Chapter 7: Sins of the Father
The afternoon sky above was sparsely clouded, allowing the sun to shine down brightly on the lands. The sound of the wind and leaves permeated the air, but was suddenly drowned out by the crackle of magical energy.
Dohga raised his arms in a blocking stance as a small bolt of fire struck him. Despite having no shields, Dohga's natural toughness let him take the hit easily. He then countered with a spell. Rock Blast! A small rock projectile shot out at Sonia, which she quickly shot an electrically-charged arrow at. The two attacks canceled each other out as they collided, creating a small explosion.
On the side, Amy and Magellan watched as the two Defenders sparred from a safe distance. Amy was cheering wildly for her adopted brother, though at the same time she was disappointed that she wasn't allowed to try casting herself. Magellan, meanwhile, recorded various types of data on the battle.
"Nice shot, Sonia," said Dohga.
"Thanks."
Spore Cloud! Sonia's spell unleashed a blinding cloud of spores, preventing Dohga from seeing her. Dohga quickly responded with another spell. Sonic Boom! Dohga unleashed a blast of air all around him, blowing away Sonia's cloud. But as he looked around to find Sonia again, he gave her an opportunity to get off a shot at him. Dohga turned his head around too late. The arrow, which had a soft rounded head instead of a sharp metal point, hit Dohga squarely in the middle of the forehead, leaving a small bruise. Dohga yelped as he stumbled backward and fell off the side of the dueling ring, landing with a loud thud.
Sonia walked up to the side of the ring and looked down at Dohga, who had fallen comically onto his back and was trying to push himself back up. "I win," Sonia said in a cute tone. Then, turning to Magellan, Sonia asked the robot, "How many is that now?"
"Presently, you have tallied nine victories against Disciple Dohga, with zero losses," said Magellan.
"Agh, just you wait, Sonia," said Dohga. "I'll get you at some point."
"Heehee, yeah, good luck with that."
The wind howling through the Dakor Mountains was drowned out by the sound of hard manual labor below. Fires wisped in various locations across the mountain sides, which now had numerous large cave entrances lining them.
Vylon oversaw one particular construction site, where dozens of barbarian warriors worked vigorously in bringing materials to a large black stone archway. The archway had various stone spikes curving out all over it, and demonic symbols lined almost every inch of it. The barbarians had no idea what they were working on; even Vylon had been left in the dark on what he was making, though Phyress had made it clear to follow her design exactly. The elder sorcerer knew it was something important, but he wanted to know what it was he was building.
Finishing his inspection, Vylon drew a small spell stone and activated it, creating an orange circle of demonic symbols beneath him. He then vanished in a flash of light, instantly warping back to the Harbingers' main headquarters.
Vylon was almost instantly greeted by one of his minions. "Lord Vylon–"
"Sulman, where is the mistress? I wish to speak with her on the construction project."
"I am afraid she is not here, my lord. She and several other acolytes left for the Binn-Yati Mountains last night."
"I see. Did she say why?"
"No, my lord. She left Lord Fenris in charge while she is away."
"Fenris… damn dog."
Vylon muttered crossly to himself as he walked away from the acolyte.
Sonia and Dohga lounged around in the control room of Silorn. They had finished their sparring for the day; Sonia had now won twelve duels against Dohga without a single loss. The experience had been a bit of an embarrassment to Dohga, who now was trying to make up for it to Amy. The young girl had been thoroughly disappointed by Dohga's losing streak.
As Dohga kept trying to keep Amy from having a fit, Sonia tapped away at a console in boredom, looking up various random subjects. Presently, there were no missions available for them, so Sonia had little else to do.
"Trust me, Amy," said Dohga. "I could beat Sonia no sweat if I wasn't going easy on her."
"Really?" said Sonia jokingly. "So me hitting you right between the eyes was because you were going easy on me?"
"Uh, well… That one was a good shot."
"I wanna learn how to cast like you, big brother," said Amy pleadingly.
"Amy, I keep telling you you're too young. You'll get to learn when you're older."
"But I wanna start now!"
Amy started to cry loudly, leaving Dohga and Sonia flustered on what to do.
"Oh, great…" groaned Sonia. "Dohga, make her stop!"
"Hey, come on Amy. Don't cry. Hey, how about I let you ride on Aeries for a bit? You always like that, right?"
"Yay!"
Dohga scooped up Amy onto his shoulder and carried her out of the control room. Sonia sighed in relief after the two had gone; in her opinion, fighting criminals was more appealing than babysitting Amy, but thankfully Dohga did most of the work in that regard.
Suddenly, Sonia heard a beeping from the communication console in the control room. She walked up to the console and activated it, bringing an unexpected image onto the holographic screen.
"Huh? Alucard?" said Sonia upon seeing the scholar.
"Sonia? Good, I was hoping to speak with you," said Alucard.
"How'd you get this frequency, Al?"
"Nevermind that. I need your help on something in the Binn-Yati Mountains."
"Another one of your research runs in booby-trapped tombs? Have you forgotten what happened last time?!"
"No, and it's not that. Listen, I have to make this brief. I need you and whoever else you can bring along to come to the mountain village of Shael as soon as possible."
