Ascension: Right, Wrong & the Way the World Works...

  "I killed them all!"

  Karma did what!?

  "... excuse me?" Noah asks with an inflection to his words and a weary look in his golden eyes; he doesn't want to believe what he just heard. He adjusts his posture and keeps his gaze fixed on her half-hidden one; that right eye of hers, is it still corrupted? He doesn't bother asking about it for now. "You said you killed them?" he asks again, and Karma casually nods. The way she acts gives the impression that human life is inconsequential to her.

  "Yeah, I killed all of them," she says without batting an eye and in a whisper so the other soldiers don't notice Noah's talking to seemingly thin air; she's cloaked. She flexes a finger digit to shush him after reading his face, already explaining herself. "Before you lecture me about murder, know that all I did was kill a bunch of murderers, rapists, and thieves. The Midnight Walkers weren't a good group of people; we were vicious, cutthroat savages," she reminds, and Noah scoffs.

  "I could have saved them the same way I saved you," he says, and Karma snorts.

  "No, you couldn't have. Trust me," she replies, hinting at something far more morbid about that gang.

  "So, how'd you kill them all, then?" Noah asks with an annoyed inquiry. Karma winks.

  "Easy, I took them by surprise; they never expected a betrayal like that," she shrugs and steps closer to lightly poke Noah's chest and give him a sly, almost flirtatious grin. "And, it's all thanks to you, pretty boy. You saved a Sinner, and she used her new life to help you purge the wickedness in the world. Aren't you proud of her?" she winks and backs up, and Noah holds his head in disbelief. He sighs aloud.

  "... Karma..." Noah starts to say, and the slightly smaller woman perks up like an attentive cat. Noah's gaze meets hers again when he speaks. "I understand and respect the intent, I really do..." a pause because he can't believe he's somewhat absolving murder, even for evil people. "But, you shouldn't play God and take lives like that; it's not right..." he says, and Karma's expression casually twists into a dismissive scoff. Her vibe shifts to disappointment in the man.

  "You played God to save my life; don't be a hypocrite."

  Noah glares...

  "I didn't play God; He asked me to spare yo-" Noah's cut off.

  "And, by sparing me, you erased the rest of the Midnight Walkers from this world. You and I did everyone a favor, don't chastise me," she snorts and waves him off, and Noah falls silent. This domino effect of events wasn't something he anticipated; he doesn't know how to deal with it. The young man eventually sighs in defeat and lets it go; he's tired.

  "Whatever..." he sighs, answering her initial question now. "If you want to come to the fort, though, there will be no vigilante justice," he warns with an intense expression that seems to excite Karma; she likes what's happening right now. Noah either doesn't notice or ignores it as he keeps talking. "You will follow the law and be on your best behavior, because in all honesty..." he pauses and sighs, thinking about everything that's happened since coming out here before meeting her gaze again with sincerity.

  "I'll need all the help I can get for what's to come..."

  He'll absolve Karma of her murders this time; God forgive his mercy.

  "Ohh, good girl behavior?" she smirks back at him like a taunting jester. "Only if you call me a good girl!" is a joke that makes Noah sigh again and cradle his head in fatigue; this woman's a character, or maybe he's just dense. Karma eyes his body language and dials back her taunting and teasing with a snort, then snaps her fingers, appearing without a sound in front of everyone; the other soldiers can now see her. To Noah, though, all she did was snap. He looks up at the darkening sky with a slight scowl; it's almost nighttime.

  "Show yourself to everyone, and you can ride back with us, sure," Noah finally agrees, and Karma's about to say she already did that until the man's follow-up catches her off guard. There's a potent seriousness in his words when he asks...

  "How many people have you killed before the Midnight Walkers?"

  Karma tilts her head like a cat; a curious inquiry to a woman reborn.

  "Do the sins of my old life matter for this one?" she counterquestions, stumping Noah.

  Does the memory of a sin count as still sinning against someone reborn?

  "... No, but it'll help me get a grasp on how much I'll need to keep an eye on you," Noah answers, glancing around when the other soldiers notice Karma standing with him; he waves them off, and they go away before turning his eyes on her again. "You might've needed to kill people to survive out here, and I get that. But, I still need to know the number..." he insists, and Karma crosses her arms as if she's contemplating further questions. The woman's facial features are a beautiful mix of a mysterious and sly vixen of a femme fatale; Noah finds himself staring at her more than he should. The way she idles and carries herself is...

  "Mmm, I'll be honest. I haven't kept count. I've killed a lot of people over my life out here," she taps the edge of her chin with a delicate finger, her half-covered gaze facing skyward in thought. "I'd say about a hundred, though. We had a large gang war some years ago; I pulled my weight," she shrugs and raises a hand, brushing away the hair obscuring her right eye. Her scar mirrors the one she gave Noah; she chuckles at the realization.

