Work Text
January 10th, 1997
Brooklyn wasn’t sure how long he had been flying blindly through the city. He lost track of all the buildings he weaved around and how many times he scrambled up buildings to gain height so he could keep gliding, claws digging into the stone and metal of the skyscrapers. The only thing he was conscious of was the throbbing in his ribs and the cut below his right eye.Where was he supposed to go? How did he even get here? One of his best friends blamed him for what Coldsteel made him do. Teamed up with his mate against him. And then his leader, his father, cast him out. Struck him like another enemy to defeat. Where was he supposed to go? Who would even want him?By the time Brooklyn snapped out of the roiling storm within him, he had fallen hands and knees into an unfamiliar dark alley. There was musty, dank water dripping from exposed pipes on the walls. There were no lights within the alley; only the distant streetlights in the opening were the only illumination. No one else was there, and the loneliness only enhanced the gloom. A fitting place for Brooklyn right now.The red gargoyle didn't climb to his feet, too exhausted from his frantic flight. He simply curled into a ball along the wall, hugging his knees while he sat. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving only an empty numbness. It just didn’t feel real. After everything he went through with the clan, everything he suffered, they couldn’t just throw him away like this. Right?
It was supposed to be a simple patrol. Even with Lexington and Hudson going to London with Macbeth, it should have been a walk in the park. Sure, things hadn’t been the best with Goliath since…. Really, ever since he came back from Avalon, this was his chance to fix that! They could start to grow as close as they once were while Brooklyn trained to become the leader he was supposed to be.
Brooklyn’s heart had sunk when Angela and Broadway basically invited themselves onto the mission. The whole reason Brooklyn had suggested this patrol mission was so he and Goliath could train together. Brooklyn had been overjoyed when the clan’s mighty leader, his practical mate, and their loyal hound finally returned after being missing for months, and with a beautiful gargoyle female the same age as the Trio no less. But that happiness soon soured when Oberon attacked Xanatos. Not because of the harrowing battle against a god who was so far above the clan that they might as well have been ants trying to slay a dinosaur. No. It was Goliath’s reason for helping the man who had done nothing but hurt them all and who, quite frankly, shouldn’t be trusted with a child, let alone one with magical powers.
“I know from experience the transforming power of a child’s love…” he had said. Looking at Angela.
Only at Angela. Not Brooklyn, Broadway, or Lexington. The woman he had only met half a year ago had been the one to show him that… not the three of them who had been with him their whole lives. Fought with him. Bleed for him. Goliath had raised the three of them with all his other mothers and fathers, as was the Gargoyle Way. After the Wyvern Massacre, he was the only father he had.
But at that moment, Brooklyn realized all that meant nothing to Goliath.
Since then, Goliath poured all his attention into Angela rather than doing anything to make up for the time lost with the family he was separated from for months. His “real” child. Most of the time, it was like the Trio wasn’t even there, and it only confirmed what Brooklyn concluded from the fight with Oberon (although calling that struggle a “fight” was a strong word). Where Goliath had called after Angela being chased while Brooklyn was being strangled by a statue. Brooklyn, despite all of his efforts to keep the clan safe and together, all of his efforts to follow Goliath’s wishes, meant nothing to his leader.
The Coldsteel incident had only made things worse. Just as the Trio had found reasonable boundaries with Angela and they had been starting to settle into the new dynamics, Puck, and Coldstone came and set a bomb on everything. The war of the three souls inside of Coldstone had been a thorn in their sides for the past few years, so when "Goliath" had stepped forth with a solution, they were all eager to pitch in however they could. "Goliath," who had actually been Puck, had said if there were volunteers to host Coldstone and his wife, they could place those souls inside living hosts temporarily, remove the evil soul from Coldstone’s mechanical body to dissipate, and then put the souls back. Brooklyn had volunteered along with Broadway and Angela, even though he knew there only needed to be two volunteers for the spell, to look good in front of Angela, and because he genuinely wanted to do what he could to solve the issue.
But instead of the conflicted soul of the warrior who risked his life to save Goliath, he got the enemy. The one who tried to kill them all multiple times over a woman who would never love him. The one who slithered into his body like a snake, filling his body to his limps and fingers like a glove to make him his puppet. The one who trapped him in his body and made him watch as he plotted against his family, struck them, tried to kill them.
He could still remember the whispers in his ears the whole time. The breath of the one who would be called Coldsteel down his neck as he laughed at Brooklyn's attempts to fight him off. How cute he had found Brookyln's struggles and how it made his "conquest" all the sweeter. How happy he would make Brooklyn, how alike they were. How strong they were together. How he would help him get the girl he wanted. He would never be alone again. All he had to do was submit….
But despite the fact that Coldsteel had made him do horrible things, Broadway and Angela seemed to hold everything that had happened against Brooklyn. At first, Brooklyn had brushed it off as the initial shock of the event making things awkward, but when the two of them kept giving him the cold shoulder over the course of months, it became clear they blamed him for what Coldsteel had made him do.
And yet, despite the uncomfortable tension between them all…. The two gargoyles wouldn’t leave Brooklyn alone either! They were always just… right there in his periphery. Not interacting with him but with each other. They were being a lovey, Dovey couple, and it was as if they were rubbing their relationship in his face because both knew Brooklyn had been interested in Angela! The Keyword was "had been"because between this passive-aggressive treatment over something that wasn't his fault and the way she wrapped Goliath around her finger…. Any attraction Brooklyn had had was starting to be replaced with resentment.
Even with that anger and his desperation to please Goliath, Brooklyn knew that the tension between the three of them would make for a very volatile mission, and he tried to persuade Goliath to come with him alone. Unfortunately, it only took some pleading from his seemingly only child for Brooklyn’s leader to overrule him and let the lovebirds in on the patrol. After all, the more the merrier, right?
Wrong.
A speeding car made Brooklyn jump behind a dumpster to avoid being seen. His ribs practically screamed in painful protest as he landed on the spot that was hit earlier. Fuck. It was definitely broken…
They had to pursue the arms dealer without getting caught and pounce at the right moment to catch him. The most basic thing an evolved predator species like a gargoyle could do. They should have had it in the bag. But while Brooklyn was focusing on actually trying to catch the guy, Broadway and Angela were flirting with each other and paying no mind to the fact that they were supposed to be quiet. Despite that, Brooklyn found just the right moment to strike. He almost had it…. But just as he was about to pounce, he looked to see where his so-called allies were, only to find Broadway and Angela kissing.
That sudden sight distracted Brooklyn into tripping over his pounce and tumbling into the alley right into a dumpster. Needless to say, the perp spotted the garbage-covered gargoyle and took off. Before any of the others could catch him, he ran into a building and screamed about how the "monsters" were after him, and all four gargoyles had to bail before the Quarrymen made it there.
Everything happened so fast after that…. Goliath lying into him about his failure and ‘lack of discipline’. Brooklyn had gotten defensive, telling Goliath that if anyone had lacked discipline it had been Broadway and Angela for sucking face in the middle of a mission. That had riled up the two lovebirds, causing them to lash out at him and say he should have been paying attention to the quarry instead of looking on in jealousy. And, of course, Goliath said nothing about that deliberate pettiness on their parts and just jumped in on the “Let’s all get Brooklyn!” bandwagon and said he "had to be better." As if he hadn't spent almost a year leading the clan while Goliath was on vacation in Avalon. Brooklyn snapped back, yelling at Angela and Broadway for blaming him for their own irresponsibility, at Goliath for constantly coddling and favoring Angela when the Trio were supposed to be his children too. They had all gone at it for a while, trading verbal blows and digging up past failings that he thought had long been buried. Things went to a head when Angela brought up the Coldsteel incident, saying that Brooklyn had invited that monster in, that he had LET him use him as a weapon against the clan, and that he wanted to use that situation to get her for himself. Brooklyn saw red at that, snapping that he HATED Angela and wished Goliath had never met her.
A roar from Goliath, followed by a flurry of fists and claws. A futile resistance from the second in command. Brooklyn being pounded so hard into the roof they were fighting on that he fell through the crumbling floor. A frantic dive through a window followed by a desperate flight away from that horrible place.
Brooklyn’s moan of pain turned into a sob of sorrow. Why? What had he done!? What had he done to deserve this!? It wasn’t enough that all his mothers, fathers, and siblings had to die all those centuries ago? No! Demona had to choose him to enact her scheme to brainwash Goliath! Maggie had to call him a monster despite his every attempt to help her and keep her safe! Coldsteel had to possess him and utterly rape his free will to use him as a weapon! His attempts to get Angela to acknowledge him had backfired so spectacularly that she, Goliath, and Broadway can’t even look at him! They'd surely tell Lexington and Hudson when they got back from London tonight and, with Elisa, kick him out of the clan officially! He still couldn't believe those two wanted to spend Christmas with strangers rather than their own family! Because they “felt like part of a clan again”! Yeah, thanks for telling the clan back home how you actually feel!Every time he had busted his butt for the clan, for the humans who would never be grateful for the help of Gargoyles, everyone spat his efforts back in his face. Just… why was he even here? If everyone was just going to hate him no matter what and grind him into the dirt over everything…. Should he just disappear?“Lad, are you hurt?”Brooklyn's sobs stopped immediately, and he jumped up from his seat to look at the source of the new voice. It was hard to make it out against the tears still in his eyes, but the voice had come from a small red figure standing before him. Brooklyn hadn't even noticed them approach….“Who are you?!” Brooklyn growled on instinct, wiping the tears from his eyes. “What are you doing?!”"Asking if you are hurt," the figure said, almost amused. “You were crying quite loudly.” The figure was short, even shorter than Lexington, so they had to be a kid. They were dressed entirely in red robes with golden honeycomb patterns at the bottom and wore a large red and yellow fez-like hat that had a blue cloth covering the figure’s face. The hat band appeared to be made of a thick jade ring with a large eye in front. Brooklyn could swear he saw the eye move….“What, that funny to you?” Brooklyn retorted, feeling like he was being mocked.The masked figure shook their head. “I find no amusement in the suffering of others.”“Why do you even want to know?” Brooklyn asked. “Who are you?”The masked figure cocked its head. Then, without warning, it pulled the cloth covering its face up. Even in the dim light of the alley, Brooklyn could see its face was not human. Instead, it resembled a feline with white fur on the face. Brooklyn could even see pointy ears on the top of their head, folded under their hat."A kindred spirit," the catlike youth answered with a calm smile, opening their round eyes to reveal completely colorless irises. “Please…. Let me help you as your noble kind helps the apemen.”The guard that Brooklyn had kept dropped slightly. “Another one of Xanatos’s mutates”The cat man shook his head. "No. I am no artificial creation. I was born like this, as was the rest of my kind.”"Never seen something like you," Brooklyn sighed, sitting against the wall. "Naturally anyway. The humans give you shit too?”The cat chuckled. "On the contrary, there was a time when the apemen considered my kind gods.”“Apemen?”“Our name for humans.”“Ah. Well, if you guys were gods, you a member of the Third Race?”“No.”Brooklyn raised an eyebrow. “If you aren’t that or a mutate, then what could you be?”The cat turned around and stepped towards a door in the side wall. “Why don’t you follow me into my shop? We can discuss things there.” The cat cocked its head at Brooklyn. “Unless you like sitting in the alleys in this part of town?”Brooklyn cringed, mind filling with images of thugs with bats and knives for a split second. “Actually, your shop sounds lovely….” He frowned. “Uuhhhhhh….”"Ji," the cat said as they opened the door. "Call me Ji. And before you ask, I am a man."Brooklyn tried to stifle a laugh. “You get that question a lot?”"Yes," Ji replied bluntly as Brooklyn stepped through the door.As he entered the shop, the smell of incense and candles filled Brooklyn's nostrils. It was a small, single-floor place with wooden flooring and walls. The lighting was almost as dim as the outside alley, with the only illumination being some candles placed on the glass displays and on golden plates hanging from the ceiling and walls. In those displays were an eclectic collection of things like jewelry, tapered candles, tarot cards, and strange, leatherbound books."This some kind of occult shop?" Brooklyn asked. Ji went behind the counter to get something.“A magic shop," Ji replied, coming to Brooklyn with a cloth… and a first-aid kit? “I provide all sorts of good here, along with fortune telling. It all depends on the needs of the client, really. Bend down for me.” Brooklyn obeyed, and Ji started wiping the wound on his face with the cloth.“H-hey-!” Brooklyn protested."Hush," Ji replied, cleaning the wound on Brooklyn's face. “I won’t have a client bleeding in my shop.”“I-I’m not a client?" Brooklyn countered half-heartedly, unsure what to think of someone treating his wound without prompting.“Any person in need that comes into my shop is a client.” Ji said, rubbing in what Brooklyn assumed to be medicine from the first-aid kit on the wound. “Regardless of species or needs.”“I see….” Brooklyn replied awkwardly. “Thanks?”“Anytime. Now hold still. I need to bind your ribs. It’s obvious from the way you’re holding them at least one is broken.”“…Okay.” Brooklyn let the cat man do so, only wincing slightly as Ji tightened white bindings around his ribs. The gargoyle wasn't sure what was more surprising: the fact this stranger seemed to care enough about him to mend his wounds, how Ji didn’t have given his species a second thought, or how obviously experienced with this sort of thing Ji seemed to be.Just… who was this guy? And, more importantly, what was his end goal?“There we are.” Ji said as he tightened the last bandage around Brooklyn. To Brooklyn’s relief, the throbbing had ceased, and the aches were far less painful. “Just be sure to leave them on until the next sunrise. You should make a full recovery then.”“You seem to be familiar with that aspect of our biology…” Brooklyn said curiously.“I’ve been alive long enough to have been around the block, so to speak," Ji said, putting his first aid kit back behind the counter.“Right….” Brooklyn said doubtfully as he got up. “Well… Thanks a lot, but… I should really get out of your hair. I don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality….”“Oh, perish the thought!” Ji laughed. “Fate has brought you here for a reason, Brooklyn, even if you don’t know why yet.”Brooklyn stopped dead. “How do you know my name?”Ji stared through Brooklyn with those penetrating, colorless eyes. “How indeed, young gargoyle?”"I'm serious," Brooklyn growled. "I am not in the mood to be fucked with right now!”"Please calm yourself," Ji said, not reacting to Brooklyn's irritation. "If I wanted to harm you, I would have done so while you were wounded, no?”“Then what do you want?” Brooklyn demanded."Like I said," Ji said, walking to another pile on the other side of the counter that Brooklyn couldn’t see. “To help you. And to that end…. I have a gift for you. Two of them, in fact.”With that, Ji placed a leatherbound book almost as big as the catman on the counter. It had no title but was red with silver and gold spiral patterns engraved on the cover and spine. Brooklyn hesitated momentarily before taking it off the counter and flipping through the pages. He didn't read much but could see various inked pictures and words written in Latin inside. It… it reminded Brooklyn of the Grimorum Arcanorum.“What the…?” Brooklyn asked aloud.“The Grimorum Revolutionis.” Ji replied as he kept shuffling around the pile in the back. “Not quite as complete as the Grimorum Arcanorum, nor as powerful. But it certainly gets the job done and can provide beginners with the means to start on their journeys. For your purposes, I’d pay particular attention to the Sanctuary spell.”“The what?” Brooklyn asked, confused.“The Sanctuary spell. Purifies most diseases and curses, including vampirism and lycanthropy. Trust me, where you’re going, you’ll need it. After some modifications, of course.”Brooklyn’s head snapped to the cat man. “Where I’m going? Wha-?” And Brooklyn’s blood froze at the sight of what Ji held in his hands. It was an amulet shaped like a small golden shield with a turquoise-colored inset and a phoenix in gold. Brooklyn had only seen it a handful of times, but he would recognize that amulet anywhere.The Phoenix Gate. One of the three Keys to Power that allowed the user to travel through time and space.Before Brooklyn could even react, Ji tossed it at Brooklyn. "Good luck," he said as the amulet clattered to the ground. In an instant, the amulet disintegrated and then exploded. From the fiery ashes, a bird of flames erupted forth with a deafening screech and lunged at Brooklyn.The last thing Brooklyn thought before he was engulfed in flames was, "What did I do to deserve this?!"…. When Goliath’s vision cleared from the blood flowing through his skull, he saw the crumbled and bleeding form of Brooklyn meter below him from a hole in the ceiling that he had made. There was a claw mark under his eye, and he was heaving through what must have been a broken rib. The sheer horror of the sight brought the giant gargoyle to his knees, bile filling his throat as the fact that he was responsible for this struck him so hard he couldn’t even hear the panicked and anguished cries of Broadway and Angela. But before any of them could do anything, the red youth stomped to his feet, arm crossed over his chest. His eyes met Goliath’s, and the complete panic and sorrow on Brooklyn’s face tore the leader’s heart in two. Then, Brooklyn threw himself out a nearby window so fast that he started flying before the glass hit the floor. Goliath shouted, attempting to take off after his son, but unfortunately, Broadway had the same idea, and they tripped over each other. When the two men got back on their feet, Brooklyn was out of sight. He was too fast for them to catch up to now. “Damn it!” Goliath growled, slamming his fist onto the roof so hard it cracked. “Why?!” “You tell me, Goliath!” Broadway snapped, eyes glowing white in rage. “What the hell where you thinking? There was no need to go that far!” Goliath whirled around to face the blue gargoyle. “Do not lay the blame on me alone! You agitated the conflict just as much as I did! You tore him apart with words as you would have with claws!” “You agreed with everything I said!” Broadway retorted. “Otherwise, why didn’t you stop me?” “Stop it!” Angela cried, stepping between her father and her mate to force them apart. “This arguing is not helping anyone, least of all Brooklyn! We need to find him at once and make this right!” “You really think he’s in any mood to listen to us?” Broadway replied, voice strained but calming down as the white in his eyes dimmed. Angela gave a shaky sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know Broadway, but we still have to find him! With the Quarrymen about, he’ll be in danger all by himself. He’s still clan, even if he helped Coldsteel hurt us.” “Angela is right," Goliath said, giving a sigh of his own as the glow in his eyes faded. “We hurt him, and only we can make it right.” Goliath swallowed as images of another gargoyle filled his mind. A female gargoyle with blue skin and red hair. “We have to, before it’s too late. We can’t lose more of our clan…” "We should call Elisa," Broadway said. "She'll be able to help. Finding people and stuff is her whole thing.” “Pity Lexington and Hudson aren’t here.” Angela sighed. “They’d be able to help.” Broadway blinked. “Wait… aren’t they supposed to be coming back tonight?” Goliath’s heart stilled at those words. “Oh no…”… Lexington knew something was wrong the moment he, Hudson, Coldstone, and Coldfire touched down on the castle and went into the Great Hall. Everything was too quiet. There was no sign of Goliath, Brooklyn, Broadway, Angela, or Elisa anywhere. He had been so excited to see the look on Goliath's face when he saw that his long-lost brother and sister were back with them. But the castle was ominously empty. “Where are they?” Coldstone asked, mechanical red eye gazing around the courtyard for a trace of his brother and rookery children. “On patrol, perhaps?” Hudson offered, seemingly not bothered by their absence. “We did arrive a little early.” “Still, you'd think they'd leave one person to greet you two," Coldfire said, her mechanical voice somehow sounding wary. “That you Hudson?” A voice from the elevator as it dinged open. Out of the door came Elisa Maza, detective friend of the Manhattan Clan. “Lexing-oh!” She paused, seeing the two robotic gargoyles standing by the side of Lexington and Hudson. “Ummm….” "It's a long story, lass," Hudson waved before stepping towards her to shake her hand. "But it's good to see ya! How have you been?” "I'm doing well, all things considered," Elisa nodded in reply. “I see Coldstone and Coldfire have resolved their business." "Not quite, detective," Coldstone said. “But we decided that regardless of where he is, it would be better for us to be with our family.” “Speaking of, where is Goliath?” Coldfire asked. Elisa’s face fell. “He was out on patrol with the other, last time I knew. Is he not back yet?” A series of familiar thuds outside answered her question. “Speak of the devil. Come on.” All members of the clan, old and new, exited the Great Hall to head out into the courtyard. Goliath, Broadway, and Angela were trudging up the stairs. One look at them was all it took to snuff out any excitement Lexington had about being back home with old clan members. They looked like they had just come back from a funeral. And… where was Brooklyn? And why was there blood on Goliath’s hands? Coldstone and Coldfire shared a look, probably noticing the same thing Lexington did. Then, Coldstone called out, "Goliath! My love and I are home!" Goliath froze, and when he looked up to see Coldstone, no spark was visible in his eyes. No joy of seeing his long-lost brother. No excitement. No positive reaction at all. Just… a numb emptiness that formed a pit in Lexington's stomach. "Oh… you're all back…. And Coldstone and Coldfire are with you…?” Coldstone’s face fell in a mixture of hurt and worry. “Yes… we’re home… Brother, what ails you? Why are you so crestfallen?” That’s when Lexington pointed out the person that was missing. “Where’s Brooklyn?” Saying the name caused Broadway and Angela to go still, and Lexington noticed that neither of them was looking at the clan. In fact, it seemed to Lexington that they were avoiding anyone's gaze, especially his. That wasn't a good