Chapter 2: Chapter Two - The Ensnaring Serpent
Marcus came back from the Pope's room with a smile. He seemed to have made an impression there and he looked freshen up.
"I see Faye has done a great job patching you up" he smiled at Andrea, who was in the far corner of the room.
"Yes she did" she replied.
JJ was busy on the computer trying to analyse and translate the text they retrieved. Marcus walked to Andrea and sat by her.
"I told you he wouldn't let you get hurt" Marcus said.
"Yes he saved me. But there is something off about him" she said confused.
"Let's just say he had a rough childhood" Marcus explained rather simply.
"What happened to him?" Andrea inquired, hoping Marcus will shed some light on her darkness.
"His parents were one of the prominent families in the Vatican city. His ancestor built the new Vatican city from the ground. His mom and dad were killed in an attack on returning from one of the states. He was the sole survivor of the attack. Many thought he was dead. He was found three years later. He was different when he came. Everything about him was off. He had skills far superior to even the highest ranked Seraph soldier. He hasn't opened up to anyone since then" Marcus explained with great excitement.
"So did he actually perform an exorcism at the age of twelve?" Andrea asked as her curiosity set in.
"Yes. It happened right before my eyes and it gave me creeps then" he said as they both laughed.
Sebastian walked in suddenly with his great demeanor. He looked freshened up with his neat robe fitting elegantly. Faye walked in right after him.
"I see you did a great job patching our little miss Andrea up" Sebastian teased.
"I'm twenty six years old and no one's little miss" she snapped getting to her feet.
"My apologies Miss Andrea Hale" he responded with a teasing bow.
"Knock it off" Marcus said as they all moved to JJ, who was still busy on the computers.
"What have you gotten so far JJ?" Sebastian asked leaning on the desk.
"Well I have translated the text but nothing here makes sense to me" he explained.
"Let me see" Andrea moved closer to the screens.
"The truth you seek, lies deep within the treasures no one sees. With words of trust, he who wishes to succeed must be devoid of lust. Be sure to give your best, for everything good lies in a dead man's chest" Andrea read.
"This is a riddle, not a map" Faye whispered.
Sebastian gave a sigh of disbelief.
"We just need to decipher it" Andrea added.
"I thought there was going to be more action. I'm out off here, you people call me when you have something" Sebastian said walking out as Andrea followed.
"The Pope assigned you to me and as your superior you are mandated to do whatever he commands. I hope you wouldn't want to disappoint him" she whispered into his ears with a smile.
Sebastian stopped and walked back. Failing a mission assigned by the Pope wasn't something he would like added to his achievements. The whole Seraph army would feel disappointed if their commander disobeyed a direct order from the Pope. JJ had already shown them a video of how he defeated the golem.
He was surprised to know that JJ captured the whole action with his surveillance drone. The whole crew was surprised when he walked back. Andrea was the first woman to tame him and she did it with just words.
"If you two lovebirds are done with the whispering come take a look at this" JJ called out.
"What is it?" Marcus said when they all turned to him.
JJ pulled an inscription hidden below the texts.
"It says here that the text was previously guarded by the Rattlers" he said simply.
"The Rattlers have been known to be extinct even before the fall of the old world" Faye said as they each walked towards a different direction.
"No they aren't. My dad said he came across some of them in the eastern forests, during his days of exploration" Andrea said delighted.
"I'm sure it's just a group of people trying to impersonate them" Marcus said simply.
"She is telling the truth, I have come across them too. When I was investigating deep in the eastern woods" Sebastian defended her claim.
"We need to get there now. Maybe they can help solve this puzzle" Andrea said excited.
"I hate to agree with her but she is right" Sebastian added simply.
"Finally, I get to leave this place for a while" JJ scream with excitement.
"Pack what you will need. Things might take longer than we expect, I will let the Pope know about our departure" Marcus said then walked out.
The drive was longer than Marcus had said. They had to take a longer route to avoid the wraiths since they were travelling at night.
"Can you drive any faster? You know I'm allergic to you" Sebastian said playfully to Marcus as he sped on the road.
"I think you will have to hold your breath longer cos I'm on the verge of throwing up" Marcus teased back as the whole crew laughed in the speeding car.
"So JJ have you been able to convince any poor lad to marry you? I will be glad to bless the holy matrimony" Marcus teased.
"I'm still working on it" JJ answered glancing at Faye.
The cool breeze of the morning and the intense smoke in the air announced the presence of the village.
"I think I'm going to vomit" Sebastian teased Marcus as he got out of the car.
"Remind me not to ride with you ever again" Marcus smiled at him as he put his glasses on.
"I sure will Father Marcus Crane" Sebastian said bowing down before him with a reciprocal smile.
"Is he always this playful?" Andrea asked JJ with a smile that covered her whole face, as they walked behind the rest.
"Yes he is, even with his soldiers. He only seems tense around you, which is very unusual with him" JJ explained.
"Really?" Andrea asked surprised.
"Yeah" JJ replied.
"I think he always likes being in control and I'm kinda in the way of that satisfaction" Andrea defended.
