I take it these superpowers don’t make us bullet proof.”

“A good shield could probably stop most bullets, though I’m not of the philosophy that the best way to learn how to make a shield is to shoot at someone. No, instead, we’re going to cause a small distraction!” Venti said happily. She pointed to the gates. “Have I mentioned that you can use a Vision to make constructs? Because you totally can.”

Naomi and Capri shook their heads silently, and Venti winked. “Watch closely, ladies! This is how you make a distraction!” Putting her fingers together and sticking them in her mouth, Venit let out a shrill whistle. “Come on out, Andrius!”

A sudden icy gale wind began to blow, and a moment later, a giant spectral wolf appeared, glowing with a green light. It was just rounding a corner, and paused in front of the main gates. The guards stopped, all of them turning to gape at the giant wolf. The creature sat back on its haunches and let out a bone-chilling howl that sent a gale forward that rattled the gate and blew one guard off their feet.

Two other guards opened fire, while another began frantically shouting into his radio. Other guards began to run forward, though the ones with the dogs were having trouble as the animals had instantly turned and bolted for the other direction when they had smelled the giant wolf. Apparently, Venti’s constructs included scent.

“That uh, that’s a pretty good distraction,” Capri admitted as the wolf charged the gates. “Let’s get going…”

“Yep! Here we go!” Venti jumped off the warehouse roof they were on, only for a great gust of wind to send her flying. Her cape opened up, turning into a sort of squirrel suit, and she began to glide down onto the roof of the main building of the Gesellschaft complex.

“Oh hell,” Capri groaned. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and ran out into the empty air. “AAHHHHHH!”

“WEEEEEEE!” Naomi laughed, and both of them were swept up in the gust.

Capri managed to get her cape out and use it to glide herself, with Naomi beside her, and they both landed gently a few moments later next to Venti on the roof. The battle was still on going, with one screaming guard sent flying by the snarling wolf, which appeared largely unphased by the small arms fire.

As Capri watched though, two figures ran out of the building. One let out a bestial roar and grew larger, taking on the features of a bison and charging ahead at the wolf. The other pulled out a pair of knives, throwing both at the wolf. The knives flew through the air, slashing at Andrius, but then circled back around, following motions the cape made with their hands.

“Um, is Andrius going to be alright?” Naomi asked Venti, who shrugged.

“That’s not really Andrius, just some wind I imbued with a little power. It should last for an hour or two, maybe less if they disrupt it badly enough. I did give it my old friend’s form though in a fit of nostalgia. Now, let’s see what’s behind door number one…”

They found an access door easily enough, though it was securely locked. Venti frowned at it for a moment, then turned and winked. “So! Vision Holder basics, part two! Most people can turn into elemental energy for a brief moment of time. Some can control this form better than others, but whether it’s a gust of wind or a surging wave, you can tap into your power and assume an elemental form.”

“Surging wave? There are water visions?” Naomi asked curiously.

“Ehe! You’ll learn about those later I suspect! For now, watch closely!” Venti suddenly vanished, replaced by a small green dust devil. The wind funneled itself through the small seams in the door frame and vanished. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal Venti on the other side. She swept a bow, and Naomi applauded politely.

“Interesting. So I could turn into electricity?” Capri asked, frowning. “How do I do that?”

“It takes a fair degree of attunement to pull off and some practice, you’ve only had yours for a few days so you won’t manage it yet. Come on! Let’s see what secrets we can find.”

They ventured down the stairs, only for Venti to hold up a hand. “There’s people waiting for us below. They seem to be waiting for us to go through that door with guns, and one seems to be a…what’s the word?”

“Cape? Parahuman?” Capri suggested.

“One of those,” Venti agreed. Her brow furrowed, and Venti tilted her head to one side. “I can’t really tell much about their powers. They don’t work like Visions or a gods Aspect at all. They’re at the back though. Hmmm.”

