Episode 6B: Ascending or Descending

Logun is given a mystery target after coming back. But will he be safe?

Episode 6

Ascending or Descending

Part B

When the next day came, he walked from his apartment with a positive mood. Mysteriously he had reason to live, but maybe it was because of her. Logun didn’t have one moment to stop and not think of her. He was following his circle again. The path consisted of riding the train, killing people, eating, and sleeping.

It’s the life of any contract killer right? Sure the only difference was traveling through the underworld but this was the life of murder. This was about to be the first time Logun could have a conversation with Tanya while they both were in the train. The stress he had accumulated had decreased since then but he had the feeling it was going to come back up.

After a while, his thoughts about the ones he murdered and the situation with the Ascension had cycled through his mind. It critically overlapped the wonderful thoughts he had for Tanya. He remembered Andrew Walker’s second appearance in the tunnel. The violence he had accumulated in his history had never left him. He turned to the alley and saw a woman holding her head. Sure it would be normal, except that her head wasn’t attached to her spinal cord. It laid down on her lap with her hands. On those forearms were bullet wounds. Her exposed flesh on her neck still looked freshly cut. Logun remembered that face of the woman even though it was covered in blood but he looked down and rubbed his forehead.

He did not want to remember her name, the crime she had performed, the place, and time he had killed her as a hangmen. This was casual for Logun in his everyday routine. He saw the people he killed, or sometimes, even dodgers.

When Logun was at the train station, it was crowded but it wasn’t company. He couldn’t see Tanya. Maybe she was running late but he knew to be patient. This was usually the time they would meet. Was he overly obsessed which could distort his perception of time due to worrying too much.

Ten minutes have passed and Tanya still hasn’t shown up yet. It was very unusual for her to be this late. Then the train came by and this began to worry him. It was unfortunate for him to be lonely again. He didn’t have much motivation to get on. While the other people were boarding, he still looked back. He didn’t move an inch until he was the last one. The doors then slammed shut and the train was in motion.

The train was empty and dull. There was no circulation of conversations and no motion of the people. For only the speed of the train moved them. The surface itself began to shake left and right. He couldn’t balance himself while he held the rail above him. The people who sat or stood for the ride balanced like perfect cradles. If only she were still around for the ride. Logun thought about stopping in one stop for the other train to pass by but he did not want to be late in the morning for his job.

When Logun got in the tower, he went into the elevator to reach Carnegie’s room. He opened the door and saw Carnegie was proud to see him back.

“Logun! How are you doing little boy?” asked Carnegie with a lot of enthusiasm.

“Nothing much to tell boss but getting back to work is not gonna be a problem!” replied Logun.

“Oh… I hope so. I certainly hope so, because I have a surprise for you!”

Logun found this day to be strange and part of the job to be strange as well. Carnegie giving him a surprise? He didn’t think he was close to his boss in terms of friendship, but more of a professional level.

“Surprise?! What is this….surprise?”

“Its a target Logun! A surprise target for you! I have just put this name on the Damnation by myself?”

“Wait…. you put a special name in the damnation book, just for me?”

“Of course Logun! Let me just tell you the target is in the Courtyard across from the tower okay! You better be a good hangman that you always were little boy!”

Logun grew irritated from the “little boy” nick name. However he then replied to Carnegie’s statement and said “Don’t worry, I will get the job done!”

“It shouldn’t be much of a job. I can be a wonderful gift for you!”

As before, Logun found this situation to be very odd. Was this a harmless civillian, an Ascension member, or just a way for Carnegie to get rid of him? There was a lot beneath the smile of Carnegie Spree and there always has been. Of course there was a inner demon inside of the ageless child with intelligence and evil but could Logun outsmart it in a situation where he had to? He walked out of the office and came through the hallway. All the way down he saw Crimson leaning on the wall with his knives on his hands. Crimson’s head had leaned forward to Logun for curiosity.

“Logun…. you came back, were you assigned your….gift yet?”

“Yeah I just was. I am heading over there right now Crimson! I gotta kill this person now! Do you know anything about this target?” asked Logun.

