GABRIEL

EMERIAL'S CHAMPION

SolFyre

2025

All rights reserved

You must not reproduce any part of this book in any form without prior written permission

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EMERIAL

Goddess Of Light

 

BOOK I

Chapter 1

RISEN

Dreadful silence clings to the unhallowed cemetery, stillness reserved only for the dead.

Yet something is stirring, clawing, and scratching with cold, pallid fingers bursting through the weed-covered soil and tearing at the earth.

Then suddenly, it sits up, presenting a ghastly figure bathed in moonlight with desiccated flesh clinging to a gaunt frame.

Matted black hair hangs with grave filth and old blood from its damp scalp.

Eye sockets, dark and bloodied, hold orbs of solid black.

Somewhere beneath the skin, bones crack into place as sinew stretches, re-knits, and reforms with a sickening pull.

The dead do not rise; this should not be.

Drawing from the depths, with the sense of drifting and falling; His body rises in the darkness.

Pain! Impossible pain! Agony grows from every dead nerve and cell.

The muscles of his body reach across and connect with bone as his flesh becomes magically restored; Lightning flashes as he screams out in pain. 

Ethereal runes cover his naked and pale body in the darkness of night.

Grasping his headstone, he claws out of the mist-covered grave; Somehow; he is alive.

As he looks down at his soiled hands and rejuvenating body, he sees glowing inscriptions and sigils all across his form.

They shine brightly as his body is reforming, but are already fading to a charcoal black.

He reads the pristine sigils and deep-grooved text on the ancient enchanted headstone, slick and moist with accumulated mist.

A question is born in his mind.

Through a cracking, rasping voice, he asks, "My name is Gabriel. Gabriel Locke?"

He isn’t cold, hungry, or tired.

A sheen of mist covers his body, causing steam to coil from his pale skin.

The sigils appear to darken as his transformation back to the living concludes.

Surveying his surroundings, an ancient memory of the nearby abandoned temple reminds him of the cellar workshop; A place to find armor and weapons, his weapons.

He makes his way to the far side of the nearby building.

His skin, glaring and pale in the moonlight, accentuates the detailed runes covering his body.

Approaching the enchanted locked cellar, his left hand illuminates, releasing the locking mechanism as he enters the dark, unlit cellar.

Gabriel has a preternatural ability to see in complete darkness.

On the wall hang two ancient matching stealth blades, tapered and bladed across the knuckles.

Next to the blades hang twin revolvers etched with sacred and arcane runes in well-worn holsters. Beneath, a stand holds exquisitely detailed, crafted leather and steel armor.

To the left of the chamber, he sees a cold kiln alongside a grinding wheel.

There is an anvil in the center of the chamber with a honing stone sitting on it.

Along the right wall, there is a workbench holding the bullet foundry and thirty, one hundred ounce bars of silver and tools for adding sigils and runes.

More mysterious components, such as blood and concoctions, are visible along the far wall.

Gabriel secures his armor as he has done it a thousand times before.

Placing the twin blades strategically behind the small of his back, he straps an expertly crafted, rune-covered twenty-four-inch sword over his shoulder.

His leather and assorted plate armor look very functional for close-quarters combat.

A dark trench coat presents him as a striking figure; Gabriel is tall with chiseled features.

Making his way out of the cellar, he pauses to re-engage the mystical lock.

He moves to the front of the temple.

Heavy stone doors hang broken and twisted inside the massive frame.

He enters and sees that the temple is a demolished wreck.

Pews lie thrown asunder, and the altar is in ruins.

High-arched windows frame an ancient monument to a long-forgotten deity.

He pauses momentarily at the rain-filled temple font and gazes into the water seeing his reflection and the dirt-smeared blood in his hair.

Looking nearly like a corpse, he quickly washes his face and hands, removing the grave filth and mitigating the stench of decay, at least somewhat.

A firm jaw, solid black eyes, and black sigils covering his body give him a severe appearance.

He barely recognizes himself, a stranger in an eerily familiar domain.

Suddenly, Gabriel senses a spirit or entity in the temple nearby, most likely a banshee.

Some banshees are extremely dangerous, so using caution, he slowly, silently and deliberately moves as he quietly draws his blades, entering the temple and waits for an assault.

It's not a banshee, but an apparition of a young woman he is very familiar with floating near the statuary at the head of the temple.

A spirit of a long-dead woman, beautiful and devoted to the Goddess Emerial.

 

"Gabriel, it’s been such a long time," she says; her voice is like polished glass.

He asks, "Miranda, are you waiting for me, or did you come to haunt my grave?"

Miranda floats above the dais, smiling as she replies, "No, the howls of your rebirth drew me here; welcome back."

She approaches Gabriel, saying in a lilting tone, "Despite your tremendous efforts in the ancient past, the darkness has returned."

Gabriel scowls and grits his teeth as memories come rushing back; "How is this possible? I witnessed their destruction, and the great evil was slain."

Gabriel feels drawn to the statue in the sanctuary, and the name 'Emerial' whispers unbidden into his mind.

Is she speaking to me, or is this a calling, a summons?

"You fought and died an unsung hero, battling the monsters and evils of the past."

"Gabriel, again I need your strength and ferocity as there are new threats now emerging in this era; a darkness in the world, Evil in the hearts of men."

"You must defeat the demons that haunt this world; you will struggle, and people may hate and misunderstand you."

Emerial’s words are like a spell being cast, a path forward, a way to deter the world’s destruction.

An incantation that binds Gabriel to Emerial, the true source of power and magic that is the ether that sustains him beyond death.

The sigils across his body burn bright and deep within his immortal flesh.