"Huh? Al, are you alright?"
Sonia noticed Alucard seemed somewhat edgy at the moment, as if he didn't want to be heard. Something was up, but Sonia couldn't figure out what.
"Please, Sonia. Can you come?"
For some reason, Sonia found herself not wanting to question Alucard further on the issue. She didn't know why, but something seemed fishy.
"Alright, but this better be good."
"Thank you. I'll be waiting at the tavern, the Lonely Suitor. Keep your arrival discrete."
"Huh? Why?"
Alucard suddenly cut off his connection, much to Sonia's confusion. He was only making the whole thing seem more and more suspicious. Additionally, the mission wouldn't be official; Sonia could potentially get in trouble for going off on it without authorization.
Still, Sonia was compelled to accept the request. Hoping Alucard would make things clearer when she got there, Sonia left the control room to find Dohga.
Up in the high peaks of the Binn-Yati Mountains was a large white temple lined with various Sigils and Henges on its walls and pillars. The numerous floors of the temple had no walls towards the front, revealing the sky and sun to each floor. The temple was known as Lindai, which meant "Cloud Castle" in ancient Bakkorean. Lindai had originally been built in the Bakkorean Cycle, but had since been occupied by the Monks of Negla.
But the grounds of the temple were alight with fire, smoke and ash. A battle was still ongoing inside the temple.
Several Monks of Negla squared off against a group of men in dark robes, acolytes of the Harbingers. The acolytes cast numerous dark spells, but the monks countered with their own spells, barely holding off the attacks. The monks stood their ground bravely, but suddenly the acolytes began to part, as if to allow someone through.
The monks suddenly became unnerved as they watched Phyress walk toward them, her black staff in hand. Phyress had a confident smile on her face, which was barely visible under her black cloak.
One of the senior monks then stepped forward and said to Phyress, "Leave this holy place, you witch. You shall not have what lies within this temple. The sacred barriers guarding the inner shrine will not yield to your dark power."
"I beg to differ," said Phyress. "And your vaunted barriers will do little to stop me."
The senior monk took a combat stance as he readied himself to fight Phyress. Phyress was amused by this show of bravery, taking a stance of her own. The monk made the first move, casting a spell. Soul Burst! A blast of spiritual energy flew at Phyress, who swatted away the attack with the head of her staff effortlessly. Phyress then retaliated with her own spell. Black Inferno! Strong black flames surged from Phyress' staff, engulfing the senior monk. The monk screamed as he was incinerated by the attack, which left a black scorch mark where the monk had stood.
The other monks were unnerved by this sight, but remained vigilant in their stances.
Turning slightly to one of her acolytes, she said, "Deal with them. I will secure the artifact."
"As you command, mistress," said the acolyte.
The acolytes moved to attack the remaining monks, who quickly found themselves overwhelmed by the Harbingers. Phyress, meanwhile, strode off toward a stairwell that led to the upper levels of the temple. One monk tried to stop Phyress, swinging a quarterstaff at her. Phyress easily dodged the attack, and then in a single movement she drew a dagger from her belt and slashed through the monk's throat. The monk fell without a sound, instantly slain by Phyress' strike.
Phyress looked passively at a few drops of blood on her dagger. Unlike her acolytes, who used wavy knives that appeared to be made of bone, Phyress' dagger was extremely elegant and the blade was made of a silver metal. Runes adorned the blade in black, which curved like a saber despite its short length.
Phyress watched as the blood quickly dripped off the blade, leaving it clean as if unused. She then sheathed the weapon and continued on her way as if nothing happened.
It had taken Sonia quite a bit of convincing to get Dohga to follow her to the Binn-Yati region. Dohga wasn't very enthusiastic about helping Alucard, but decided to go since he couldn't allow Sonia to go alone. The two soon reached the outskirts of the village of Shael, stopping near a road sign pointing into the town.
"So this is Shael…?" said Sonia.
"Poindexter had better have a good reason for bringing us all the way out here," said Dohga.
"I agree. Something about all this seems fishy." Sonia paused for a moment, and then said, "Let's find the Lonely Suitor."
The two Defenders drove their Stormers into the town, keeping an eye out for Alucard. A few minutes after entering the town, however, the two heard a loud explosion coming from the opposite end of Shael. The two Defenders instinctively accelerated toward the scene.
A crowd of people fled from the Lonely Suitor as smoke billowed out of its windows indicative of a fire. As they did, flashes of light erupted from the inside as a man in dark robes was blown out one of the windows by a blast of blue lightning. Sonia and Dohga saw the acolyte being thrown out of the tavern, realizing Alucard had cast the spell.
"Aw crap, not these guys again!" said Dohga.
The acolyte, having only been stunned by the attack, got to his feet and saw the two Defenders before him. Reacting quickly, the acolyte cast a spell at the Defenders. Dark Spine! Small black needles sprayed at the Defenders, but Dohga cast a shield spell to counter the attack. Fortify Front! A blue energy wall blocked the acolyte's attack.
Readying himself for a fight, Dohga said, "Sonia, I've got this guy. Go help mister know-it-all."
"Got it."