“All I can tell you is that I did not write in the Damnation and neither did Vixen! The boss did it himself! I don’t know why but that’s the boss for ya!”

Logun then grew paranoid from the brief meeting and grab Crimson then slammed him onto the wall! Crimson didn't fight back, instead he let the pressure and tension fall onto him!

"What the f**k is he trying to do Crimson...huh? You are the second in command and you should know everything! He didn’t ask you to put the name in the Damnation! Is this an Ascension member Crimson? Is it a rookie, or an expert of the group?" Said Logun who didn’t have much knowledge of the situation.

Crimson laughed and replied. "Not as much as he does. Last time I talked to him, he didn’t want me to send the name to the Damnation. He had a name that he didn’t want me to tell you!”

Logun decided to pause for a moment and he let Crimson go. He held his own forehead and then stroked his small beard. Instead of letting out his suspicions in a very irrational way, he lowered his voice and said to Crimson “If I barely get my a*s out of this underworld, you and Carnegie will be sorry! Now tell me what the hell is going on because this isn’t funny!”

Crimson then sunk through the wall as his phase changed from solid to liquid. Logun wanted to bash through the walls to grab him but he realized that his paranoia had increased. He knew not to let out his emotions or his anger. This situation was unusual for Logun because he had the whole weekend off and is given a mystery target. Unfortunately this could not be the best change for his life, but there was only one way to find out which was to kill the mysterious target.  

An hour later, Logun climbed to the roof of a building. He saw the tower from far and looked down to see the pentagram beneath him. This was the leap of faith he always took. He checked his pistol, the bullets were full. He checked his knives, they were sharp. The guns he had were maintained and clean. There were spare cartridges in his holsters and pockets. There were also spare knives in his legs and pockets. Once the double checking of his weapons was done, he jumped from the building and fell into the pentagram from twenty stories. The wind blew at his face for the short amount of time he had. His pony tail whipped around chaotically but his focus increased. He knew that he wouldn’t splatter into bits but would instead fall through the pentagram.

He sprung from the ground of the underworld and observed the morphing environment around him. Once the form of the city made its final shift, he turned to the courtyard and landed on a floating platform. He turned to the path and ran through the building which shifted into a tunnel. This was the world he was accustomed to so he didn’t get crushed by the chaotic pipes and bricks of the room. The flat surface shifted into stairs that went downward.

He jumped down the stairs through the surface and then a hole formed in the bottom. Logun went into the basement which shifted into a hallway just for him. He ran through the hallway and dodged the steam and the gears that attempted to grind him. Logun then climbed the flat wall on front of him and went to a window. He pushed it open with his fists and fell through the surface. The worries that he had rushed through his mind. What if this was a way to kill Logun? What if this was a way to trap Logun in the underworld forever? He thought that Carnegie had more tricks up his sleeve so he did not know what to expect.

Logun also found it odd that Crimson didn’t know much either. Carnegie had an agenda of his own which Logun could not keep up with. It was forbidden to gather what Carnegie wanted but it was nothing but death. But whose death would it be, the target or Logun’s? Logun knew he couldn’t complain about the violent underworld because it had always been that way. However the best he could do was take out the target.

Fortunately, he made his way out of the buildings he came across by. He was finally in the courtyard which was empty. He didn’t know where the target was, and he didn’t know what he had to do. He turned to his left, nothing was there. He turned to his right, nothing was there. He pulled out his pistols and aimed all around him. Logun never failed to be cautious at all but his paranoia attempted to get the best of him. This day was completely different for him but it made him nervous.

Logun thought to himself. “Carnegie….. where the f**k is this target?” He was losing patience which damaged his perception of what was around him. He overanalyzed the surfaces of the objects, the roads, the dead grass, and the twisted lamp posts. The windows were shattered and the doors were crooked. He could feel his own heartbeat consecutively gain more speed. Along with the ungodly sounds he heard from the environment he heard his own heartbeat as well.

Creak!

Bang Bang Bang Bang!

Logun shot from the source of the sound. Beyond those gun sounds were footsteps that ran quickly. He ran quickly towards the canopy that he shot at and turned to the right when he went into the darkness.