Darkness will pursue him, seeking to deceive and destroy him.

I will live. I will hunt them down. Victory will be mine.

Gabriel collects himself and leaves the temple.

Night still claims the moment as he regards Miranda floating nearby.

She muses, All this time. Waiting for another apocalypse.

Gabriel returns to the cellar, unlocking the doors with the rune on his left hand.

While crafting for the next few hours; he considers his next move.

To better augment his power, he crafts a ring that has shrouding, ethereal force shielding and regeneration magic on it.

He wears an enchanted leather pouch filled with freshly made, sigil-engraved, silver-tipped arcane bullets.

He puts the finest edge on his blades using a honing stone and exits the cellar, moving towards the closest town he remembers.

Swiftly traveling through the grass and tree line, it takes only a short while before he sees the glowing lights of a rest stop.

There isn’t much Dark or ethereal energy in the area; however, there seems to be a gathering in what looks like a tavern or a fancy establishment.

Gabriel approaches slowly, curiously, examining the vehicles and signage.

As he nears the entrance, his eyes linger on a sports car passing by the nearby gas station.

The noise from inside the bar is lively and energetic.

All at once, two men emerge from the bar and almost run right into Gabriel.

One man is smoking a cigarette with visible tattoos. The other man is extremely intoxicated and can barely stand.

The two men spend a moment absorbing the dramatic attire that Gabriel is wearing.

“What the hell, man!” the tattooed guy said. “Who the fuck are you supposed to be?”

Gabriel could easily determine that the two men were drunk.

He replies, “I’m looking for someone. Is there anyone at the bar who stands out?”

The tattooed man, noticing the sigils on Gabriel’s hands and neck, exclaims; “Wow, dude, nice ink!”

The two men stagger past.

Entering the pub, Gabriel notices a remote booth where a well-dressed man sits quietly.

The sigils across his chest warn him of the inherent danger of this individual.

The bar’s patrons take note as he sits at the stranger’s booth.

A few people, perhaps sensing the growing tension, take this moment to leave quickly.

Gabriel asks, “Are there any other blood-drinkers here this evening?”

The man seems surprised. "Blood-drinker? What are you talking about?"

Gabriel furrowing his brow states, "I’m here to slay evil and destroy 'Agents' of darkness, you’re both."

The vampire flips the table up on end and attacks Gabriel.

His armor deflects the talon-like claws as they rake across his chest.

With surprising speed, he draws his blades, slashing at the space where the vampire had just been sitting.

The creature dashes across the bar and then turns to face Gabriel directly.

“Who are you?” the vampire seems nervous and ready to escape outside.

Gabriel’s face grows dark, and the sigils on his body and armor glow.

“I am your death.”

Nearly faster than the mind can comprehend, he draws his rune-etched sword and closes the distance to the vampire.

He penetrates the undead heart with an upward thrust into its chest.

The vampire cries out as he turns to dust.

He sheaths his weapon, looking down across the bar and asks the cowering barkeep, “Can I get a drink?”

The barkeep seems almost too frightened to move but grabs a bottle and places it on the bar.

He asks nervously, “What was that?! Where did he go?”

Gabriel looks intensely at the barkeep. “That was a definitive example of 'Evil' in this world.”

The barkeep studies the man before him, noting his armor and weaponry.

He says, "Thank you for your help," and pours him a drink on the house, saying, "My name is Gregory, Gregory Nielson."

"I own this establishment, and it's called the Sideline Pub, but more importantly, who are you?"

“My name is Gabriel; I am the Champion of Light fighting the darkness in this world.”

He drinks his shot in one gulp. “Know any other vampires? Any other beings of darkness?”

The barkeep once again looks nervous. “No, No, I don’t know any darkness. I don’t know anyone else who might.”

Gabriel alone senses a new energy entering the bar.

Unseen by the barkeep, Miranda floats up and says, "Already working, I see."

Gabriel thanks the man and makes his way back outside.

Once outside, he asks Miranda, “How do these metal chariots work?”

Miranda chuckles. “There are many new things and technologies with which you are unfamiliar: automobiles, cars, or vehicles. That’s what people call the metal chariots.”

“They travel much faster than horses.” Miranda explains.

“How much faster than horses?” He asks.

Miranda answers in her lilting tone, “So much faster. More than twice as fast.”

He muses for a moment. Is it worth it to learn how to operate? For now, I will move on my own to locate the enemy.

Concentrating on the magic sigils and runes across his body, he feels a pull toward the city.

He suddenly bolts, running nearly forty miles an hour, sprinting into the predawn darkness.

Passing through the trees and foliage moving like the wind.

As he approaches an overpass, he jumps over thirty feet onto the concrete structure.

Landing directly in the path of an oncoming vehicle.

The driver slams on his brakes and attempts to avoid striking the suddenly appearing pedestrian.

As the car slides to the left, the right side of the vehicle strikes Gabriel.

He braces for the impact, his sigils glowing brightly. The car frame bends sharply around him and then flips up into the air and over his head.

Bright runes and sigils shine across Gabriel’s face and neck as he uses his sigil magic to slow down the vehicle, causing it to land upright on its wheels.

The driver, though somewhat in shock, looks at the man he just hit.

Surprisingly, the man suffered no injuries.

Unfazed, Gabriel turns and runs down the freeway towards the city.

Passing by slower vehicles and sprinting through busy intersections, he vaults over moving cars as he runs.

He quickly enters the heart of the downtown area.

Almost two miles away at the scene of the accident, the man who struck Gabriel with his car struggles to explain to authorities how someone made it suddenly onto the overpass.

“It was almost like he jumped onto the highway!” the driver exclaimed.