Sonia dashed into the building as Dohga attacked with a spell. Kinetic Strike!
Inside the burning tavern, Alucard squared off against two more Harbinger acolytes. Both had summoned numerous Imps – miniature rat-like demons with small wings. The Imps were incredibly weak demons, but could be easily summoned in numbers; there were at least twenty of them.
The Imps repeatedly jumped at Alucard, but were continuously blocked by several disc shields made of crystal. Alucard cast a spell at one of the acolytes. Psionic Blow! A blast of mental energy flew at the acolyte, but one of the Imps jumped in front of the blast and took it directly. The Imp perished, but served its purpose.
As Alucard's mind raced through his options, one of the acolytes said, "You've stuck your nose in where you shouldn't have. Now you will pay the price for it!"
Both acolytes cast in unison. Void Breaker! A black swirling ball of dark energy materialized between the two acolytes, charging with power. Realizing the danger, Alucard angled all of his crystal shields in front of him just as the ball of energy careened at him. The shields barely blocked the attack, but shattered in the process.
Looking back at his attackers, Alucard knew he was in trouble. At that moment, one of the Imps jumped up at Alucard. Just as Alucard turned to try and counter the attack, the Imp was struck by an arrow, killing it instantly. Alucard looked over his shoulder to see Sonia behind him, her bow ready.
"Glad to see you, Sonia," said Alucard, turning back to face the acolytes. "Care to help me take care of these two?
"It'd be a pleasure," said Sonia.
The archer released another arrow, slaying a second Imp. One of the acolytes turned at Sonia and cast at her. Spirits of Dako! Violet flames flew at Sonia, who dove out of the attack's path. She countered with her own spell. Inner Flame! A bolt of fire struck the acolyte, who howled in pain as he was blown back into a table, which broke as he crashed into it. As Sonia turned to help Alucard, however, she saw that the Imps had surrounded her.
The second acolyte readied a spell. Black Blaze! As black flames streamed at Alucard, he countered with another spell. Diamond Strike! A large crystal projectile shot directly into the black flames, breaking through it easily. The crystal barely missed the acolyte, blowing a hole in the side of a nearby wall. The acolyte cast another spell. Bolt of Dako! Alucard saw this coming, however, and cast a counter spell. Prismatic Mirror! A prism materialized in front of Alucard, catching the acolyte's attack. Seconds later, the spell shot right back into the acolyte, blowing him into support beam that cracked as he hit it. Several burning boards from above fell down on top of the acolyte, burying him.
As the Imps slowly approached Sonia from all sides, Sonia tossed aside her longbow and cast a powerful spell. Blinding Blaze! Sonia's body suddenly turned to pure flames, changing her to an elemental of fire. The Imps, though slightly intimidated, still leapt at her. Sonia unleashed a wave of fire from her body, incinerating the Imps. Seconds after she had slain all the Imps, Sonia's body returned to normal.
Walking up near Sonia, who had snatched up her longbow, Alucard said, "Nicely done. Now let's get out of here."
Several burning parts of the tavern came crashing down from above. Noting the building was soon about to collapse, Sonia said, "No arguments here!"
The two ran out of the tavern, avoiding being crushed beneath burning wreckage.
Outside, Dohga landed a punch to the third acolyte's head, sending him crashing into a set of barrels full of water. As Dohga dusted off his hands, Sonia and Alucard came running out of the tavern as it began to collapse. Within a few seconds, the entire tavern came crashing down, leaving a pile of rubble where it once stood.
Looking at the ruined building, Dohga said, "Wow, I'd hate to be the owner." Then, Dohga turned over to Alucard and said, "Certainly a fine mess you've made, Al."
"Blame it on them," said Alucard, gesturing to the unconscious acolyte.
"Why were they after you?" asked Sonia.
"I've been in this town for some time, and so have they. I've been trying to find out what they're up to, but I may have been asking too many questions."
"Ya think?" said Dohga.
"Who are these guys?" said Sonia.
"We'll discuss it later. Right now we should make ourselves scarce. And bring him along." Alucard gestured to the unconscious acolyte.
About an hour later, the Defenders and Alucard checked into the town inn, the White Peak. The Defenders had locked up the acolyte they had captured in a room, but thankfully the innkeeper hadn't pressed the issue thanks to a small bribe from Alucard. Shortly after they had checked in, however, Alucard had left the two for a moment for an unspecified purpose.
As Alucard returned to the inn's main room, Sonia asked, "What was that all about?"
"I was giving directions to some additional help I hired," said Alucard. "Should be here shortly."
Just then, the door opened and a familiar voice said, "Alright, I'm here looking for a– WHAT THE HELL?!"
Sonia and Dohga caught completely by surprise to see the young ninja who had attacked them a few weeks earlier in the doorway.
"Kisama!" hissed Fay.
"You again?!" Sonia and Dohga yelped at the same time as Fay.
Fay drew several shuriken from her holsters, ready for battle. At the same instant, Sonia and Dohga drew their spell stones.
Suddenly, Alucard said, "Hold on a second! I didn't bring you all here to fight one another!"
"Alucard, what is going on here?!" said Sonia angrily.