“Hey, get the f**k back here!” screamed Logun! Right after the moment, a figure began to run through the pillars.

Bang Bang Bang!

He still ran through the pillars and the canopy. It did not shift at all because he was undercover from the eye. Logun was confused in this deadly situation.

“Son of a b***h!” shouted Logun when he lost track of this target of his!

“Logun its…..”

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!

“D****t Logun… you always shoot first and ask questions later.” shouted Samuel Finch. “I’m gonna put my hands up just so that you know I am completely harmless!”

“What the hell are you doing here?” asked Logun out of curiosity!

Samuel walked out of the pillar with his hands on his head and walked with a slouch to face Logun. He said to Logun, “You shouldn’t have come! I tried to explain but you shouldn’t have come!”

And then Logun said. “What the hell are you trying to…..”

Slice! Crash! Boom!

Logun’s arm got sliced by some weapon which cut into the pillar next to him. The support from above got dismantled by the force. He held his bloody left arm with his other hand. The cut was fairly deep but he managed to escape the pillar destruction. Samuel ran away covering his hat and went through the tunnels.

“Oh no, it’s too late… it’s too late!” said Samuel to himself.

Logun leaned forward as he held his bleeding arm and shouted out loud.

“What’s too late Samuel? What’s going on?”

Logun turned around and saw the masked Ascension figure with the blades. Once again this figure held chained glaives and wore the same mask from the PRO news station. This figure took the dominant side of the conflict. All Logun could do was run while he still had his weapons, limbs, and life. The figure tried its best to destroy the canopy just to surround him. Logun ran out of the canopy and into the regular courtyard. He hid behind a fountain. The cut did sting when he tried to hold a gun with it.

In this conflict, Logun believed that this battle can only go two ways, the death of that figure or his own death. This was the same figure he had seen from the PRO news station. Logun would normally have been warned about this situation. This was a game of cat and mouse. The figure was the predator and Logun was the prey.

“Son of a f**k, what is this Ascension member trying to do?” asked Logun to himself. “This would have been a job for Crimson!”

Logun aimed at where the Ascension figure was but it wasn’t there.

Slice!

The tip of the fountain got destroyed and collapsed onto the surface next to Logun. It made him flinch so he could no longer hide there! The fragments have scattered and made Logun bleed on his right side. He received an injury on the right side of his forehead. The blood dripped in his right eye which served as a handicap for him. Logun couldn’t believe how easily he was dominated. All he could do is fight back.

“You can’t hide Logun!” said the figure in its robotic and synthesized voice!

Bang Bang Bang!

Logun shot where the distant voice was but the figure wasn’t there. It disappeared, therefore he had to do what it took to survive. He wasn’t able to handle the physical destruction but he still had to get out.

Ching! Slice!

The glaive had wrapped around and skidded against the surface and cut Logun’s right calf. It bleed horrifically so Logun had to evade the incoming blades. He ran fine but the blood did not stay in his body. This wasn’t a fight, it was a chase.

He knew the destruction was going to be used against him so he had to even out the fight a little. Logun pulled out his knife and threw it at the figure. The figure countered the blade with its glaive. He quickly pulled out his guns and tried to shoot at the figure. The figure then crouched beneath the fountain. The glaives had disarmed Logun by hitting the guns away. He pulled out his knives and evaded the swings. Logun then hid behind a pillar. That pillar got sliced. He hid behind another pillar, and that pillar collapsed from the brute force of the glaives.

Logun grew accustom to the catastrophe and chaos of the courtyard. He evaded each attack, and went to charge at the figure. He jumped one swing, he dodged the other, and his arms took the slices of the blades. When they both got close, he had to fight this figure close ranged. They clashed their blades at each other without much use of distance. Logun performed a sweep in which the figure had dodged. The figure threw a glaive at Logun but he dodged it as well. He sliced the figure’s thigh which was not deep at all.