Officer O’Rourke looks over the edge of the overpass, easily thirty or forty feet down to a forested area.

Thinking to himself, a crazy drunk guy got onto the highway and must now be lying dead in the trees and grass below.

O’Rourke turns back towards the damaged vehicle and heads over to the driver. “Is there anyone else in the vehicle?”

The man responds, “No. It’s just me.”

O’Rourke is pretty sure the driver is sober. “Have you been drinking tonight, sir?”

“What?!” the man replied sarcastically. “No, I have not.”

Looking slightly perturbed, O’Rourke asks the man. “Are you willing to take a breathalyzer test?”

The man seems taken aback. “Yes, yes, of course, whatever it takes for me to go home.”

Officer O’Rourke calls dispatch for EMS and a rescue investigation.

An accident scene investigator arrives shortly after the ambulance and other squad cars arrive.

There are almost ten police officers and authorities on the scene.

Lead Detective Seth Elliot gets out of a squad car and approaches the driver of the crashed vehicle.

He leads the man over to the ambulance for further evaluation.

“You said in your earlier statement that the man you struck left the scene.”

The driver speaks in near disbelief, "I can't believe the car slowed down in mid-air and then gently landed on its wheels."

"Yes, the man is wearing dark clothes and a trench coat, and he headed towards the city."

"Oh, yeah. He had strange tattoos on his face and neck, and I think he had a sword?"

Elliot examines the vehicle, noting the lack of rollover damage and the significant initial impact damage.

He muses, The car definitely struck something. A sword. Hmm. That will make locating him easier.

 

Chapter 2

THE HUNT

He stands in the middle of the street, blocking traffic, with angry drivers honking at him.

One driver yells out, "Hey! Get the hell out of the road!"

Gabriel looks around and then jumps up onto the sidewalk.

Gabriel feels supercharged! "Miranda!, there is so much latent ethereal energy in this city."

Miranda says, "Novaris is a vast metropolis now; over three million people live here, isn't it exciting?!"

The light of dawn breaks over the horizon, casting long shadows between the surrounding buildings.

A few people are walking towards him and staring.

He is amazed and in awe of the number of people living in the city, and he doesn't want to cause a scene.

To the surprise of the nearby people, he leaps atop a four-story building, creating some distance between himself and the waking residents of the city.

Best to stay focused. He closes his eyes, letting the ethereal energy permeate his body.

There is darkness here. Evil. It feels as though it's all around me.

His sigils pull his attention to the third story of a tall building across the street.

Evil 'Agents' are meeting in a room at the corner.

Gabriel, without hesitation, runs the few steps to the edge of the building and jumps.

Smashing through the window in an explosion of glass and metal, he faces off against the surprised people in the room.

There is a woman near him. He can sense that she is not evil.

One man draws a gun and fires several times at Gabriel, hitting him twice in the chest, causing him to stagger back one step.

With blazing speed, Gabriel moves to the far corner of the room.

He draws his arcane revolvers and fires directly at the armed assailant, hitting him three times, blasting the 'Agent' backward, spraying blood in an arc onto the wall.

Gabriel continues his barrage and fires multiple rounds, killing three more 'Agents' as they are drawing their weapons.

A thin black mist rises from the corpses.

The traumatized woman stands in the middle of the room, surrounded by carnage.

Several briefcases of money and drugs sit on the conference table. The room where the drug deal was taking place has become a slaughterhouse.

The gunfire hadn't gone unnoticed, and Gabriel could feel the approach of more enemies.

He enters the adjacent room, preparing for the fight to continue.

There is a large glass window on his right and a stairwell to his left.

Sensing Evil 'Agents' coming up the stairs, he takes a moment to reload.

He crouches in the stairwell and unleashes precision deadly fire down the steps, neutralizing the 'Agents' below.

He hears sirens approaching the scene.

Moving quickly, he sprints to the rooftop and heads to the edge of the building.

The traumatized woman recovers her composure and quickly closes one of the briefcases of money and secures it before she leaves the scene.

He looks down to see flashing lights on the vehicles.

There are over twenty officers and a few reporters.

Several of the police officers have drawn their weapons and are aiming at the building.

Lead investigator Detective Elliot arrives at the scene.

He looks carefully up at the building and notices the broken window on the corner of the third floor.

There have been reports of gunfire and of breaking glass falling to the sidewalk.

Spectators crowd the crime scene tape as news reporters begin their coverage.

Elliot enters the crime scene and speaks briefly with Officer O'Rourke; "What's the situation?"

O'Rourke says, "Seems like we have a shooting incident with shots fired from this location."

Elliot draws his weapon and leads several officers to the building entrance.

They move into the visitor’s foyer; the glass crunching under their heels.

He surveys the empty reception hall for any immediate threats and, finding none, they move past the elevators and enter the stairwell.

Ascending the steps, they note the blood and spent bullet casings.

Moving with tactical precision, they slip past five dead men on the second-floor stairwell and enter the third floor.

As they near the office doors, the scent of blood and death permeates the area.

The team breaches the office; they find a horrific scene of bodies, blood, drugs, and money.

Elliot studies the room, noting the drugs and money on the table, counting four bodies and three spent 9mm rounds.

He observes, "There are too many bodies for only three casings; there must be another shooter."

Officer O'Rourke says, "It's possible they might still be in the building."

Elliot looks out the destroyed window. "Someone broke through from the outside; they must have rappelled down from the roof."

He readies his weapon again. "Let’s check the upper floors."

O’Rourke says, "The shooter wasn’t after the contraband."

They search and clear the upper floors, ultimately ending up on the rooftop.

Gabriel, standing near the edge of the building, turns and waits for the officers to approach.