sign. "Guys," Lexington pressed. "Where is Brooklyn?" Something like a hiccup came from Broadway’s mouth. "He's…" Broadway sobbed, “He’s gone.” “Gone?!” Lexington and Hudson exclaimed at the same time. “What happened?” Elisa cut in, her face becoming serious. “Were you guys attacked?” Goliath shook his head. “No… we had a fight…” “Was it the Quarrymen?” Hudson growled, his eyes burning white. “They captured him, didn’t they?” “So what are we waiting for?” Coldstone asked. “Let’s give chase and bring him-” “No!” Goliath shouted in frustration. “WE fought! Clan against clan, no outsiders. We fought each other and he fled in the end!” The courtyard went dead quiet for a moment at that. Then, unable to take the suspense, Lexington growled, "What do you mean, Goliath? What happened?” Goliath gave a deep exhale through his nose before answering. “We had an argument over a mission that had gone wrong. Brooklyn made a mistake during patrol that cost us the target, so I chastised him. He got defensive and laid the blame on Angela and Broadway. Things escalated, and Brooklyn said that he wished that I had never met Angela. I… I reacted to my baser instincts and lashed out at him. I didn’t hold back….” “….what?” Hudson growled, the white in his eyes returning, this time directed at Goliath. “What do you mean, boy?” “….is that his blood on your claws?” Lexington asked, knowing full well what the answer was. The tension in Goliath’s shoulder was palpable as he answered, his voice a whisper. “Yes…” “YOU SON OF A BITCH!” The roar from Hudson caught Lexington so off guard he almost didn’t see the old gargoyle move. In the blink of an eye, Hudson closed the distance between himself and Goliath and punched the clan leader in the face so hard that he was knocked on his back. Before anyone else could react, Hudson leaped on top of the purple gargoyle and pinned him to the ground by the throat, his eyes burning white as he barred his teeth in Goliath’s face. "Hudson!" Angela exclaimed, but she stopped when Lexington growled at her in a warning. “How could you?!” Hudson screamed. “How could you lay your hands on yer own son?! Make him bleed?! How could you betray the clan you swore to protect?!” “He went over the line!” Goliath choked out. “He blamed my daughter for his lack of discipline! Said I shouldn’t have ever met her!” “What exactly did he say?” Lexington yelled, not trusting the lack of details Goliath was giving them. “What were Broadway and Angela doing to make him say that?” “We were just kissing!” Broadway protested, looking between Hudson and Goliath in fear. “In the middle of a mission?!” Lexington screamed. “You couldn’t stop sucking face for ONE HOUR?!” “He let himself get distracted by us!” Angela protested. “Maybe you should have fucking stopped doing that in front of him!” Lexington yelled. “You KNOW it made him uncomfortable! Why do you keep insisting on doing it around him?”Angela scoffed. “Please, his jealousy is not my burden to bear. He’s just acting out because he can’t enjoy seeing me and Broadway happy! Just like how he let himself be used by Coldsteel to spite us!” “WHAT?!” Everyone except Goliath, Broadway, and Angela exclaimed in sheer disbelief. “How could you say that?” Coldfire cried. “He was possessed by an evil man! Coldsteel used him against his will! None of what happened that night was his fault!” “He let him in!” Angela shouted. “He didn’t fight! He enjoyed every minute of it!” "I can assure you he fought with all his being," Coldstone said, gazing at Angela in a mix of disappointment and incredulity. “He didn’t enjoy it at all. And it wouldn’t have mattered. How could you think so lowly of your brother?” “He’s not my brother!” Angela snapped. “He never was family!” “…did you say that to him?” Lexington growled. “Did you say all of that was his fault? That he enjoyed it?” Angela looked at Lexington like he had hit her, and that was answer enough. Lexington turned his glare at Broadway, the man he once called brother. That Brooklyn called brother. “And you let her say that?” Broadway nodded, and to his credit, he had the decency to look ashamed. “Yeah… I did…” SMACK! Lexington wasn’t sure when Elisa had walked up to them, but the sound of her hand slamming against Angela’s cheek rang with the impact of a gunshot at him. Elisa was so gentle and patient with them all, even when they annoyed her. To see her lay a hand on any of them…. Broadway only had time to grasp in surprise before Elisa slapped him with her other hand. It almost certainly didn't hurt, but the shock and fear on Broadway and Angela's faces meant the message got across loud and clear. “How DARE you!” Elisa screamed. If the detective was a gargoyle and not a human, Lexington was sure they would have been glowing red to match Hudson’s white. “Angela, you went on and on about how you wanted the boys to respect you, to give you space and treat you like a person. But not only did you not respect Brooklyn’s by continuing to rub your relationship in his face, you have the unmitigated GALL to blame him for being a victim of possession?! For being violated on a level none of us here can understand? Forget treating him like an object to be won, you treated him like absolute DIRT! What is WRONG with you?!” “And you!” Lexington cried, glowing eyes staring into the panicked ones of Broadway’s. “You’re our BROTHER! You’ve known him for DECADES! And yet the instant some girl you haven’t even known for a year shows up, you throw him under the bus for her? You KNEW it wasn’t his fault! You KNEW he felt horrible about it! And you let Angela walk all over him over it anyway! You LET Goliath hurt him! I… I can’t fucking believe you, Broadway!” Lexington sobbed as his eyes faded into brown. “You chose a girl you didn’t even know for a year over your own fucking brother…” Tears formed in Broadway’s eyes as he reached out to Lexington. “No Lex. That’s not…” Lexington snarled, biting at Broadway’s hand. “Don’t fucking touch me!” “And you let her say all that to him uncontested, didn’t you Goliath?” Hudson growled, hand still around his leader’s neck. “Ya let her abuse him without a word, and that’s what got him so riled up. And then ya punished him for it! Why?!” “Because Angela is my daughter!” Goliath choked. “I… I will defend her at all costs!” “Are Broadway and I not your sons?!” Lexington shouted through a sob, tears blurring his vision. "Or do we not count because we don't have your blood?!" “That’s not what I meant!” Goliath gagged in response. “But it’s true, isn’t it? You never treated us the way you treated Angela! Ever since she showed up, you always fly with her, read with her, everything! You’re never interested in what the three of us do! Fuck, even during fights, you only care about her, not us! When Oberon attacked us, Brooklyn was literally getting choked out by a statue and where were you focused? Who were you calling out to? Angela, who hadn’t even got a scratch on her! You didn’t give a SHIT about Brooklyn!” Goliath flinched like Lexington struck him. “No…” “Yes!" The dam in Lexington's mind had broken, and all the repressed thoughts he had built up came flooding out without stopping. “And that night, you told Xanatos that you ‘finally understood the transforming power of a child’s love’! It was like Brooklyn, Broadway, and I didn’t exist, and it’s been like that for MONTHS! Brooklyn tried to give you the benefit of the doubt you know! He told me you were just trying to make the new clan member feel welcome! And I wanted to believe that! But not anymore! The three of us could drop dead right now and you wouldn’t give a shit if Angela was okay! God, I KNEW you wished it hadn’t been us who survived that night!” “LEXINGTON!” The hand on Lexington’s shoulder snapped him out of the raging torrent in his mind. He looked up to see Hudson, who had gotten off Goliath and looked at him in worry. "Lad… breathe… please.” Lexington obeyed, taking a few shallow gasps. The gasps gave way to sobs, and the little gargoyle pressed his face into his elder’s chest, crying. Hudson patted his head, folding his wings around him in a soothing embrace. “Fuck… I just… goddamn it, we just got home. We were in London living it up while he was dealing with THIS….” “It’s not your fault lad…” Hudson whispered. “It’s okay…” “No, it’s not!” Lexington cried into Hudson’s chest. “My brother is GONE, and he’s not gonna want to come back because three of our own clan stabbed him in the back! If we… if we can’t count on our clan, who CAN we count on?!” "We'll find him," Hudson declared. "I don't know how, but we'll find him.” Goliath got up, looking upon his crying rookery child in shame and remorse. Regardless of what was said and what Lexington thought, the truth was Goliath did something unforgivable. He allowed his baser urges to let him lash out at his child. And worse… he had been acting in such a way that neither he nor Lexington believed he loved them. When Brooklyn had said he favored Angela, he had thought it had been him immaturely deflecting from the botched mission. But now, given some time to think and what Lexington said… he had no choice but to face the facts. He had been so wrapped up in his bond with Angela that he neglected the ones he had with Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington. And now the entire clan was suffering for it. “Lexington…” Goliath said, ignoring the pain in his throat and trying to talk as gently as possible. "You are right. And Brooklyn was right. I have been terrible to all three of you. I love Angela dearly, but I let that love blind me to the love I feel for you. I… I had forgotten you are still my children who need me, not warriors who are expected to follow my every command. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I vow that at this moment, I will do everything in my power to make this right with all of you. I promise you, I will find Brooklyn and mend the bond I have let fray. I swear it." “You're going to find that promise impossible to keep any time soon." The entire clan froze at the unfamiliar voice. “Back-to-back!” Goliath ordered, and despite all the tension and anger they all had towards each other, everyone obeyed, jumping in a rough circle back-to-back so they would be protected as they tried to find the intruder. "No need to be wary," the soft voice called from above. "I mean no harm." Goliath looked up, and standing under the light of the moon, on top of a battlement looking down on them, was a small figure in red. “I’m simply here to deliver a message.” “Who are you?” Goliath shouted. “How did you get here?” The figure cocked its head and then, without warning, leaped from the battlement. To Goliath's shock, they landed on their feet at the top of the stairs, no worse for the wear. “I climbed.” “What did you mean that the promise is impossible?” Elisa asked, hand hovering over her pistol as she stared at the red-robed figure. "No more or less than what I said," the red-robed figure replied. The eye in his hat was shifting to look at all of them. “You won't find him." Goliath growled. “What do you know? Did you do something to him?” “I believe what you should be concerned about is what you did to him," the figure said. "You were the one who chased him away after all.” “I am in no mood for games, stranger!” Goliath roared. “Tell me where he is!” At this, the figure took off the cloth mask covering its face. To the surprise of everyone in the clan, it wasn’t a human face under there. It was the face of a white feline, lips curled in a serene smile through closed eyes. The feline in question chuckled. “He had that exact same face a few hours ago. Like father, like son, I suppose.” “So you do know where he is!” Hudson exclaimed. “Out with it, creature!” "Please, call me Ji," the feline said. "And to answer your question, I don’t know exactly. All I did was send him along his destiny.” “Quit talking in riddles and give us a straight answer!” Lexington growled. “Oh, I’m being quite sincere, young man.” Ji replied, that serene smile not faltering one bit at the aggression thrown his way. “He’s far out of anyone’s reach now. You can thank the Phoenix Gate for that.” "Impossible," Goliath snorted. "I threw that into the abyss myself. With no mind to guide it, it's stuck." “And what made you think it lacked a mind of its own?” Ji asked. “…what?” “It’s astonishing how someone with no knowledge of magic can be so sure about his own assumptions.” Ji continued. “Yes, the Phoenix Gate has a will of its own, and it wanted Brooklyn. Now, it whisked him away, far beyond your reach. You couldn’t find him if you tore through every brick in this city.” “Lies!” Goliath snarled. “Snarl and roar all you wish, Goliath," Ji said. "It won't change the truth. Nor will it cleanse your guilt.” Goliath growled again, but this one was softer than the others he gave. He stomped up the stairs towards the feline man, barring his teeth all the while, but the smile never left Ji's face. Then, when he was only a few steps away from Ji, Goliath fell onto his knees, bowing his head. “Please… I’m begging you. If you have any compassion in your heart… help me find my son. Help me make this right.” The silence that fell between the two was deafening. Neither of them said a word for a full minute. Finally, Ji opened his eyes. They were completely cloudy white, with no pupils visible at all. “There is a world where I help you find him…. But sadly, that’s not a world that I know. All I can do is tell you the prophecy I gave him when we first met.” Goliath looked up at the white feline. “Prophecy?” Ji nodded. “Time is a domain that opened itself to me from the moment I was born. It doesn’t pass for me, and I see the past and future unfold through my hexagrams. In my world, I served as a prophet, sharing my visions to all who would listen. Just as I did that young gargoyle who showed me what it meant to live once more.” Something shifted from beneath Ji’s robes, and Goliath saw a sphere with golden bands around it. An astrolabe Goliath realized as it levitated in from of Ji’s face. “This is the message I came to deliver. Whether you take heed of it is up to you. And remember…. This is Brooklyn’s fate that I shared with him.” With that, Ji took a few steps away from Goliath, sat down with his legs crossed, and, to Goliath's shock, started to float off the ground along with the astrolabe. A faint green glow surrounded Ji as he began to speak.
I see a blossoming romance
I see the sacrifice of man
I see portrayals of betrayal
And a mentor’s final stand
I see you on the brink of death
I see you draw your final breath
I see a man who gets to make it home alive
But it's no longer you
Goliath’s heart stopped at Ji’s words. “No…. No! You can’t have come all this way to tell me it’s hopeless! You can’t mean to tell me Brooklyn’s fate is to die alone because of my foolishness!” But Ji kept going.
I see your castle covered in red
Faces of men who have long desired you dead
I see your father with a man who is haunting
A man with a trail of bodies
“Stop this!” Goliath roared. “Taunt me no more!” The gargoyle lunged at Yi, claws drawn and teeth barred as if he wanted to tear the feline apart. But just as suddenly, Goliath was knocked away. Elisa and Hudson barely had enough time to move out of the way as he crashed all the way down the stairs. They looked back at Ji, who didn’t even seem to have moved. What the hell had happened? The prophet continued unperturbed.
I see a blossoming romance
I see the sacrifice of man
I see portrayals of betrayal
And a mentor’s final stand
I see you on the brink of death
I see you draw your final breath
I see a man who gets to make it home alive
But it's no longer you….
At those last words, Ji stopped floating and landed on the ground. Then, without warning, a puff of green smoke exploded from beneath him, completely obscuring him from the clan's view as they all charged at him. By the time they reached the last step, the smoke was gone, and so was he. “Damn it!” Hudson yelled. “Coldstone, Coldfire, ya see anything?” "Negative," Coldfire said, red eyes blinking as she ran her visors. “No other life readings detected…” “Fuck!” Lexington shouted, stomping his foot so hard it split a tile. “How the hell did he do that?!” Elisa, for her part, was attending to the still-dazed Goliath down the stairs. "Big guy?" she asked, concerned despite her anger at him. "Are you okay?" Goliath didn’t answer, just managed to sit up as his vision cleared. He had barely heard Elisa as his thoughts dwelled on the words that Ji told him.
I see you on the brink of death
I see you draw your final breath
I see a man who gets to make it home alive
But it's no longer you….
Death. The prophet told Goliath Brooklyn’s fate…. And he saw death. Reiterating that he saw his final breath only made that clear. But what could he mean by a man making it home alive then? What did any of this mean? And why would he bother telling him…? No! He was wasting time pondering the words of a stranger! An enemy! He was just trying to confuse him! Make him lose hope so he won’t find Brooklyn! He had to know where he was, and he was hiding it from him! That was the only explanation! So why was he hanging on his every word? Why could he not shake the fear in his heart? “Goliath?” he finally heard Elisa ask. The footsteps from down the stairs told him that the rest of the clan was coming towards him. But he couldn’t answer, nor could he bring himself to say anything to his waiting clan. He sank his face into his hands and wept despite all his instincts as a leader screaming at him otherwise. He wept for the son he had wronged, neglected, and wounded. He wept for the fact that he had been the one who drove him away despite everything they suffered together and that he might very well be the reason that he lost his life.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
January 10th, 1997
The rest of that night had been spent in a mixture of crying and yelling from the clan, mainly (and rightfully) directed at Goliath, and frantic searching throughout the city for any trace of their lost clanmate. Lexington wasted no time recruiting Coldstone and Coldfire for a search party with him. When Broadway and Angela offered to help, he rebuffed them without even looking, growling they "had done enough" before leaving with the robotic gargoyles.Likewise, Hudson and Elisa refused to let Goliath go and search. Not without a much-deserved scolding. For Goliath, Elisa went into her detective persona, laying out what he had done in terms of crimes in the human courts. Child abuse, assault, domestic violence. The accusations, however true they were, stung on their own, but what really pierced Goliath's heart was the sheer disappointment and cold fury in Elisa's eyes. What he had done that night had damaged, if not shattered, her trust in him, and until she saw a genuine effort on his part to make amends to Brooklyn, it would stay that way. In contrast to Elisa's frosted fury, Hudson's rage was searing hot. He practically roared at Goliath, Broadway, and Angela, cowing them all like they were all hatchlings who misbehaved. If Elisa was precise and methodical in her words, then Hudson was just verbally tearing into them, growling, and yelling about how they damaged the family. Their actions might very well have cost them Brooklyn's life, and even if they find him, there will be no guarantee he'd even want to come back, and rightfully so.Both Hudson and Elisa outlined rules for the three of them to follow going forward during the search. Goliath would stay in the castle with Elisa, just in case Brooklyn returned on his own. Hudson, meanwhile, would take Angela and Broadway to search under his supervision. If Brooklyn was found by either party, Hudson or Elisa would do the talking, and under NO circumstances could the three of them, especially Goliath, speak to Brooklyn without anyone else present. Once Brooklyn was located, he would be moved to a safe place at Elisa's discretion. When Goliath tried to protest the implication that Brooklyn wasn't safe with them, Elisa shut him down with a glare so withering it would have sent Thailog running.The groups completed their respective tasks once the ground rules were laid out. Goliath and Elisa stayed at the castle together, the atmosphere between them unbearably tense, as the detective refused to say a word to Goliath while they waited. Meanwhile, Hudson took the young gargoyle couple out on a search, ordering them to follow in a tone of voice that conveys he would have no patience for arguments or nonsense. Angela and Broadway followed the older gargoyle solemnly as he flew into the city in search of the missing second in command.Hours passed, and by the time the sun was about to rise, Brooklyn hadn't returned. Lexington, Coldfire, and Coldstone were the first to return, and the tears running down the olive gargoyle's face said everything about their lack of success. Goliath tried to hug the small gargoyle, a desperate attempt to comfort him and show fatherly affection, but Lexington shoved him away and scurried into the castle. Goliath looked back at his newly returned brother and sister, and somehow their mechanical faces managed to convey all the disappointment towards his actions that they needed for him to understand. Hudson, Broadway, and Angela returned shortly after, still with no sign of Brooklyn, and the old gargoyle stomped past Goliath without a word, not even looking at him.The last thing Goliath remembered before stone sleep was Elisa telling him she would do what she could at the police station to look for clues and contact her brother Talon.
January 11th, 1997
Goliath woke up to David Xanatos standing next to Elisa. Apparently, he had seen the whole drama between the clan and the sudden appearance of the mysterious prophet from his CCTV security cameras. When Goliath asked (more like demanded), Xanatos said that Ji wasn't a product of his experiments and had no idea who or what he was. He also promised to use every resource available to track down Goliath's wayward son. "After all, we can't let the family break apart over one little spat, can we?"Elisa had also informed her brother Talon and the rest of the mutates in the Labyrinth about Brooklyn going missing. Talon promised that he and his clan would do everything possible to find the lost gargoyle, especially because Talon owed Brooklyn for saving his life during Fang's hostile takeover. Combined with the word that Halcyon Renard would devote his resources to the cause, all of the clan's allies seemed to be assisting in the search.That fact alone gave Goliath hope, even though no trace of Brooklyn had been found that night.
January 18th, 1997
The clan spent the week scouring the city for any trace of the red gargoyle. Elisa and Hudson still didn't want Goliath, Broadway, or Angela to talk to Brooklyn alone if he was found. Still, they were at least willing to let them join the search, provided they searched with another so Brooklyn wouldn't be alone with them. While the rest of the clan took up patrols , Lexington would join up with Xanatos to use the computer to try to find any trace of Brooklyn online. Hacking into New York's CRT cameras, searching for stories about gargoyle sightings, anything that seemed helpful. He even tried to see if there was anything about the cat man Ji, who had invaded their home since he obviously knew something they did not.No dice on any of those accounts. The patrols turned up empty, too.Goliath, Broadway, and Angela were still in the doghouse with the rest of the clan. Lexington was barely talking to them, only giving noncommittal grunts or greetings from over his computer when they tried to speak to him. It wasn't much better with Hudson, as he only talked to them when he needed to and only said a word on patrols to give directions or orders.Elisa was a little more cordial to Broadway and Angela, as she would at least give reassurance that they would find Brooklyn soon and get a chance to talk everything through as a family. It had warmed Goliath's heart to hear that until she pulled him to the side to speak to him alone. The detective made it very clear to Goliath that she was very disappointed in him over what he did to Brooklyn. Not only had he broken the trust Brooklyn had in him, but he had also broken hers. If he was willing to lay hands on his own child over an argument, then how could she truly trust him to handle cases ethically? Treat her with respect? And if they were to continue their relationship, she would want a child of her own, and the only viable way they could do that is if they adopted."If you consider Brooklyn lesser because he isn't by blood, the gargoyle you raised for decades, then how could I trust you with a human child?"Those words haunted Goliath until the light of the sun turned him into stone.