"Yeah, what the hell is this?" said Dohga.
"If you'd all just calm down, I'll explain everything," said Alucard.
All three hesitated to drop their guard, but eventually did so at the same time.
"Bakeru!" said Fay angrily to Alucard. "I was told I'd be getting a big job here, and instead you drag in a pair of Defenders to arrest me?!"
"That's not it at all," said Alucard. "I'm actually in need of your… unique talents."
"You'd better have a GOOD explanation for all this, Al," said Sonia, "especially if you brought her along."
"Hey, the name's Fay!"
"Oh, I'm sorry you little brat! I didn't know monsters like you had names!"
"Mocca-mocca su su Ama!"
"Enough!" shouted Alucard. His tone seemed to intimidate both Fay and Sonia into stopping their argument. "Look, to get straight to the point, I brought you all here because I think the Temple of Lindai may be the resting place of another Mystic Orb."
"What?" Sonia said, finding Alucard hard to believe.
"Mysti– what'd you say?" said Fay, not understanding Alucard.
"An orb similar to the one you tried to steal from us," Alucard said to Fay.
"Oh, that thing…"
"You sure about that, Al?" asked Dohga.
"Well, not entirely. But I have a good reason to suspect so."
"What do you mean?" said Sonia.
"That acolyte you two are keeping upstairs; a number of others showed up here yesterday. They departed for the Temple of Lindai early this morning."
"But what does that have to do with anything?"
"I intend to find out for sure what they're up to. Follow me."
Alucard made for the stairs heading to the room the Defenders had rented. Sonia and Dohga weren't sure what Alucard was up to, but decided to go with him on it. They did not expect, however, that Fay would follow them up the steps.
About a minute later they reached the room and entered it. The acolyte prisoner was tied up in a chair, still unconscious.
"You're sure you searched him?" Alucard asked Dohga.
"I keep telling you, yes!" said Dohga in irritation.
"Good, because I need him alive."
Alucard pulled out a spell stone and held it to the acolyte's head. After a few seconds, the acolyte suddenly regained consciousness with a jolt, startling the others. Realizing he was tied up, the acolyte struggled to escape, but to no avail.
"Release me, you brats!" snapped the acolyte angrily.
"Hmm, lemme think about that for a second," said Dohga sarcastically.
"You're going to answer a few questions of mine," said Alucard. "Either you can cooperate, or we can do this the hard way."
"I will answer nothing!"
Sighing, Alucard said, "Very well." He then cast a strong spell.
Infinis Enslavement! A strange magical force enveloped the acolyte as Alucard took control of him. The acolyte attempted to resist the effects, but without success.
"Now then," said Alucard. "Tell me who you are working for."
Though the acolyte tried to stop himself, he said, "I am a servant of Chaos, a brother of the Harbingers of Dako."
Sonia wasn't too surprised to hear this. She had suspected for a time that the Harbingers had returned, but now she had proof.
"I thought as much," said Alucard. "Tell me what you are doing here in Shael."
"I am here as a scout, meant to monitor activity in the region for our forces."
"A number of your brethren showed up recently. Why were they here?"
"I– I do not know. They merely showed up at our outpost as a resting point. They then made for the Temple of Lindai."
"Man… and I thought I'd seen weird before…" said Fay, confused at Alucard's interrogation.
Thinking for a moment on what to ask next, Alucard said, "Who led these men?"
"The– the– no! I can't!" The acolyte's attempts to resist the spell suddenly became much stronger.
Exerting more effort on his spell, Alucard demanded, "Who led them?"
Despite his struggles, the acolyte uttered slowly, "The… mistress… of… Chaos… She is… our master… ARGH!"
The acolyte thrashed about in his chair, trying to get Alucard out of his head. Alucard was clearly struggling to keep the acolyte under his control.
"You… will… tell me… who she is!" shouted Alucard. He then cast another spell.
Psychic Synergy! Alucard's mind connected with the acolyte's. For about a minute, Alucard didn't say a word, barely breathing. Then, all of a sudden, he made a loud cry of pain as he backed away from the acolyte, severing the connection. Sonia instinctively caught the scholar as he stumbled back. He seemed unharmed, but Sonia wasn't sure.
"Al, are you alright?" asked Sonia.
"I'm– I'm fine…" said Alucard as he stood himself up.
The group then looked back at the acolyte; Alucard had clearly damaged his mind, for his head was slumped back in a vacant expression, his eyes rolled back in his head.
"Wow, sucks to be him," said Fay.
"Did you find out who he was working for?" asked Sonia.
"Uhh… no, I'm afraid not," said Alucard. "Either he doesn't know exactly who this 'mistress' is, or something prevented me from finding out who she was."
"Wouldn't that something be him?" said Dohga.
"No… no, it was something else in his mind. Something imprinted into his head that kept me from knowing. It doesn't matter… he's shown me enough. These Harbingers definitely must suspect a second Mystic Orb is in Lindai."
Sonia paused for a moment, and then said, "So, bottom line, you brought us here to help you stop them? And if the orb's there, you probably want it?"
"If you want to put it that way, yes."