Capri held her breath, glancing at Naomi. She lowered her voice and whispered,” How did they know we’re here?!”

“A security system on the roof? The door? I don’t know,” Naomi admitted.

They were interrupted by a loud finger snap that made both of them jump. “A-ha! I have it! Here’s what we’re going to do…”

“They’re on the stairs, we’ll get them as soon as they exit,” Stolpergefahr said quietly into his radio. “Looks like three capes. Probably that Venti we were warned about, and two others. One’s a jew.”

“Copy that. Take them out, alive if you can. We need to study these Visions more.”

“Copy that, Herr Doktor,” Stolpergefahr agreed and tucked the radio away. He nodded to the stormtroopers with him. “Back up a little. I’ll knock them off their feet. Take them alive if you can.”

They all nodded their heads, taking out tasers and batons and lifting riot shields. None of them would be heartbroken if these fools were killed. Did they really think a distraction at the gates would fool the Gesellschaft? They’d been picked up on the cameras as soon as they’d landed on the roof. Now they just had to wait.

Crouching down, Stolpergefahr put his bare hands on the floor. His power let him turn off friction on any non-organic surface, which was fairly useful as long as he wasn’t in a wooden building. He could control the area and size fairly well, and his range extended as far as the unbroken surface. The smooth metal flooring here was perfect for his powers, and he grinned in expectation. These fools wouldn’t know what hit them. As if they could outsmart the master race.

The door shuddered and suddenly blew open, a gust of green tinged wind blowing in. It battered everyone slightly, but they had on goggles and weren’t overly affected. What sort of weak trick was this?

Then there was a spark, and purple lightning arced along the wind, then the floor. Stolpergefahr screamed in pain, then wet himself, before passing out and slumping to the floor, drooling like an idiot.

Whistling a jaunty tune, Venti strode into the hallway ahead of Capri and Naomi. For her part, Capri shook out her tingling hands. She hadn’t used that much electricity before, and her hands felt slightly numb, though it wasn’t painful. She glanced around at the smoking guards, and grimaced. Had she just killed people? Even if they were Nazis, it soured her stomach.

“Don’t worry, they’re alive, just taking a nap!” Venti laughed. “I stopped you before you fried them. Come on! Let’s see what else is going on! Here!”

Capri nodded and followed Venti through the metal corridors until they came to a locked security door. This one looked to be airtight, and Venti wouldn’t be able to circumnavigate it by turning into a breeze. Venti frowned at it, then up at the air ducts. “I could go around, but…hmm. Hey Capri, do you still have your skeleton key?”

“Skeleton key?” she asked, frowning. “I don’t have lockpicks, and I never learned.”

“No, the big one,” Venti explained, stretching her arms wide. Then mined smashing the door.

“Oh. Oh!” Capri grinned, and stretched out her hand. With a snap and pop of thunder, Skyward Pride dropped into her hand. “Stand back!” Taking a deep breath, she filled her body with power, and the sword crackled with energy. She roared and charged, slamming her sword into the door. It bent, then crumpled in, not having been rated to withstand a Brute’s attack. Capri panted, but smiled.

“I guess I do have a skeleton key!”

They proceeded further, but before long Venti held up her fist again. “More coming.”

A moment later, there was a loud clanging, and Capri gasped as something large and furry launched itself at her. She barely had time to bring her sword up, before she was slammed back and sent flying down the corridor. A gust of wind caught her, and the pain from the impact melted away. She saw the bison headed parahuman from before, but this time, they seemed to be much larger.

They were easily two meters tall, probably more, with two horns and a furry cow-like head that had a mop of dark hair and a hump on the back. Their front arms had grown much longer, and though they still had hands, their fingers ended in dark hoof-like nails, and their skin had gone dark brown. They let out a bellow, pawing the ground with their long arms and lowering their head as they turned towards Naomi, who had drawn the Skyward Sword, wind raging around the blade.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!” Capri roared, and with a snap of thunder blasted forward, swinging her sword for all she was worth. The brutish Changer turned towards Capri with a snort, catching her sword on their horns and sliding back only a few centimeters before they came to a halt. Their dark brown eyes glared at Capri, and they snorted again in anger.