February 10th, 1997
The Empire State Building might not be the tallest building in New York, especially compared to Xanatos' Eyrie Building, but it was by far the one with the most tourist traction. The 102-story building in the middle of Midtown Manhattan attracted hundreds of visitors every day. From 10 am to 10 pm, the top of the building would be flooded with humans, eager to see the City of Dreams from almost a mile in the sky. In the dead of night, the top of the building would be deserted. Just as it was that night.Save for four figures overlooking the city, taking in the bright lights that seemed to turn night into day."So… This is New York?" the shortest figure said. The figure was dressed in a loose-fitting yellow robe with three insignia of origins no human alive would recognize on the shoulder and back. Underneath that robe was a tight-fitting black body suit with a jade ring over the short one's heart. His head was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed bamboo hat with a light green veil covering his face."Yes…" The tallest figure replied. This one had his whole body covered in a white cloak with golden trimming. His face was hidden underneath a hood as if hiding his face from the city far below. "This place is… this place is…""Home?" A third figure cut in. This one was in between the heights of the other two. Like the smallest figure, her face was hidden by a bamboo hat covered in a veil. She wore a yellow kimono and held one katana and one wakizashi on her back, and two fans on her belt.The tall figure shook his head. "No. Not anymore. It hasn't been for a long time. Home… home is where you all are.""Even me?" a boyish voice cried, a child tackling the tall figure from behind in a hug.The tall figure laughed, turning to scoop the child in a twirling hug. "Yeah! Especially you, squirt!"The woman and small figure smiled at the affectionate display and the tall one's words. "I take it we're not going to give your old family a visit?" the short one asked. "I'm sure I'd love to meet the in-laws and get to know them in person.""Maybe not that," the tall one said. From beneath his white robes, black wings attached to his back emerged. "But I would love to show you around. This is the place we'll make the home always wanted, after all.""Then, by all means, let's make a night of it," the woman said, stretching her own wings at the same time the child did. Without a word, the short figure leaped onto the tall figure's back just before the three took off, diving into the city below.…The four flew over the city for a few moments, the streets whizzing past beneath them. Occasionally, they would stop on a rooftop to look at one of the sites below, usually at the child's behest. In the present, they were looking at Times Square, the child enthralled at all the lights and screens on display."Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "Are these things on all the time?""Language kid," the tall one in white said. "And pretty much, yeah."The child whistled. "If only we could have been sent here earlier! This place is amazing!""It certainly has its charms," the small one said, gazing at the square below from under his hat. "The apemen certainly have come a long way. If not for the fact the machines run on petrol fuels rather than rhizomatic energy, I'd almost mistake it for a city on Penglai."The tall one nodded. "Yeah. The 'apemen' have a long way to go before harnessing that sort of power. They'd better soon, if they don't wanna kill the planet."The small one nodded from under his hat. "I'll add that to the list of goals then.""Wait…" the woman interrupted, stepping in between the two men. "What's going on over there?" She pointed at the rooftop on the other side of the street. The other three people followed her finger and saw a large group of humans gathering around. Behind them was a helicopter with the insignia of a silver hammer emblazoned on the side.A growl came from the tall figure. "Quarrymen… I know them all too well…""The anti-gargoyle hate group?" the short one asked as he took a telescope from under his robe and peered through it. "Well, we certainly can't let them go about as they please, can we?""It looks like they're up to something," the woman said. "What do you see?""It looks like they're boarding a helicopter," the small one answered. It's a military brand. It looks to hold 30-40 people. Whatever they're doing, it's big, and they're packing serious firepower. Assault rifles, helmets, the works." The small one looked at the tall one from under his hat. What's the call, cèshì?""We gonna crack some heads?" the child chuckled in a giddy manner."Not yet", the tall one replied. "We're going to follow them. See what they do. Get the Mystic Nymph ready and recording so we can capture it all on film. We can't let this chance to gather evidence for the eventual case go to waste.""Understood," the short one said. He held his arm to his side, and a glowing blue light shaped like a dragonfly flew from beneath his robe and started floating around him. "Mystic Nymph is ready to record."…"Brother, you can't keep going on like this," the imploring voice of Coldstone said."I can and I will," Goliath cut back, attempting to force his way past the library exit but to no avail. Just a few weeks ago, Goliath could have easily pushed Coldstone back, but between his heavy eyelids and lost weight, he couldn't muster the strength, which caused Hudson's heart to sink.The old gargoyle had never seen a time when the clan was more at odds with one another, more fraying at the seams and more ready to snap at any time throughout his long life. Either in Scotland or in New York. It had been a month since Brooklyn disappeared. Since Goliath's fight had driven their second in command away from home. Since the clan began their frantic search to find him.The past four weeks had been trying for them all, but none more so than their leader himself. Their lack of success in locating Brooklyn had only made him more desperate, more obsessed with finding his son. During the past week, he hadn't even been at the castle for more than a few minutes between searches, only returning to brief search patterns at dusk, 10 minutes to hear reports at dawn, and then turning to stone. The stone sleep clearly had stopped giving him restful benefits, with his eyes being bloodshot and baggy. Worse, according to Angela, the purple gargoyle had fallen asleep mid-glide and almost slammed into a building during a patrol. Goliath had been so focused on spending as much time on the search that he had been skipping meals, enough to the point that he was visibly losing definition in his chest.Goliath made a horrible mistake. One that would take time and effort to properly fix if they found Brooklyn and one that he personally wouldn't fault the second in command for not forgiving him for. But at the rate Goliath was going, he would kill himself long before they ever found Brooklyn, and it tore Hudson apart to see his son like this.None of the other gargoyles were doing much better. After all, if the leader was reduced to such a weak state, what chance did the rest of the clan have? Lexington would spend days at a time on the computer, desperately trying to find a single trace of his lost rookery brother via the internet. He'd leave only to go to the bathroom and have small meals, and even the latter wasn't guaranteed based on the empty cans of energy drinks and coffee cups around the monitor. Stone sleep did little to relieve the tiny gargoyle of his bloodshot eyes that came from staring at a screen for so long.Broadway and Angela were similarly exhausted, in their case, from scouring the city all night, every night. Hudson had to credit their resolve. They also felt the weight of their guilt for their part in the fight and thus threw themselves willingly into the search every night. But it was clearly taking its toll, with Broadway's trademark belly having shrunk from his lack of appetite and Angela struggling to stay awake through her lack of meaningful rest. Worse, the guilt about the argument had also taken a toll on their relationship. Hudson couldn't even remember the last time the two had had time alone together, and he had overheard the two of them arguing a distressing number of times the past few days. Whatever comfort they could have found in each other was tainted by the realization that their relationship had been a key factor in the argument.Hudson couldn't deny that the situation was taking a toll on him too. He had been one of the less active members of the clan for a reason. At his age, his stamina was significantly lower than the others, so he shouldn't have searched with the ferocity that they did. But he'd be damned if he sat on the couch watching TV while his grandson was out there and the rest of the clan was looking for him. So, every night, he'd fight through fatigue, even as the strain pressed at his heart and left him utterly breathless by sunrise. Stone sleep helped, but the constant patrols and the perpetual atmosphere of dread and sorrow could only be withstood for so long….Coldstone and Coldfire had been a godsend these past few weeks. Their mechanical bodies meant they lacked the need for food or sleep that the rest of them did, so they strove to pick up the slack with normal crime patrols as the rest of the clan searched. They also did what they could to talk to everyone in the clan to keep their spirits lifted. Elisa also did everything she could to help with the search and maintain morale, although she couldn't afford to take time off work after being missing so long after the Avalon trip.Little by little, the clan was falling apart, and there was only so much Hudson and Elisa could do to keep them all together, even with the therapy dog that was Bronx. They couldn't keep this up much longer, so Coldstone was finally putting his foot down."Goliath," the undead cyborg urged, not backing down from his leader's stubbornness. "You are at your limit. Continuing the search at your current condition will only get you hurt, or worse.""I will not sit here and do nothing while my son is still out there!" Goliath cried, eyes lighting up slightly but not glowing white yet."We are not saying you do," Coldfire replied softly, placing her metallic hand over Goliath's shoulder. "Getting rest is not doing nothing, Goliath. You have to rest if you are to remain effective in the search. You will be of no use to Brooklyn or any of the clan if you are weak."Goliath snorted in agitation, but he seemed to be calming down. "Then who will lead the search?""Coldstone and I will search for Brooklyn tonight" Coldfire said, looking at the rest of the clan who was sitting in various spots around the library. "The rest of you will take tonight to recover your strength. The city wont' fall apart if none of us are there to guard it for one night."Lexington gave a noncommittal grunt from over his computer, while Angela and Broadway only gave little nods, not even mustering a verbal response. Hudson could only sigh in relief at the thought of getting some much-needed rest. Maybe after tonight, once they approached the search with a refreshed and clear mind, they would make some headway in their search."Call us if you require our aid," Coldstone said as he and his mate headed towards the door. "And please, take care of yourselves."…The four figures followed the helicopter in the shadows of the rooftops, careful not to be spotted by the pilots. The Mystic Nymph flew by their side, capturing all the Quarrymen's actions in its luminous eyes. The question of what the Quarrymen were up to would remain… at least until they finally arrived at their destination."The Eyrie Building…" the tall figure said. "Should have known.""A full assault in the middle of the night?" the short one asked. "They're either very bold or very foolish.""With how much the city hates us just for breathing, the officials would probably look the other way if they did anything blatantly illegal. Still, a head on strike to the Xanatos building would be stupid with all the defenses he has in place. Unless…"Before he could finish, all the lights in the massive building went out."They found a way to disable them," the short one concluded."Probably with a guy on the inside," the tall figure growled. "Shit! Come on, we need to get up there!"….Goliath had tried his best to heed his brother's advice and get some rest however he could, but that was difficult when his options were limited. He couldn't relax enough to fall asleep, nor could he focus his mind enough to read one of the many books in the library. He was in no mood to be with any of his clan, and quite frankly, he knew most of them didn't want to be with them either. Lexington couldn't even look at Goliath without glaring or growling since the night he came back, and the month of no success at finding his brother only intensified that feeling. Hudson and Elisa were a little better, as time and some talking had tempered their rage a bit. They understood that Goliath was trying his best and was willing to show clemency, but they were not going to forgive the leader until after Brooklyn was found. As for Broadway and Angela… they were too wrapped up in their own turmoil and efforts to atone to pay him any mind. Almost every night now, they argued, if not about Brooklyn, then about something else.Ironic how Brooklyn being gone seemed to utterly destabilize the relationship that Angela and Broadway had forged for themselves.And so, Goliath found himself on the rooftop, gazing out into the city below to gather his thoughts. Thoughts that inevitably would turn to the clan that was currently hanging on by a thread. How he was responsible for it all by hurting someone he loved so thoroughly.His thoughts turned to Brooklyn, the red gargoyle he called his son, and yet failed to back up that sentiment in action. How his last exchange with him had been him striking him down for voicing his understandable anger towards his daughter. That moment… might very well have been Brooklyn's last memory of him if Ji's prophecy was true.
I see you on the brink of death
I see you draw your final breath
I see a man who gets to make it home alive
But it's no longer you….
Those words haunted him every time Goliath went to stone sleep. Why did it take Brooklyn going missing and the idea of his death for Goliath to realize how much he meant to him? When he was stuck in Avalon, he had tried with all his being to get back home to his sons and father, but he couldn't deny the joy that journeying with Elisa and Angela alone had been. He was worried about his clan, but until Puck shared that horrible vision of the future, he had every faith that he would see them the next time he came home. But one mistake had ruined that idea, and if it were within Goliath's power, he would go back in time and hold Brooklyn after he had yelled. He would have told him he had every right to feel what he did, that he was sorry for prioritizing Angela so much more than him and his brothers, and swear he would do right by them all in the future.But the chance to do the right thing had passed and all Goliath had were what-ifs and memories. Memories not just of the fight but of the time he and Brooklyn had together. He had always been a willful gargoyle and so eager to prove himself to his mothers and fathers. Brooklyn was always the first to leap to the defense of his brothers in both battle and out, and the whole clan both loved him for it and was exasperated by it. The latter is especially true when a human they were protecting is involved. Goliath remembered the trouble he and the rest of the trio would get in and the stunts he alone pulled. He could still remember how Hudson laughed when he tried to ride a horse on his own, and how he himself had to repress the laughter to scold him about responsibility.Now, he could never make new memories like that again."Goliath?" a familiar voice called to him. The lavender gargoyle turned to see Elisa Maza walking up the stairs to the battlements to meet him. "Thought I'd find you up here.""Is everything alright?" Goliath asked, mostly out of habit."That's what I'm here to ask you," Elisa said, walking to his side. "Know everyone's not doing too hot right now, but you look the worst, big guy.""I apologize," Goliath sighed."Don't apologize…" Elisa gently scolded, putting her hand under Goliath's chin to get him to look at her. "Just talk to me, Goliath.""The clan suffers because of me, Elisa," Goliath said. "Because I hurt Brooklyn. Not just during our fight but also through my favoritism of Angela. I love my daughter more than anything, but…. I love my sons just as much! And I failed them all, Brooklyn especially. And now he's gone…"Elisa nodded. "I know… we've talked about your mistakes so much. It's something you need to fix. But Goliath, I don't want to see you kill yourself over it. It hurts to see you like this, so raw, so fragile. You need to take care of yourself, or you'll be no good to anyone, especially Brooklyn. We'll find him, and when we do, you'll be able to start to make this all right.""It's been a month, Elisa," Goliath choked out. "A month, and no trace of him. What if… dragon, I shudder to think of it. What if that prophet was telling the truth?""He's alive," Elisa firmly said. "He's out there. You guys are the strongest people I know, and Brooklyn is no exception. He's out there, alive and kicking, and I know he misses you as much as you do him." Elisa smiled in a comforting manner. "I don't know when, and I don't know how, but he's going to come back. I know it."Goliath smiled back at her, despite himself. "Thank you, Elisa."At that moment, the lights throughout the castle went off."What the-" Elisa cried, but right then, Goliath's ears picked up a noise coming from below. It was the familiar churn of a helicopter, one that Goliath had dismissed as just an ordinary one passing by, but now was getting far too close to be a coincidence…"Trouble," Goliath growled. "Come, we have to get the others!" Goliath ran with Elisa by his side just before the helicopter rose about the clouds to enter the castle's sight. The hammer insignia confirmed Goliath's fears. It was a Quarrymen aircraft, and there was a machine gun attached to the bottom.Goliath and Elisa just managed to get below the stairs the moment the helicopter opened fire.…The tall figure grit his teeth as he heard machine gun fire above him. Damn it! He was hoping to get the jump on the Quarrymen before they attacked the Manhattan Clan, but that helicopter was too fast for them! If they were as armed as his companion said, there was no way they'd be able to end the fight without drawing attention!So much for a night out in town with his wife, husband, and child.The four of them broke through the cloud cover to see the helicopter firing upon the tallest battlement. Some ropes had been thrown over the side of the helicopter, with helmeted humans armed with hammers on their backs and pistols on their belts sliding down them. When the four figures landed on an opposing battlement out of the Quarrymen's sight, the tall figure heard gears whirring from the helicopter. Just as he wondered what was making the sound, three huge and lumbering objects leaped from the copter and landed in the courtyard so hard it cracked the stone. The objects were roughly humanoid but covered in dark grey and blue armor.Great. They have powered armor. Nothing they couldn't handle, but it would make protecting the clan even more of a pain of the ass."See any more in that armor?" he asked as the other three stood beside him. The blackout allowed them to blend in the shadows.The short one peered through his telescope. "Nope. Just the three. Seems those three exo-frames along with the minigun on the helicopter are their aces in the hole.""I count 50 troops in total," the woman muttered. "Discounting you and the human detective, the clan is only six members strong. This will be dangerous even for gargoyles.""I know, I know!" the tall one replied, rubbing his hand through his face. "I'm thinking! We gotta do this right! We're strong, but we aren't invincible!"As the four planned, a roar from below drew their attention. Before the Quarrymen could react, a big purple gargoyle leaped from somewhere above and slammed into one of the men in the powered armor. The surprise had knocked the terrorist on his back but surprisingly, the Quarryman quickly recovered and used the gargoyle's own weight to send him flying off him."Goliath…" the tall one muttered softly as the gargoyle in question landed hard on his side. He growled as the Quarrymen surrounded him, activating the electric current in their hammers. From where he was, the copter wouldn't dare risk hitting the other Quarrymen with the gun, but he was still surrounded 50 to 1…Hudson and Bronx managed to rush out the doors to the castle to engage the enemy, but just as Angela and Broadway got out, the machine gun from the helicopter fired, forcing them to scatter."Here's the plan," the tall one said. "Yi, take out the helicopter. Use the Azure Bow to destroy the gun, and then finish it with your talisman."Understood, cèshì," said the short one in yellow, leaping away from the battlement to get a better shot.The tall one turned to the woman. "Katana, you and I need to destroy those mechs first. I'll support you all from a distance. Go down there and kick some ass for me."The woman's smile could be seen underneath her veiled hat. "Gladly, my love."Last was the child, who was currently ripping off a fire extinguisher that Xanatos had installed on the wall. "Nashville, scatter the troops. Disorient them with smoke or any other concealment. Support the clan and make sure no one dies. Be careful. Even with your powers, you are not immortal.""You got it, Daddy-o!" the child exclaimed, and with sword and fire extinguisher in hand, he and his mother went off to find an ideal opportunity to leap into the fray.The tall figure sighed as he held his hands out in from of him and let the power flow as he started to chant.….Damn it! Of all the time for the Quarrymen to come! And they bolstered their forces and arms in the past month. It wouldn't be a problem in and of itself, except everyone was so… tired.Goliath grunted as he blocked a blow from the armored man, which, in his state, was enough to send him reeling back. He wanted to get away from this brute so he could deal with the gun on the helicopter, but this armor was no joke, especially with his friends jumping in to take a swing at him. He dispatched them whenever they came, but they just kept coming and distracted Goliath.The other members of the clan weren't doing much better. Hudson and Brox were taking on the other two people in the armor and getting thrashed about. The Quarrymen had had time to unleash the weapons they had in their armor and managed to stun them with some sort of concussive blast. While the elder and the hound were stunned, the armored Quarrymen knocked them back with a well-placed laser blast.Broadway and Angela couldn't even get a strike in edgewise as the machine gun from the helicopter kept them away from the fray. Elisa and Lexington were still at the door, with Elisa taking potshots with her pistol but they weren't making headway in breaking through, thanks to the other Quarrymen with guns and stray shots from the helicopter.This is bad. Goliath thought as he made a futile strike at the armored man. They have us at a major disadvantage right away. Not only can we not contact Coldstone and Coldfire, but Xanatos is out of the building as well. If something doesn't change soon…As if tempting fate, a stray bullet from one of the Quarrymen struck Angela in the leg. She cried out as she tumbled into some nearby bushes, the greenery obscuring her being the only thing that kept her from being shot even more. Broadway was able to scoop her up and carry her, but it was slowing him down, and the gunfire from the helicopter was catching up…"No!" Goliath exclaimed, but that gave the armored man the opening he needed. Goliath's vision went white as an electrified hammer struck him across the face, burning and splitting his face as he was knocked to the wall. Through his blurred vision, Goliath could see the armored man raising his hammer again to finish him off……The short figure in yellow found his spot on the roof of the Grand Hall. With a series of hand motions, a shining bow of bluish-white energy appeared in his hands. He pulled the Cloud Piercer Arrow of the Azure Bow back, taking aim at the rotating gun.With one breath, he let the Arrow fly.