A Crusaders End

Ishmael paced the streets of Atlanta. The golden city, the apex of current civilation. It was similar in many ways to his city, the city Samuel called home. He saw a little girl crying out of the second story window of the crowded townhouse. "Why are you crying?" He asked with compassion.

"My father died in the Crusade. We just found out today." Sorrow coated every word. Ishmael's heart ached for her. To live in a world where such pain was allowed, where such suffering must be endured by the innocent saddened him. The lose of a parent was something he knew too deeply, and for a moment he regretted what he had done. But it was not his fault. He could not fix the system it had to be restarted. He began to sing as he left the girl to her tears.

Listen close to everybody's heart
And hear that breaking sou - nd.
Hopes and dreams are shattering apart
And crashing to the ground.

I cannot believe my eyes
How the world's filled with filth and lies!
But it's plain to se - e evil inside of me
Is on the ri - - se.

He stood in the great square in front of the palace. He saw the Cyrodil airships siegeing the Isle. A nation that was suppose to be dedicated to stopping him, to enslaving the Dark One and here they stood fighting among eachother. They could not even unify to stop their destruction they did not deserve to live.

He opened the Codex and in the shadow of the Isle contacted Johnathan and Kahn in the underworld. He provided them the antilife equation and told Khan to spread it through the shades. Johnathan "The Rock" Greyfoot would think he was fulfilling his destiny as the savior by filling the cracks and bonding with the Red Prison doors. It would ensure the Dark One had the army needed to defeat Zeus once he was free.

Time now grew short he needed Galan.

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The Crusader camp was a tired one. Less than a day from what they all believed was the Heart Of Darkness, the sphere of annihilation that housed Ishmael's soul and hence the key to defeating him. Raquel readied the men for their last march. He looked over his closest commanders, Gerzon - Eliania - Shisimaru - Eric Alexander.

Look around, we're living lost and found.

We will succeed because as before

just when you feel we've almost drowned

we find ourself on solid ground.

And you believe.

He was of course speaking of the miracle that allowed them to march back to Shisimaru's base when there is no way they could have done so.

He continued speaking to the forming lines of men.

"There are some that say man is evil, that man is lost that we can do nothing truly noble or good. But I look around at some people, boys, who joined this crusade for many reasons but now stand here after the refiners fire only because they want to see the light win the day.

I tells me there's good in everybody's heart.

That is the treasure we must keep safe and sound.

With hope, we can do our part

to turn the war around.

And its plain to see the holiness is on the rise."

They marched. Coming over the last ridge they could see the sphere in the distance. A rotating ball about 4 foot in diameter of pure nothing. It was almost black but it was more than that it was -- nothing. All around the very physical world seems thrown into chaos and the laws of physics bent and broken. Dirt fell up wind blew two directions at once. Pockets of hot and cold spots where time speed up and slowed down all with no predictability.

Raquel fought the fights that needed fighting and checking that the rod of cancellation, the one thing found that can destroy a sphere an annihilation, gave the order to charge. The men obeyed strengthened by righteous zeal the collided into the defending forces of Zui Sui. Demons and men both began to die by the sword. Raquel knew that he had to destroy the sphere because the influence of chaos would even prevent the souls of the faithful from properly passing to find peace.

He charge in holy swords swinging and crippling enemies with every blow. He saw Connan on the ground a spearman standing over him waiting to strike. Raquel loosed a throwing ax from his vest and threw it pinpoint taking the spearman off his feat dead before he hit the ground. The battle was gaining momentum and no signs of Ishmael. He prayed whatever had his attention keep it for just a little while longer.

That prayer was in vain as only moments later the chaos erupted as if being wielded by an outside force. His men began exploding and gasping the air removed from their lungs. Then Raquel saw him, Ishmael has manifest on the battle field.

The Vanquisher of shadow charge fearless into the fray and dazzling swords engaged the chief forsaken. Steal met steal in a flury of blows that took the entirety of Raquel's lifetimes of study and practice to keep up with. Then he got the upper hand. Faith prevailed and he struck Ishmael in the leg taking him down. Ignoring the body as he knew it was the sphere that must be destroyed to stop Ishmael, raquel sprinted past the falling body until he was in throwing range and with well measured accuracy threw the rod as if it were an ax.

The target was perfect its trajectory flawless. Yet it seemed to bend at the last minute around the sphere and land on the ground harmlessly. Stunned, Raquel gathered his blade to keep charging the chaos must have diverted the attack he would get closer.

Pain.

It was sharp and sudden. He then noticed his legs would not obey him. Looking down he saw the tip of sword coming through his chest. It was perfectly placed through the back severing the spinal cord and piercing the heart. As his body refused to obey him he fell to the ground. Ishmael stood over him. "This is how it ends. I really wished of everyone I could have saved you. You were on my list for a long time, until I realized that you were too good for even what I needed. If they would have all been like you, none of this would be necessary. You are too good for this world, I wish death would release you but the taint of my father is in everything. The only promise I can give of relief is that there will soon be a new world. A better world where people like you can not be defeated by people like me."

Raquel forced himself to stay awake. He knew he had stopped breathing and the blood was no longer getting to his head. He could do nothing but hope and pray and that is what he did.

"YOu are still trying to win. Remarkable, I think that's the saddest thing I've ever heard. I would assume destroy a stain glass window then kill a hero like yourself, but since I can't have your faith breaking through my wards either."

Then Raquel felt the blade cut through his neck and remove his head. As life faded and left him he heard Ishmael say one last thing, "Do not worry Galan will save us all."

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The attack had been completely routed. The crusader army finished. Ishmael both laughed and cried that they had come so close. That if the nations of the world would have committed as the Keeper had asked them to, if they would not have held back to protect their own interests, if they would not have sought the opportunities to betray each other and fought him they would have won. And he would have been glad to be defeated because it would have meant the world was worth saving. Now more than ever he was convinced it needed to die.

"Lord scouts show General Galan is rapidly approaching. He has been unmolested as you commanded."

"I'm not ready for him just yet. Slow him but only slightly."

Ishmael had never been so close to victory.