  "Oh, look! Twinsies!" she winks that golden-hued eye at him, then lets her hair fall again.

  Noah is silent...

  ... ... ...

  He'll have some faith in her.

  "Well, don't kill anyone else unless they're trying to kill you," Noah says and steps closer, offering his hand for a handshake; a symbol of trust. "I want you to promise me you'll do that," he says, and Karma eyes his offered hand with mild confusion, almost as if the gesture is foreign. Her visible eye flicks toward his as she tilts her head, thinking.

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  "You know..." she starts to say, but abandons the thought and shakes her head before grabbing his hand. She gives a sincere smile and a nod. "Sure, I'll abide by the laws of the Savior, so long as you keep proving you're worth listening to," she winks again with her normal eye, and releases Noah's hand. Noah's suddenly got another question on his mind, but he waits to ask; they need to get out of here before that curse gets into his psyche again. He raises an arm and his voice, calling out.

  "Load up and let's get out of here! The faster, the better!"

  "HOOAH!" the soldiers all roar back, and Karma flashes a grin.

  "How's it feel leading an army of humans like that?" she questions her fellow Demigod while tailing him to some crates; he's helping some soldiers load up. Noah glances her way with a lofted brow. Karma now looks like she's confused at him. "What? It's a simple question?" she adds, and Noah looks away.

  "I don't look at it as leading them; I'm protecting them," he responds, and Karma eye rolls and dismisses his semantics with a waving hand; whatever.

  "You're the type to go down the rabbit hole with nitpicky bullshit?" she asks with a groan, and Noah casually replies while tossing some crates in the back of a trunk.

  "I'm the type to be thorough; that's all," he says and gestures for her to help, which she does after some thought; she needs a few seconds to admire him as he works. It's the type of admiration she can't put a finger on. The woman eventually hums and moves to help him.

  "I see..." she chuckles.

  She can't wait to see how everything unfolds...

  Night comes in Fort Apocrypha...

  Two Replicants stand outside the grand Church nestled high on a hill overlooking everything, like God's watchful eyes...

  "You live here?" Karma asks with an impressed whistle while casually following Noah like a kitten; she walks with a carefree and nonchalant swagger everywhere she goes. Her visible blue eye gazes at the exquisite, dark-colored architecture and all of the well-polished, shiny windows. It's a far better sight than the grand Church back in the Apocryphal city. She's never seen one so clean and neat. "I took you more for a country boy, honestly," she teases, and Noah ignores it.

  "You're about to meet my mentor and father figure; please don't do or say anything to embarrass us," the young man sighs, scratching his head. "I've already got enough bullshit I need to deal with. Okay?" his golden eyes meet the one visible to him, and Karma gives a cute thumbs up; her gesture of compliance.

  "Okie dokie," she casually cooes back with a nod. "Good girl behavior; I got ya!" she chuckles again, earning an eye roll from Noah before he pushes the doors open and leads her inside. There's a small, lightly furnished corridor before the main church hall, and once they step inside, Karma's gaze instantly falls upon the massive cross and scythe statue at the far end. She looks like she's seen something like that before. A tall, sturdy man dressed in a neat black cassock stands ready to greet them. Well, one of them.

  "Welcome back, Noah," Father Judas' gruff and deep voice echoes through the halls in a soothing pitch; a voice of peace and comfort. His steel-toned eyes gaze upon the arriving Savior with restrained relief, like seeing a son returning from war. Those same eyes dart toward the beautiful, somewhat sultry-looking female accompanying him next. The priest looks a little perplexed now and clears his throat.

  "Ah, welcome, young miss," the man greets with the same comfort and peace as with Noah, gesturing a hand at himself. "I am Father Judas, and you are new here..." he immediately deduces, and Karma gives a casual nod with a bounce on her heels.

  "Yessir! I'm new to this fort in general," she says with a sincere smile while resting a hand on her hip, exaggerating the curve of her waist as if trying to look cute for someone. The priest catches on to many things that Noah seems oblivious to within a few short moments. He says nothing and lets the woman introduce herself.

  "My name's Karma. Nice to meet ya!" Karma introduces with a lazy gesture, straightening her posture to stretch out like a cat. Noah steps away to give her some space, but his eyes watch her form a little longer than they should. Father Judas looks between them with a straight face; he keeps his composure quite well.

  "Mmm, you as well," the priest nods, glancing Noah's way; Noah's already looking at him again, waiting to speak. "It seems you have a type," Father Judas lets that slip, and Noah's brow furrows. The priest doesn't give anyone time to focus on what he said, as he's already looking at Karma again.

  "Welcome to the Grand Church of Apocrypha, Miss Karma!" The priest gives a reverential bow like he's greeting a princess; his form is perfect and gracious. "May I humbly ask what it is you seek? Salvation? Confession? Prayer?" he inquires, and Karma shakes her head, rather bluntly speaking as she casually points at Noah.