"Why didn't you just tell us in the first place, man?" said Dohga, clearly annoyed.
"I was being watched when I contacted you two. I couldn't risk revealing too much."
"Forget it," said Fay. "I don't see anything in it for me."
"You're just gonna walk out on this and let them get away with it?" said Sonia.
"Tch, not my problem." Fay made for the exit.
"Then I guess you won't need your payment," said Alucard.
Fay made a small 'urk' sound and stopped upon hearing this, but tried to mask up her actions. Sonia suddenly got the idea that Alucard had something up his sleeve concerning the ninja.
"Oh, I get it…" Sonia said slyly. "You're broke, aren't you?"
"What?! I am not!"
"HA! I knew it!"
"Grr… Ororiro!"
"Come on, then. Show us how much you've got."
Fay was caught at this point; the nervous expression on her face was palpable. She turned around in embarrassment and held a small bag of coins from her belt, dumping its contents. She had only a few small Flatstones, seven at most.
Dohga suddenly broke out in laughter. "Dude, Sonia and I don't even get paid and I still have more than that!"
"Kutabare, kono yaro! It's… just been a slow month!"
"A slow month…? Really…"
"Yeah, a slow month. Not a lot of guys wanna hire a 'little kid' like me. You should look at my competition." Then, realizing something, Fay turned to Alucard and asked, "Speaking of which, why hire me for this?"
"Because I've seen your skills firsthand," Alucard answered. "And I've learned it's better to work with people you know, even if you don't know them well."
Fay paused for a moment, and then said, "Alright then, so how much are we talking?"
"I had a somewhat different idea than money."
"Huh?"
"Lindai is rumored to hold a number of rare and valuable items in its grounds. Whatever you can find there is yours, EXCEPT for the Mystic Orb."
"If it's there," added Dohga.
"Even if the rumors aren't true, you'll still be able to pick anything you can find off any acolytes we encounter."
"Hmm…" Fay puzzled over the proposition for several seconds, thinking over the deal. Then, making a decision, she said to Alucard, "Fine, but I get first dibs, alright?"
"Deal."
"Hey, be my guest," said Sonia. "I'm not in this for a profit."
"We'll be heading for the temple immediately," said Alucard. "I only hope we won't be too late."
By the time the group reached the outside of Lindai, smoke was billowing from nearly every level of the temple. But there were still faint sounds of fighting going on inside.
Sonia hid behind a large rock as she peered up at the entrance to the temple. Two Harbinger acolytes, one male, one female, stood guard at the entry. Sonia couldn't see anyone else from her position.
Turning to the others, who crouched next to her, Sonia said, "Two guards. I can't see anyone else in there."
"There's bound to be more," said Alucard.
"You think so?" Dohga said sarcastically, eliciting a glare from the scholar.
"I wanna try to do this quietly if possible," said Sonia. "But I don't think I can get them both fast enough at this distance."
"Pfft, watch and learn, arrow girl," said Fay confidently. She then drew a set of spell stones.
Shippuuga! Fay's hands moved quickly, forming various symbols and shapes as she manipulated the spell's energies. She finished within a couple of seconds, causing her body to blur. Then, to the surprise of the others, Fay darted out of their position at near supersonic speed, dashing straight at the two acolytes.
The female acolyte saw Fay approaching at high speeds, but couldn't make out what was coming. Instead, she instinctively drew her spell stones and cast them at the fast-approaching blur. Dakogeddon! A powerful blast of dark energy shot at Fay, but she was moving too fast and dodged the attack easily. Within seconds, Fay rushed up the steps to the temple's entrance, reaching the two acolytes.
Fay leapt above the two Harbingers and cast a new spell. Hyoroga! Fay quickly finished her hand symbols and then threw a barrage of shuriken down at them. The throwing stars, enhanced with ice, slashed through the two and spread large amounts of ice across the ground and over the acolytes, freezing them with their wounds. Fay landed behind the frozen acolytes, but as she touched down her foot slipped on the ice she had just made. Fay yelped as she tripped and landed face down on the ground, sliding a few feet on the icy floor.
As the others came up the stairs, Fay scowled at her own clumsiness.
"Not bad…" said Sonia. "I'd give that… a six-out-of-ten."
"Oh shut up…" Fay hissed as she pushed herself up.
Looking around the main level to the temple, Alucard took in the destruction caused by battle. Bodies of monks and minor demons were littered about the place, but they had all recently perished.
"Where is everyone?" said Sonia, also taking in the scene.
"Give me a second," said Alucard. He then pulled out his spell stones and activated them.
Eye of Yan! Alucard was surrounded by a blue aura, and his eyes took on a blue glow. For about a minute, Alucard's mind scanned the temple, determining the locations of anyone still alive in the grounds. Of interest, Alucard saw there were multiple stairwells that led to the upper floors on each level.
"There are multiple life forms in the upper levels. Most of the signatures are emitting dark power… definitely more acolytes. But I'm also seeing several smaller demons up there."
"How many acolytes are there?" asked Sonia.
"Hard to say… at least twenty from what I can tell, but there may be more."
"Ah, shit…" said Dohga. "Just what we need."