….A flash like lightning lit up the dark courtyard, followed by what sounded like thunder. A split second later, the machine gun in the helicopter exploded, the boom drawing the attention of the Quarrymen, including the one who was about to kill Goliath. Goliath didn't let the opportunity go to waste, knocking him back with a well-placed kick to the chest.Before any of the Quarrymen could get their bearings, there was the clatter of metal in the middle of the courtyard. Goliath had just enough time to see that a fire extinguisher had been thrown into the center of the Quarrymen from somewhere. Just as quickly, a sword flew in from nowhere and pierced it right through, spewing the white extinguisher agent in a cloudy burst that hid everything from the Quarrymens' sight.Goliath caught a glimpse of something small dashing through the makeshift smokescreen before a shout of a familiar spell caught his attention. "Fulminous Venite!"Goliath turned just in time to see a bolt of crimson lightning. On instinct, he tensed for impact, but the spell hit the Quarryman he was fighting rather than him. The Quarryman screamed in agony as the electricity coursed through his armor, short-circuiting the wiring and making the electronics pop and burn skin.There was a guttural roar from above, a roar that was… familiar. A roar that only could have come from a gargoyle.An instant later, something white slammed into the electrocuted Quarryman from above. The white figure was illuminated in the darkness by a broadsword wreathed in flames, which had penetrated the man's armor as easily as butter and ran the Quarrymen right through. The man gave a wretched gargle, reaching up in vain at his killer before going lifeless.The figure in a white cloak pulled his sword out, and the illumination from the sword's flames revealed his face under his hood.Goliath's heart leaped to his throat.….Hudson gagged as the extinguisher gas filled his throat. The smokescreen gave him some respite, but it choked him up just as much as the enemy! Who the hell had…?"Get behind me!" a high-pitched voice cried. Hudson only caught a glimpse of a shape in the white smoke before it tackled him out of it.Hudson landed hard on his back. After taking a second to groan in pain, he looked up to see his would-be rescuer resting on his chest. It was… a gargoyle child. One he had never seen before, with blue skin and long black hair trailing down his back. He wore a torn t-shirt with USN written on it, a pair of grey shorts, and some sort of Asian sword that Hudson didn't know the name of on his belt. But what really caught Hudson's attention was his face. The old gargoyle couldn't see his eyes because of the aviator goggles he was wearing over them, but he could still see the beak he had in place of his mouth.Between that, his body shape, and his hairstyle…. He looked so much like Brooklyn."Hi!" the boy chirped with a cheerful grin, utterly at odds with the dangerous situation, snapping Hudson out of his shock."Who the blazes are you?" Hudson asked incredulously, hand over the wound the laser bolt had made."Call me Gnash!" The boy replied, still in that cheerful voice, as he got up and offered a hand to pull Hudson up. "Hang on. Mom and Papa should be thinning the herd right about… Now."Just as the boy said that Hudson heard some cries from the Quarrymen in the gas. Something tall and winged was dancing in between them, swinging what looked like the outline of a sword at them. It also looked like there were bolts of fire being launched from somewhere above to immolate the few that the one in the smoke couldn't get. One of the Quarrymen outside the smoke tried to aim at whoever was striking his men down, but he couldn't get a good shot through the smoke.The figure stopped, and a cool, feminine voice cut through the chaos. "Illusio Luceat Nubila!" At once, a howling blizzard swirled around the courtyard, blowing away what was left of the extinguisher gas and revealing what had been attacking the men for a split second.It was another gargoyle, and this one was an adult female. She had pale blue skin and hair as black as night, identical to Gnash. Her face was beaked as well, though it wasn't as pronounced as with Gnash, and she had a pair of small horns on either side of her face. Her yellow kimono swirled in the freezing tempest she created, and Hudson could see a katana shimmering in the moonlight on her hands, with another sheathed sword on her back.Just as quickly as she appeared, she vanished behind a curtain of frost and snow, hiding her from the Quarrymen's sight. The icy twister swirled over the armored Quarryman, buffeting him in wintry wrath. From where Hudson could see, the joints on the armor started to freeze, hindering the man's movement. Suddenly, the female gargoyle rushed out of the blizzard, with… was that another one of her behind her?!Hudson rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, but no, his eyes were not mistaken. There were two of that strange gargoyle woman dashing around the armored man, who tried to swing at either one with his hammer but couldn't land a hit. As the ice crept further down his arms and legs, he grew desperate, dropping his hammer to pull out a gun. Without even stopping to aim, he fired upon the two gargoyles running around him.The instant the bullets landed on one, she dissolved into snow and ice. The Quarrymen fired at the other one with a growl of frustration and confusion, but she just dissolved as well.Hudson saw a shadowy figure from within the storm appear behind the Quarryman. "Where are you looking?" a voice cooed coyly. Before the Quarryman could react, what must have been the real gargoyle had grabbed his discarded hammer and swung at his frozen knee joint with all her might. There was an icy crack of metal followed by a horrible snap of bone as the knee folded in on itself, causing the Quarryman to collapse with a shriek. In the fall, he slammed his head on the ground, and he went still, unconscious."Way to go Mom!" Gnash cheered as his mother swung the hammer to fend off more of the enemies.When the last one backed off, the gargoyle woman leaped back a few paces and yelled to the sky, "Now Yi!"Hudson followed her gaze, and from the roof of the Great Hall, something yellow flew at the damaged helicopter. When the yellow thing reached the helicopter, Hudson saw what looked like a hand attaching something to the helicopter before dropping down to the courtyard. As Hudson got a closer look, he saw the details he couldn't have seen from below. The thing was a humanoid wearing yellow robes and a veiled bamboo hat covering their face. It held out two fingers in front of itself for a moment before swinging its hand behind itself in a slashing motion.In that instant, the helicopter exploded with a flash of verdant light. This time, the entire front was obliterated, its smoldering remains struggling to stay airborne for just a moment before careening to the ground. Quarrymen screamed as they scrambled to get away before the ruined copter crashed into them. The helicopter crashed through the castle walls before exploding one final time, lighting up the darkened castle in fiery light as metal was launched everywhere.The short figure in robes sighed, standing up straight and taking off his hat. Hudson gasped at his face. It was a feline, just like Ji. However, instead of pure white fur with folded ears and wide pale eyes, this one had pale yellow fur on the verge of white, large, narrow eyes, triangular ears on the top of its head, and a small black nose. The back of his yellow robe had an insignia on his shoulders and back that Hudson couldn't recognize, and he wore a black suit of sorts underneath. On the center of his chest was a large jade ring directly over his heart.He looked different… but he had to be one of Ji's people.The woman ran up to the cat man's side, getting into a fighting stance with her sword to cover his back. "Great job with that helicopter, Yi. Now we just deal with the cannon fodder.""Not quite, Katana" the cat man, Yi, replied, holding his hand out in his own stance, as if to fight bare handed. "Still one more armored one to deal with."The armored man in question had only just avoided getting crushed beneath the helicopter and was shaking his head as if to get his bearings. He looked back at the debris left behind by the crash and explosion, and Hudson didn't have to see his face to know the horror he was feeling. "They're… they're dead…." He whirled back around to scream at them all. "They're dead! You monsters killed them!""Oh, boohoo" a new voice mocked. "You were here to do much worse to us for daring to breath the same air as you" Hudson turned his head to see a man in a white cloak, carrying a sword as he stepped over the lifeless body of the third armored man. The black wings on his back told Hudson he was a gargoyle, but… that voice…. It couldn't be…Then Hudson saw Goliath standing behind the strange gargoyle, and the purple gargoyle looked like he had seen a ghost.The gargoyle in white took off his hood, and Hudson almost fell down weeping right there. The man's face was red and beaked, with hair as white as the moonlight flowing down in a mane on the back of his head.There were scars across his face that were not there before, and he had gotten bigger. But there was no doubt about it."Brooklyn…" Hudson sobbed in relief and joy."No way…." Broadway whispered as he watched his rookery brother saunter to the other two strangers in the middle of the courtyard.Brooklyn didn't pay them any attention as he glared at the gathering Quarrymen. He snapped his fingers, and red flames started to dance in his claws. With a flourish of the sword in his other hand, he said to the Quarrymen, "Last chance. Leave now and live. Or stay, and we'll do to you exactly what you're here to do to them.""Your parlor tricks don't scare us, demon!" the last armored man shrieked, picking up his hammer and activating it. "Attack!" With that last cry, he and the rest of his forces charged Brooklyn's group and the Manhattan Clan."Don't say I didn't warn you," the red gargoyle growled in a voice colder than the snow Katana conjured. With a snarl, Brooklyn lashed out with his claws, sending a wide arc of flames at the charging Quarrymen. The flames seared into them, knocking some back and setting others on fire. Not sparing a second, Brooklyn jumped next to Katana as the recovering Quarrymen who weren't burning shot their pistols at them. Katana flourished her hand, and a wall of ice manifested in front of her, cracking as it blocked the bullets.Yi didn't join Brooklyn and Katana in the shelter of the ice wall. Instead, he swung his outstretched hand around so fast that all anyone could see was a yellow blur. The split second a bullet would land, it didn't knock Yi back, instead impacting with a green flash of light and launching itself back at the shooters. Three Quarrymen fell to their own bullets.A group of Quarrymen split off from the center formation to go after the others. In response, Katana stomped her foot, and the stone floor suddenly froze, the ice creeping from where she stood to past where the Quarrymen were running in a blue flash. All but the armored Quarryman slipped on the ice and tumbled in all directions.The rest of the Quarrymen had gone around to try and engage the other gargoyles. Three of them were approaching the still-winded Hudson and the gargoyle child standing defiantly in front of him."Got you covered, old man!" Gnash exclaimed as he thrust his hand out. To Hudson's shock, several discarded hammers flew toward Gnash before stopping in midair to float in front of the boy. The hammers started to break apart into dust, dissolving and remolding themselves into a single mass. When the mass of particles solidified again, it was in the shape of a long-length chain that Gnash snatched out of midair and swung in front of himself. "Bring it, chumps!"The Quarrymen fired at Gnash, who twirled his chain around a split second before they started. The chain stopped the bullets, either catching them between its links or deflecting them away. With a triumphant laugh, Gnash flicked the captured bullets off the chain and lashed out with his free hand. The guns the Quarrymen were holding were ripped away by an invisible force and flew towards the young gargoyle, breaking into dust and forming a sword that floated next to Gnash's head.The Quarrymen didn't have time to draw their hammers as Gnash charged at them, wrapping the chain around his arm so he could slash the nearest one's throat with a draw of the sword at his belt. The sword floating by him slashed at a Quarrymen directly behind Gnash, but the hostile human barely managed to evade the swing. With another swing of the sword in hand, Gnash sliced off the head of the second Quarryman, but before he could dispatch the remaining one, the human had gotten his hammer out and swung at Gnash. Gnash caught the hammer with his bare hand and immediately shrieked from the electricity he was doused in."Oh god!" he screamed. "It hurts so much! You've got me…!" Hudson raced to help the child, but then the screams from Gnash turned into laughter as he smirked maliciously at Quarryman. "Just kidding!" he shouted before grabbing the Quarryman by the neck. "Fry bitch!"At those words, the energy shocking Gnash went into the Quarryman, causing him to scream horridly as he was electrocuted. This went on for a few seconds before the electricity faded, leaving the smoking body of the Quarryman limp in his hand."How in the-?" Hudson exclaimed as he reached Gnash, who still had traces of electricity flowing through him."Electricity doesn't work on me!" Gnash replied with a grin, tossing aside the corpse without a care in the world. "It's quite tasty, actually! C'mon, let's finish the rest!"The rest in question didn't seem like that needed Gnash's help to finish off. Yi was keeping the last man in powered armor busy, dodging his attacks with an agility most gargoyles couldn't match. Whatever blows he couldn't dodge, he parried with that same green light from earlier. Katana was a bit more on the offensive, gracefully dancing around the Quarrymen's hammers and retaliating with her sword. With one swing, she decapitated a Quarryman, and with another, one would lose an arm. And Brooklyn…Brooklyn was an utter beast. Hudson had no idea how the red gargoyle learned magic within a single month, but he was both precise and fierce with it. One Quarryman was incinerated by the flames he was unleashing from his left hand, and when another tried to get in close, he fell upon Brooklyn's sword, stabbed right through the chest. Hudson saw another one try to sneak up behind Brooklyn, but before Hudson could warn him, Brooklyn grabbed the human by the face without even looking, slammed him to the ground, and completely immolated him with an eruption of fire.By Wyvern… The screams….Brooklyn didn't pay the agonized death cries any mind, whipping around to survey the rest of the fight. There were only a handful of Quarrymen still left, and besides the armored one fighting Yi, all had gotten too scared of Brooklyn, Katana, and Yi to engage them. So, they were going for the rest of the Manhattan Clan, hoping to get some easy prey.Unfortunately for them, the clan had started to get their second wind. Goliath seized a man by the throat and threw him into the battlement wall so hard it cracked. Now that they weren't pressured by the helicopter gun, Elisa and Lexington were able to get out of hiding and make a counterattack. Lexington charged at one with a roar, slamming him into the ground and knocking him out cold, while Elisa managed to down another with her pistol. Broadway was still hanging over the downed Angela, but he still clobbered any Quarryman foolish enough to get close.This was the chance to finish the fight. Brooklyn turned his glare back to the armored man. He flourished his hand, shouting, "Ardentis Catenis!" With one last swipe of his hand toward the Quarryman, a stream of fire erupted from the ground at the feet of the man in powered armor. The flames wrapped around the armored man, forming burning chains that dragged the man down, pinning him in place as the searing heat roasted him through his metal shell."Now Yi!" Brooklyn shouted over the screams of the armored man.Yi nodded wordlessly, jumped back a few paces, and swung two fingers in front of himself. Something like a sheet of paper appeared between his fingers, glowing light green, and Yi rushed at the man. He stuck the paper on the armored chest, zipped past him in the blink of an eye, and swung the two fingers again in a slashing motion. In that instant, the glowing paper exploded, shattering the armor and sending the man on his back as the chains faded."I held back," Yi said. "He won't die.""Good," Brooklyn replied, dashing over to grab the fallen man by the throat. The Quarryman gagged as Brooklyn dragged the man over to the broken wall. He shoved the man out arm's length, dangling him over the clouds below the castle."Brooklyn!" Goliath exclaimed. "What are you-?" But before he could get close, Katana jumped in front of Goliath, back turned away from him and sword drawn. He wouldn't get close."I have a message for Castaway," Brooklyn growled. "Tell him there are gargoyles in town who won't take any more suffering from the likes of him and his ilk. If he's hellbent on treating us like demons to be hunted, then we'll act the part when he attacks. There won't be any more mercy for the merciless. You got it?"The man choked in Brooklyn's grip, squirming as he struggled to break free. When he saw that doing so would mean a plummet to his death, he simply snarled, "Fuck you!""Good talk," Brooklyn said dryly, flicking the man in the forehead. He then smirked maliciously as he added. "Don't have a heart attack on the way down.""Wha-" was all the man had time to say before Brooklyn dropped him. His screams echoed through the castle, growing softer as he fell down and down through the clouds below."What the hell-?!" Hudson cried. "Lad, there was no need to go that far!""Why?" Gnash scoffed. "They would have done the same.""Then you're no better than them!" Angela, who had begun to steady herself, retorted.Brooklyn and the three strangers he brought stared at Angela with what can only be described as disbelief and bafflement."Are you twelve?" Gnash asked incredulously."Brooklyn wasn't kidding about you lot…." Katana said, shaking her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose."Warrior clan, my ass," Yi muttered under his breath."Relax Angie," Brooklyn said curtly. "I put a spell that will stop the fall before he hits the ground. Can't exactly have him send a message if I kill him. Your precious Ku Klux Kopy will live. More than I can say for the rest of his friends. Speaking of, we get 'em all?""Looks like it," Gnash replied, glancing around the courtyard. Indeed, across the battlefield, the bodies of the Quarrymen lay in various states of intactness. There were a few that were still breathing, but most of them were dead, their corpses skewered, dismembered, burned, or destroyed in some other gruesome fashion. Either way, all the Quarrymen that were attacking them were incapacitated."Good," Brooklyn grunted. "We're done here. Let's go." At that, he turned away from them all and stretched his wings as if about to take off.….."Wait!" Goliath cried, running to the son he had been searching around the whole city for a month. "Brooklyn, wait!" The leader of the Manhattan Clan grabbed the red gargoyle's arm desperately as if to confirm he was real…Brooklyn froze, staring at Goliath with an expression the violet gargoyle couldn't parse. Wyvern, what had happened to him? He had only been gone a month, and yet he had grown several inches. Beneath the white cloak, split at the sides to accommodate his wings, he was wearing a leather jerkin that did little to cover the definition he had developed in his chest and arms. He had gone from a gangly gargoyle teenager to a gargoyle at the peak of his growth.That wasn't the only thing about Brooklyn that had changed. His white hair had grown well past his hips, even if it wasn't obvious with the white cloak. The red gargoyle had taken to wearing leather gauntlets on his forearms, as well as a wooden pendent with an East Asian character Goliath couldn't recognize around his neck and a silver ring on his index finger. Most distressing to Goliath were the scars. With the healing stone sleep provides, it takes a lot to permanently scar a gargoyle, and just from what Goliath could see, there were far too many. There were traces of cuts all around his arm, and Goliath noticed a patch of discolored skin on his left forearm which seemed to continue under his gauntlet. Like the gauntlet was trying to hide a hand burn. Then there were the scars on his face. There were a couple of light ones that crisscrossed over his beak, but there was a deep one right under his eye. Where Goliath wounded him a month ago.The mark from their fight still hadn't faded, and dragon knows how many new ones there were. Between that and the amount of growth Brooklyn underwent… Goliath had no choice but to conclude Ji had been telling the truth about the Phoenix Gate. But that didn't matter. All that did was that Brooklyn was here with him. That he was home."You're alive…" Goliath whispered, still struggling to believe it. His grip tightened over Brooklyn's arm like some part of him was afraid his son would disappear again if he let go,Brooklyn blinked at him, still with that inexplicable expression. "What? Are you surprised? Thought that your second in command couldn't survive without the great Goliath?" Brooklyn shook his head. "Maybe that was true once. But not anymore…"Before Brooklyn could say anymore, Goliath yanked him close, folding him tight to his chest and wrapping his wings around him."That doesn't matter now!" Goliath shouted joyously through a sob. "You're back! Thank the heavens, you're back!"There was so much Goliath wanted to say right then. That he was sorry for everything he had done to Brooklyn and that he loved him with all his being. That he was proud of the warrior he was back a month ago and what he had become now. But all he could do was hold onto his son and relish that, in this moment, the family was whole again, and all would be right again,But before he could voice any of the feelings stirring in his heart, Brooklyn's fist slammed into his stomach.Goliath stumbled back, the wind completely knocked out of him, and he didn't get the chance to gain his bearings when Brooklyn slapped Goliath across the face so hard he saw white. Then, with a yell, Brooklyn kicked Goliath in the same spot he slapped, sending Goliath flying several feet back. Goliath landed hard on his side, retching from the blows Brooklyn made.But Brooklyn hadn't even started yet."You don't get to do that!" Brooklyn exclaimed, cutting his hand through the air in a furious manner. "You don't get to treat me like shit for months, blame me for being possessed and used by Coldsteel, scar my face when I went against your favorite, and then act like everything is sugar and rainbows when I come back from hell!"Goliath coughed as the other members of the clan stared in shock at what Brooklyn had just done. Meanwhile, Katana, Yi, and Gnash made their way to Brooklyn, standing by his side as he glared at Goliath. Goliath had known that forgiveness might not be an instant prospect, but actually being faced with that fact hurt far more than any of Brooklyn's blows did.Still, it was far from undeserved. Brooklyn had every right to be angry, and he wouldn't drive him away again because of his pride. So Goliath got down on his knees and bowed his head, not attempting to retaliate or defend himself at all. "My son, I'm sor-""No!" Brooklyn screamed. "Shut it! You don't get to call me that after what you did! After you all but disowned me that night!""Brooklyn," Goliath tried to continue. "I'm truly sorry for-""SHUT IT!" Brooklyn roared, making his voice echo through the courtyard. "I'm going to talk, and for once in your damn life, you're going to listen!"The leader in Goliath wanted to retort, but he knew that would only make things worse. Frankly, after everything, he owed Brooklyn to hear what he was feeling. To understand just what he had gone through and the turmoil in his heart. So, Goliath said nothing as his former subordinate continued to yell at him."40," Brooklyn growled. "Do you know what that number is? That's the number of years I spent being jerked around by the Phoenix Gate!"Those words hit the entire clan harder than any of the Quarryman's hammers could. "What?" Goliath exclaimed, dumbfounded."Yeah!" Brooklyn continued, almost hysterical. "All because you thought you knew everything about a semi-divine artifact with a will of its own! Ya didn't think it would go anywhere if you threw it in the void? Fucking IDIOT!""I-"Goliath stammered. "Thought without a mind, it would be lost forever…""You thought wrong, Goliath! And because of that, I had to spend 40 years seeing absolute WORST our planet and another had to offer! 