He performed a windmill to control distance but then he had to leap at the figure with his knives. Logun successfully landed on the figure but the figure kicked him away. None of the knives jammed into the figure’s body at all from that leap. He fell down but got back up by rolling backwards. When the distance had increased, the figure swung its glaives at a very fast rate.  Logun blocked the bladed with his own blades but his hand kept on being hit by the blades itself. His hands bleed uncontrollably but the sensation told him that there was the potential of one of his hands being cut off. This was a very dangerous battle between him and the figure. He analyzed the angles in which the glaives were being swung. There was a pattern in which the figure kept on swinging. However there was one moment both of the glaives were going in a completely symmetrical overhead strike.

Suddenly he dropped his knives and grabbed both of the glaives with his bleeding hands! This surprised the figure once Logun had the right idea on how to turn the game around. It was a game of tug of war! Logun and the figure kept on pulling on the chains. They both stared at each other’s faces for a while until Logun decided to rush towards the figure. He then did a flying kick at the figure’s chest! He tried to take control of the glaives he held and then tried to destroy the mask with it. The figure was now under Logun’s pressure! The chains then detached and this was one way for the figure to fight back.

The figure uppercutted Logun’s chin to force him away. He got up and then was reserved to using his martial arts. The figure had to use its martial arts as well. Logun performed a roundhouse kick on the figure’s face. The figure then blocked the next kick and punched his rib. They fought each other with fists. Punch by punch, the fight raged on. Blood had been spilt from this deadly conflict and no one was winning. When each punch was not blocked, the punch made a very deadly impact on Logun and the figure. Logun made a thrust with his right arm but the figure caught it and then held him down on the ground.

Snap!

Logun screamed in heavy pain, for his arm was dislocated. Logun was under the figure’s mercy while his screaming raged on. This was the most dynamic target he ever head compared to the fact that most of them were defenseless. Some fought back but he was highly trained to fight. After he stopped screaming, the figure then spoke to him.

“Have you finally realized that struggling is pointless Logun? You must realized the power of the Ascension and the fact that it will save Acrisius! You have the strength but you do not have the ability to win this fight! Acrisius will not fall, it will only rise!”

Logun kicked the figure’s knee and the elbowed the figure’s hip. He then kicked the figure’s chest with a very hard impact. Logun then did an overhead axe kick on the figure’s head. Fortunately Logun was ambidextrous, so he was still able to take down the figure.

The figure still fought back but then Logun knew that the figure had no idea how to combat against him. Logun fought the figure with his fist and his legs. The movement of the muscles had been so loud that the atmosphere was covered by the sounds. Only Logun was able to reveal that he had been sweating and taking in the damage. However the figure also revealed signs of the damage even though the mask hid its face. Logun kicked the figures stomach which caused it to fall on the ground.

Logun grabbed the mask with his left hand and clutched onto it. The figure punched his face several times but he did not give in even though his baggy black eyes were crying blood. His jaw had received the damage but then he let go of the mask then punched the figure’s throat. That punch had stopped the figure from fighting back. Logun then punched the face several times but even though the mask didn’t completely break, the figure rattled like a rag doll.

He held the mask again and crushed it. His anger and his survival instincts kicked in to shatter the mask into tiny fragments. He screamed as loud as a lion, his painful fingers had done their job, and his muscular body had remained alive. He was about to deliver the punch at the figure but then he saw the face of the figure. It was a face that was feminine even though it was covered in blood. The face of the figure disarmed him due to the beauty and the familiarity of it. He could not punch that face at all. In fact, this was the face of Tanya.

The pain in him was overlapped by the fact that he had been fighting against the girl he had a crush on. This violence had become pointless and deadly. He could no longer follow orders anymore. His compassion had destroyed his motivation to kill her. Logun did not do the job as a hangman for once.

She was unconscious, she was down, and she was unable to fight back. The one whom he had interest in was the most dangerous target of Acrisius. He was committing a sin against Acrisius, but either way it is a sin to kill or to spare, which side was he on?

He held his face with his arm which was covered in blood. His hoodie was covered by cuts and marks. The blood stains did not make the outfit look cleaner. Tanya had caused a lot of damage towards Logun.