"Why don't they call him Father Montez?" Andrea inquired.
"Sebastian is just a Seraph, without being ordained he doesn't earn the title 'Father'. Till he is ordained he is just a man like anyone else and he can do whatever he wishes to do" JJ explained.
"So he can get married?" Andrea asked again, surprising JJ.
"Only if he wishes to" JJ said simply.
"Can I asked you something?" JJ said suddenly, stopping them on the way.
"Yes, anything" Andrea turned to him.
"I have had feelings for Faye for a while. Do you think it's the right time to tell her?" JJ asked, confusing Andrea.
"So if I'm right, you have feelings for a nun and you want my advice on whether to tell her or not?" Andrea said in a puzzling tone.
"That was rather too precise" he said simply.
"I think you should follow your heart" Andrea said simply, not wanting to complicate things more.
"Are you two done making out? I think it's time to join us" Sebastian shouted, this time there was no trace of humor on his face.
Andrea and JJ hurriedly caught up with them. Recognizing their attire they were given a nice welcome.
"Welcome sir. My team and I are happy to have you here" the young man in the Seraph uniform said.
"We are highly honour to have the great Sebastian Montez in our humble abode" he added as the young Seraphs cheered.
"Please take our bags in, we need to take care of something before we settle in" Marcus said.
The team moved from the quarters towards the village, with Faye leading the charge. The loud silence in the town announced that there was trouble. The people had a bit of light gleaming in their eyes when they passed them by. They seemed to have acquired hope from nowhere.
"Hi! who is in charge here?" Marcus shouted, hoping someone will come forth.
"I am" an old man with grey hair and beared appeared from nowhere.
"Come, let's sit and talk" he said when he saw their uniforms.
"How can we be of assistance to you noble men from the Vatican City?" he asked when they all took their seat in the little room.
"We are here in search of a tribe known as the Rattlers" Marcus said as polite as he could.
"And what do you want with them?" He further inquired.
"We were hoping they could help us decipher a clue" Marcus said simply.
"I'm afraid they can't be of any help, but fortunately for you I'm the last of the Rattlers alive. Let me have a look at your text maybe I can be of help" he said with a smile that touches his eyes.
Andrea pulled out the text from her satchel and handed it over to him. He turned it over and spoke finally.
"The last testament of apostles. My clan has guided this for centuries until they lost it after the Holy Showers. How did you get it?" he asked out of excitement.
"We dug it out of a graveyard in the swamps" Andrea said looking toward Sebastian.
"The land of the Golems. How did you survive that dreadful place?" he asked rather very surprised.
"We had a lot of help. We even ended up killing one of the monsters" Andrea added.
"What! in the history of the new world I have never heard of a man who could kill a golem, there is only one man who could pull that off, that is Sebastian Montez" he said making the rest laugh including Sebastian.
"Yes he was there to help. He had the chance of slaying the beast" Marcus said looking to Sebastian.
"I heard he only goes on missions assigned by the Pope himself. Meaning your mission was of great importance. I will get on the task immediately. Does he have good sense of humor as they say?" he asked as they stood up.
"You will have to see that yourself" Andrea said rather too quickly.
"He's here?" the old man said with excitement.
"Nice meeting you sir, I'm Sebastian Montez" he said taking the man's hand with both of his.
"Bless the heavens. You look younger than I ever imagined" he said with a smile.
"Sorry for my curiosity but I noticed distress on the faces outside, what seemed to be the issue here?" Sebastian asked humbly.
"There has been a series of cases where some of the villages had been turned into stones. The Seraphs went investigating but there was no trace of any attack, they just found some snake marks leading nowhere" the old man explained.
"That is a Basilisk" Sebastian said.
"What is a Basilisk?" one of the villagers asked scared.
"It's a snake-like creature that kills it's victims by looking them in the eye. It turns them into stone. Just tell your friends to avoid eye contact with any snake they find, at least till I tell them to" he said calling for his clothes and swords on a walkie-talkie.
"You can see to the text, I will check the woods for any sign of the beast" he said as the young Seraph brother arrived with the weapons.
"Do you need help?" Marcus asked concerned.
"No, I will be fine. I don't think a Basilisk will be much stress" he called out smiling.
"Just return in one piece" Andrea shouted to him.
"I will try, but I can't promise anything" he replied running into the woods.
"I think you two are finally getting along" Marcus smiled at her.
"Do you think he will be okay alone?" Andrea asked concerned.
"Don't worry about him, he can take care of himself" Marcus said assuring her.
Sebastian walked in the woods, slowly glancing at each moving turn hoping to find the deadly snake. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the woods. The stench of decay and despair hung heavily in the air as if the very earth itself was mourning. Sebastian stood in the middle of the silent forest, his face obscured by a shadow casted by a branch. Strapped to his back were two gleaming swords, their razor-sharp blades reflecting the dying light. The ground trembled beneath his feet as a fearsome cry echoed through the air. Sebastian knew it all too well, the cry of a giant Basilisk. It had plagued the village, destroying everything in its path, leaving nothing but death and destruction in its wake. Its scales glinted ominously under the fading light, its eyes filled with malice and hunger.