"Are there any Monks of Negla left?" asked Sonia.
"A few… but no more than four or five."
"Tch… sucks to be them," said Fay.
Sonia half-wanted to snap at Fay for her cold remark, but decided against it. Turning back to Alucard, she asked, "What about this 'mistress' person? Is she still here?"
"I'm… not sure… there's something on the top floor of the temple, but I can't quite determine what or who is there. Something must be interfering with my Eye of Yan."
"Good enough. Alright, we won't stand a chance against these guys if we try to slug it out with all of them. We have to find the orb and then get outta here. If possible, I'd like to save some of those monks."
"You're on your own there," said Fay. "I didn't come here to rescue a bunch of guys in fancy robes."
"Fine," said Sonia. "But you're still gonna help us."
"Whatever."
Alucard's spell dissipated as the rest of the group moved cautiously into the temple. When the others were out of earshot, Alucard whispered, "Can it really be you?"
Alucard then went to follow the others.
A Monk of Negla took a defensive stance against a Harbinger acolyte, who was accompanied by three Spawns. The fiery demons were barely able to hold themselves back, itching to tear apart their enemy. Then, with a gesture from the acolyte, the demons charged at the monk, who cast a spell at them. Air Rend! A blast of air slammed into one of the Spawns, blowing it several feet back, but the other two kept coming. As one of the Spawns reached the monk, he tried to fend it off with his quarterstaff. The demon bashed aside the weapon and landed a fiery blow on the monk, knocking him to the ground.
As the demon moved to finish off its foe, an arrow struck its shoulder, causing the demon to recoil in pain. The Harbinger acolyte turned to see Sonia readying another arrow while Dohga cast a spell. Golem Fist! A large fist made of stone shot out and slammed into one of the Spawns, smashing it into a pillar. The demon died as it was crushed by the impact. The third Spawn roared as it tossed fireballs at Dohga, who countered with a shield. Barricade Array! Several small discus shields materialized in front of Dohga and blocked the flames that shot at him.
Having failed at range, the Spawn charged furiously at Dohga, who assumed a defensive stance. As the demon neared him, Dohga thrust a fist at the demon's head, hitting it squarely in the jaw. The Spawn was knocked back a few meters and crashed to the floor, then struggled as it attempted to stand.
As Dohga readied a spell to finish off the demon, the Harbinger acolyte cast a strong spell at him. Black Blaze! Black flames streamed in numerous fire blasts at Dohga, striking his shields with a powerful blow. All of Dohga's shields were destroyed, with the force of the blast knocking Dohga off his feet.
The acolyte readied another spell, but Sonia cast at him first. Forest Grip! Vines shot out from underneath the acolyte, threatening to bind him. The acolyte tried to counter the attack, but was too slow; the vines quickly entangled him and bound his arms and legs.
Sonia looked up at the acolyte for a moment, but was suddenly alerted to a demon's cry behind her. Sonia spun around just in time to see a Spawn barely a meter from striking her. Psionic Blow! A blast of psychic energy suddenly struck the Spawn from the side, blasting it into a nearby wall. The Spawn lay limp on the ground.
Turning to Alucard, Sonia said, "Thanks Al."
Alucard nodded slightly to Sonia. Then, Sonia noticed Fay behind Alucard, scrounging around for anything of value. Fay was, however, meeting with little success.
Looking over a few charms belonging to a Harbinger she had defeated, Fay muttered, "Agh, these guys have stuff that redefines junk."
"Hey!" snapped Sonia. "Where were you?"
"Huh? Hey, piss off! I'm busy here!"
"Busy looking for loose change? We could use your help, you know."
"You guys seem to be handling things fine without me. Don't see why I should help when you don't really need it."
Sonia was infuriated with Fay's cocky attitude. Before she could say anything, however, she heard a distant growling coming from Fay's direction. Fay heard it as well, apparently, and turned to see three Felhounds charging at her. The sight of them put Sonia on edge due to her experience in Weye, but she quickly realized these Felhounds were smaller than the one she had faced.
Fay yelped as the Felhounds rushed at her. One Felhound got ahead of the others and leapt at the ninja. Fay barely dodged the attack, as well as a lunge from a second Felhound. Against the third, Fay drew her wakizashi, dodged the demon's attack, and then slashed its side, but dealt only a scratch to it.
As the Felhounds slowly began circling her, Fay shouted to the others, "Hey, I could use a hand here!"
"Gee, I dunno Fay," said Sonia slyly. "You seem to be handling it on your own."
Caught by her own words, Fay hissed, "Chikusho…!"
Not even a second later, the group heard voices coming down the hall near Fay. Several acolytes had heard the commotion and rushed in to attack the group. Fay knew she couldn't take them alone.
"Shimatta… FINE! Give me a hand and I'll return the favor!"
"Glad to hear it," said Sonia. She then shot an electrically-charged arrow at one of the Felhounds.
Phyress stood before a sealed doorway to the inner shrine of Lindai, flanked by two acolytes. The door had an especially powerful holy barrier around it, preventing anything from getting inside.