Logun got up and then had to walk towards the broken fountain. He used it to slam his broken shoulder in order to fix it. It had caused him severe pain but it was worth it to save his shoulder. Logun then had to regain the motion of his arm to get Tanya back on her feet. He lifted her with his left arm and took her into the half broken canopy and let her rest there. Logun then knelt down with his head on his knees and his arms on the ground. He began to realize that Carnegie had planned this game for him and he knew more than he did. Logun was in Carnegie’s deadly game which he wasn’t sure how to counter against it. Both sides of Acrisius were toying with Logun’s fate, the Ascension and Carnegie.

He saw the pentagram that was located behind his back and stared at it. It glew red just for Logun. His vision clutched at it then at Tanya’s face. He took off her hood and then looked at her face. The damage he had done was significant even though Logun barely survived. He could not underestimate Tanya at all from this point. Instead he had to live and watch what else could happen.

“Logun! Hey Logun!” called Samuel Finch who arrived after the deadly fight.

He did not answer Samuel’s call. He instead was immobile in the canopy.

“Logun….come on…. I tried to warn ya!”

“Don’t talk to me!” Said Logun softly towards him.

“Come on Logun! Sometimes, there are things that you shouldn’t know and….”

“Shut the f**k up Samuel” shouted Logun in a rage. “Listen to yourself, you are always babbling and talking like if it’s all a conspiracy. This Ascension thing is my problem now and I don’t really know what do you want Samuel! Why are you following me you homeless son of a b***h? Huh? Why? You said that you tried to explain but you never told me anything about this. To whom you were trying to explain this too?”

Samuel looked down and stared at Tanya.

“To her! I know you two very well Logun. Do not be alarmed! I am only here to help!”

“What are you… part of the Ascension or something?”

“I wish Logun….. I do! Do you realize how fortunate you are to belong to a group of people? Do you? When was the last time you appreciated the nice warmth and comfort Carnegie gave ya huh? Why don’t you be asking those questions for yourself? You see you got no goddamn perspective. Where do you fit in this picture? Everybody wants to do something with ya and you don’t know why? Do you really know what is going on?”

“Of course I do Samuel! Carnegie knows that I’ve been hanging out with an elite Ascension member! And he really wants to see if I still have the hangman in me! I need to show him that I still have it!”

“Sure you can just cut her head off and show it to Carnegie. Then I am sure he will promote you to higher command or somethin! I mean come on Logun, you defeated one of the strongest Ascension members! At least you got ninety percent of the job done. All you gotta do is cut off her head and deliver it to your boss. He will be real happy!” Said Samuel in a very sarcastic tone.

Unfortunately what he was saying was very true to the situation. This was up to Logun now in these next few seconds.

“Don’t talk to me like that?”

“Why...why? Is it because that I am an annoying f*****g parrot or is it because you don’t want to kill her? Logun don’t deny it you are in love with her! But what do you want...the job of a hangman that you always had, or love? Which is it Logun...Which is it?”

He was still holding his face with his bloody hands. He couldn’t bare to cope with the situation he was in but in fact, after twenty seconds, he thought of an idea and then said to Samuel “Why not both?”

“What you say?” asked Samuel.

Logun got up and lifted Tanya up with his arms. He held her unconscious body and moved along towards the pentagram. He collapsed onto the ground but still held Tanya in a stable condition.

“Logun…..Don’t push yourself man! You need rest. What are you trying to do?”

Logun had let her down on the ground softly but Samuel rushed towards Logun. The pentagram’s light grew brighter when he was closer.

“Hey…. you are the only one who can grant anyone access to the outside world. You need to get yourself and Tanya out of here! But that strength of yours can’t carry two people!”

“You know what…. go and take her. Find a cross around the underworld! There should be one somewhere!”

“A cross?” asked Samuel. “But she had been trying to get through one of those since someone wrote her name in the Damnation book!”

“What?”

“Yeah it seems that writing the name seemed to have hinder her ability to pass through the crosses. Here you walk, I carry. You need to trust me! I know where her headquarters are!”

“Where is it Samuel? Where is it?” asked Logun from his panting.

Samuel then walked towards Tanya and held her with his arms. He tried to support her with the best of his ability but he struggled slightly.

“Follow me Logun, but you just need to grant us access out of this underworld right now.