40 years cleaning up other people's messes throughout time or setting things up so things would go how the Phoenix wanted them to!" Brooklyn laughed ruefully before saying. "But I guess I should thank you. No really. Thanks. If you hadn't been so stupid, I wouldn't have found my real family!"Goliath looked up at Brooklyn in shock. "Real… family…?""Yup!" Brooklyn replied, spreading his arms to indicate the three people brought with him. "And those 40 years gave me a lot of time to think. And I realized something. Me, Lex, and Broadway didn't just stop being your priority when your precious Angela showed up. We were never your priority!""What are you-" Goliath tried to protest, but Brooklyn talked over him."Let's go back all the way to Scotland, one thousand years ago. When we actually had a clan until the Massacre. Caused by the traitor among our midst and that one idiot captain. You were so convinced that the humans would protect us if we played nice. If we just obeyed their every whim, built them a castle, and risk our lives to guard them and get food for them. And to that end, you made us endure their every insult. Every injury. Every abuse without a word. And if we dared step out of line and voiced our displeasure, our resentment, you punished us. We can't have the humans feel bad, can we?" Brooklyn gripped his hands so hard that they drew blood. "You sent us down in the rookery for not taking it in the ass when the people who's lives we saved treated us like monsters! You always turned a blind eye to what they did! It didn't matter what we had to suffer so long as the humans who hate us were happy! You never cared about us! We were just disposable sacrifices for those humans!""That's not true!" Goliath protested."It is!" Brooklyn yelled with a stomp of his foot. "But I guess I can't blame you considering who filled your head with that nonsense. Right Hudson?" Brooklyn growled, aiming his glare at the elder gargoyle."What?" Hudson cried in disbelief."'A gargoyle can no more stop protecting the castle than breathing the air.'" Brooklyn growled venomously. "That's what you always said, even as the so-called castle was beating our faces in. What about when half the 'castle' wanted us dead? Or when you consider the 'castle' a whole goddamn city? Who gets to be considered the "castle' then? Everyone, even the ones who don't want it and hate us for it? What about when you put those same people who hate us over your damn clan? How is that 'guarding the castle,' Hudson?""Lad…" Hudson said, voice gentle but clearly rattled at the red gargoyle's words. "A gargoyle's natural instinct is to protect those who can't protect themselves. To be otherwise is to be corrupt, empty, lifeless…."At those words, something changed in Brooklyn's eyes. But this wasn't the usual white glow of gargoyle males in moments of fury of passion. No. Instead, darkness grew past his pupils, engulfing his iris and spreading across his cornea. Goliath gasped, unable to hide his confusion and horror as Brooklyn's eyes became as black as the void. It was like a piece of a starless night sky became embedded in Brooklyn's skull.What sorcery was this?"So, our only choice is to be slaves?" Brooklyn hissed. "Because that's what we were back then. We built their castle for them, protected them from invaders, did their grunt work, did all that they asked. And it was never enough. They abused us, beat us, called us monsters at every turn. And you did nothing lest it upset your boyfriend, Prince Malcom!"Hudson choked at that last sentence. "B-boyfriend?""Boytoy, fuck buddy, slam piece!" Brooklyn continued with a dismissive wave. "Whatever term you want to use to describe just how far up his ass your head was! You were content to let us all suffer in silence if it meant that stupid man was happy! We gave them our home, fought for them, sacrificed our lives for them! And they treated us like shit while you never even tried to make it an equal partnership like you pretended it was! All so you could play 'knight in shining armor' for a man who along with his bitch daughter killed our clan!""Don't bring my mother into this!" Angela shrieked. "She atoned for her part by raising me and my clan!""Oh, now blood relationships don't matter to you?" Brooklyn scoffed with a roll of the eyes. "And good for you, she made sure you got to live a life with no problems away from the real world. Never mind that your mother and the Magus invaded Avalon, overpowering the guards Oberon put there to keep people out to do so! Which not only put all of you and themselves in danger, but ensured Goliath had to come to them rescue again while abandoning us! All because she and the Magus had to take the easy way out and didn't even try to come up with another solution that didn't impose on other people! Even without a castle, she's an entitled princess to the last!""Brook, you don't know what you're saying…" Broadway said in a coaxing manner, slowly walking over to the enraged gargoyle with raised hands. "I understand you're mad at Goliath, Angela, and me, and you have every right to be, but you're not thinking straight…" Broadway tried to put his hand on Brooklyn's shoulder, but a surge of electricity coursed through Brooklyn's body, shocking Broadway and causing him to pull his hand away."Don't fucking tell me how I feel and what I think, Broadway!" Brooklyn exclaimed. "This has been 40 years coming! You have no idea the shit I've seen and what I had to do to survive while you all were playing hero for people who will never care about us! So, I'll tell you what I think! I'm done playing nice for humans! I'm done holding back on people like the Quarrymen who will stop at nothing to see us dead! I'm done suffering in the shadows while humankind continues to grind us under heel! Demona was wrong to take her anger out on all humans, but she was right about one thing: your 'Gargoyle Way' is going to be the death of us, and I won't let that happen!" Brooklyn jabbed his thump to his chest as he said. "I have my own Gargoyle Way now, and it says I won't take anymore suffering from horrible humans anymore! I'm going to fight for a better world, and hell or high water, I will make a place for my family in it!""We are your family!" Lexington protested. "We spent all this time trying to look for you! We-""You just wanted back what you lost!" Brooklyn retorted with venom, his eyes still utterly black as he glared at the tiny gargoyle. "And stop using 'family' as if it means anything to you! You said it yourself this clan didn't feel like a real one anymore. That's why you and Hudson spent months with strangers, because they 'felt like a real clan'."Lexington shook his head, tears running down his face. "No… that's- that's not what we meant…""Then why'd you say it?" Brooklyn asked. "If Broadway and Angela didn't really blame me for being possessed, why did they say all that? If Goliath didn't agree with all that, and didn't consider me a disappointment, why did he hurt me that night? It's easy to say you don't mean it now when the consequences are staring you in the face, ain't it Lex?""Brooklyn, please!" Goliath begged. "I know… I've done you a great wrong. I've made so many mistakes not just these past few months but across my entire leadership. But I want to make it right for you, for all the clan! If we don't have clan, if we don't have family, then what do we have?"Brooklyn turned his gaze to Goliath, and the black eyes made it hard for Goliath to see what he was thinking. Then, to Goliath's relief, the darkness started to retreat, leaving the natural brown eyes Brooklyn usually had. "Goliath… family is many things. Blood, the people you spend your life with, and who you fight with. But there's one thing above all family is. A choice."Brooklyn walked to the edge of the roof, but rather than taking off to fly like a gargoyle normally would, he just walked off. But instead of falling, Brooklyn floated off the roof like the wind was carrying him from below. Like a fae…"You all made your choices," Brooklyn said, turning to look at the clan as he levitated off the roof. He pulled a dagger that had been hidden by his cloak with one hand and gathered his long white hair behind his head in the other. He placed the edge of the dagger to where he had gathered his hair, around two feet long. "So, I'm making mine. And Goliath…"At that, Brooklyn pulled his knife, severing his hair, leaving only the two feet attached. He held the cut clump of hair out in front of him for all the clan to see as he declared, "You're no longer what I choose." He released his cut hair, letting the white strands scatter like moonbeams in the wind."Au Revoir, Manhattan Clan," Brooklyn said, not even letting what he said sink in. He turned his back on the clan one final time and flew away.Words utterly failed Goliath in that moment. There were so many ways that he had imagined the reunion between himself and Brooklyn going, and a lot of them involved yelling and anger from his subordinate. Anger he had been prepared for and understood. But to go so far as to disown the entire clan….This just couldn't be real."Come on, let's go," the voice of the child, Gnash, called out, snapping Goliath out of his trace. The boy who looked so much like his son ran to the edge of the roof and took off after his father, beginning the flight in the standard gargoyle fashion.Katana stepped towards where Brooklyn and Gnash had gone, but she didn't leave just yet, stopping just before the edge. "Based on what he told me of you, and his experiences with touch, you should consider yourself lucky he drove a fist into your stomach instead of a dagger." Katana said icily."Indeed," Yi added, stomping his small feet towards Goliath. "We know better than anyone how long those words have been stirring in his heart. But you still have no idea what he's suffered. Both on the journey and on account of you."The cat man stopped in front of Goliath and glared with verdant eyes, pupils slitted. Despite only being a little taller than Lexington, Goliath could feel in his bones how formidable he was. For the first time in a long time, Goliath felt like prey."So let me make this clear. If you ever give even the slightest indication that you'll repeat what you did to Brooklyn all those years ago, you'll answer to us. And you saw for yourself tonight how sharp our blades are. So do us all a favor and stay the hell away."With that, Yi leaped onto Katana's back, and they flew away, leaving Goliath and the rest of the clan with a courtyard full of corpses and regret.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Date Unknown
When the Phoenix took him, Brooklyn thought he was going to die. Immolated by the flames of that mystical bird, leaving only a charred corpse no one would mourn. But instead of feeling heat against his skin, he was simply… lifted. He was lifted and carried by some force while the fire blocked his surroundings from his sight. After a moment, Brooklyn heard the shriek of a bird before the flames started to die down.When the glow of the flames faded, the force carrying Brooklyn did too, and he immediately started to fall. Brooklyn spread his wings on instinct, riding the air to slow his descent. As he was getting his bearings, he hit a rocky wall and dug his claws into it, making deep groves into the stone as he came to a stop just above the ground. With a sigh of relief, he stepped to the ground and looked around.He was outside in some sort of rocky valley with ivy, vines, and trees growing all around him. His bare feet were touching cold dirt with soft grass and moss growing in it. He couldn't see any stars or the moon from where he was, but the darkness told him it was early in the night at best. The red gargoyle could practically smell the dampness in the air, along with the plant life and, strangely… something metallic.Shit. He wasn't in New York anymore.Brooklyn started walking, taking a few ragged breaths to keep calm. The Phoenix Gate… whatever was inside just took him away from New York. From his clan. With its powers over space and time, there was no way of knowing where he was and at what point in the timeline he ended up.Brooklyn looked up, hoping to see any trace of the Phoenix that transported him. No hide or feather could be found. He was stuck in an unknown place without any of his clan or friends, separated from them not just by distance but by time as well.Brooklyn could only let out a rueful laugh at the thought. He had run away to get away from Goliath, Broadway, and Angela. To not face the rest of the clan. Now, he was as far away from them as he could get.Could this night get any worse?Brooklyn ran his fingers through his white hair as he took stock of his situation. It was still night, seemingly early where he was, so he still had time to get his bearings and figure out where he was. Maybe he could find the Phoenix Gate tonight and get home…The thought of the magical object made Brooklyn remember he didn't arrive here empty-handed. He held out the book that Ji had given him, the Grimorum Revolutionis. With his night vision, Brooklyn could just make out the letters of the spell book as he walked. He shook his head. He was no sorcerer. What the hell had Ji given him this for? How was he supposed to…?Brooklyn stilled as his ears picked up a new sound. Was that… whispering? He looked around, trying to get a visual of the source of the noise. It was definitely whispering, of multiple people at that, but the gargoyle couldn't make out any of the words…. Brooklyn's eyes settled on a hole in the rocky wall of the valley. There was something… moving in the hole, and that's where it seemed like the whispering was coming from.Against his better judgment, Brooklyn stepped towards the hole to get a better look. The closer he got, the louder the whispering became, and the more clearly he could see what was in the hole. It was… roots. Large black roots that seemed almost scaled, slithering around each other like a pack of snakes. Brooklyn rubbed his eyes to ensure they weren't snakes, but no, just moving roots. Moving roots that were… whispering. Before he even realized it, Brooklyn was reaching out to the roots, mesmerized by their slithering and whispering.The moment the gargoyle's fingers contacted a root, it wrapped around Brooklyn's wrist, pulling him closer. Brooklyn gasped in shock, digging in with the claws on his feet as he tried to pull back to free himself. Just as he was about to break free, more roots slithered around Brooklyn's ankles, waist, and shoulders. Brooklyn gasped as the roots squeezed around his ribs, not enough to suffocate him but enough to completely immobilize him, rendering him helpless as the roots pulled him into the hole in the wall. Brooklyn desperately tried to thrash free, but more roots covered what was left of his body, eventually covering his neck and then his head, leaving him in darkness, cocooned by those scaly roots.Panic filled Brooklyn's lungs, taking his breath away before the roots did. Was he going to die here, in a coffin of these strange roots? When his lungs burned for oxygen, he gasped… and realized that he could breathe just fine. Huh? Were these roots… porous?Just as he made that realization, the pressure restricting Brooklyn released, and he floated like a feather onto solid ground. Before Brooklyn's eyes, pricks of light like stars came into view. More than that, the ground and the air seemed to be faintly glowing with a soft greenish-blue light. Brooklyn looked behind himself to look at where he had come out from, and he saw a pair of the roots that took him there, intertwined in a circle and curling within it. It sort of reminded Brooklyn of the Yin-Yang symbol. These roots were surrounded by a series of floating rocks, all shaped into single circles spinning around the roots.Brooklyn gaped, taking in the strange and beautiful scenery. He was next to a ledge that overlooked what seemed like a bottomless, but in the distance, he saw mountains poking out from clouds, with trees sprouting from them. From this, Brooklyn could summarize that he was on a mountain. There were other floating rocks all around the mountaintop he was standing on, some also having plants or trees growing from them. From where he stood, he couldn't see anything else except those mountains and floating rocks…Except… as Brooklyn looked, he saw a bridge of wood at the edge of the mountaintop he was on. Seeing nowhere else to go, Brooklyn approached the bridge, carefully looking around as he walked. As he moved, he noticed how it felt like he was weightless, like he wasn't really there. At the same time, the gargoyle felt… wired. Wide awake when he had been exhausted by his stressful night. It wasn't just because the potentially dangerous situation snapped him awake. There just… something about this place that seemed to invigorate him.When Brooklyn crossed the bridge, he stopped dead.There was someone else with Brooklyn right in front of him in the middle of the new mountaintop. He is not sitting on the ground or standing in place but floating in a lotus position with his legs crossed. He was dressed in deep blue robes with green trimming, but his apparel was hardly the most notable thing about him.No, it was that he was of the same species as Ji. A man with a feline head, cat ears, and nose, covered from head to toe in pale yellow fur. The pale fur at the top of his head grew long like human hair, and he tied it back in a long ponytail that Brooklyn noticed became green halfway down. He looked at Brooklyn with a serene expression, and as the gargoyle approached, he saw the cat man had red eyes.Brooklyn crouched low, preparing for the worst as he got closer to the man. But before he could do anything, the man spoke. "Ah…" the man said with a soft smile. "It's good to see you again, fellow disciple."Well… that threw him for a loop."What are you talking about?" Brooklyn asked. "Who are you?"The man laughed at the gargoyle's confusion. "Forgive me! Time has no meaning in this place, so I forget you might not know who I am right now.""Time has no meaning?" Brooklyn repeated in befuddlement. "What is this place?""A limitless realm." The man said. "Where the forces of heaven and earth intersect with spacetime and consciousness.""…..In English please?" Brooklyn asked.The cat man laughed again, louder this time. "Well, I can't speak that particular tongue! We can only understand each other because all hearts are one in this place. All is one in the heart of the Tao!"The last word was familiar to Brooklyn. "The Tao? You some sort of monk?""In a manner of speaking, yes," the man said. "You may call me Lear, my friend, and I am what my people called a Fangshi. A mystic, scientist, and alchemist, among other things.""Great," Brooklyn shrugged. "So, Great Wizard, can you get me out of here?""You can leave any time you wish," Lear said, stroking his beard. "But before you do, I have some guidance for you. To assist in your current predicament with the Phoenix."Brooklyn locked eyes with Lear immediately. "You have my attention.""There is a man you need to find in the waking world." Lear said. "A Solarian Fangshi like myself, and my most prized pupil and colleague. He will be the key to your survival. And finding the Phoenix.""Where do I find him?" Brooklyn pressed. "What's he look like?""He goes by the name Yi," Lear answered. "You'll know him when you see him. Your fates are intertwined quite intimately.""Can you cats stop telling me cryptic bullshit and give me a straight answer?" Brooklyn growled.Lear only laughed again, amused at the young gargoyle's annoyance. "Do not worry! Your heart already has the answer you're looking for! Just trust it, and you'll be fine, young gargoyle. Now before you go, I have a little gift for you."At that, Lear touched the ground and started walking to Brooklyn. The gargoyle tensed but remained calm as Lear hadn't seemed aggressive yet. Then again, Ji hadn't seemed aggressive either…."In this world you find yourself in, you'll need to be able to understand those in the waking world if you wish to survive," Lear said as he stood inches from Brooklyn. "Speak their tongue. Read their words. And so… I will bestow upon you the gift of knowledge. The gift of the language of Penglai." At those words, Lear gently placed a thumb on Brooklyn's neck and another on his forehead. Brooklyn felt a warmth flow into him through Lear's fingers, and for a brief moment, the gargoyle heard the same whispering from the roots from earlier surrounding him. This time… he could make out some of the words.
As above, so below…
All are one in the Tao….
Go with the flow… there is power in inaction…
The truth is more than what you see with the eyes…
The Tao swallows people up…. And the Tao gives birth to people….
Little seedling, become a tree, blossom into a fruit….