His appearance shocks the officers as the sigils on his neck and hands pulse with etheric power and energy seems to shimmer from his form-fitting armor.

Elliot says in a stern voice, "On your knees! Put your fucking hands in the air!"

Raising his hands. Gabriel says, looking directly at Elliot, "I'm not a threat to you; 'I hunt Evil.'"

O'Rourke exclaims, "Get down on your knees! You are under arrest."

Gabriel looks at O'Rourke. "My path doesn't end with you."

His sigils glow brightly as he disappears, launching himself above the onlookers, and back across the street, landing on the far side of the roof.

"Holy shit!" shouts O'Rourke.

Elliot seems surprised. "What was that? Who is that?!"

Gabriel drops out of sight, leaving Elliot and the other officers stunned by what they just saw.

Down on the street, the news cameras capture Gabriel’s leap on camera.

The reporter exclaims, “Did you see that?! Tell me you got that on video!”

Gabriel descends into a deserted alley near a dead-end street.

He senses a familiar presence. “Miranda,” he whispers.

As if responding to her name, she materializes behind him.

Moving around to face him, she says, her voice like the wind, "There are far worse things than evil men in Novaris."

Gabriel concentrates, and his sigils pulse. "Yes, I can sense them. They are beneath us."

Miranda softly traces the runes on his face with her fingernail and says, “They exist in the highest towers as well.”

Gabriel looks to his left at a steaming sewer entrance, hearing a hissing sound.

“Might be a good idea to avoid unwanted attention. I should go underground till nightfall.”

Miranda floats over to the access hole and twitches her wrist. Causing the cover to lift and slide under a dumpster.

She looks into the hole and, with a grim expression, says, "I’m sure you’ll be fine, though it is scary down there."

Gabriel enters the access hole, climbs down the ladder and then drops, landing solidly on his feet.

The impact echoes throughout the tunnels.

Able to see clearly in complete darkness, he moves toward the city center.

Traversing the tunnels for hours, he maintains his bearing and harsh resolve; he is determined and unafraid.

Sensing 'Evil' beings in the room ahead, he draws his twin blades and prepares for battle.

Three Shadow Fiends lurk in the relatively small chamber.

Gabriel charges into the chamber and impales the first fiend in the chest with both blades.

Pulling his hands apart, Gabriel eviscerates the creature, and its body falls to the floor.

The second fiend is quick to flank him and tries to strike from behind.

Dodging to the right, Gabriel slashes to his left across the monster’s chest.

Then, following his momentum, he plunges the right blade deep into the throat, killing it instantly.

Possessing unnatural speed, the last fiend attacks Gabriel with its claws and teeth.

Like knives, the claws rake down his arm, tearing into the muscles as sharp teeth bite at his right collarbone.

He turns his full attention to the third fiend, squaring off with it, blades at the ready.

The creature lunges exactly as Gabriel expects.

He brings both blades together into the heart of the rib cage. Twisting and pulling, he severs the major arteries, and the fiend falls dead.

As these creatures have no possessions, searching their bodies is futile.

Suddenly, Gabriel notices another presence. One that Dark magic has concealed.

A handsome man with short blonde hair, dressed in black leather and wearing a katana across his back, steps fully into the chamber.

He says, “Impressive, killing three shadow fiends in just a few seconds. Using knives, no less.”

Gabriel studies this new opponent closely, trying to determine its exact nature. Is it a vampire? A possessed human?

His sigils convey a powerful feeling of 'Evil' emanating from the presence, making him wary.

He needs to reckon with this force.

Gabriel's voice echoes through the chamber. "I don’t know who or what you are, but your death is imminent."

Shaking his blades once to remove some of the blood and ichor from the fiends, he sheaths his weapons.

Locking eyes with this being, Gabriel draws his sword and says sharply, "Let’s do this."

The blonde man, almost too fast for him to see, unsheathes his katana, glowing with a Dark energy, and slashes in an arc to the left.

Turning to parry just in time, Gabriel counter-strikes with an attack towards the throat.

The enemy dodges with supernatural speed, causing the blade to miss by only an inch.

"I barely avoided that strike! You’re fast," the being proclaims.

Their striking swords spark and flare as they battle, with neither gaining an advantage.

As the enemy spins into an upward strike, Gabriel ducks low and slashes the man across his chest, breaking a few ribs and puncturing his left lung.

The leather-clad man is stunned, and in that moment, Gabriel turns and cleanly decapitates him; his death mask is that of intense pain.

Rising like fire and smoke, a dark essence dissipates from his neck and mortally wounded body.

Noting the essence, Gabriel determines that an evil entity possessed him.

He takes from the body several throwing knives, and a ring with a mystic symbol engraved.

Studying the ring briefly, Gabriel understands it masked the entity from his senses.

I am already wearing a similar ring that shrouds my presence; however, my ring provides an ethereal force shield as well, and this ring does not.

I can sense their darkness and evil, but most of them won’t be able to sense me.

Following the path the entity came from, he finds a ladder leading up to the street level.

Emerging from the sewer near the center of town, it seems to be late afternoon.

Covering the access hole back up, he steps to the edge of the street.

Looking around, he sees several tall buildings and a few more modest structures.

Crouching low and then leaping, he lands atop a five-story apartment complex, seeking the high ground and avoiding confrontation with the citizens and authorities below.

Flexing his wounded arm, he feels it has fully regenerated.

Upon reflection of the fight, he surmises that a formidable spirit possessed the blonde leather-clad man; there is now one less Dark ethereal entity in the city.