Grunting, Capri tried to draw on her vision to bear down with her sword, but with a toss of their head, the bison-man tossed her back. She managed to land on her feet, and tried to counter with another overhead swing. However, the ceiling was too low for that, and staggered as her giant blade caught on the panels. It sliced through them, but her cut was ruined.

Then two knives whirled through the air at Capri’s head, and Naomi was there, deflecting them with her sword and sending them off with a gust of wind.

“Shit, what happened to the wolf!?” Capri gasped.

“Looks like it wasn’t enough of a distraction,” Venti sighed. “That, or they’re stronger than I thought.”

“Die, filth!” a voice shouted, and Capri saw a woman catch the knives out of the air, then toss them back right at Naomi. At the same time, the bison-man let out a bugle and lowered their head, charging right for Capri.

“Sorry, we’re in a hurry,” Venti said, and raised a hand. A blast of wind so powerful that it staggered both Capri and Naomi just from the backdraft howled out of Venti’s palm. The changer was sent crashing into a wall so hard their horns were impaled and stuck there, while the striker with the knives flew at least 20 meters back down the corridor they’d come from and struck a door, hard. They slid down like a doll with the strings cut and didn’t move. The bison-man fell down as well, changing back to reveal an average-looking man with nut-brown hair.

“Why didn’t you just open with that?” Capri asked, righting herself and checking Naomi to make sure she was fine. Naomi was a little dazed, but gave Capri a thumbs up and a smile.

“Well, it’s a lot of work, and really I try to avoid showing off. Besides, I nearly killed both of them. Had to heal them a bit to keep them alive,” Venti explained.

“Why bother with that? They’re Nazi scum,” Capri said, sneering.

Venti regarded her seriously. “Because everyone deserves freedom. And those held in bonds of hatred more than most. If I can save even one of them, show them the light…then I’ll try. They can never make amends if they never repent.”

“You…you truly are a servant of the Lord,” Naomi whispered, and even Capri felt a pang.

Then Venti ruined it with that stupid laugh. “Ehe! Well, I don’t know about that. I’m just a wandering bard! Now come, I want to get to the bottom of this.”

They didn’t meet any more guards or capes, though they did come to another security door, this one with a convenient vent nearby for Venti to slip through. However, once on the other side, apparently, Venti couldn’t figure out how to open it, as she mentioned Capri and Naomi back. They moved to the side, and another blast of wind was directed at the door. The door was dented slightly but survived. The wall, however, was punched right through, allowing Capri and Naomi to slip through a crack.

After that, they found an elevator door, though it was sealed and locked. There was a nearby staircase that was similarly shut, but Capri’s skeleton key fixed that easily enough.

“Hold on,” Venti said, frowning. “There’s a whole group of people down there. Hmm, more guards, and several capes. Hmm, one of them is All Father, or at least they’re calling him that. Even an Electro Vision holder. I’d be embarrassed if there was an Anemo one…”

“Wait, bad people can get visions?” Naomi asked, sounding worried.

Venti winced but nodded. “They represent mortal ambition. And, well, sadly, that also includes the ambitions of the evil. I’ve known Anemo Vision holders who did value freedom…but were willing to do things to attain it that were unspeakable. I try to see to it they don’t stay long in Mondstadt, but I can’t monitor the whole world. I can’t say what this man’s ambition is, only that he somehow matches with the Raiden Shogun’s ideal of Eternity.”

“So…what do we do about it?” Capri asked.

Venti winked. “Well, it’s time I showed you an old Anemo trick. Pay close attention! Next time, I expect you to do it, Naomi!”