As Lear stepped away from Brooklyn, the voices ceased, but the buzz in his head got more and more intense. Eventually, it grew painful, forcing Brooklyn onto his knees and holding his throbbing head. Lear got back into his lotus position and started to float again. He said to Brooklyn, "Good luck, my friend. May the Tao guide you along your path."The pain in his skull made Brooklyn's vision grow black.….When Brooklyn opened his eyes, he was back in the valley, face down in the grass. He groaned groggily as he stumbled to his feet. Fuck, it felt like he was getting teleported everywhere today. What even the hell was that he saw?Unfortunately, the red gargoyle didn't have time to process what had just happened to him when he heard a scream in the distance. Goddamn it. One thing after another. With a weary sigh, Brooklyn shook off the grogginess and ran off in the direction of the scream.Brooklyn's mad dash took him out of the valley into a field of tall grass. There were trees that Brooklyn recognized as peach trees scattered throughout the field, their pink petals in full bloom and occasionally wafting down as Brooklyn ran past. For a moment, Brooklyn wasn't sure if he even went in the right direction, but then he heard more screams of terror. Screams that had to be from multiple people. He narrowed his eyes in the dark and, with some effort, was able to make out a series of huts in the distance, just barely illuminated by a few torches.A village. Without hesitation, Brooklyn picked up the pace, eyes darting around to assess the situation as he approached. He didn't see any people at the outset but could hear the screams. There had to be trouble coming from deep within the village.Sure enough, as he arrived at the outskirts of the village, Brooklyn saw the shapes of people running around, crying out in fear over something. Something that soon became apparent when Brooklyn's ears picked some sort of mechanical groan. The red gargoyle snapped his head at the source, and he saw a group of humans being herded from a house by a dark figure in armor carrying a large sword. Brooklyn couldn't see much of the figure except that it wore some sort of wide-brimmed hat, and its eyes were glowing blood red.A child from that group pulled at the armored figure's sleeve, pleading to it for something, only for the figure to slap the child across the face hard enough to draw blood from their mouth.Immediately, Brooklyn's eyes burned white as he roared, charging at the armored figure with no hesitation. He didn't need to see anymore. No one was going to hurt children under his watch! The armored figure only had time to turn its head before Brooklyn's fist collided with its head. Brooklyn grunted as his knuckles felt the familiar impact of metal, but the force was still enough to knock the armored being back into the wall, dropping its sword.A robot. No reason to hold back then.The child ran back to their family as Brooklyn picked up the sword and put himself between the family and the robot. Out of the corner of his eye, Brooklyn saw more robots armed with swords heading his way to help their comrade. Good. Let them all come.With another roar, Brooklyn swung his sword at the robot he knocked over, cleaving its head clean off. The severed wires on its decapitated body sparked weakly before the power shut down. Taking one last look behind himself to check on the family, Brooklyn charged at the approaching robots with sword in hand.One robot took a swing that Brooklyn managed to evade and counter with his own strike, which managed to land home, slicing the robot in half. The other two circled around the gargoyle, trying to find an opening to strike. After a moment, they both swung at the same time from both sides, trying to kill Brooklyn by dividing his attention between the two of them. Unfortunately for them, Brooklyn evaded them both by leaping up high, boosting his jump with a flap of his wings. Then, using the force of his descent, he swung his sword with the full weight of his fall and sliced straight through his metal foe. The other robot tried to attack when Brooklyn's back was turned, but the gargoyle swiped it aside with a swing of his tail, smashing it to pieces.Brooklyn looked around, trying to see if there were any more of those robots. Much to his relief, there weren't. Just a lot of confused and scared people."Are you okay?" Brooklyn asked the trembling family he had just rescued. Now that he was able to get a good look at them, Brooklyn noticed that the whole family had the same light brown skin and white hair with a slight lavender tint. Brooklyn couldn't see their eyes because every member of the family had hair long enough to cover them. They all were clad in similar-looking robes of varying colors, simply made.The family stared at Brooklyn for a moment as more villagers started to gather around. Brooklyn began to feel uneasy, his mind going back to all the times he and his clan had saved humans only to be berated as monsters. This village seemed to be in the sticks, so there was no chance they had enlightened views on gargoyles.Brooklyn was just about to take off before he overstayed his welcome when one of the villagers suddenly cried out, "The gods have sent us an angel!"…..what?"A guardian of the land has saved us!" another shouted, prompting a chorus of cheers and jubilation from the villagers.The child that had been smacked by the robot ran up to Brooklyn and tackled his chest in a hug. "Thank you so much, Mr. Angel!"Well, this was certainly a different reception than what he was used to. Different, but not unwelcome."No need to thank me…" Brooklyn replied, awkwardly patting the child on the head. "It was the right thing to do.""So modest for a servant of the gods!" Brooklyn heard one of them laugh. This one stepped forward, and Brooklyn saw that this one was slightly bigger than the rest of the humans and wore blue robes. Brooklyn couldn't see their face because they covered up their face with a green depicting some sort of animal. A cat, he realized. "But words cannot express our gratitude! Especially after the disaster this year's Harvest Festival has been!""What exactly happened here?" Brooklyn asked. "And come to think of it, where are we? Kinda just got here, so I'm a little out of the loop."The elder in the cat mask laughed. The high-pitched raspiness indicated to Brooklyn this was a woman. "Why, you're in Peach Blossom Village, angel of the land! A land fortuitous to be blessed by our gods with bountiful harvest! Just a few moments ago, we were in the process of sending some of our numbers to live with our divine protectors!"…. Okay, red flag. "Sending people to live with the gods?""Indeed!" the elder said, turning her gaze to look at a statue placed in the middle of the village. It looked… catlike. Just like the mask the elder wore. Brooklyn's mind went to Ji's words before he sent him away with the Phoenix Gate: "On the contrary, there was a time when the apemen considered my kind gods."Between the other catman, Brooklyn met in that strange place in the roots who told him to find another one of his kind… Were those cat men the "gods" the humans of this village worshipped? Then what does "sending them to live with the gods" mean?Fuck, Brooklyn had a bad feeling about all this."Every few years, we choose one of our own to be sent to the heavens to live with the gods!" The elder continued, disrupting the gargoyle's thoughts with her increasing conviction and passion. "Upon the holy altar, where the gods whisk them away to paradise! But… this year… one of the gods was displeased. We don't know why."Brooklyn's ears twitched. "What did this 'god' do?"The elder shook her head. "The god smashed the divine altar just as the last member of the chosen was about to be taken. Then he made a great hole in the earth and disappeared inside it. After which, those monsters appeared. I don't know what we did, but the gods must have been displeased at us." Brooklyn could hear the despondency in the elder's voice for a split second before cheering up. She clasped Brooklyn's hands, not minding one bit his claws, and said in awe, "But your presence here means that the gods are not without mercy! Perhaps this was a test from the ones above!""Ummm… sure," Brooklyn said. While he was glad these people didn't want to kill him, he was uncomfortable being considered a literal angel. At the same time, he was afraid of refuting that notion because he didn't want them to turn to the usual reaction towards his kind. So, he decided to play along, even if he wasn't sure what an "angel" would say or do. "Where exactly is this hole? Maybe I can follow this god and get some answers for you all.""Oh, that would be splendid!" The elder exclaimed. "You would be willing to do that for us?""Of course," Brooklyn replied. "I can't exactly stay here to protect you forever, and even if I could, just fighting those monsters wouldn't be addressing the problem. So, let's fix it at the source."At those words, the elder turned to the villagers. "The Angel will speak to the gods on our behalf! He will bring peace and prosperity to village once more!"The villagers cheered at those words, but Brooklyn's heart started to feel like it was filling with lead. Just raise those expectations to the sky, why don't you? No pressure here, no siree.Once the cheers died, the elder and a few other villagers guided Brooklyn to the altar. It was in a round clearing that had a series of stone circles at the heart in contrast to the dirt and grass elsewhere on the ground. Built on top of those circles was an arch of gold, beneath which was some sort of metal circle suspended by beams. In front of that circle was a metal and stone slab that had crisscrossing glowing lines etched into it, along with runes. Runes that Brooklyn initially didn't recognize, but when he blinked, something clicked in his mind, and suddenly he understood them perfectly. Much of it was too faded to read, but he could make out one phrase. One phrase chilled Brooklyn to the bone: "Livestock Harvesting Unit 95.""The god went down there," the elder said, moving past Brooklyn to point at a spot in the ground past the machine. Brooklyn followed her, and sure enough, behind the machine was a wide, circular hole in the ground. The walls of the hole were of grey metal, and Brooklyn could see electronic lights etched periodically into it. On the other side of the hole was a panel, clearly of an electronic nature.Brooklyn snorted in wariness. This hole was obviously an elevator, and these villagers were not educated enough to understand this level of tech. If the machine was a "harvester" for livestock, and the humans sent their members to live with "gods" that obviously seemed to be higher tech than them….Fuck, Brooklyn was hoping he was wrong about his hypothesis, but it was not looking good. There are far too many red flags for Brooklyn to be convinced otherwise.Brooklyn took a deep breath to gather his thoughts. Then, he turned to the elder. "Keep everyone safe. I'll be back when I find your god.""Will you be alright so soon after your fight?" the elder asked. "The bandages on your stomach… the wound on your face. You were hurt before the monsters appeared in the village, weren't you?"Brooklyn sighed at the nerve the elder touched, caressing the open wound that Goliath had given him. "I'll be okay, I promise. When morning comes, this will heal.""I see… Well, while you're down there, can you keep an eye out for two of our villagers?" the elder asked. "They went down to find our god as well. One was a big brute named Shennong. The other was a child named Shuanshuan, who was meant to go up and live with the gods today. He must have been so disappointed for the ritual to be interrupted so he followed the god down there."Lady, if this ritual was what I think it was, your "god" may have saved him. "I'll keep a lookout," Brooklyn replied. "Wish me luck." With that, Brooklyn leaped into the hole, falling into darkness.….To Brooklyn's surprise, it took him a few minutes to land, so long that he felt the need to slow his fall with his wings multiple times. Eventually, his feet impacted on the cold metal floor. The red gargoyle looked around the bottom of the elevator; everything was dark except for piercing flashes of red displays. Brooklyn couldn't see any words, but he got the impression it was conveying some sort of warning.Brooklyn took a few steps into a hall, and just as he wondered if he was going the right way, his clawed feet hit something, kicking it into a wall. He looked down to see it was some sort of metal that had landed among the trashed remains of one of those robots. There were other destroyed robots all along the hall, all in various states of intact. Something else had been here. Someone. Someone who didn't like the robots anymore than Brooklyn did.A trail if he ever saw one.Brooklyn made off in that direction, not minding the fragments that his feet kicked up as he ran. The hallway got a little brighter as he went along, but not much, just barely illuminated by a faint green glowing line in the wall. Brooklyn might have better sight in the dark than humans, but he still kept his wits about him. This was unfamiliar territory, after all.Whatever caution Brooklyn had started preparing died in his throat when he came across a window to his left. He stopped, rubbing his eyes to ensure he was seeing what he thought he was. Behind the window was a series of conveyor belts, so many that Brooklyn couldn't count them all…. And they were moving… bodies.Human bodies, all dressed in the same style of the village up above, and all without their heads, bleeding from stumps where their necks were.Brooklyn couldn't fight the gasp of utter horror as he watched the conveyor belts move the headless corpses like they were parts of an assembly line. There had to be hundreds of these bodies, hundreds of dead humans, being carted off to god knows where! What the FUCK…?!As if on cue, something beeped below him. Brooklyn only had time to see some sort of metal pedestal with a glowing light right under the window before it released a bright light. When Brooklyn's eyes adjusted, the light became a holographic screen with a lot of information. But what caught his eye was the text right in the middle.
Apeman harvesting in-process. Apemen will be taken from the livestock areas, where their bodies will be dismembered and sorted. Flowers and clothes are mixed in with the other useless parts and then disposed of in favor of their flesh for Solarian consumption and brains for other purposes.
Brooklyn's mind immediately went to the "harvesting machine" he had seen in the village. He knew something was wrong, but this was… oh god…The bile had been built before Brooklyn could stop it, and he retched, spewing out everything he had eaten that night onto the floor. He heaved, trying to right himself on the wall, before vomiting once more in the hall. He gagged and gasped as he tried to breathe and steady himself, and thankfully the vomiting stopped. But the sick feeling was still strong, only strengthened by the sight of the atrocities still right outside the window. The gargoyle ran down the hall to get it out of his sight, but it was burned into his mind.The "gods"… weren't helping those humans out of the goodness of their hearts. They were raising them like cattle! Animals to be fattened up and slaughtered to put on their dinner plates! Those cats were eating sapient beings! And the humans were none the wiser!Every cell in the red gargoyle's body wanted him to go up, tell the humans the truth, and get them all out of there. But would they even believe him, angel or not? Even if they did, where would they go? And how could Brooklyn possibly stand a chance against an entire people with tech like this?Gods… why had the Phoenix Gate sent him into this nightmare?The hallway continued for quite some time, with more bodies being littered throughout the floor. A few holographic displays also manifested as Brooklyn passed, warning him of a "Solarian intruder" in the livestock area who was "armed and dangerous." There were also weird glowing green parts of the walls the gargoyle passed on the occasion that Brooklyn couldn't decipher the purpose of, but he decided to avoid them lest they prove to be harmful. Then, it occurred to Brooklyn that he shouldn't be able to understand the words, but he did anyway.Looks like Lear was true to his word.The gargoyle wasn't sure how long he spent running in that horrible hallway. Once, Brooklyn finally came across some stairs upward and, without hesitation, started climbing up. Just as Brooklyn thought he was getting somewhere, he went back down another flight to find another part of the "harvest," where behind glass, the limbs of the headless bodies were encased by some sort of cuff and then pulled off with the limbs, leaving just a torso. Brooklyn barely resisted the urge to vomit again, sprinting away from the terrible sight, only to almost run right into some laser beams that were randomly flashing in the hall. The gargoyle growled in frustration and fear, but fortunately, the lasers faded in and out in a consistent rhythm that Brooklyn easily used to get past them.Fuck. Did the place have even less OSHA compliance than the Death Star?Just as Brooklyn thought he made it past the hard part, he heard a scream. One that sounded human. Without any hesitation, Brooklyn ran in that direction. In only a few seconds, Brooklyn found himself at the top of some stairs in a large circular room with hallways built on four sides of the circle. In the middle of the room, at the bottom of the stairs, was a pair of massive statues made of the same white material, but that wasn't what got the gargoyle's attention. Under the statue, a large group of armored robots gathered around, surrounding two unarmed humans.One was huge compared to the other villager, even bigger than Brooklyn, possibly the same size as Broadway. He even had a similar build, with body fat in the belly but thick with muscle throughout. He was bald, with long white hair on the sides and back of his head. In contrast to the simple cloth robes of the villagers, the colossal man's robes were made from leaves and foliage, with a leaf necklet, simple pants, and rope straps around his ankles to complement his primitive attire. His clothes were stained with a red liquid that Brooklyn assumed was blood, and he was baring his teeth at the robots viciously, eyeing them like a wolf defending his pack.The other human next to him was a child, so tiny that he only just came up to his bigger companion's hips. The small boy had olive skin and short, shaggy white hair that covered his eyes. He wore a blue robe so loose that Brooklyn was surprised it didn't fall off him. The boy was clinging to the man's side, shaking in terror as the robots waved their swords at the two humans.Brooklyn stopped for a moment, taking a moment to observe the battlefield and assess the situation. But before he could adequately get his bearings, one of the robots swung at the child, causing the little human to tumble on his back with a shriek to avoid the blade.Brooklyn's eyes went white immediately at the sight, his blood boiling as red took over his vision. No! He would not sit by and watch them murder a child just like they had so many others!The gargoyle roared, leaping from the top stair with sword in hand. The robot nearest to him couldn't even finish its turn before it was cleaved in half. At once, all the robots drew their weapons in his direction, piercing red eyes glaring from beneath their hats at him. Brooklyn was undeterred, swinging his sword in threat as he growled with glowing white eyes, "Bring it!"The robots rose to the challenge, immediately breaking from their formation to try and attack Brooklyn. Unfortunately for one, the huge human bellowed out and used that opening to strike it while its back was turned with his bare hand. To Brooklyn's surprise, the metal on its chest was smashed into itself, rendering the robot inoperable. The colossal human ran after the robots charging Brooklyn, who stood in place with his guard up, waiting for his opponents to come to him so the child wouldn't be in danger.The first robot went down easy, getting decapitated when he got close enough for Brooklyn to strike. Two more robots swung at Brooklyn simultaneously from different angles, forcing Brooklyn to roll under their jumps to avoid them. At the same time, the huge human grabbed a robot by the leg and slammed its body into another one, crushing them both. When Brooklyn stood up from his roll, he was back-to-back with the hulking man, facing down the rest of the robots. As the robots circled around them, Brooklyn looked over his shoulder at the man behind him, who looked back. Without a word, they exchanged a knowing nod before each taking a swing at the nearest robot.If the robots had been struggling against the one big unarmed human, they wouldn't have had a chance when that human was aided by a gargoyle with a sword. The big human dodged their strikes with practiced ease, each blow missing by an inch, before retaliating with his fists. Brooklyn either cut them down before they could get in range for their own strikes, blocked a strike with his sword, and countered, or evaded a blow altogether, taking advantage of his more lithe frame. One by one, the armored robots were destroyed, metal limbs, sparking wires, and discarded nuts and blows littering the once pristine white floor.With a roar, Brooklyn sliced off the head of the last robot seconds before the huge man slammed his fists into its chest so hard it went straight through the metal shell.Brooklyn heaved in and out, dark eyes darting back and forth around the room to check for any remaining threats. When he saw no more robots, he sighed, sliding his stolen sword into his belt on the opposite side of the pouch that held the spell book. "You alright?" he asked the big man, who was rubbing his bleeding knuckles."I'll live," the man grunted before looking off to the side. "Shuanshuan!" he bellowed. "Come out, it's safe!"At those words, the boy who had been on the man's side poked his head out from behind the statue. "That was scary…" he muttered as he ran to Brooklyn and the human. "But you're so strong, Shennong! You took so many of them bare handed! No monster could take you down!""Got that right, kid," the man, Shennong, replied with a smirk."And you!" Shuanshuan exclaimed, turning to look at Brooklyn in an utterly starstruck manner. "I've never met an angel in person before! Thanks so much for helping us!"Brooklyn chuckled sheepishly, still not used to the "angel" title. "The pleasure was all mine, believe me kid. Speaking of... you're Shennong and Shuanshuan?""Yeah," Shennong grunted. "That's us, what's it to you?""The elder of the village was worried about you too," Brooklyn said. "She wanted me to come find you and make sure you were okay.""You mean the kid right?" Shennong scuffed. "She wouldn't be worried about me."Brooklyn blinked at him, realizing he might have stumbled into some drama among the villagers. "No, she said both of you. She wants you both to come home.""I can't, Mr. Angel!" Shuanshuan exclaimed. "I need to find my big brother, Yi!"Brooklyn's mind immediately latched onto that name. "Yi? I'm looking for him too! Where is he? The villager didn't mention him.""Probably because he was the 'god' that caused the whole mess to begin with," Shennong replied with a roll of his eyes. "And yet Shuanshuan here still thinks he's his brother.""I knew what he was the whole time!" Shuanshuan cried. "I kept it a secret for his sake, and he brought us all good fortune! And yet… he stopped the ritual. I don't understand why…."Brooklyn furrowed his brow in thought. One of their "gods". If Yi was one of Lear's colleagues, it would make sense if he was one of those cat folk, the Solarians. Yet if he was, why stop the ritual and lose another meal? Shouldn't he be a part of this? Was he a rebel? A Solarian with a conscience towards killing sapient beings?God, this situation was getting more complicated by the second."We can ask him if we find him," Brooklyn answered. "I have some things I need to ask him too, so I'll go with you.""Are you a friend of his?" Shuanshuan asked him. "You're an angel, so maybe you know him. Do you serve him?"Brooklyn shook his head. "No… I don't really 'serve' anyone. I protect.""Protect who?" Shuanshuan asked so innocently that Brooklyn couldn't help but smile."Anyone who needs it," Brooklyn replied with utmost sincerity."A guardian angel, huh?" Shennong questioned. "I'm no fan of the so-called gods, but nothing I've heard of you angels said anything about you that didn't suggest you had compassion for us humans. Servants of the gods sent down to protect us. And you did help save our lives just now… so sure Brooklyn. You can stick around. Just don't slow us down."Brooklyn's eye twitched at the remark. "You're worried about me slowing you down, fatass?"Shennong laughed out loud. "Ha! The angel's got bite! I like ya already! Seriously though, you look banged up. You gonna be okay?Brooklyn rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine, old man. So, any idea where you'll find your brother, Shuanshuan?"Shuanshuan shook his head. "No… I was letting Shennong guide me.""It was mainly a matter of following the trail of dozens of those slain metal monsters." Shennong said. "I know the place in and out, so it wasn't hard getting our way around. So, we followed the mess the white freak left in his wake. Sure enough, it took us here." He finished the statement with a twirl of his fingers to indicate the whole room.Brooklyn took a moment to observe the room now that the battle was over. Nothing really stood out to him… save the statues in the middle that were facing each other. He recognized one of them: it was Lear, standing in the same sitting position Brooklyn found him in the Tao, with the same serene expression, holding out his palm to the other statue. The other statue was of another Solarian Brooklyn didn't recognize. It seemed to be shorter than Lear, given Lear was the same size while sitting. It also depicted wearing flowing robes that were black at the arms and yellow in the torso. Under the robes were black underclothes with a green lotus flower pattern worn as a sash over the belly. The statue's face was very similar to the masks the villagers were wearing, with its pointed ears and sharp teeth sticking out, and it wore a cube-like black hat with a Yin-Yang symbol in the middle. Lastly, Brooklyn noticed the statue's hands seemed to be mechanical, like whoever it was supposed to depict had robot hands. It looked at the Lear statue with deference, like he was listening to a lecture or receiving orders.Was… was that Yi?As Brooklyn's eyes wandered from the statues, he noticed something in the wall closest to them, just in between. There was a large gate of yellow stone surrounded by an arched rooftop. On the door was a holographic circular symbol Brooklyn didn't recognize, but there were words above it that he could read, thanks to Lear's blessing. The words said: Four