The chief medical examiner for the city of Novaris is Dr. Philip Danes. A 5'5" man with short hair, thick black glasses and a white lab coat, black pants and rubber-soled shoes.

He has seen his share of wounded bodies and corpses. However, he has never seen injuries like these before.

The nine bodies they brought to the coroner’s lab all died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.

Each bullet hole is deep, and getting the slugs out is a major pain.

He finds it interesting that the wounds all exude an unhealthy vapor and an inky blackness that permeates the flesh around each entry point.

The bullets themselves are silver and have archaic sigils and runes etched onto them.

“Very interesting,” Dr. Danes says quietly.

Detective Seth Elliot walks into the room. “What’s interesting, Dr. Danes?”

Seth Elliot, with dark hair and a five o'clock shadow, stands six foot two inches tall, lean, well built, and somewhat muscular.

Dressed in black jeans with an un-tucked button-down shirt, he wears his badge on his belt alongside the gun holster.

He presents a very imposing figure.

Walking over to where Dr. Danes is examining the bodies, Elliot puts on latex gloves, picks up a bullet, and looks at it closely; I have never seen these kinds of markings.

“Any idea what these markings on the bullets mean?”

Dr. Danes, still examining one of the bullet holes, says over his shoulder, "No, I’ve never seen markings like that."

“When I finish here, I'll upload the images to the computer.”

Detective Elliot unzips one of the body bags and studies the corpse inside.

This is the guy who was shot three times in the chest.

The body’s odor is that of death and decay, along with the miasma from the wounds themselves.

Elliot closes the body bag and sighs deeply. “I saw some shit today that I struggle to believe is real.”

Dr. Danes completes pulling the last slug out of the body and turns around.

“Detective Elliot, I am uploading now.” Pausing for a moment, he says, “Please elaborate.”

Elliot replies, "It’s all strange. We have a supernatural vigilante who has glyphs and symbols covering his body; they also adorn his knives, guns, sword, and even the bullets."

"Every shot in all these bodies is a kill shot, and he can even leap over eighty feet!"

Dr. Danes replies sincerely, "Yes, it’s all very intriguing."

"Any leads to his identity?"

Elliot states, "I don’t know if it’s a who or a what we’re dealing with here."

"Call me once you have studied the sigils on the bullets; they must mean something."

Detective Elliot leaves Dr. Danes and exits the room.

Gabriel stands still on top of a building.

It’s as though he is listening, but it’s the ethereal hum of the city that captivates him.

There is a lot of darkness here: monsters; evil; and now ethereal entities.

“Emerial.” He speaks her name unintentionally. She has enemies.

Some exist with an opposing ethereal energy. I will hunt and destroy them as well.

Even now, Gabriel senses what is most likely a wraith on the basement level of the building he is standing upon.

He turns and smashes a skylight window and drops through it into the room below.

Almost immediately, he locates the stairwell, jumps over the rail, dropping five stories to the ground level.

His trench coat flares out around him as he lands in a crouched position.

Before him is a double door, most likely locked.

To his left is another door, which reads “Basement Entrance.”

With a powerful kick, Gabriel causes the basement door to become massively dented and fly from its hinges.

He descends the stairs into the near darkness below.

Pulling his sword, he steps from the stairs and into the basement proper.

The sigils on his body guide him through several rooms and deep into the bowels of the building.

Gabriel can sense the wraith, the smell of old death, and something forgotten in the room ahead.

He tries the door to find it locked.

Instantly, phasing through the door, a screaming black, shadowy human-like form lunges straight at him with arms outstretched, as if to strangle.

The unnatural piercing sound is deafening and terrifying.

Moving with impossible speed, he avoids the grasping hands, knowing their touch causes paralysis.

He slashes the silver rune-etched sword straight down into the head; splitting the wraith and instantly vaporizing it.

Gabriel collects himself, sheathes his sword and prepares to exit.

Almost as if the wind told him a secret, he turns once more toward the door.

Using the doorknob and sheer strength, he rips the door from the frame and casts it aside.

The glyphs on his body vibrate with a potent sense of dread and ethereal presence.

Inside the room is a stairwell that seems older than the rest of the building.

He could feel an ancient evil.

He whispers under his breath, "Hmm, perhaps the wraith was a guardian, a minion of something older and more powerful."

Drawing his twin revolvers, he cautiously heads down the cobwebbed stairs.

Entering a corridor lined with old brickwork and wooden pillars, Gabriel has no trouble navigating the pitch-black tunnel and ends up in a large chamber.

To his surprise, he is standing inside an ancient crypt.

He senses a vampire in the sepulcher before him.

Certainly, it is aware of my presence. I haven’t been very subtle since entering the crypt.

An intense voice speaks to him in his mind. "There are formidable forces working against you that you are unaware of, Gabriel."

Gabriel speaks firmly. "You’ve come to the end of your existence, fiend."

He holsters his twin revolvers.

Normally black, the sigils on his body glow brightly as he thrusts both hands forward, palms out and fingers curled towards the area before him.

A powerful, golden, ethereal energy erupts from his chest and down through his arms, blasting out from his hands and into the rock sepulcher. The stone cracks and separates, revealing an ancient body.

The body opens its eyes and sits up. With a silver tongue, the vampire quietly says, "You shouldn't have come here."

The ancient being rises into the air and points his open hand at Gabriel and lifts him into the air, suspending him by his throat.

Reaching down to his belt, Gabriel pulls out a few throwing knives he collected from the now deceased 'Agent'.

He throws them toward the vampire, who deflects them with a wave of his hand.

"Pathetic, you'll have to try harder than that."

The creature pulls him in close, examining him.

All at once, his sigils ignite, and the vampire drops him to the floor.