Phyress took several paces as she studied the barrier from side to side. As she finished, she said, "Hmm… stronger than I had anticipated. Still, it will not deny me my prize." Turning to her two guards, she then said, "I am not to be disturbed while I work my spell. Understood?"
"Yes, mistress," both acolytes said. They then left the chamber, heading down the steps to the lower levels.
Taking a kneeling stance, Phyress set her black staff in front of her and began to chant in demonic dialect. Power surged around her, and a demonic symbol appeared in red beneath her.
Psionic Storm! Alucard's spell unleashed a massive psychic energy surge around a group of three acolytes. Two were struck by the attack and fell, but the last one managed to block it with shields. The acolyte then countered with a spell. Bolt of Dako! A bolt of dark energy shot at Alucard, who barely dodged the quick attack. Alucard readied himself again to face the Harbinger minion.
A Felhound made a lunge at Fay, but the ninja agilely leapt over the attack and brought her blade down on the demon's back, slicing it in two. The Felhound perished in a flash of fire. Fay then looked to see three Spawns charging at her, prompting her to cast a spell at them. Messenkou! A powerful blast of energy shot at the three Spawns and impacted, but did not immediately explode. Instead, a large amount of energy was drawn to the impact point, creating a concentrated surge of power. Barely seconds later, the energy mass exploded, obliterating the three Spawns in an instant.
Fay smirked at her success, but was suddenly alerted to an acolyte casting a spell at her from behind. Dark Spine! A barrage of small black needles flew at Fay, who barely had enough time to see the attack coming. Sonic Boom! A sonic blast of air collided with the needle barrage, deflecting the attack. The sonic blast then slammed into the acolyte, who was blown into a wall and lost consciousness. Fay turned to see Dohga, whose spell stones rematerialized in his hand.
Dohga smiled smugly as he said, "Looks like you owe me one, ninja girl."
Without warning, Fay suddenly threw a shuriken right past Dohga's ear, too fast for him even to react. Dohga heard a blood-curdled snarl behind him, and turned around to see Fay had hit a Spawn squarely in the forehead with her throwing star. The demon gurgled as it flew backward and perished in a burst of flame.
"Urusee…!" Fay taunted.
"Hey, maybe a little warning next time?"
"Baka yaro…"
"What does that even mean?!"
Meanwhile, Sonia shot an arrow at one acolyte, but the Harbinger managed to block the shot with a discus shield. Sonia took a second shot at the acolyte; the Harbinger attempted again to block the shot, but was too slow this time. The arrow hit the shoulder of his robes, causing him to scream in agony as he toppled to the ground and clutched the wound.
Sonia looked around at the battle around her. More demons and Harbingers were coming down to engage the group. They were badly outnumbered and their spell stones would eventually drain. The situation was quickly becoming unfavorable for them.
Heading for a nearby stairwell leading to the upper levels, Sonia shouted to the others, "Come on, this way! We need to get to higher ground!"
Alucard and Dohga were quick to follow Sonia, but Fay stubbornly did not follow. The ninja shouted back to Sonia, "Hey, who made you the boss?"
"Just do it!"
Sonia readied an arrow at shot it at an acolyte who was attempting to cast a spell at Fay. The shot struck a shield protecting the acolyte, but it was enough to dissuade him for a moment. Fay looked around and quickly realized Sonia had the right idea. She dashed for the winding stairwell as several dark blasts of energy shot around her, barely missing.
As Fay reached the stairwell, the group hastily ran up the stairs. The Harbingers gave chase; their demon summons rushed up the stairs with zealous fervor, scrambling over each other in an attempt to catch the Defenders.
About a minute later, the group reached the top of the stairwell. Knowing they were being followed, Sonia said, "Dohga, can you bring this stairwell down?"
"Give me a sec," said Dohga, readying a strong spell.
Rage of the Earth! Dohga's spell caused the stone and marble of the temple to quake terrifically. The stairs began to crumble to rubble as the first of the demon pursuers came into view. The demons were too slow, however, and the stairwell caved in on them.
After a short pause, Fay smirked and said, "So much for them…"
Their respite was quickly shattered, however, by the distant voices of more Harbingers.
"Damn it, don't these guys ever give up?" moaned Dohga.
At the entrance to the inner shrine of Lindai, Phyress' ritual was beginning to reach its peak. Demonic energy crackled around her, causing her long raven hair to billow majestically. The gem adorning Phyress' staff began to shine a crimson glow.
As her power began to swell, Phyress chanted, "Archimtiros Melarorah Theramas Zennrakkan!"
Powerful demonic energies surged forth from Phyress' staff, tearing away at the holy barrier before her. Within seconds, the barrier began to fade. The various energy crystals embedded in the door leading to the inner shrine shattered under the strain of Phyress' magic. Seconds later, as the last crystal shattered, the barrier collapsed. The energies of Phyress' spell struck the large stone door of the inner shrine and blew it apart.
Back on their floor, the Defenders suddenly heard a loud explosion coming close by from above. Despite not knowing what had caused it, they all knew it meant something bad.
In a tone of unusual concern, Alucard whispered, "No… am I too late to stop her?"
"Huh? Al?" asked Sonia, having overheard him.
