Render Unto Caesar

"If I weren't already dying, this news probably would have been the death of me but I have not the fight left even to mourn." Adam could do nothing but bow his head. What could he say to a dying King who just lost his heir?

"If there is anything..." Adam began but was cut off by Samuel's hand raising off his hospital bed.

"Anything? There is much you can do. There is much that you will do. I will be dead by the weeks end but even in this state I can tell you are not long for this world either. That cannot come to pass." Samuel said simply.

"There is little I can do. I am deteriorating faster each day but I will atone until the last of my days to you and your daughter." Samuel laughed at this. It was a quiet and raspy laugh.

"We have encountered this sickness before. Your soul is rotting from the inside out. There is no known cure, but there is a way to cleanse, seal, and render it inert."

"And that would be?" Adam asks in disbelief.

"There are relics in our possession that hold such sealing powers but not any will do. You need one that will cleanse your soul in holy fire. The most suitable is Michael's Sword."

"Michael's Sword? As in the Archangel Michael?" Adam asks now in more disbelief then ever. Samuel chuckles.

"So the legend goes. It is said when Sodom and Gomorrah were smited, Michael threw his sword to the earth so that even the ground itself would be slain. A temple was then built around it. The truth is nobody knows who crafted it and all but a few know of the temple's location. But I know and you must retrieve it. You will fulfill our agreement and bring our enemies to heel" The ailing king brought forth a single sheet of paper and handed it to Adam. Adam remained quiet and bowed as he took the paper.

"As you wish, your majesty" with that Adam left and was greeted by the consulate, the king regent.

"Did things go as you thought they would?" He asks cooly. His name was Anthony and was a real heavy weight in politics. He had been the acting commander for as long as anyone remembers and its been suggested that he would outlive even the young prince by sheer stubbornness. He was a militant, racist codger. He was also the best friend Adam had at the moment. He had supported the marriage out right and saw the potential of Adam's promotion to Caesar as the best option for his people. In short, they got along alright.

Adam shook his head and looked out over the town. None to ironic, the historic church was not far from the hospital. Adam almost felt he should be greatful for not being put off too much. Almost...

There was still the business of leading an army, that is if he survived. The drive took little more then an hour to reach and Adam was pensive the whole way. He had traded one cage for another but at least his old one was not quite as bloodsoaked.

The church itself was just a church. It was admittedly quite dilapidated but not so much so that it had become unusable. He doubted if it saw more then 50 parishioners in any given week. Adam walked in and was greeted by the sight of a monk in prayer.

He turned and looked at Adam and seemed a little taken aback. "You are Mr. DuMont are you not?" He asked cautiously in Latin.

"Yes. This is a very... humble church you have here." Adam said in flawless Latin, trying to be complimentary and failing miserably. The young monk chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose that is one way of calling it. So, Samuel told me you wanted to see the crypt?" To this Adam nodded. Granted the King didn't tell him where the sword was kept but if that is where Samuel wanted him to be then that is where he would go. As they descended into the eerily deep tombs, Adam couldn't help but worry just a little that he was about to meet with the same fate as Fortunato did in the Cask of Amontillado. Nonetheless he would persist.

When they reached the final basement the monk handed Adam the torch. "And this is where I must leave you"

"I don't understand..." Adam said as he scanned the basement looking for anything besides rows of tombs.

"Neither do I but that is not my roll. If you need anything at all, do not hesitate to ask." And with that he exunts.

Adam began searching the room but nothing jumped out at him. He was up to his ears with tombs and nothing else. Each one had the name of an old dead monk with their final thoughts inscribed. Glory to God, Praise the Lord, Gracious be thy Name etc etc.

But one did stand out. It was unique in a number of ways. The first being that the tomb looked by far the oldest and most warn of the bunch and the only inscription was the question "Who is like God?"

Adam looked back up to make sure the monk was truly gone before forming a blade and smashing the crypt. What he found inside was another staircase. It led downward but was rail thin. He moved down slowly. One wrong move would have him tumble into who knows what. As he got further and further he found the air around became warmer and warmer until eventually the path widened out. He took a deep breath and gawped and the large superstructure before him.

It was another damn church. Walking towards it Adam could almost make out a hymn being sung. The very area seemed totally unnatural. The church, while small looked in pristine condition and yet Adam doubted very much if anyone had been here in over 2 thousand years. He swung open the doors and stepped through the archway and felt his reiatsu and all his powers being sucked away. He collapsed in shock and felt a sudden rush of cold taking him. He looked around finally saw the room littered with mummified corpses.

Despite this sudden curse of coldness the heat that radiated from the sword wicked away any moisture from the bodies preserving them. Closer to the alter where the sword rested were scorch marks of all the lucky bastards who got within touching distance. This was not encouraging.

Not one to quit when he has nothing else to lose, Adam begins to crawl towards the alter, each foot being harder to cross then the other. He had almost passed by the time he made it to the alter but the knowledge that he would never wake up kept him awake. He reached up and touched the blade and his fingers which felt so cold to the point of immobility, suddenly felt as if they were lit on fire.

With his last ounce of will Adam clutched the hilt and fire began to pour from the blade threatening to engulf him but all this time Adam hung on. He cried, screamed and nearly pissed himself but he would claim the weapon even if it meant the end of him. Time became immaterial, the world dissolved like molasses till the only thing left was Adam and the blade.

Adam saw his bloodly past and even bloodier future. He knew from a young age that his only constant companion would be the bodies he left in his wake. A lesser man would have bawked and ended their life there but Adam was used to the harsh reality the world around him forced him into. He would soldier on until his very soul gave up and if that meant that he would drown in the blood, sweat, and tears of those around him, then so be it. So he marched forward

When he came to, Adam was standing in the foyer of the church. The blade in its scabbard hung from his hip. The monk looked at Adam and asked, "Did you find what you were looking for? On second thought, some mysteries are probably left unanswered."

With a queer chuckle he walked away. Adam shook his head and walked through the doors to be greeted by over a hundred people. They looked awestruck and parted like a wave as he approached until he reached a circle of legionnaires with the consul in the center. He bowed slightly but said nothing, never taking his eyes off the sword.

Without a moments hesitation, Adam drew the blade. It ignited instantly, covering the blade in a fierce red flame. Adam held the blade up for all to see and the ground seemed to quake just a little as Adam drew reishi into the sword.

With pious looks, most of the people took to their knees as the legionnaires stomped their feet and said "Hail Caesar!" Over and over until Adam at last sheathed his weapon and left for a new battlefield.