Gabriel draws his revolvers with incredible speed, firing three times, three rounds from each gun.

The six bullets find their mark, striking the vampire twice in the chest, neck, and head.

Screaming out in pain, as the magic of the glyphs covering the bullets burns inside its body, it descends to the ground and exclaims, "What magic is this?! Emerial? But how?!"

Gabriel pauses for a second at the mention of his Goddess, the source of his power.

"What do you know of Emerial?" he asks.

"So, you are Emerial's Champion. I evaded you in the ancient past, Gabriel."

The vampire lunges at him, trying to bare his neck.

"I’m going to consume your soul."

Gabriel rapidly fires his revolvers three more times into the chest of the vampire at point-blank range.

The creature staggers, crumpling to the ground.

Gabriel reloads his revolvers before putting them away.

He draws his sword and slashes, decapitating the vampire, if only to be certain of its demise.

It vaporizes into ash.

Exiting the building onto the street, he realizes that come nightfall, Emerial’s enemies will come looking for him in large numbers.

I must prepare; there isn’t much time.

 

Chapter 3

DARK REVELATIONS

Nathan Kalmar has long, straight black hair pulled back into a warrior braid.

He works as the CEO of Megalith Industries in the central business district and has combat specialist training.

Currently armed, he is driving his brand new sports car through the city. He wears designer clothes and expensive jewelry.

I've heard whispers of a new player in town killing my associates.

Malak speaks to Nathan in his mind. "Not a newcomer, Nathan."

"Emerial, the Goddess of Light and my nemesis, has risen her Champion."

"He is actively destroying my 'Agents' and associates."

The stern voice continues, "Find him and eliminate him."

Communicating with his team through his earpiece, Nathan commands,

"Have the Cabal meet in my conference room. We have to address the new player in town killing our associates."

Newly determined, he speeds up and heads towards the command center at Megalith Industries; their industrial sector produces robots and weapons technologies.

The corporate division with management offices are located in the central business district, providing logistics support and legal services.

Megalith is massive and incorporates two helipads and two medium-length runways.

Megalith trucks transport equipment and materials between the different sectors and the warehouse district; incorporating extensive buildings and runway flight control as well as many hangars which are well lit at night.

Nathan makes his way through the security gates and past the parking complex.

Heading across the compound towards the main building, he arrives at the primary entrance.

Exiting his vehicle, he enters the foyer of the 'Megalith Industries Tower'.

There is a visitor kiosk and then a security checkpoint.

Proceeding through security, he places his keys, wallet, and 9mm Beretta on the conveyor belt.

He steps through the security checkpoint and retrieves his items.

His personal assistant, Andrew, greets him.

"Welcome back, Sir. We've assembled all the relevant personnel in your conference room."

They enter the elevator.

Nathan uses the retinal scanner and keys in a private code.

They ascend in the elevator directly to his executive offices atop the tower.

Arriving at the top floor, there is an entrance to his office to the left down the hall, with an adjoining conference room. There is also an entrance from the conference room to the main corridor.

To the right of the hallway is an altar with a colossal statue shrouded in shadows.

Nathan enters his suite. The space is a large corner office surrounded by windows.

An impressive desk is the centerpiece of the room.

There are several video screens on the left wall and a lounge area with a fireplace to the right with an entrance to the conference room.

He steps around the desk as his assistant Andrew brings him a glass of whiskey on ice.

"Is there anything else you require from me, Sir?"

Nathan pauses and takes a long drink from the glass, savoring the flavor of the whiskey, and replies,

"No, Andrew, that will be all for now."

Adjusting his collar and cuffs, he takes a deep breath.

Nathan enters the conference room. The room has a large oval conference table, centered with four chairs on either side, and one larger chair at the near end.

There is a wall of monitors at the far end of the room.

"Good evening, gentlemen and lady," he nods towards the Wraith Associate, Lady Claire Dions.

"Bring me up to speed. What do we know?"

The Logistics and operations controller, Michael Keene, replies, "We are currently accessing video from the city's cameras."

He activates a switch in his hand, and the monitors come to life.

They show real-time live imagery of people at various intersections and multiple views of the city from the buildings.

Clicking once more, he opens a separate window showing video footage from the shooting incident with the drug dealers.

The video camera shows a high-definition video sequence of a man leaping over forty feet from the top of one building to the top of another building.

Keene says, "Taking place just one day ago, this clip is the only footage we have of the new threat."

Nathan leans forward, fixated on the glowing runes across the individual's body. "Zoom in on the figure."

Keene, hitting the button once more, enlarges the video and focuses on the leaping figure.

Nathan says definitively, "These specific sigils confirm that this is the Champion of the deity Emerial."

"This person is our target and that building is where we will focus our search and scour the area."

"Make it a five-mile search grid. I want everyone on this search, even the other 'Agents' and Fiends."

"Find him!"

"Jason, you're the Communications Specialist. I want satellite imagery as soon as possible."

"Right away, Mr. Kalmar." Jason states.

The vampire lord Lazarus Ravenscar states, "I have seen this man before, though it's been a few centuries."

"He is a significant threat to my kind. Even the most ancient among us are at serious risk."

Nathan stands up straight and tall. "Anyone have questions? Are there any other comments or disagreements?"

"Michael, I want updates every six hours, or immediately once we know more."

Nathan adjourns the meeting and returns to his office.

Waiting for the cabal to disperse, he finishes his drink and sets the empty glass on the desk.

He calmly walks out of his office and heads down the hall to the altar near the colossal shrouded statue.

"Malak. We have leads. We know where Emerial's Champion was just twenty-four hours ago."