Standing in front of the door, Richard seethed. He’d just been visiting this evening, and everything had gone to hell. Auerochse and Bumerang-Klinge had failed, as had Stolpergefahr. The wind-based attacks meant it had been Venti, and the uniform of one of the women proved this really was a Jewish conspiracy. He clenched his fists, and aimed one of his summoned blades. Bumerang was a child compared to what he could do.

Beside him were three more parahumans. None as powerful as him, but all sworn to the ideals of the Gesellschaft. They were proud, pure blooded aryan stock, and would trample over this sub-human trash with ease. They also had a score of well armed guards, and there would be no aiming to disable or wound this time. This facility had to be protected, at all costs.

To Richard’s surprise, he found his heart was pounding. Why? He’d faced off with the PRT and other gangs in America, and come out on top each time. Even Armsmaster was no match for him. He was strong, stronger than…his head was pounding now, and he was gasping for breath.

He looked around, feeling dizzy. What was…what was going on? What low-handed, vile attack was…was…

All around him, the pride of the Gesellschaft began to stagger, then fall over. Richard was desperately trying to suck air into his lungs, but there was just not enough! He hit the floor and blacked out.

Stepping over the bodies, Capri paused to spit on one. She would have been tempted to kick them, but she didn’t want to wake them. She could see their chests rising and falling now, though Venti said it would be some time before they recovered.

“We don’t have long, come on,” Venti urged, and taking a security card off All Father himself, they swiped the door, then entered the underground lab.

The room itself was clean, and sterile, with various medical equipment and operating tables, all gleaming metal or soft plastic. It looked modern, and expensive. There were no blood stains or the scent of death on the air, just antiseptic and bleach.

But the neatly laid out surgical equipment, and the close by morgue told Capri what sort of place this was.

“How long, O Lord, must we call for help?” Naomi breathed, her hand clutching her chest as tears filled her eyes, and she looked at a shroud that covered a corpse, a tag sticking out on an exposed toe.

“No longer,” Venti growled, and went over. She pulled back the shroud, revealing a woman with blonde hair and pallid, cold skin, her eyes closed. The side of her head was shaved, and there was an incision there. With a grimace, Venti covered her again, then picked up a nearby clipboard.

Capri went over to a large glass cabinet that was refrigerated, and filled with vials. Each was neatly labeled, though with letters and numbers that didn’t make any sense. Most vials started with an “E”, though a few had a “U” instead.

“Was…was she a prisoner? Did they kidnap her,” Naomi asked quietly, going over to the shroud covered body. She reached out a trembling hand, but hesitated.

“No,” Venti said, tossing the clipboard down. “She was ‘pure aryan stock.’ A volunteer. All of these are volunteers. I had feared they were experimenting on the homeless or orphans, but no. They’re doing this to their own.”

Venti came over to the cabinet, but slowed as she approached. When she stood in front of it, her eyes were wide. “No…no…it can’t be…”

“What is it?” Capri asked uncertainly.

Venti backed away slowly, then whirled. “Get out. Now. This place is dangerous. Incredibly so. What are these mortal fools DOING!? Not even Khaenri'ah at the height of her hubris was this foolish or mad!”

“What’s in the vials?” Capri asked, but she was already turning and hurrying out.

“A dead god. Those idiots are putting bits of a dead god inside of people. They have a high success rate. That woman was their first failure in months,” Venti said, then turned, making a swirling motion. The unconscious bodies floated up into the air, then zipped up the stairs. “Hurry. I’m going to bring this whole place down. This is incredibly dangerous.”

“Is there any information we should get? Like on the computers?” Naomi asked uncertainly.

“I’ve already read all the documents,” Venti said as the wind whipped through the facility. “Now come on. I’m going to bury this abomination so deeply not even Morax could dig it out.”

