The Book of Abbadon

For What It's Worth

“ You don't have to do this, Gareth. “

Tom pleads in an empathetic tone and Gareth responds with a stern resolve.

“ But I do. There's no better way for Voldoor to fall than for it to be destroyed as a result of corporate greed. This has been a long time coming, and I'm not going to squander an opportunity like this because I may never get one again. All I've ever wanted was to see my Grace again… I'm going to be with my sister. “

You and Tom look at each other tensely, then you turn back to Gareth, attempting to talk him out of it.

“ When we were in the church, Reylesh said that digital consciousnesses aren't the same as the first one! Maybe the real you is already with Grace in the afterlife! “

“ It doesn't matter. Even if I'm not real, my suffering… the longing I feel… it's all very real to me and it must end… It's too late. Things are already set in motion. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that it had to be this way. “

Suddenly, the Czar's cruiser explodes on the screen and the people in the city that saw it start to scream. An emergency news broadcast then takes over the screens above the console and the voices of people yelling and panicking can be heard in the background from watching the Czar die above the city. You see the streets breaking out into chaos and fear as the people on the news stations all begin covering what just happened.

“ AGH- FUCK! “

Pads says as a static noise plays in your earpiece.

“ ThEy- OuTsiDe! ThEy- jAmmiNg mY- cOnnEctiOn! “

Pads says as his voice glitches. Gareth's face immediately turns serious before he establishes a comm link to the surface, speaking to his associates on the outside.

“ The Otherlanders sent from Moriarch just sabotaged Czar's Mind Mirror! They've wiped out the guards and killed Ryen Miles! I’m- “

Tom immediately blitzes Gareth, punching him in the jaw and shattering his head into pieces in a split second before he can finish.

“ Pads! You okay!? “

You ask before you and Tom both sprint back towards the facility entrance, running at an inhuman speed.

“ I'm- FiN-! GeT oUt- heLp- “

Pads says as his voice continues to glitch. You and Tom quickly reach the destroyed elevator and begin flying up the elevator shaft to the Church of Vol where the statue seals off the surface entrance. Tom punches a hole through the statue, exploding it from underneath and you both fly out into the sanctuary where you see multiple squads of NaxTech soldiers shooting each other. Tom crushes the chests of the soldiers in the sanctuary with his telekinesis and their disfigured bodies all fall down before you both land in the center of the room and look around for Reylesh. Suddenly, Reylesh emerges from the corner of the room and asks a question in a worried tone.

“ What happened down there!? They just bursted in here and started shooting at me for no reason! I had to turn them against each other to keep this form in pristine condition! “

“ Gareth turned on us. We need to get back to The Monument. “

Tom says quickly as you and Reylesh follow him out onto the street. You then see several military cruisers descend over you with their side doors open and High Temple Guard snipers standing on the edge, opening fire down at you. You catch their bullets mid air before Tom pulls the cruisers into the ground causing them to explode in the middle of the road, and the pedestrians on the street all scream in terror and run around. A few others within the crowd unholster firearms of their own to shoot at you, but Tom snaps all of their necks 180° simultaneously before taking off into the sky, flying towards The Monument. You look back at Reylesh and she grabs your hand.