Epic Legends
Chapter 4: Final Tour
Disclaimer: I do not own Brutal Legend or any of the characters involved except Talia.
The joint Ironheade-Drowning Doom army was now assembled on the battlefield facing the Tainted Coil Stage. Talia was standing in front of the assembled army, her axes held firmly in both hands.
Urveil was staring at them from in front of his own army. His spear was held in a relaxed grip.
"Eviscerate!" Talia called, aiming her right axe at the Tainted Coil forces.
The double army charged with battle cries. "I want you to destroy them!" Urveil called, lifting his spear over his head.
The Tainted Coil army charged forward to attack the joint army.
The two forces collided in the middle of the field and fights began to break out.
A squad of Headbangers leapt onto a battle-nun who was being slowed by a pair of brides. Talia landed next to them and grabbed one of the two women, blasting off a set of lightning attacks that fried the Battle-nun.
Urveil was on top of a human slave who had pins sticking out of his back; he was ripping them from the back of the man and throwing them at a squad of Razor Girls who were vainly trying to fire back at him.
Six Gravediggers and a Frightwig were engaged with eight Soul Kissers and their Battle-Nun. Talia landed in the middle of the fray and leapt into the air, slamming into the ground and loosing a mighty power chord that sent the two squads of demons flying in random directions.
As the fights were breaking out and escalating multiple fan geysers were coming alive nearby. Urveil noticed this and flew over to one, playing a sickening, heavy melody and having one of his merch boots built upon the fountain. The spirits soared from the top of the fountain and into his stage. He set some of his workers on upgrading it.
Talia had noticed another fan geyser and flew over to claim it. She noticed that when the tower was built it was for Ironheade and the fans flew only to that stage.
"Damn, I'll have to change tunes in order to keep the Drowning Doom up with everyone else." She said to herself.
She felt the Black Water attempt to take her again, this time the urge was more powerful than ever. She was fighting with all of her might when the feeling receded. She was still human.
"Lita! Take command, I have to return to the buses for a second." Talia shouted at her.
She returned to the buses and sat down in one of the seats. She was inside her own mind, looking for her Drowned Self. It emerged from beneath the ground and smiled at her.
"Come to hand yourself over?" She asked.
"No, I've come to stop you from trying to kill me."
"I wouldn't do anything like that, I'm you after all."
"Then stop trying to take over in the middle of a battle, I could've died out there."
"But you didn't."
"That was pure luck!"
"Was it?"
The two bickered for what seemed like hours when eventually the static of the walkie interrupted Talia's thoughts.
"What is it?" Talia asked.
"Talia, it's Lita, the flanking forces arrived and wiped out the stage, we're routing the demons, but Urveil disappeared."
"Do you have any idea where he went?"
"Some of our troops report seeing him flying toward the Temple of Ormagodden."
"Understood, I'll go after him." Talia said, standing up from the bus seat.
"You can't fly there yourself, you're not strong enough." Drowned Talia told her.
"I'll make it."
"And be too weak to fight Urveil when you arrive, let me take control and we'll be there and back in thirty minutes. Taking Urveil down should only take a second."
"No! I have to do this on my own!"
The Drowned Talia's presence receded and Talia got off the bus. She saw the Demons were still putting up a strong resistance, but for the most part the joint army had them taken care of. She spread her wings and took off toward the Temple of Ormagodden. She traveled for hours, and as she began to fly over the ocean she felt her wings getting tired, and her body weakening.
"I've gotta keep going, I can't give up now."
"Let me take over, we'll be fine." Drowned Talia said to her
"No! Go away!" Talia shouted back
"Talia, look, we're both in this together, I have nothing to gain if you lose contact with your friends."
"That's a lie. You want me to stop fighting for Ironheade and lead the Drowning Doom against them."
Drowned Talia was silent for a minute.
"I knew it."
"That point aside, what's stopping you from letting me take control against Urveil?"
"If I let you take control then it'll be you who stopped him, not me."
"So?"
"And what if I can't stop you once you've taken over? What if you go on to control the Drowning Doom against the humans of Ironheade?"
"Then why don't we work together?"
"What do you mean?" Talia asked.
"I'll give you some of my power, but you keep your human form and mentality."
Talia thought about it for a minute, she lurched toward the ground as her wings fumbled. "Alright."
"Excellent… We're almost at the temple. Once we arrive I'll gift you some of my power."
Talia barely managed to land on the grounds in front of the temple. She collapsed to her knees as her wings receded into her back. Drowned Talia began to supply her some energy from herself. Talia noticed her body starting to turn blue. When she'd recovered enough energy she stood up and made her way into the temple.
Urveil was kneeling in front of the altar, his spear in the ground.
"So, you came." He said, standing up and ripping the spear out of the ground.
"I had to come stop you. You're going to destroy the world if you attempt to unlock this 'infinite power."
"So you know about that?" He asked, turning to face her.
"My dad told me." Talia said, drawing her axes from her belt.
"Ah, Edward… he was quite a guest I'll tell you, always threatening me with things he would do when he got out. He never did, at least while I was there. He's probably been freed now, but that won't make a difference once I've done what I set out to accomplish."
"And what's that?" Talia asked.
"My dear girl, you foolish Human girl." He began to laugh.
"Stop mocking me!" Talia shouted.