They raced back up through the facility, then took off into the air, Venti lifting them up on the winds. Capri spied a long row of bodies beyond the gates and guessed it was all the guards and staff. Then she looked to Venti, and gasped. Her form had shifted again, once more that of an angel, though now with androgynous features.

“Forgive them,” Venti said, raising their hand as the wind began to rage and twist. “For they knew not what they did.”

Bringing their hand down, a massive tornado swirled down out of the clouds, drilling into the earth. The entire Gesellschaft facility was pounded flat, then down into the ground, so that a great hole opened up. Then Venti ripped up the surrounding warehouses and piled them on top of the hole, filling it in. But that wasn’t all. What was left was pounded flat and sent down again, and the earth shook and bucked below them. Then Venti ripped up the earth all around, sending boulders the size of houses flying through the air, and paved an area over a kilometer square absolutely flat.

All the while, Naomi and Capri clung to one another, surrounded by a shield of winds as they floated in the sky amidst dark clouds, as they watched in terror and awe.

Mentally, Capri moved herself from agnostic to Believer. Venti was glowing with power and authority, singing a wordless song that sounded like a funeral dirge as gales that could have shredded steel raged around them, not once coming close to them. It was a sight and sound to make stones weep, and all Capri could do was bury her head in Naomi’s shoulder and tremble.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,” Naomi whispered, hugging Capri tight. She said other prayers and psalms, some in German, some in Hebrew, others in Yiddish.

“A god. A real god,” Capri whimpered, over and over again.

When it was all over, there was no sign of the facility. Only rows of bodies lying on the ground. Capri wondered if they were dead, then decided she didn’t care. They were Nazis, and if Venti had measured them and found them wanting, well…Capri was increasingly certain that if anyone was worthy of judging mortals, it was Venti.

At last, Venti lowered them back down at the edge of the devastation, right where they’d parked the van. He was back in his normal form, and looked saddened.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Venti said quietly, hanging his head. “I don’t like to do that. I hope…I hope you don’t think any less of me. I know it frightens mortals to see that, but…well. I’ll be going then. I had fun, the three of us. Farewell.”

Turning, Venti began to walk off, leaving Capri and Naomi clinging to one another. They watched him go, then finally were able to breathe again.

“What…what should we do?” Capri asked, feeling utterly lost.

Naomi thought for a moment, then ran for the van. “Come on! It’s not too late! Hurry!”

They piled in, and this time Naomi drove, something she rarely did. She hit the gas and the van lurched into motion. They didn’t go far though, as a green shape was caught in their headlights in seconds. Naomi hit the breaks, squealing to a stop by Venti, who looked up, startled.

“Get in,” Capri said, jerking her thumb to the back.

Venti blinked. “What? Are you-”

“We’re on a mission from God,” Naomi said seriously.

“Well, I don’t want you to think-” Venti began, but Capri cut him off.

“We have to keep the band together,” Naomi agreed, nodding. “The Tone Deaf Bards have only had one performance! We can’t stop now!”

“Yeah. Besides, did you think we’d stop being your friends just because you can be a little scary sometimes?” Capri demanded. She snorted. “I’ve seen worse. Now get in, I’m tired and hungry.”

A slow grin spread over Venti’s face, and he slid open the door, sliding back inside. Naomi started up the van again, and they were quiet for a few moments.

“Thank you,” Venti said, reaching up to squeeze both their shoulders. “This means a lot to me.”

“Hey, thank you. I was just a lost and angry guitar player. Now? Now I’ve got a purpose,” Capri said, turning to grin at Venti.

Naomi nodded. “We did need someone who could play keyboard!”

“We’ll, I’ll try not to disappoint,” Venti drawled, leaning back in the seat.

“Good. Now who’s up for WcDonalds?” Naomi asked brightly.

They headed for the golden arches, laughing and joking about their exploits.

And far away, on the other side of the world, a woman stood atop Mount Fuji.

“Barbatos,” she whispered. “What stirs you?”

Then, in a flash of thunder, she was gone.