Chapter Text
It was Faust's turn.
Everyone knew that, she was the last sinner left after all, she announced as such the moment that Outis' turn was done. She said that in a few weeks, they would venture into the back door of Mephistopheles, and sure enough when the time came, they did. They were lead by Faust at the head of the pack, who walked and turned in seemingly random and sometimes self-overlapping paths, taking the group to somewhere that she hadn't yet explained.
Sinclair, at the back of the group, was walking with Gregor and Rodion, the former had been staying stubbornly quiet since Outis' turn. Rodion tried to strike up a conversation to fill the air. "So, what do you think Fau's deal will be, Sinc? Maybe we'll finally meet 'Faust.'"
"I don't know, but I hope that she'll be alright." Faust had been quiet since this trek began, not that she wasn't quiet normally, but there was something different about her silence, anticipation maybe. Yi Sang and Dante, who were walking with her, had taken notice as well.
"Miss Faust, you seem anxious about the events to come. I can assure you that we, the sinners, are here for you, as you have been there for us."
<"Yeah, Faust, we've done this so many times, we'll be fine, no matter what lies in your past."> Dante tried to reassure her, but Faust sighed and said nothing. They kept walking, at some point, the comforting yellow of the corridor changed to a bright, sterile white. The wallpaper running into metal, this place looked familiar to Sinclair, who remembered the hospital they visited just a few weeks back, and that art gallery back at the Spider's House.
The Spider's House.
There was a slight prickle on Sinclair's forehead, but he rubbed it off. It wasn't long before the thirteen of them came to a large circular room, about three hundred feet across, lit by an abstract blue chandelier that seemed to be carved in the shape of waves on the sea, or perhaps nebulae in the sky, it was difficult to tell.
"Wow~ This is awfully fancy, Faust, how come we've never been back here before?" Asked Hong Lu, who was next to Ishmael and Heathcliff, right behind Faust. Faust again said nothing. Sinclair felt something strange and cold at his feet, and looked down, there was a thin sheen of blue smoke covering the floor, that he hadn't noticed before.
Blue Smoke
Again, his forehead prickled, he rubbed it and looked up, Ishmael was turned around, pointing back where they came. "Hey, Faust? Are we meant to be trapped in here?" Faust whipped around, and broke her silence.
"No, that's not supposed to-" There was a rumble in the ground, and Heathcliff gripped his bat.
"Blimey, not again. Oi, Faust, maybe we should hold off on your-"
And then the roof caved in, and a wretched beast tore down onto the ground, emitting blue smoke from its porous, ruptured brown body. The sight of it was repulsive, a chitinous, shapeless creature with head-like growths sprouted from the few parts of its dried skin that weren't cracked open to reveal gaping holes, It dragged it oversized body along the floor with its many small limbs towards Dante, Yi Sang, and Faust. Sinclair's feet were rooted to the spot, and he could feel bile rising in his throat as he looked at this thing of agony, and it took him a moment to realise that this creature was making a sound too. Some kind of sobbing mixed with screaming and laughter, vibrating from its tumorous headthings. It spat something from one of its skinpits at Dante, who was too shocked at the thing to move, and when it hit them, they blew apart into nothing but blood and clockwork.
Wait, that can't be right.
Sinclair looked at where Dante used to be, double checking, he must have seen wrong, there was flesh, cog wheels, and blood concentrated in that spot, but there were trails blown everywhere, including one that lead right up to him and...
He looked down at his feet, and saw the golden hand of a clock, embedded into a pinkish-white chunk of something. He felt vomit rising in the back of his throat, and he covered his mouth. The chains had snapped, there would be no reviving anymore. For the first time in a year and a half, Sinclair was afraid of dying, he looked up at the horrible thing thing again. It had a claw now, on which Yi Sang was pierced by the torso. His black eyes were open further than they usually were, frozen in a permanent shape of shock. He was already dead.
Outis, and Gregor were the first to move.
"Men, doors on the rim have opened up again, Survivors must move to escape, Those most capable will fight the beast. Ryōshū, Meursault, With me!" Outis spat. Meursault nodded, and Ryōshū gave an affirmative grunt. They went forward, Ishmael, Heathcliff, and Hong Lu ran backward. Gregor took Rodion's arm and pulled her backward towards one of the newly opened doors on the rim, it was dark on the other side, and as soon as the pair entered it, it began to close.
"C'mon Sinclair! Quick!" Gregor shouted, but by the time Sinclair's legs had responded to his brain, the door was already shut. Sinclair slammed into the wall where the door used to be there, and fell to the floor.
The beast gave a shout of rage and joy, and dashed forward much faster than it should have been able to, leaping right over the trio of Ryōshū, Outis and Meursault, narrowly missing Heathcliff and Don Quixote but crushing Ishmael and Hong Lu under its weight.
Crushing them, just like that. The woman who he played J&J with, who taught him the best way to tie knots, and how to live at sea, and the man who's smile had finally become genuine, who was finally learning how to live for himself.
They were gone.
Heathcliff looked back, swore, and then entered another of the doors, Don Quixote followed and the door sealed shut behind them just as the one Gregor took did, and then the beast was standing over Sinclair.
His forehead prickled again, and instead of the beast spitting, or swiping, or crushing him, it just waited. Then it yowled, and turned around, Outis had used her E.G.O, a powerful shot had pierced through the back of the thing, and it was leaking a vile green liquid that must've its blood. The beast snarled and lunged toward Outis, but she ducked out of the way just in time, signalling Ryōshū to cut at the thing's body. Sinclair would've kept watching, but Faust grabbed his arm, and he almost jumped back in surprise. "It is time to go." She said.
"But, what about everyone? What about them?" Sinclair gestured to the trio battling the beast before them.
"The chain is broken, and they are back to their prime strength. This beast is no match for them, we must flee."
"But-" Sinclair cut himself off, took a deep breath, and nodded. Faust ran towards another of the doors, and Sinclair chased after her, they shot through it, ending up in total darkness, and the door began to seal shut behind them, the clashing, slashing and crushing sound of the fight behind them cutting off the second that the door sealed shut. "Wh-where are we Faust?"
"Wait a moment." Faust whispered. Before long, the darkness surrounding them began to clear, and they found themselves somewhere familiar, an enormous dining room, at the head of which was a short woman in a red and black dress. Sinclair looked down, and realised that he and Faust's feet were on the table itself, Faust's foot was stomped into a roast duck, but she didn't seem to care. The room was silent, presumably there was some conversation happening before their abrupt arrival, but now they heard only silence.
The woman- Jia Xichun, stood up and stared at the pair of them.
"What the fuck are you two doing here?"