  "Nah. He gave me a lethal Baptism already; I'm already born again, eheheh!" she breaks out into a giggle. Noah side eyes her, and Father Judas pauses, nearly breaking his composure at the words. His eyes glance at Noah, who gives a vague shrug of affirmation, and the priest sighs.

  What the fuck...

  He doesn't say that in God's house.

  "I see..." Father Judas finally says, flicking another side eye at Noah. "A conversation for another time. Anyway..." he locks his hands behind his back and looks them over. "I take it that you two met in the Apocryphal city then? Are you the one who gave him that scar on his face?" he questions, and Karma nods like she's proud of what she did, then brushes away the hair obscuring her right eye to show the scar running down her face, too.

  "Yeah. We're twinsies now. He forgave me, though!" Karma snickers, and Noah eye rolls. He finally speaks up and steps toward Father Judas.

  "I'll explain everything, but she's agreed to be an ally. I need all the help I can get for what's coming," he gives a weary sigh, and Karma crosses her arms. She's oddly apathetic toward the whole biblical apocalypse tensions going around.

  "I don't know how much help I'll be in that regard, but..." Karma lowers her arms and dusts her backside off with a huff. "I told this guy I'm a born-again hero and already saved his soldiers once. So, why not? I'll keep being heroic this time around," she chuckles like it's a whim of a gesture. Father Judas hums in silent thought, then eyes Noah with a mild look. The priest then gives a rather casual nod, too.

  "Mmm, alright. It would be unwise to turn away the willing help of a Replicant in these trying times, especially with the new information that's been gathered by the military," he changes the topic and draws Noah's curiosity and anxiety. The young man flashes a concerned look.

  "There's more trouble already?" he asks, and Father Judas nods while Karma falls silent and listens; things are getting interesting.

  "There is always trouble in this imperfect world, my child..." Judas replies and turns to face the massive statue of tribute, his arms still locked behind his back, when he elaborates. "The Apocryphal city and Eve's looming return aren't the only problems plaguing this realm; they are simply the most potent," he turns his head to look over his shoulder at Noah. There's a seriousness in his steel-toned eyes.

  "While you were away, our neighboring settlement, Twilight, had an Abyssal Rift tear open in the center of town, and people started turning into demons. Military intel has deduced that over half of its inhabitants have already turned and are running rampant through the city. There's little chance anyone's survived..." he informs, and Noah's heart sinks.

  "Why didn't anyone tell me this!?" Noah asks, and Karma suddenly chimes in with a question of her own.

  "What would you have been able to do? You can't be two places at once," she sighs, drawing a scowl from Noah, but she ignores it. "You had your hands full with the mission you had in Apocryphal; don't try to take on more than you can handle. Otherwise, you're going to set yourself up for failure," she waves it off, and Father Judas adds to it before Noah can speak.

  "The woman is right," he says, turning to Noah now. "A Descension is a global event, and you are merely one man. You cannot stop everything a Descension brings upon humanity, but you can stop the most important parts. One of those parts is Eve," he reminds, and Noah's anxiety fades; his mentor makes a good point. The priest returns his gaze to the large statue.

  "Your next mission will begin as soon as preparations are complete, which will be in a few days. You will head to Twilight City and seal the Abyssal Rift using Ra's divine power and spare it from further corruption. The city is full of secrets from the past as well; I am positive that you will grow and progress on this assignment in ways that'll bolster your power against the Abyss," he says, and Karma raises her hand.

  "Oh, am I going with him?" she asks with genuine curiosity, and Judas answers.

  "If you want. You are his company, after all," the priest says, giving a small gesture with his hand. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would accompany and watch his back, though. Two Replicants on a job are better than one," he chuckles, and Karma mirrors his chuckling with a brief snicker. She can't argue with that logic.

  "Mmm, alright. I'll watch little greenhorn's back," she gives Noah a teasing wink, and Noah shakes his head; he's tired. The man turns to head toward the back rooms, where his personal room is, and gestures for Karma to follow.

  "Karma doesn't have anywhere to stay. So, I'm giving her one of the guest rooms," Noah says, and Father Judas nods without arguing.

  "Of course. She is free to stay here so long as she abides by the rules and does her part with upkeep," the man reminds, glancing at Karma when she saunters past him to follow Noah. The young woman gives a thumbs-up as she passes; she's a little tired herself. The priest watches them disappear behind the main stage and the towering statue in silence, then quietly strolls toward one of the benches and takes a seat. He pulls a cross from his pocket and wraps the chain through his fingers before clutching it to his chest and praying.

  "Father above..."

  "Do not let Noah make the same mistake Adam did with Evelyn..."

  Next Chapter: Downtime...