Ready to face his monstrous foe, Sebastian
pulled out a blindfold and tied it around his eyes, revealing a cute face lined with determination. He drew his swords, their blades shimmering like liquid silver in his hands, anticipation radiating from every pore. He listened attentively as the monstrous creature drew closer. The basilisk lunged forward, its deadly jaws wide open, revealing rows of long, needle-like fangs. Sebastian swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's vicious assault. He countered with a swift strike, his swords slicing through the air with precision but not touching it's intended target. The giant basilisk reared back, bellowing in anger and frustration.
With lightning speed, it launched itself at Sebastian once again, its massive form casting an ominous shadow over him. But he was prepared. He sidestepped the creature's attack, his swords dancing through the air, slicing through scales with each stroke. As the battle waged on, the basilisk's movements became slower and more labored, its movements lacking the agility it once possessed. Sebastian was blind at that moment but very attentive and swift. Sebastian's swords found their marks, meticulously carving through the creature's defenses. His relentless assault continued, each swing of his blades leaving a trail of deep gashes and oozing wounds on the basilisk's body. Finally, with one last powerful swing, Sebastian struck the decisive blow. Both blades pierced deep into the basilisk's heart, causing it to emit a bone-chilling screech. The creature writhed in agony, its massive frame crashing to the ground, shaking the earth with its lifeless thud. The ground around them seemed to heave a sigh of relief, as if freed from the basilisk's oppressive presence.
Sebastian stood amidst the fallen creature, his chest heaving with exhaustion and triumph. He moved his sword along the creatures massive length, cutting off it's head immediately his sword touches it. He took off his blindfold and wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes still filled with determination. He was excited the village was safe once again from the terror of the giant basilisk, thanks to his unwavering courage and unparalleled skill.
As the sun disappeared behind the distant mountains, bathing the sky in hues of purple and orange, Andrea became worried as Sebastian was still in the woods. She worried something bad might have happened to him. She walked out hoping to see him and he miraculously stood right in front of her, with the head of the treacherous creature.
"Be assured brethren that the basilisk won't disturbed you anymore" Sebastian said with a smile.
"How can we be sure it was only one creature?" one if the villagers asked still terrified.
"Basilisks are territory creatures so they walk solo and besides I cross checked the whole woods and found only one track. Meaning there is only one" he assured them.
"I see you had fun in the woods" Marcus said suddenly.
"I guess you want to take a selfie with it right?" he said teasing Marcus.
"I think he has a great sense of humor" the old man came out with a smile.
"Take this" he handed the head to the young Seraph soldier "I will be taking it to the Holy City" he added simply.
"That is not riding with me" Marcus said disgusted.
"I'm sure it will keep my allergy around you in check" he smiled, raising an eyebrow at Marcus.
"How did you manage to kill the thing without looking at it?" Marcus asked curiously.
"Well let's just say all those blindfold training finally paid off" he smiled as they stood in front of the room.
"This text is very ancient, there is nothing I know that can help solve your puzzle. I'm really sorry" the old man said in a soft polite tone.
"No need to apologize. You did all you could" Andrea said.
"Thank you again Mr Montez for freeing us of the basilisk" he said facing Sebastian.
"No worries. I was just doing my job" he replied with a smile that spread across his face.
"Perhaps you didn't come here for nothing" the old man added.
"Maybe we didn't" Marcus said as they all stood to take their leave.
"I'm not talking about the creature I'm talking about you" the old man said pointing to Sebastian.
"What about him?" Faye asked concerned.
"There was a prophecy decades before your birth" he said simply.
"What did it say?" Andrea asked rather hastily.
"It said that on the dawn of the apocalypse a hero will arise. He will be of the family of the people who will restore hope to the world. He will be skilled like no other and will lead the charge against evil. Only he shall succeed in finding the Last Gospel. He will build a new world. A world of peace before the judgement" he explained.
"It could be anyone. How sure are you that I am the one?" Sebastian asked turning to the old man.
"Four days ago marks the twenty-seventh year when the grand Rattler died. His final words were, Sebastian August Montez, the prophecy as began" the old man said simply.
"August is my middle name. Only a few know about it" Sebastian said surprised.
"Guys, this is great news. It means no matter the cost he will lead us to finding the Last Gospel" JJ spoke finally.
"It isn't that easy Jonathan Jones" the old man said turning to JJ.
"How did he know my name. Things are getting creepy here. I think we should leave" JJ whispered.
"What do you mean by that?" Marcus asked politely.
"The prophecy also says that for him to find that which he seeks and fulfil his destiny, he must forsake that which he desires most" the old man said simply.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Sebastian asked with a trace of frustration in his voice.
"I don't know how but you must search deep down and let go of that which you desire most" the old man said as they exited the room.
The team headed out to the Seraphs quarters with each person having a different thought all together. Andrea still wondering what Sebastian desires most and JJ trying to find the courage to follow his heart. Marcus engaged Sebastian in a playful heated talk to get his mind of the recent revelation.
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