Urveil calmed and sighed, "I'm honestly surprised you haven't figured it out. I'm here to unlock the power of the Titans. I'll bring their power back to this world and put it inside my body. I'll become the single most powerful being in the world!"
Talia's eyes widened and her mouth was agape. "That's suicide! No one could hold that much power in their body and live!"
"That's where you're wrong!" Urveil said, a sudden blast of green energy ripped from the altar and spread throughout the room.
Talia screamed as it picked her up off her feet and threw her out of the temple. Urveil laughed maniacally as he was lifted into the air, his chest opened and the green energy began to pour inside. Talia picked herself up and noticed her skin turning blue again.
"What are you doing?" She asked her drowned self.
"Saving you, your body isn't accustomed to this much energy. If I can give you some of my resistance you won't die."
Talia looked up at Urveil, her eyelids becoming shaded and turning black. She spread her wings and flew up at him, she noticed they were darker than normal, and the leathery feel was more liquid. She rammed into Urveil at full speed and sent him spiraling toward the ground. The energy was still following him, and before he touched the temple floor it had picked him back up.
He absorbed the last of the energy and an explosion of force flew from his body sending Talia off balance.
"I've done it! The power of the Titans is mine!" He shouted, the mere sound of his voice seemed to shake the temple's structure.
Talia landed readied herself to fight him.
"Foolish girl! You cannot hope to stop me! The Titans are as ancient as the world itself! No one will be able to stand in my way anymore! No one will have the power!"
"Wrong! I have the power." Talia said.
"Listen, give me all of your power, now." She said to her drowned self.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, now do it!"
Talia felt the dark water begin to take control, but she fought it, not to push it back, but to control it. She fought to keep her mind with all her might, and she felt her body changing. Her skin returned to its normal white color. Her eyelids remained black and covered in the dark water, her clothes changed so they were as black and shining as the black water and her hair grew longer and sheened as well. Her body remained the same, but her wings changed so they were now a black leather that shined with the water's glow.
She opened her eyes and noticed her axes were larger, made of a black steel that shed dark water they looked like her father's axe. She grinned demonically and charged at Urveil, she flew much faster than ever before. Ramming him with her might she slashed at him with both axes cutting him across the chest.
He howled in pain as he backed away. "How is this possible?" he asked, feeling his chest and looking at his hand which was covered in his blood.
"Your power stems from the ancient roots of the Titans, but you must remember there is something far more ancient than them." Talia said, her voice was a combination of her human's higher pitch, with the dark tone of her drowned self.
"What? The Fire Beast? I can control him as well!" Urveil shouted at her.
"No, not the Fire Beast. The Black Waters, they were there since the world began. The Titans knew to fear it for even they were weak against its calling." She replied
Urveil's face lost its anger as she approached him. He lifted his spear in a vain attempt to stab her, but the black water formed a shield that captured the tip and ripped it out of his hands. Taila put her left axe on her back and lifted him up by the throat.
"Your reign of terror ends here Urveil." She said, before throwing him into a pillar.
The energy from earlier began to pour out of his body.
"What's happening?" He asked, seeing the spiritual green energy leaving his body and return to the temple.
"The Titans realize how foolish it was for you to try and take their power, and now they're taking it back."
Urveil yelled in fury as the energy was drained from him, when it stopped he fell onto his side. His body cold and lifeless, all of his energy had been taken as well. Talia put her other axe away and noticed Urveil's spear lying cast aside. She picked it up and put it on her back as well. She then looked at Urveil's lifeless body. Carefully, she picked it up and lifted into the air. She flew back to the mountains and landed in the middle of the battlefield. The Demons that had survived were in astonishment as she handed them the corpse of their leader.
"Go, return to the grounds from which you came and never return. If any of us see you again, we will hunt you down and exterminate your race." She said.
The demons quickly turned and left the battle-field, carrying Urveil like a war-hero. They returned to their underground tunnels and mines.
Talia turned to face Lita who was staring at her in shock.
"Talia?" She asked.
"The same." She replied.
She felt a tugging sensation on her body and soon, she felt the black water recede from her completely. She looked down to her right and saw a puddle of Black Water. It began to form up and take a shape. The Drowning Doom gasped as the shape was revealed to be Drowned Talia.
Talia herself was staring in shock and amazement. "What is this?" She asked.
Drowned Talia turned to her and smiled. "I don't know." She replied, "I guess your body rejected me even after we worked together."
2 weeks later…
Talia was standing in front of Drowned Talia. The two of them were at a loss for words. After the defeat and exile of the Demons, the Drowning Doom had accepted the offer to live in peace with the humans of Bladehenge, but they were still staying in the dead lands and the outer regions of the swamp. Talia was standing on the bridge with her Drowned Self, the two were supposed to be saying good-bye, but how do you leave yourself?
"So…" Talia began.
"Quite the adventure huh?" Drowned Talia said.
"Yeah…"
"So, what are you gonna do now?"
"I'm going to return to Bladehenge with my parents, maybe raise a family."
Drowned Talia smiled at her, "That's a nice goal. I suppose I'll return to the Black Water's shores. We'll need to build in order to settle these lands."
"And they'll need a leader." Talia put a hand on Drowned Talia's shoulder.
"Same goes for you." She replied.
They smiled, staring at each other before they turned to leave. They left the bridge and returned to their respective homelands. Over the next few years the Humans of Bladehenge and the Humans of the Black Water worked together and lived in peace. The two Talias working together to retain peace.