The Horsemen

4. Time to Conquer

TIME TO CONQUER

In the abandoned tunnels, Armers kneels before the tomb door as if he kneels before royalty. With his head bowed, and eyes down to the floor, he waits.

At this moment, Armers is in awe of what he sees. With his eyes still at the floor, two pairs of boots approach his line of sight, and he chokes up. One pair gold, the other white - both dusty, but ornate. They stand there for just a moment, and Armers waits for orders.

"Rise." The Anti-Christ commands.

Armers lifts his head before standing, and he can see The Anti-Christ and Pestilence for the first time in over a century. Pestilence wears an off-white tunic with silver armor that has gold trim running along the edges. The Anti-Christ wears a more pearl-white tunic with gold armor and a five-pointed star embossed in the center of his chest. This symbolizes not only The Four Horsemen, but himself, as well. Normally, their clothing would be pristine; Pestilence would have shoulder-length black hair and The Anti-Christ would have the same length dirty-blonde hair. However, after years of being trapped within that tomb, they are covered in dust, their clothing is now withered and torn, and their hair is nappy and gray.

Neither of them are carrying their weapons. Instead, they are branded with a small tattoo on their right wrist. The tattoo on Pestilence's wrist is of a bow with a single arrow through it. The Anti-Christ has a tattoo in the exact same location, but his is of a cavalry sword. If needed, they can call upon their weapons at any time. However, this tattoo safeguards their weapon from falling into their opponent's hands.

Armers stands slowly and gazes at both of them with a sense of wonderment in his eyes.

"It has been too long." Armers says, almost holding back a tear from the excitement.

"It has, but we still have much work to do." The Anti-Christ responds and then snaps his fingers.

With just that snap they are instantly clean. The dust on their clothes has vanishes. However, beyond that, their hair is no longer gray - Pestilence is back to his black hair, and The Anti-Christ is now dirty-blonde. Both flowing to their shoulders.

"He's right," Pestilence follows up to The Anti-Christ's comment. "We were trapped for so long, but our brethren are still locked away. You may have released us, but there is much to be done to break the final Six Seals."

Armers hesitates for a moment and finally speaks up. "I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I must inform you of how long you have been locked away. Times have changed drastically. For you to properly fit in amongst these pitiful mortals in today's world, you might consider adjusting your appearance."

Both The Anti-Christ and Pestilence scowl at Armers. To think they lack the understanding of the way the world works is disrespectful.

From that look, Armers immediately drops down to his knees once again, "I'm sorry to offend. I only meant…"

"We know what you meant." Pestilence interjects. "And we also know just how long we have spent in this god-forsaken place. Each hour may have felt like a day, and each day a decade, but we know exactly how long it has been. Our bodies may have been trapped, but our minds have been free. It will be good of you to remember that."

A moment passes.

"You may rise." The Anti-Christ says, after Pestilence barks at Armers.

Armers nods his head to thank The Anti-Christ and also to show acknowledgment to Pestilence.

"We will take on our new forms and begin chipping away at The Second Seal immediately." The Anti-Christ begins. "You just ensure that Azazel is made aware of your accomplishments here today."

"Of course. Thank you." Armers responds.