Malak's voice sounds cold and calculated. "Emerial's Champion is a significant threat to our interests, Nathan. Stay focused."

Chapter 4

PREPARATIONS

Gabriel stands on a rooftop near where he slew the vampire.

It seems like a good idea to fabricate modern weapons and armor. However, I don't have enough time to invest in creating them from scratch.

"Miranda," as if saying her name was a summoning spell, she appears a few feet away from him.

"Yes, Gabriel," she whispers.

He says, "I need to find a weapon-smith to get modern, more powerful advanced weapons, armor, and ammunition; I want to enchant them as soon as possible."

Miranda says, as she floats away from him a few steps, "There is someone I'd like you to meet." Her face lights up. "I am certain Mr. Owens has exactly what you need."

"He is a devout follower of Emerial."

Using the ring he crafted, he masks his presence and follows Miranda through the alleys and backstreets.

Gabriel is very alert to the possibility of any threats.

Soon, they reach the alleyway backdoor to the pawnshop.

Leaving Gabriel standing in the darkening alleyway, Miranda passes right through the door.

An old man unlocks the door, seemingly after an eternity. "Any friend of Miranda is a friend of mine."

The man pauses. "Oh, my," he exclaims, looking the warrior up and down. "Emerial's champion, you say."

Suddenly, looking around as if someone might be approaching, the old man ushers Gabriel inside. "Come in, come in."

He enters the pawnshop. Gabriel takes a moment to absorb the scene: gates behind locked doors; no windows; and a concrete floor. 'This' is a secure back room where there are lots of unique items collected but never sold.

There is actually a Claymore sword leaning in one corner. Too cumbersome and awkward to wield., he thinks to himself.

He turns to face the old man and speaks truthfully.

"My name is Gabriel Locke, I am the Champion of Light; and I enchant my own weapons, and they 'are' hundreds of years old."

"My chances of conquering the present darkness are higher if you can get me more powerful modern weapons."

"Can you help me? I will sell you my ancient weapons."

The old man looks at Gabriel, mouth slightly agape, before saying, "My name is Christopher Owens."

"Miranda dear, you have the most interesting acquaintances."

"Let me see what you have there."

Gabriel unsheathes the enchanted twenty-four inch sword and hands it carefully to Mr. Owens.

Who says, "Oh my!" as he studies the runes and sigils on the handle and blade.

"This sword is a legendary artifact! You want to sell it?"

Gabriel says, "I need new gear and new weapons, Sir; can you help me?"

Mr. Owens, now interested in Gabriel's guns and armor, says, "I have been collecting an entire combat ensemble over the years at Emerial's behest. I realized only just now why."

Gabriel says, "Show me what weapons and armor you have."

Mr. Owens pushes a shelf out of place, revealing a hidden keypad, and deftly taps a few keys.

"Still love the old tech."

A hidden panel slides open to a large room, revealing a full suit of tactical combat high-tech adjustable composite metal body armor, high-tech modern pistols and even high-tech blades.

In less than an hour, Gabriel has fully outfitted himself in the high-tech composite metal body armor.

He wields a matched pair of .50 caliber Desert Eagles. Each holds seven rounds. He collects six extended magazines.

He has six hand grenades and sixteen throwing knives.

Keeping his enchanted eight-inch edged blades, he secures them behind his lower back.

He puts two very modern, high tech twenty-four inch titanium alloy swords over his shoulders.

Leaving his ancient weapons and armor in the vault, Gabriel conveys his gratitude.

"Keep the sword, Mr. Owens, as a gift and trade for this equipment. Perhaps we shall meet again."

"Oh, come by anytime and take what you need. It's no bother."

Mr. Owens continues staring at the ancient enchanted blade he now owns.

Miranda follows Gabriel as he journeys from the city under a moonless night sky.

He still wears the ring that shields him somewhat from detection on his left index finger.

This moonless night is dark and Miranda can turn invisible.

Moving silently through the deepest shadows, Gabriel makes his way unseen to the ancient temple ruins, where he was reborn.

He circumnavigates the bar and gas station. He takes almost an hour, and arrives safely with no one following.

Immediately entering his workshop, he closes and magically locks the door behind him.

He removes the chest armor and begins carving sigils and Emerial's glyphs in highly detailed patterns.

Next, he works meticulously on detailing the runes, glyphs, and sigils on the pants, boots, and shoulder armor.

He adds new sigils to the trench coat.

Perhaps most importantly, he turns his attention to the new weaponry.

He fabricates magic holsters and enchants his twin .50 caliber Desert Eagles with specialized sigils and glyphs.

It is time to craft one hundred and fifty silver bullets, individually enchanted with glyphs.

He adds glyphs and infuses silver, honing the edges of the swords and throwing knives.

Gabriel is calm and efficient. He knows what he's doing.

These weapons, armor, and equipment will last him another few hundred years.

Gabriel is pleased. After two full days and nights working relentlessly, he now has all-new modern enchanted armor and weaponry.

He outfits his newly enchanted armor, swords, knives, and Desert Eagles.

Musing to himself, I am now prepared for you. Let's do this.

Gabriel exits his workshop and re-engages the magic lock.

Entering the ancient temple, he approaches Emerial's statue. He can sense her presence.

"Emerial," he says. "I have crafted modern equipment."

"However, I realize now that there are greater Dark forces at work here than I originally thought."

"Yes, you've encountered and slain one of what I now realize are many 'Agents of Darkness' following the dark god 'Malak'; the Dark Champion leads an entire cabal of evil-aligned operatives and creatures."

"Expect an active search; they'll be looking for you."

A golden energy emanates from the statue, engulfing Gabriel and lifting him off the ground.