Seasons Pavillon."Think he might be there?" Brooklyn asked, pointing at the gate.Shennong and Shuanshuan glanced at where Brooklyn was pointing. "Oh! That's a big door!" Shuanshuan gasped in awe. "We should check there!""It's a good a place as any." Shennong shrugged. "Can't see any more of the trail anyway, so it's probably where he scampered off to.""How do we open a door so big?" Shuanshuan asked.On a hunch, Brooklyn walked forward in front of the door. He waved his hand at the holographic sigil, and in response, the sigil blinked away. With the sound of scraping stone, the doors slowly pulled apart and opened."Wowwww!" Shuanshuan exclaimed. "This must be magic!""Sure, kid," Brooklyn shrugged, figuring it was easier to go with the flow. "Now let's go find Yi.""If you've got the kid, then I'll be on my way," Shennong said, beginning to walk away. "Gotta go make sure the rest of those monsters are gone. If you need me, you both know the way back to the village.""Thanks a lot, Shennong!" Shuanshuan said as the big man walked away into the hall. "Bye!""Think he'll be okay on his own?" Brooklyn couldn't help but ask."Shennong's the strongest in our village!" Shuanshuan said enthusiastically. "Besides Yi, of course! Come on, let's go!" Without even waiting for Brooklyn, the child ran through the doors."Damn it, slow down kid!" Brooklyn shouted as he followed, going through the doors just as they started to close. He kept his eyes focused on Shuanshuan, passing through benches and jars on stools placed on the wall and what looked like an elevator. There was a huge window overlooking a field of grass and trees with leaves of varying colors.Suddenly, Shuanshuan stopped on some stairs leading up to a bridge, shouting, "There you are, Yi!"Brooklyn caught up to Shaunshuan, standing at his side as he looked ahead at where Shuanshuan was facing. On the other side of the small white bridge was a Solarian. One with pale yellow fur and short stature, just a little taller than Lexington, and dressed in flowing yellow robes and a black skintight suit that accented his lithe frame. There was some sort of jade circle over his heart. The triangular ears on the top of his head flicked in curiosity and anxiety as he stared at the human boy. "Shuanshuan?" the Solarian asked, his voice quite a bit deeper and more refined than Brooklyn expected from his tiny frame."Hehe!" Shuanshuan laughed. "There's no way I would miss out on a hero's quest!""Stop fooling around," the Solarian said sternly with an annoyed glare of his verdant, slitted eyes. "How did you get here?" Suddenly, the Solarian turned his glare to Brooklyn, and the gargoyle flinched at his penetrating gaze despite how much taller than the feline he was. "And what are you doing with a Yaoguai?""Yaoguai?" Brooklyn replied with a raised eyebrow. "That's another new one today. The villagers kept calling me an angel.""Of course, those superstitious people would," the Solarian scuffed. "They ascribe anything they can't explain to gods or demons. The truth, of course, is that you Yaoguai, like the apemen and Solarians, are flesh and blood. Or during the day, stone.""He helped me and Ah-Nong fight the monsters, Yi!" Shuanshuan said. "We were looking for you, and he said he was too when the monsters were gone!""That paranoid Shennong brought you here?" the Solarian, Yi, questioned before his eyes narrowed at Brooklyn. "And why were you looking for me? Are you one of the Council's pets? Who sent you?"Brooklyn raised his hands in surrender. "I don't know who this Council is! Lear told me to find you!"Yi's eyes widened in shock. "Lear? You… you met him? How?"Brooklyn rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "It's… kind of a long story. He told me that you were his most prized pupil and colleague, and that you could help me. Maybe I can help you to with… whatever it is your doing."Yi stared at Brooklyn with those inquisitive, penetrating eyes for a moment before closing his eyes in thought. "There's no way the Council knows I saw Lear and that he called me his colleague. I only saw him through the Fusang Roots. Could you have a connection to them too?""Yiiiiiii…." Shuanshuan whined. "What are you two talking about?"Yi sighed, opening his eyes. He then walked past Brooklyn and sat on a nearby bench. "Come sit. I think we have a lot to talk about, Yaoguai.""My name is Brooklyn," the red gargoyle said curtly.Yi cocked his head to the side. "I thought your kind had no names. Had no use for them they said.""Oh, you talked to a few huh?" Brooklyn asked. "Well, my… old clan decided to take up the human tradition of names.""I see…." Yi replied. "Well then, Brooklyn. My name is Yi. And if Lear is saying that I'm your only hope, your situation must be dire indeed. I'm certainly no hero of justice, no matter what Shuanshuan here thinks.""Maybe not," Brooklyn said as he sat next to the strange catman. "But I have no other options right now. I'm all alone, and this place… this place is horrible."Yi looked at Brooklyn, and the red gargoyle saw something like… understanding in them. "I know what it's like… waking up to this nightmare world. I can't promise you results nor that I will grant your wish, but if the Fusang reacted to you, there must be something we can do for each other. So please… tell me your story, and don't leave anything out."Brooklyn took a deep breath to compose himself before he began. "It all started in a city called New York…."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
February 10th, 1997
Xanatos sighed as he watched his staff carting away the bodies of the Quarrymen off the courtyard. A few others were wiping away the blood staining the stone of the castle, as well as the ashes where the intruders had been incinerated.Xanatos had arrived with his family a few moments before Coldstone and Coldfire, just in time to miss the invasion of Wyvern Castle and the not-so-joyous return of the runaway gargoyle Brooklyn. After their palpable fussing and worrying over the well-being of their attacked clan, Coldstone and Coldfire were especially baffled by the idea that the very man they left to find had appeared of his own will. The robotic duo had eagerly pressed for questions, desperate to know if their missing rookery child was safe, but the solemn looks on all the clans’ faces nipped any excitement they had in the bud.Xanatos, for his part, was more annoyed about the damage to his home than the family drama of Goliath and his clan. Mending relationships cost nothing: stonemasons were expensive.As the last of the crew finished their gruesome job, Xanatos saw Elisa emerge from the Grand Hall, looking weary. She and the gargoyles had joined in the cleanup at first, but after a while, Xanatos insisted that they take some time to rest, especially since it was very obvious that they weren’t as accustomed to handling corpses and blood as Xanatos’s employees.“How goes it, Detective?” Xanatos said with his signature coyness.Elisa just gave Xanatos a deadpan stare as one of his workers dragged a body between them and into a stretcher.“Yeah, that’s about what I figured.” Xanatos chuckled. “Tough night all around, even without the prodigal son dressing everybody down. The least he could have done is help with the cleanup.”“Are you finished?” Elisa snapped. “Because I have an entire clan waiting in the castle that needs to talk about what the fuck happened tonight.”“And they haven’t done that already?” Xanatos asked.“We waited for you considering this is your house and we need to pick your brain about a few things.” Elisa sighed. “Even if there’s a good chance what it comes with will be vile.”"You flatter me, Ms. Maza," Xanatos said. “Come now, let’s not keep the family waiting.”Xanatos followed Elisa into the castle, the heels of her boots and his shoes clicking against the stone tiles. After a few moments, they were in the castle library, and boy, did Xanatos walk into sight.Hudson was sitting at a table all by himself, staring crestfallen at a bottle of beer with a shot glass in one hand and his sword leaned against the chair. The older gargoyle poured himself a shot of the orange liquid and sipped it all in one gulp without batting an eye. Goliath was right across from him, not drinking but still obviously distraught, his face hidden by his hand.As Xanatos stepped forward, he saw Lexington off in the corner with his computer out, but he wasn’t actually looking at the screen; he curled into himself with tears running from his huge eyes. Broadway was tending to Angela's wounds, wrapping the wounds on her arms with some bandages with a forlorn look in his eyes. Coldstone and Coldfire had been on the library's second floor and were heading down to the others as the billionaire and the detective came down.“Well, don’t you all look peachy?” Xanatos announced as he walked in with Elisa. Immediately, every gargoyle in the room except Goliath glared at Xanatos, causing him to laugh. “There now, that’s more like it.”"Fuck off," Lexington growled. "Not in the mood for your bullshit.""On the contrary, your mood is exactly why you need some levity," Xanatos replied, not fazed by Lexington's irritation. He walked up to Hudson and plucked his beer bottle away without warning.“Hey!” Hudson shouted, sluggishly trying to snatch the bottle back."If you're going to drink yourself into a stupor, you're going to do it with the good stuff," Xanatos declared before pulling out his radio. “Owen, break out the wine collection. Bring the best to the library ASAP.”"Right away, sir," Owen's staticky voice replied from the radio."Your overprized grape juice better be worth it," Hudson snorted."I only spend my money on the best, Hudson," Xanatos said before clapping his hands. “So… the reunion with Brooklyn did not go well I take it?”“It could not have gone more worse” Goliath growled, taking his hand out of his face to glare at Xanatos. “I gave the sincerest apology I could muster, and not only did he reject it, he disowned the entire clan in response.”“Did you really think things were going to get better after one apology?” Elisa sighed.“Of course not," Goliath retorted. "I was fully prepared for my apology to not be accepted after I wounded him so. He…He has every right to not trust my word and be angry. What I didn't expect was for that anger to burn over to the whole clan to such a degree he'd… he'd no longer want to be with us."“Well did you expect?” Lexington hissed through his tears. “You and your precious daughter made it clear how much you hated him. And thanks to you, he hates all of us too.”“He doesn’t hate you, Lex…” Elisa weakly protested.“Did you not listen to what he said?” Lexington retorted with a sniffle."I did," Elisa said, trying to make her voice soothing. "And what I heard was an angry man who has gone through God knows what and was lashing out at those he thought hurt him. That doesn't mean he hates you now…”“He hates Goliath," Lexington snorted. "And the guilt by association is enough.""There's plenty of blame to go around, lad," Hudson muttered. "You heard what your brother said. I did my share of harm, even if I didn't know it."“What?” Lexington said in disbelief.Hudson shook his head. "This whole time I've been pushing the gargoyle way, all that time I tried to protect the castle, Prince Malcolm, at all costs… I kept telling myself that it was for the good of us all. That our alliance would benefit humans and gargoyles alike, even if the humans hated us at first. But…" Hudson hiccupped, the drinks starting to get to him. "Was I just thinking about what I wanted? Humans never grew to see us as equals no matter what we did. I turned a blind eye to it all, even to Malcolm using us as boogeymen to his daughter, and in the end, it all fell apart. Even after that, I only thought about protecting humans without… without even thinking of what the clan needed. What you lads needed." Hudson squeezed the glass he was holding; with such pressure, it started cracking. "I chose not to see how he was hurting, especially when he was named second in command, and now…."A lavender hand reached across the table to wrap around Hudson’s hand. The old man looked from his glass to see Goliath looking at him sympathetically. “It’s as you said, Hudson. There’s plenty of blame to go around. You were only doing your best, even if there were consequences you didn’t see. My decisions have been my own, as a leader and as a father.”Hudson sighed. “Maybe so. But as your father, I can’t deny the way my actions shaped you and the other children. I shaped the gargoyle that you became, and… perhaps I instilled some things that are best left discarded.”Elisa cleared her throat. “Regardless of who hurt Brooklyn more, I don’t think that’s the only factor, guys. You heard what he said about the Phoenix Gate right? It took him. We thought he was gone long enough this past month, but he lived for forty years! That’s almost half a century that he’s lived on his own. Even without factoring in your fight, can you imagine what he’s gone through? How much that time would change him? He’s not the boy that ran away a month ago…”“He’s a monster now…” Angela muttered, making everyone look at her in disbelief. “What?” She protested. “You all saw what he did. He was horrible! He murdered all those humans without a second thought!”“Killing people trying to kill you doesn’t make you a murderer, Angie!” Lexington snarled, eyes burning white. “Get off your high horse, you sheltered bitch!”"Why you-!" Angela growled before Goliath gave a loud snarl, making both young gargoyles freeze.“There will be no fighting right now!” Goliath yelled. “This clan is splintered enough!” Goliath’s gaze snapped to Lexington. “Lexington, I know you are upset, but you can’t snap at every offense!” Then, he locked eyes with Angela, looking at her with an anger he never sent in her direction before, and it immediately cowed her. “And you, Angela! I had thought this past month had installed some maturity regarding your rookery siblings! You might have issues with Brooklyn, but killing in the heat of battle is not a crime, even among gargoyles. Our priority is to protect ourselves and the castle, and sometimes, our opponents must die to see that happen. Brooklyn is not a monster for seeing to that.”"Aye," Hudson agreed. "You'd be appalled at the rivers of blood me and Goliath had spilled, lassie. That being said, I won’t deny that Brookyln was… unsettling in that battle. And not because he’s a sorcerer now. Those eyes when he went feral on us… they weren’t normal. Black as night instead of white as stars. Even beyond that… He was fierce. Cold. Ruthless. He paid no mind to the ways he made his opponents scream.”"He still gave them an out though," Broadway added. "They just didn't take it, so it wasn't like he was out to kill them all from the get-go."“Can you say the same for his new companions?” Coldfire asked.“Who even were they?” Coldstone added."That's a good question," Elisa replied, holding her chin in thought. "Three new unknowns in that fight."Broadway nodded. "Well, the two gargoyles are obvious, right? The child looked like Brooklyn but with the female's skin and hair color. That must mean he's Brooklyn and that female's child.“Which logically means that she’s his mate I suppose.” Angela added.“That tracks," Elisa declared, taking out a notebook and writing something down. "That only leaves the cat man."“Clearly the same species as that Ji fellow’ Hudson said. “That can’t be a coincidence.”"No, it can't," Goliath agreed. "They clearly aren't human, gargoyle, or Children of Oberon. We've never seen anything like them, and yet two of them have become affiliated with Brooklyn in some way within the same month."“Well, same month for us," Xanatos corrected. "Remember, it's been forty years for Brooklyn."“Right…” Goliath sighed. “And you are sure you had nothing to do with these creatures?”Xanatos raised one hand and held his heart with the other. “I swear on my mother’s grave that I had no hand in these beings existing. They’re as strange to me as they are to you.”"I'll just have to take you at your word," Goliath muttered. "God help you if you are hiding something from me.""Noted," Xanatos said with a smirk.“Just who is that man to Brooklyn?” Hudson asked aloud. “A brother in arms? A wizard familiar?”"Perhaps another member of his clan," Goliath suggested. "The child called him 'papa' no? That means he's considered one of his rookery parents. Considering Brooklyn's grievances regarding my favoritism, it would make sense that he would try to raise his child in the traditional gargoyle way with multiple parents, regardless of blood relation."Angela scoffed. “You mean to tell me he’s pretending that cat is his family?”“Who are we to say that he’s pretending, Angela?” Goliath growled slightly in warning. “His race is clearly sapient and have no idea what they’ve gone through together. My only concern is that he’s influencing his behavior now. He seemed even more cold and ferocious than Brooklyn himself, and I could feel how dangerous he was.”"If the bodies on the floor were any indication, ferocious is right," Xanatos cracked. “My employees are going to be cleaning the blood out for days.”Lexington blinked, and Goliath could practically see the gears turning inside his mind. “Blood… wasn’t that part of the prophecy?”“What do you mean?” Goliath asked, confused."The prophecy Ji told us," Lexington clarified. "'I see a castle covered in red. Faces of men who have long desired you dead.’”Broadway’s eyes widened as he recited the rest of that part for Lexington. “’I see your father with a man who is haunting. A man with a trail of bodies…’” Broadway shook his head in realization. “Yeah… the castle was covered in blood from the fight and the Quarrymen have been after us for months. A castle covered and red and men who wanted us dead.”Goliath put his fingers under his chin as he thought. “And Brooklyn… he had grown up, but in a way that was frightening. He was… haunting for lack of a better word, especially as he killed those men. A man who is haunting, who left a trail of bodies…”“What about the rest of the prophecy?” Elisa asked. “Didn’t Ji say Brooklyn would die?”Goliath frowned. “His exact words were…”
I see a blossoming romance
I see the sacrifice of man
I see portrayals of betrayal
And a mentor’s final stand
I see you on the brink of death
I see you draw your final breath
I see a man who gets to make it home alive
But it's no longer you….
Goliath shook his head after he recited the stanza, pacing as his thoughts started to race. “Yes… yes! Much of what that prophet said… it makes sense now! ‘A blossoming romance…’ Brooklyn has a mate now. And he has been gone for forty years, so we can’t say for certain, but he certainly could have witnessed sacrifice and experienced betrayal.”Angela raised an eyebrow. “But what about Brooklyn being ‘on the brink of death’ and ‘drawing his final breath’? He’s still very much alive, father.”"True," Goliath agreed. "But Ji also followed those lines with 'I see a man who gets to make it home alive, but it’s no longer you’. I think that means Brooklyn was on the brink of death, but the ‘drawing your final breath’ line was metaphorical. Whatever he experienced on his journey… it changed him forever. It killed the enthusiastic and optimistic Brooklyn that we used to know and left a powerful but jaded warrior in his place. That man made it back home alive… but it wasn’t Brooklyn anymore.”Lexington looked at the ground with a haunted expression as he realized the implications of Goliath’s words. “‘I see a man who get to make it home alive… but it’s no longer you…’”“Dragon...” Broadway whispered, holding his head in horror. “Brooklyn… what happened to you…?”"We need to talk to him," Goliath declared. "We need to find out what happened to him, help him heal. We…"“Did you miss the part that he wants nothing to do with you?” Elisa said with a glare. “We agreed that when we found him, you would leave him alone.”“That was then, Elisa!” Goliath protested. “That was before we knew Brooklyn suffered so much!”“And you think you can help?” Lexington snorted. “The one who scarred his face and told him he wasn’t worthy of him?”“I know what I did!” Goliath shouted. “That’s way I have to mend this!”"That's why you have to leave him alone," Hudson declared. "You trying to force yourself on the lad will only make him all the more irate. Especially with his new loved ones present.”"Goliath…" Elisa said, more gently, this time as she placed her hand on Goliath's shoulder. "I get you're desperate to make this right… but if you really care for Brooklyn, leave him alone for now. I know he'll want to talk eventually, but right now, he needs time."Goliath growled but didn't argue, throwing his hands down in defeat. In his heart, he knew what Elisa and Hudson were saying was right. But even so, the idea that his son had suffered so much that he didn't know and was in the presence of strangers who might harm him or have played a role in his current state… chilled him to the core. Especially knowing that he had been the catalyst for this to begin with.All he could do was pray that there were still traces of the old Brooklyn within this new one.The door opened, and Owen, Xanatos’ servant, came inside the library, holding a bottle of wine."Excellent timing, Owen," Xanatos remarked as the blonde put the wine on the table. “Merlot, anyone?”…"Mr. Renard," a clearly uncomfortable voice echoed over the intercom on the airship's bridge. "You have a visitor..."Halcyon Renard, CEO and founder of Cyberbiotics spun his wheelchair around to face the terminal and pressed the reply button. "What? How? The Fortress-2 is a mile in the air! Unless…" Renard hesitated before continuing. "Is it Goliath?""No," the employee on the other side of the line replied. "But he's definitely a gargoyle. Big and red too…. I think he’s the one that Goliath has been looking for… and he’s not alone either.”“Huh….” Renard muttered, stroking his chin in thought. “Well, send him my way then.”“Understood sir.” The intercom replied and then cut.Renard heard the sound of footsteps. He turned to see his assistant, Preston Vogel, approaching. "Well…" the man with close-cropped black hair dressed in a blue suit said while adjusting his square glasses. "This is certainly not how I expected that matter to be resolved.""Neither did I," Renard said, rubbing his bolding, wrinkled head as he racked his brain on what was going on. "I promised to help Goliath find his son, but we haven't seen a trace of him the whole month. And here he is coming to me of all people.""Well, we did promise Ms. Maza to shelter him if he was found," Vogel replied. "Perhaps he's merely here as we agreed."“Without sending word?” Renard asked with a raised eyebrow. “I have a feeling this another matter entirely…”“I suppose we’ll see…” Vogel said with a shrug. “Shall I go to meet them?”"Sure, sure," Renard said with a dismissive wave. "And make sure the command center is presentable. Not that we're unorganized, but I want to make a good impression on our esteemed guests.""Of course, sir," Vogel said before walking off.Renard sighed, looking around the command room of his Fortress-2 airship. At times like this, he wondered if he made the room impractically large. The broad and rounded windows that took up much of the front walls gave him an unparalleled view of the world from the sky, but the room itself was as big as a house, just with many computer consoles with railings around them placed throughout. At the end of the room, where Renard was seated, there were two master computer consoles on either side of a staircase that led to a series of switches. A decently laid out control room, but it is so spacious and empty sometimes.Renard waited around five minutes before the doors leading into the control room opened again. "And here we are," Vogel's voice declared. "Mr. Renard, your visitors have arrived."Renard turned his wheelchair to face his guests, and the distance between the entrance and the master control consoles gave the old man some time to get a good look at his guests. He was surprised to find not just one gargoyle, maybe two, but three of them walking towards him, along with another being with their head hidden under a bamboo hat and dressed in a yellow coat. Two of the gargoyles he didn’t recognize at all, one of them being a dark-haired woman with blue skin with a beaked mouth and a kimono and the other a child with similarly blue skin, a beaked mouth of his own, and dressed in shorts and a tee-shirt. The last gargoyle, though… he never really saw much of him in person, having only talked to Goliath regularly and only seeing the other members of his clan when he helped them fight Oberon from his airship. But from how Goliath described him over the past month during the search, with the red skin, beaked mouth, and silver hair, it had to be Brooklyn. But… he was bigger than he imagined and dressed in white robes that made him look oddly regal despite his bestial appearance.When Vogel brought the strange group over the bridge, Renard used the controls on his wheelchair to direct himself to them. "Welcome to the Fortress-2," the CEO said cordially. "I'll cut to the chase… are you Brooklyn?"The red gargoyle blinked in surprise. “You… know me?”Renard clarified. “I know of you. Goliath has spoken to me about you endlessly the past month. I daresay there isn’t an associate of his in the city that doesn’t know who you are.”“Really?” Brooklyn snorted. “What, was he going around telling everyone what a screw up I was? That I insulted his poor daughter and picked a fight against my great leader?”"No lad…" Renard said with a sad shake of his head. "He told us that he treated you like garbage when you had done nothing to deserve it. He drove you away with his foolishness and wanted to make amends." Renard wheeled forward and raised a hand to put it on the gargoyle's shoulder. "He spoke the world of you, Brooklyn. He just wanted to find you to make things right. As a father who has made his own share of mistakes, that's something I empathized with, even if what he did wasn't right."Brooklyn scoffed, shaking the gnarled hand off. “That ship sailed long ago, Mr. Renard. I’m not the same gargoyle who was helpless against Goliath. Your month has been forty years to me, and I’ve outgrown that wannabe knight.”Renard blinked in surprise. “Forty years? What happened to you?”“It’s a long story.” Brooklyn sighed. “One I might tell you later. But I’m not here for me, or Goliath. In fact, I’m here for you.”“For me?” Renard asked.Brooklyn grinned wickedly in the old man's direction and motioned to his companions. "Let me introduce you to my new clan, Mr. Renard."The woman gargoyle stepped forward and gave a short bow. “I am Katana, good sir. It’s an honor to meet you.”“I’m Nashville!” the boy exclaimed, jumping forward to be at his mother’s side.“Wife and kid?” Renard questioned."Indeed," Katana replied with a coy smile.“And last but certainly not least…” Brooklyn said, motioning to the small figure in the hat.Said figure stepped forward and took off his hat, and Renard gasped when he saw he had the head of a pale-furred cat. "Yi of the Valley of the Wind, the Sol of Innovation." The feline man declared.