To Be Continued…….

Author's Note

I am so sorry for not writing. College can be tough, especially art college. At least I had time to write another chapter. So do please enjoy and don't let the cliff hanger bother you.

Reviews

[Shep]

I can't belive how much your writing. Has grown. I find for more enjoyable too read. I liked it before, but this is truly amazing. The characters have for more depth, for more personal, people I could relate too. I take off my pen too my friend keep up the good work.

[Xerclipse]

thank you again :D I feel bad for not going far in your story as you have for mine! That really means alot to me! And you said... people you could relate to? How?

[Shep]

Because. We want too be the hero, heck I like to be the bad guy. Yet I am leaning towards being both. Because I like the kinky stuff.

[Shep]

Because. We want too be the hero, heck I like to be the bad guy. Yet I am leaning towards being both. Because I like the kinky stuff.

[Writer #00]

Was he overly obsessed which could distort his perception of time due to worrying too much.-->question mark

Tanya still hasn't shown up-->hadn't

"It shouldn't be much of a job. I can be a wonderful gift..."-->did you mean "It can be..."?

He saw the tower from far-->from afar?

He was losing patience which damaged his perception of what was around him. He overanalyzed the surfaces of the objects, the roads, the dead grass, and the twisted lamp posts. The windows were shattered and the doors were crooked. He could feel his own heartbeat consecutively gain more speed. Along with the ungodly sounds he heard from the environment he heard his own heartbeat as well.--->This is such a beautifully written paragraph and a wonderful depiction of how impatience can distort perception.

The pain in him was overlapped by the fact that he had been fighting against the girl he had a crush on. This violence had become pointless and deadly. He could no longer follow orders anymore. His compassion had destroyed his motivation to kill her. Logun did not do the job as a hangman for once.-->AWW *^* so beautiful such a powerful statement on the decisions love may sometimes create for certain people

This was a really clever chapter, beginning with Tanya's absence and Carnegie's strange "gift". I was thinking at first, "Oh gosh, is the target Tanya?", but you pushed this fear away in false security when one of the figures was revealed as Samuel Finch. I felt a sense of relief, thinking that the target was just the Ascension member, but then you slammed my security when the member's mask was crushed and revealed Tanya! I felt a shiver go down my spine and Logun's emotion of shock and confusion and sadness was conveyed so well I almost cried (eyes are beginning to water). Nice detail at the end with the Damnation Book, I didn't even think of that. I really marveled at the fight scene and the way you have so masterfully created this world and its customs. Fantastic job, looks like I'll have to wait for chapter 7's intro! : )

[Xerclipse]

writing this chapter was one heck of a challenge. The problem/challenge was making it unexpected that Tanya would be the target and the Ascension figure. I had to add suspense and twist, along with foreshadowing from the ghosts and targets he killed. Sorry if the details of the damnation were rushed :P thank you for reading it :D

[Writer #00]

No problem, and nothing seemed rushed, everything was presented in an appropriate quantity, you did a really good job!

[Xerclipse]

Oh really. Thanks. I thought I rushed the details. Sometimes I don't like saying lines like "oh by the way there is a book called the Damnation that takes people's names and puts them in the underworld!" in the middle of a conversation or scene.

[Writer #00]

I thought it added to the interactive narration, and you don't do it often, so it was fine. of course, if you really don't like it you can always go back and change it upon editing. I have to read the next chapter.

[Xerclipse]

there is a reason why, because I like the information to have its own flow. I don't like to mess with the flow. I don't see you do that as well. So how was theblu3giraffe's story? She told me you read it.

[Writer #00]

You don't mess with the flow (from what I've noticed). I'm behind in it, actually, I was going to read more today. From what I've read it's really good. She has a very interesting concept and characters and her writing is rather poetic. It's like reading a poem-story. Have you read it?

[Xerclipse]

Yeah i have. Its certainly more ambigous than mine (which i give straight forward) but once you read between the lines and re read it, you understand it more. She told me advanced plot points in her story which you will have to wait for a long time.... Ha ha ha ha! But both you and I are advancing now! But if it wasnt ambigous it wouldnt have any value