"I bless you, my Champion." The glyphs, runes, and sigils across his form glow with a near-blinding light.

She increases his power level threefold and imbues him with a greater knowledge of this present time period.

His mind races with a new understanding of how modern cell phones, computers, and vehicles work.

He lowers to the ground onto one knee, genuflecting before his deity's statue, head bowed.

"Thank you, my Goddess; I 'will' destroy your enemies and the 'Evil' in this world."

Gabriel stands up and leaves the temple.

He takes a deep breath and centers himself; the sigils on his body resonate with great power.

The morning sun is bright, and he can hear birds chirping in the nearby trees.

Standing near the temple ruins, with his new armor and equipment, he makes a fierce and formidable-looking figure.

Miranda hums quietly to herself. Gabriel has been working for days.

She hovers in the temple near the statue of Emerial.

Unexpectedly, Gabriel enters with a resolute look on his face.

She listens closely to the interaction between a deity and her champion.

Watching in amazement as Emerial imbues Gabriel with her ethereal power.

As Gabriel turns to leave the temple, she follows him outside.

She becomes visible as he speaks her name. "Miranda," his voice confident. "I think it's time to find information."

She says, "What about the barkeep from the bar where you slew the vampire?"

"Ah," Gabriel recalls, "you mean Gregory from The Sideline Pub. That's a good idea."

 

Chapter 5

INTELLIGENCE

Gabriel enters the bar where he encountered the first vampire.

Moving to the counter, he takes a seat and looks directly at Gregory.

"I am in search of information. Do you know anyone who understands technology?"

Gregory looks surprised for a moment. "Um, wait a second. There was a woman who was here the night you killed that thing."

"I think she is a technologist, and she seemed very interested in you after you left, asking all kinds of questions."

Gregory pours him a shot of whiskey and says, "Here, she gave me her card and asked me to give it to you, if I ever saw you again."

Gabriel examines the card, which reads, 'Laura Quinn, Logistics and Operations Technologist,' followed by a phone number and an address in the city.

Written in cursive across the back of the card is another number, 'My personal phone number.'

How fortunate he muses. His sigils pulse. Did 'Emerial' bring you to me?

Gregory might be an excellent source of information as well.

"Would you keep an eye out for anyone suspicious or out of place, like the vampire from my last visit?"

"They might come asking questions about me. Stall them if you can."

"However, stay very cautious and do not engage them."

Gabriel pulls out a silver bullet and sets it on the counter. "This should offset any inconvenience on your part."

Gregory picks the bullet up, examining the sigils and glyphs, "Yeah, I can do that for you."

"Hey, they sell burner phones at the gas station, so I can contact you if I need to."

Gabriel says, "Thank you. That's exactly what I need. However, I don't have any money to buy a phone."

Gregory puts the bullet in the register and pulls out several twenty-dollar bills and offers them to Gabriel. "Here you go," handing him the cash and a business card for the pub.

"I appreciate your help." Gabriel turns, leaving the bar.

Walking across the parking lot, he enters the gas station and moves directly to the counter, where a young woman stands stunned, staring at him.

He states, "I require a prepaid phone with one hundred minutes on it."

The attendant, still staring at Gabriel, pulls out one of the many phones on the wall behind her.

She says, "This phone, with unlimited calling and texts for one month, costs twenty-five bucks, after tax."

Gabriel senses the young woman is nervous, possibly afraid of him.

Her eyes move to what he assumes is some kind of a weapon behind the counter.

He lays the money on the counter, reassuring the attendant with a smile. "I'm not a threat to you."

He picks up the phone. "Thank you for your help."

Turning to leave, he notes a camera in the corner near the ceiling.

Exiting to avoid further surveillance, he walks towards a large shade tree next to the pub.

He activates the phone and calls the number written on the back of the card that Gregory gave to him.

Laura Quinn is a freelance Logistics and operations technologist.

She handles quite a lot of the local infrastructure and computer technologies at different companies in the city. Her responsibilities keep her quite busy. However, she does rather well for herself and can boast an income as high as several hundred thousand dollars a year.

She lives in an immaculate flat on the fifteenth floor of her apartment building.

Laura comes from a long family lineage and has a medallion that hangs in a special case that has been passed down through her immediate family for generations.

She noticed it started glowing and shining with magic sigils and runes a few days ago. Investigating the sigils and glyphs on her laptop, she finds an obscure reference to a 'Goddess of Light' and something about a 'Champion'.

She noticed the same symbols on the trench-coated man she saw kill a creature at The Sideline Pub while she was on a date. Of course, her date ran out of the bar, leaving her as soon as the man showed up.

She witnessed his interaction with the barkeep there, so she left him with a business card in case this trench-coated man showed up again.

These dreams she's been having the past few nights have been troubling her.

There is a glowing sword being hammered on an anvil and the ringing of the hammer gets louder and louder as the sigils and runes flash in her mind, along with the name 'Emerial', The Goddess of Light.

I just discovered that she is connected to my medallion.

A voice echoes in her mind, "Gabriel, he is my champion against the 'Evil' in this city."

"He doesn't fully understand it yet, but he needs your help."

Am I dreaming these things or are these visions?

She heads over to where the medallion hangs; the sigils glowing with magic, and inspects it. It's a dark metallic color with a distinctive ethereal energy.

According to the story handed down through the generations of my family, there will come a time when the sigils on the medallion will reappear and glow. It must mean that Gabriel is Emerial's champion and has now been risen.

What does the medallion have to do with it? She puts it around her neck. Where are you, Gabriel?

She sits working quietly on her computer, and her personal phone rings. She is hoping it might be the barkeep from The Sideline Pub.