“Sol of…what?” Renard asked, dumbfounded."A title among my people, the Solarians," Yi explained. "My people revered our sun, Sol, and gave their leaders the title of Sol to indicate their importance."“Your people? What exactly are you?”Yi shook his head. “We came from another star system to escape our doom, only to find it here anyway. You’re looking at the last of Solarian kind.”"An alien, huh…' Renard said contemplatively. "If it were anyone else you were talking to, I'd probably think you were a genetic experiment who lost his sanity, but with the things I've seen, an alien would be among the more mundane I've encountered.""Good to know you have an open mind," Yi said.“What exactly are you to Brooklyn?” Vogel asked.The cat man hesitated, which made Renard and Vogel curious. Suddenly, Brooklyn said, "He’s my husband.”“Pardon?” Renard questioned, unsure if he heard right."I'm his husband," Yi firmly replied. He held out his hand to show a silver ring with a sun crest engraved. "I am married to Brooklyn and Katana both."“….oh," Renard replied, unsure what to say to that new information."Yeah, people tend not to respond well when they find out," Brooklyn muttered, showing his own silver ring with a single five-pointed star. "But if we're gonna be around you, I figured all cards should be on the table.”Katana nodded, and without a word, she revealed her ring, which had a crescent moon etched on the surface."That won't be a problem, will it?" Yi said, tilting his head. There was an edge to his pleasantly deep voice as if he was daring Renard to raise an issue with his relationship with the two gargoyles.Renard shook his head. “No, no. It’s unorthodox certainly, but it’s not my place to judge. So long as you all agreed on it and are happy.”"Good," Yi curtly replied."Anyway," Brooklyn said, changing the subject with a clap. "We're not here for ourselves or Goliath, but for what we can do for you.""Elaborate," Renard said, curiosity piqued."The four of us have access to a wide variety of talents," Brooklyn replied, holding a palm. He snapped his fingers, and bright flames started to burn in his palm. "All of us are skilled in the arcane arts, which can be of invaluable use to you and your company, Mr. Renard."Renard blinked in surprise, staring at the display of power. As he processed what the red gargoyle told him, Katana made a cutting motion with her hand. Renard heard water splashing as the gargoyle woman flourished her arm, conjuring a stream of water from thin air. The water crawled up her arm, covering her hand and freezing into ice claws.Nashville grinned as he walked over to a railing and placed his hand on it. In an instant, the rail dissolved into dust and then melded into a saber. When the saber completely solidified, it dropped into Nashville's waiting hand.Yi, for his part, had walked to another railing. Without warning, he thrust out two fingers, and a sword of green light appeared before them. He swung his fingers, the energy sword following his movements, and cleaved the metal railing into pieces as quickly as butter. "If nothing else, we would be unstoppable bodyguards," Brooklyn declared, clinging his fists to snuff out the flames."Clearly." Renard nodded as Nashville used his powers to break down the sword he made and the pieces Yi left and replaced the railings."Of course, combat is just the beginning of our uses," the Solarian said, dispelling the energy sword as quickly as he conjured it. "I'm sure with some discussion, a brilliant engineer such as yourself could figure some out. But in addition, I am a Fangshi. A mystic, alchemist, and scholar of the natural sciences and engineering. My people have produced technology that far exceeds what is available to earthlings.” Yi held an arm up by his side, lifting his yellow robe. “For example, the Mystic Nymph.”At those words, a blue light flew from Yi's robes and towards Renard. It stopped to hover a few feet from the old man, allowing Renard to see that the light was shaped like a dragonfly. It made a sound halfway between an insect's buzzing and electronic humming."What is this…?" Renard whispered in awe, reaching his hand up to the glowing insect. To his surprise, the dragonfly was solid, feeling like smooth glass in his fingers."My own invention," Yi said, directing the Mystic Nymph to hover between Renard and himself with a wave of his fingers. "A semi-solid cluster of rhizomatic energy controlled via the will of the user."“Rhizomatic energy?’ Renard asked."Qi," Yi clarified. "The life energy that permeates all. My people learned a great deal of its properties and uses, and some of our teachings made their way to the Far East on Earth. It was the foundation of our mighty civilization because of its wide variety of utilities. In this case, a multiuse drone composed of life energy. It can fly around at high speeds undetected, record and transfer all matter of data, and display it in 3D rendering. Observe…”Yi snapped his fingers, and the Mystic Nymph started to shine with a pale blue light. The pale light expanded throughout the room, and suddenly, the holographic image of a planet that Renard didn't recognize appeared before Renard, rotating on its axis. The planet seemed like Earth, but much more water was covering the surface."My home planet, Penglai," Yi declared. "And with another signal from me…" Yi made a cutting motion, and suddenly, the planet dissolved away, giving way to a three-dimensional model of a city with architecture that seemed vaguely Chinese, but there were skyscraper-sized antennas planted throughout and pieces of land that were floating without any obvious way of suspension. "The planet becomes a city."“What an incredible piece of technology!” Renard exclaimed in awe. “And you made this yourself?”Yi nodded, signaling the Mystic Nymph to deactivate its hologram and fly back into his robe. “Holographic imaging, personal computer, and flying scout all in one.”“Don’t forget grappling hook!” Nashville suddenly cut in.Yi chuckled at the interruption. “And yes, miáozi, a grappling hook.”Renard’s mind was too occupied mulling over the applications of the other uses to question how the magical insect could become a grappling hook. “This device alone would revolutionize electronics as we know it. The sheer utility it could provide to things like urban planning and military use…” Renard shook his head before locking eyes with Yi. “Young man…” he began."I'm much older than you," Yi curtly interrupted."Mr. Yi then," Renard corrected. "If you were to patent this device, you would almost certainly make millions, if not billions. You could make a whole company based around selling this as a product. Why are you showing to me?""That's a lovely idea," Brooklyn replied deadpan. "Let's just walk up to the nearest patent office and do that then. I'm sure they'll love to see our beautiful mugs, right?"Katana gave Brooklyn an annoyed look and then cleared her throat. “What our husband means to say is that because we are not human, we’re hardly in a position to start our own company on our own. So, in order to do anything involving human business and science, we have to act through a proxy, at least at first.”"And you're the most honest billionaire I know," Brooklyn added. "Granted, not a high bar to clear, but still. You have integrity. More than I can say for most."“You’re proposing a partnership then?” Vogel asked, adjusting his glasses."Partnership, employment, whatever you want to call it," Yi stated. "So long as our family gets our fair share. And while I am happy to hear the Mystic Nymph already has you sold, that is only the beginning of what we have planned."“Such as?”“Mr. Renard…” Brooklyn began, his voice having a weight that wasn’t there before. “Would you like to walk again?”“…pardon?”"You're subject to a debilitating illness if my memory serves," Brooklyn said, stepping forward in front of Renard. He kneeled to look at the old man, eye to eye. "Through no fault of your own, your ability to walk was taken from you, all thanks to a random disease. That's hardly fair, isn't it? With a little time and research, we can even those scales."Renard blinked at Brooklyn, looked at Yi, and then back at Brooklyn. “How?”"As I said, Solarian technology can do many things beyond the capacity of earthlings," Yi replied. "At our peak, we molded lifeforms as if they were clay, shaping them as we saw fit through genetic engineering. I may not have access to all that technology now, but much of the knowledge remains in my mind. With enough research and resources, I have no doubt I can bring the gap between earthling technology and Solarian science. And in doing so, produce a cure for your condition." The Solarian reached with both hands to clasp Renard's wrinkled ones. "I can't promise immortality. My people searched to their own doom for such an impossibility. But if nothing else, I can extend your lifespan by a few more comfortable years.”Renard looked up at the ceiling, drinking the words in. “A few comfortable years… no pain, no weakness. With my legs once again…. You can do that?”"With your resources, my clan's magic, and my scientific knowledge, I am certain," Yi said with no hesitation.Renard looked back at the feline, and despite all his cynicism and attempts to see any insincerity within the cat or the gargoyle, he couldn't find any. The strange alien spoke with the confidence of someone who knew what he needed to do to make what he proposed to happen, and he wanted Renard to be a part of it and reap the rewards.“What do you get out of this?” Renard couldn’t help but ask.“A stable job and income?” Brooklyn replied with a raised eyebrow.“Brooklyn…” Katana sighed.“What, that’s part of it, right?” Brooklyn protested.“Maybe, but this is one time where it wouldn’t hurt to be sincere, love.” Katana chided.“Right…” Brooklyn sighed. “Income aside… we want more for ourselves than just playing dark knights for a city that will hate us for doing it. There are so many ways we could contribute, so many things to do, but we can’t do them on our own because we’re so hated. Being vigilantes isn’t going to change that, no matter how many drugies we bust or purse snatchers we catch. If things are to get better for gargoyle kind, we have to change our approach. We need power. Resources. Some means of influencing society and showing what we can do. Producing things for a big tech company like yours, doing things like healing the sick or making gadgets people want, all the while gaining funding and influence… that’s the best means we have right now.”Katana nodded at her mate's words and gave him a proud smile. "Indeed. We have all endured enough bloodshed over these forty years. Too much. I simply wish to live a peaceful life with my family and do what I can to ensure a better future for my children and the rest of our kind."“As for myself…” Yi said. “This is about atonement. I have committed unforgivable sins upon my people and this planet. Spilled enough blood to fill entire oceans because of my arrogance and selfishness. Even if I lived for a thousand years, I would never make up for things I have done. But even so…” Yi looked at Renard with determination. “I must do what I can to give back to the world I stole so much from. I can’t fix the past, but I will do everything I can to make a better future. For humans and gargoyles alike.”Renard smiled at those words. “You really mean all that… I may not know what you’ve done, but I know sincerity when I see it. It takes great integrity to admit a wrong, and even more to amend your mistakes however you can.” Renard looked between all four of his guests and shook his head. “Very well. I accept your offer. From now on, you’re partners in development in Cyberbiotics. We’ll spend this week figuring out the specifics.”Brooklyn smiled, and though it didn't quite reach his eyes, Renard still saw warmth in them. "Thank you, Mr. Renard.At that, Yi lifted the other side of his robes, and another Mystic Nymph, a pinkish-red, flew from him and over to Renard. "Keep this," Yi said as the insect landed on the old man's lap. "I authorized it for your use. Use it to contact us."“Leaving already?” Renard asked.“Gonna be sundown soon," Brooklyn replied as he and his family turned to leave. "So we’ll be on our way.”“Do you have anywhere to stay?” Renard pressed."We got a mobile home hidden at the docks," Nashville replied, earning an elbow to the ribs from Yi. "Ouch!""If you wish, you're welcome to stay here," Renard offered.Brooklyn blinked in surprise. “We don’t want to impose, Mr. Renard.”"You wouldn't be imposing," Renard insisted, wheeling closer. "There's plenty of room, and I was prepared to host you if you were found, Brooklyn."“What?” Brooklyn questioned, turning back to look at Renard.The old man nodded in confirmation. “Ms. Maza and Hudson agreed that if you were found, you should not be forced to stay with Goliath if you did not feel safe there. So, they made arrangements with me and Talon to provide places for you to live away from the clan, until you feel comfortable or otherwise. And they took great pains to make sure Goliath did not know I or Talon were the ones they reached out to.”“They…” Brooklyn uttered, not quite processing what was told to him. “They really did that?”Renard nodded. “They did. They want to protect you, Brooklyn. The offer still stands in my book, even with our deal and the additional guests. What do you say?” Renard held out his hand to shake on the offer.Brooklyn’s eyes shifted uneasily, and Renard wondered if he had overstepped. Even if he hadn’t, it didn’t bode well that an act of simple kindness would through the gargoyle for such a loop.Katana put a hand on Brooklyn's shoulder. "I don't sense any ill intent, my love," Katana said reassuringly. "I believe he is sincere."“The Skid is kinda cramped," Nashville offered.“And we do have the other child on the way…” Yi added.Brooklyn sighed, gave that same torn smile he had earlier, and walked up to Renard. "Alright Mr. Renard," he said, clasping the man's hand. "You've got a deal."….Mr. Renard let the family leave after that, giving them the rest of the evening and the next day to gather their things and reconvene at his manor. With that arrangement made, Brooklyn took Yi in his arms and flew away from Fortress 2, Katana and Nashville following behind. It was a pretty quiet flight, which the red gargoyle was grateful for after their rather hectic night. If there was one thing his forty-year journey had taught him, it was to savor the moments of peace while they were there. They never lasted long enough.Thanks to the height of Fortress 2, it was pretty much a straight shot to its destination: a cable-stayed suspension bridge built over the East River. Even at this late hour, cars would travel across and from Manhattan, and boats of many sizes would dock in the nearby harbors. Where at the time of opening, it was once the longest bridge of its kind. Where else would this be but the Brooklyn Bridge?When Brooklyn had chosen this location for their hiding place, Yi asked him if he thought it was even a little on the noise. Brooklyn replied that it was "so overt, it was covert.” He considered it his victory when Yi laughed at his joke. Even after forty years, that was a rarity to cherish.It was a simple matter to swoop under the bridge when no one was looking. Then, Brooklyn weaved under the pillars near the end of the bridge to reveal their destination docked by the river’s edge: Skidbladnir.Skidbladnir, or the Skid as the family liked to call it, was a sizable vehicle of green-blue metal floating in the water. Taking its design from the most advanced Solarian technology he could salvage, the Skid was designed by Yi to be a mobile home that could be used on land and water. On land, it would either hover across the ground through electromagnetic force or be able to be pulled like a carriage with the addition of some wheels. On water, it would float like any other boat and propel itself through the engines on the underside. In the middle of the boat/carriage was a house with a little pavilion extending from it that led to the vessel's controls.A shimmer of red energy was glowing around the boat, invisible to all except Brooklyn. None of them wanted to risk what they had on the ship being stolen by thieves or curious police. So, before they left, Brooklyn had placed a few wards around their forty-year-old home to keep it away from prying eyes. Or scrying eyes.With a final flap of his wings, Brooklyn passed through the wards he placed around the Skid and wafted down to the boat's floor. Yi lingered in Brooklyn's arms momentarily, giving the gargoyle a tight squeeze around the chest before jumping to the ground himself."Just a little while before sunrise," Katana said as she and Nashville landed. As they did, they heard a barking from within the cabin of the Skid. "I need to check on the egg before that."“Of course, bǎo bèi," Yi replied.Katana walked under the pavilion and towards a door that was rattling. When Katana opened the door, a creature burst from the house. It was a gargoyle beast, a lion-sized canine-like creature with green skin and a brown mane that didn't hide the four small horns on his brow. The beast kept barking in excitement as it bound toward Yi on all fours, and before the Solarian could react, bowled him over on his back and started licking his face.“Down Fu-Dog!” Yi protested through irritated grunts, trying to push the hound’s face away from him. “Get back you filthy beast!”Brooklyn, Nashville, and Katana laughed at the forced affection their pet gave Yi. "You call him that, and yet he still likes you the most!" Brooklyn pointed out.“I don’t know why!” Yi cried as he finally managed to push the gargoyle beast off him. He wiped the slobber off his face with his sleeve. “You were the one that took care of him!”"He just wants a playmate, papa," Nashville laughed as his mother went inside. "That fur of yours makes him think you're one of him!""Well, he's wrong," Yi glared at Fu-Fog. In response, the gargoyle beast wagged his tail with a tuft of fur on the end and gave a few happy pants with his tongue sticking out.Brooklyn chuckled, giving Fu-Dog a pet on the head, which caused the gargoyle beast to jump up to lick his face, too. "Okay, down boy!" Brooklyn protested without any sincerity, laughing as he pushed Fu-Dog away. The red gargoyle wiped his face as he walked over to the edge of the boat to watch the ships of the East River pass by."All things considered; this was a good night," he heard Yi say.Brooklyn couldn't stop grimacing as he contemplated what had occurred that night. When his thoughts came to Goliath, he felt the bile that had built up start to rise. He had meant every word he had said to him, towards all of them. That whole rant had been forty years coming, even if he had come to save them. He had been waiting to get all that off his chest for Dragon knows how long.So… why did he still feel so horrible?A tug at his sleeve drew Brooklyn’s attention. He looked to see Yi holding out a red smoking pipe to Brooklyn. “I know when you need a shot, ceshi.”Brooklyn gave a fond smile as he took the pipe. “Well, who am I to refuse you, dianxia?” Though Yi's mouth was usually hidden by fur, the happy flick of the Solarian's ears and slight widening of the eyes conveyed the spirit of a smile. As Brooklyn placed the pipe to his lips, Yi pulled out his green pipe and put it to his mouth. The two men pressed a button on the vaporizer of their pipes and waited a moment for the herbs to burn and release their smoke. Then, they took a long drag from the pipes, savoring the bittersweet taste of the medicinal smoke. Once they finished their dreg, the gargoyle and Solarian turned their heads towards each other and blew puffs of smoke in the other's direction, catching their secondhand smoke in the process.“Better?” Yi cooly asked."It definitely helps calm the nerves," Brooklyn answered with a smirk. He bent down a little to nuzzle his beak on the top of Yi's head, hugging the Solarian close and wrapping his wings around him. In response, Yi buried his face into Brooklyn's neck with a satisfied purr. They held each other momentarily, not letting go even when they heard familiar footsteps approaching them. Brooklyn didn't flinch when he felt Katana's arms wrap around him from behind and pull himself and Yi to her. Brooklyn gave a rumble of pleasure as he tilted his head back to nuzzle his beak against his wife's, a gesture she happily returned while reaching one hand to Yi to stroke his head.The Phoenix Gate may have forced them all to fight on its behalf and endure the worst that Earth and Penglai had to offer, but moments like this kept Brooklyn going despite it all.“How’s the egg, babe?” Brooklyn asked after a moment.Suddenly, a blue holographic silhouette appeared next to the trio with a cheerful "The egg is doing great!" The hologram had the nerve to laugh as Brooklyn, Katana, and Yi practically jumped out of their skin at the surprise, pulling apart in the process.“I told you to stop doing that, Abacus!” Yi exclaimed.Abacus, also known as Ruyi-2, laughed again. In contrast to her original model, a blue silhouette of Yi, the image she showed was a blue shadow of a feminine Solarian around Yi's size. "Well, what kind of servant would I be if I didn't keep my master's senses sharp?""Whatever," Yi growled. "I take it things were quiet over here?"Abacus nodded its blank head. “Between the wards Master Brooklyn placed, Fu-Dog being an excellent guard dog, and the presence of yours truly, your future child was very safe, Lord Yi. And its vitals are as stable as ever.”"Good," Brooklyn sighed. "Still, can't be too careful. Especially since we have the Three Sacred Treasures on board.""You know they would probably have been safer if you had carried them on your person like you usually do," Abacus said."We wanted to ensure this would be a peaceful night," Katana replied. "And it would have not been wise to signal to the Manhattan's clan many enemies the full extent of our power.""Fair enough, I suppose." Abacus nodded. "Power on hand invites challenge.""Not that it kept things peaceful," Brooklyn groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The Quarrymen are getting bolder and better armed. They were completely packing up the Manhattan Clan before we intervened.""An elegant victory I must add," Abacus praised. "The Mystic Nymph got it all on record.""Honestly, the hardest part was reading everyone for filth," Brooklyn sighed.Katana placed her hand on Brooklyn’s shoulder. “I am proud of you, Brooklyn. It could not have been easy, confronting your old family and showing them how they hurt you. You showed courage tonight, and nobody can take that from you.”Brooklyn snorted. “Please, it was hardly the most difficult thing I’ve done.”“Take it from someone with his own daddy issues, Brooklyn” Yi countered. “It’s never easy to confront your parents, no matter what you’ve accomplished.”“I should know that as well” Katana nodded before giving a coy smile. “In fact, you both saw to my confrontation firsthand.”Brooklyn chuckled. “Well, you were in a league of your own when it came to family drama, Katana.”Katana gave a little rueful laugh. “Honestly, I’d take yours any day of the week. At least no one has been stabbed.”"Yet," Yi added ominously.“…so, are they our enemies?” Nashville asked.“No Gnash” Brooklyn sighed. “They aren’t enemies. We aren’t fighting them. They just… aren’t our friends. They’re people to avoid, because they won’t be nice to us. They weren’t to me, and I lived with them for decades. I…don’t even want to imagine what Goliath might do if he knew who you all actually were…”Nashville frowned before pulling the aviator goggles he had been wearing over his head. With the light of Abacus, Brooklyn could see the boy's deep brown eyes that were like his own, with slitted pupils that were not like either biological parent. "He would…hate me for not being a real gargoyle, wouldn't he?"Brooklyn's heart clenched at those words. "No, no, no, Gnash!" He tried to correct. "That's not what I-“"It has nothing to do with you, my child," Katana said soothingly, leaning down to look at her son in the eyes. "It has everything to do with your parents and the things they have done in their long lives. That clan has rigid views on right and wrong and wouldn't accept us."“And you are a real gargoyle," Brooklyn added, going to Nashville's other side to put his hand on his shoulder. "You're as much of a gargoyle as any of us. You just have a little extra from Yi because you were sick and needed help. You're as real as any of us, and don't let anyone tell you different."Yi nodded at those words. “If they actually thought a little Solarian DNA made you less than them, I daresay they aren’t worth listening too.”Nashville looked at all his parents unsurely before nodding his head. "Okay… thank you.""As for the clan, we don't need them," Brooklyn declared, rising to his feet. "Those bootlickers have no intent on making things better for people like us, content to waste away in the shadows while we rot under heel. They'd never accept our plans, and they don't need to." He stepped over to the control panel of the Skid, pricked his finger, and whipped the drop of blood on a plank right under the panel. In response, the floor in front of the panel, right by the end of the ship, opened, revealing a white chest. “We have everything we need right here and in ourselves. We made the first step tonight, and it will be the first step of many.”"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," Katana said. She and Yi approached the chest from the floor as Brooklyn approached."Indeed," Yi agreed. "It's been a long journey, but we're finally free from the Phoenix's clutches. Now that we're free from the timestream, we can finally make the world a better place our own way."Brooklyn opened the chest and inside was three objects. One was a jian, a Chinese double-edged straight sword with a spade-like guard. Its blade was a jade-like color that gleamed in the moonlight. Another was a hand mirror with the deepest azure engraved on the back with the Japanese character for wisdom. The last object was a crimson magatama, a curved comma-shaped jewel with a hole on the end and a string through it.Brooklyn reached for the magatama and put the string around his neck, the jewel falling alongside the character he already was wearing. “The bird fights its way out of the egg…” Brooklyn began.Katana gingerly took the mirror from the chest and held it to her chest. "The egg is the world, and we are the bird," she said.Yi grabbed the sword from the chest, holding it aloft in front of himself as he said. “Those would be born must first destroy a world.” He declared."And so…" Brooklyn said, facing his two mates and holding out his necklace. "In order for us to be born, we will smash the shell of this world."Yi and Katana nodded; their faces filled with resolve that matched Brooklyn's.The sword, the mirror, and the jewel met together, and the three chanted, "For a world for us all!"