Before Alucard could answer, however, four more Harbinger acolytes appeared at the end of an adjacent hallway, accompanied by a swarm of at least thirty imps.
"Oh, shit…" said Fay. "We've got company."
"Sonia, we can't waste time here," said Alucard. "We need to get to the top floor now!"
Sonia wasn't sure what to do; if they tried to make a break for it, the acolytes could catch up to them. But Alucard was right; they couldn't waste any more time fighting the acolytes and demons, or they could lose the Mystic Orb to them.
Before Sonia could come up with a plan, Dohga suddenly said, "Sonia, take Al and get going. I'll buy you some time."
"What? Are you crazy?!" said Sonia.
"Don't worry about me! Just get going! I'll catch up!"
For reasons beyond her, Sonia chose not to argue with Dohga. She turned to a nearby hallway and sprinted down it with Alucard in tow.
As Sonia and Alucard took off, Fay said to Dohga, "Shit… you're nuts to wanna take on all those guys by yourself."
Fay moved to leave Dohga, but he suddenly grabbed her arm and said, "I never said I was gonna take them alone."
"Huh?! Hey, lemme go! LEMME GO!" Fay struggled to escape Dohga's grasp, but to no avail.
"It's a little late for that."
Fay looked to see the acolytes and imps closing in quickly on her and Dohga. Running at this point would likely end badly.
With a sickly moan, Fay said, "Aw… fuck… why me?"
As the swarm of imps approached the two, Dohga cast a spell at the demons. Crush Quake!
For a few minutes, Sonia and Alucard rushed through the hallways of Lindai, trying to reach the top as quickly as possible. Soon, the two found a stairwell to the next floor and ascended it hastily.
At the top, the two stopped as they were confronted by two Harbinger acolytes. Their robes were slightly more detailed than the others; they were probably of high rank. Behind them was another stairwell leading up, likely to the top floor.
As the two acolytes readied themselves for battle, the first one said, "You children will go no further! The mistress has commanded it!"
"Your journey ends here!" added the second acolyte.
The two acolytes each drew a Summoning Charm from their robes and activated them. The energies of the charms began to take a humanoid form as Sonia and Alucard prepared for whatever they would face.
Within seconds, a pair of large humanoid demons stood before the two acolytes. The demons, Therons, had the red body of a muscular man, but stood at about eight feet tall. Both were clad in black plate armor that covered the chest and wore large spiked helmets that covered their faces. The demons brandished large war blades in their hands that had serrated edges.
Sonia readied herself for a fight, but suddenly felt Alucard grab her shoulder. She turned to look at the scholar as he said, "Sonia, I'll deal with these two. You go on ahead without me."
"Not a chance," said Sonia assertively. "I'm not abandoning you too."
"Sonia, there isn't time for this. If you don't go, they'll get away with the Mystic Orb. Please, you have to stop them."
Sonia saw the resolve in Alucard's eyes, and realized she had to do what was necessary. Sonia took off toward the stairwell. The two acolytes saw this and tried to cast spells at Sonia, but Alucard cast his guardian stone first. Solmyr, heed my command! The genie guardian materialized in between Sonia and the acolytes, blocking their path to her.
Sonia took a moment to look back at Alucard. As he watched her, Alucard shouted, "Go! You have to stop her before it's too late!"
Realizing she was dawdling, Sonia turned back and sprinted up the stairwell to the top floor. As she began to ascend the steps, she heard Alucard cast a spell. Gemstone Blade! Alucard's voice was quickly followed by the sound of clashing spells. Though it pained her to leave him to the Harbingers, Sonia did not stop running.
Within a minute, Sonia reached the top of the stairwell. She was met by the sight of the entrance to Lindai's inner shrine, which had been badly wrecked by some sorcery. But the dust was still settling; whoever had caused the damage was still inside the inner shrine.
Sonia cautiously moved through the broken doorway and entered the shrine. It was oddly similar to the inner shrine at Endusal, but was in far better condition. However, Sonia wasn't paying attention to this detail…
Sonia looked on at the woman in black robes as she turned toward her. When Sonia saw the woman's face, the face of a beautiful twenty-year-old with black hair and golden eyes, it sent a chill down the Defender's spine. Phyress made a very small smile with her scarlet lips as she looked at Sonia.
"So we meet at last, Sonia," said Phyress in a cold voice. "I've been expecting you."
"Who are you?" Sonia demanded as she readied her bow. "And how do you know my name?"
"Hmm… how arrogant… I am Phyress, Grand Sorceress of the Harbingers of Dako. I believe by now you should be familiar with us. You've been causing our order a good deal of trouble."
At that moment, Phyress raised her hand to show Sonia a small green orb in her hand. It seemed to swirl with a strange mist inside, like a tiny hurricane. It was one of the Mystic Orbs.
"What are you up to?" Sonia demanded. "What are those orbs for?"
Phyress chuckled at Sonia's words as she stashed the orb away in a pouch. "So quick to get to the point… I was hoping we could chat for a bit. Ah well, I see now there is no use in talking, especially considering all the problems you have caused for my order." With that, Phyress spread her arms and her black robe seemed to loosen from her shoulders and fell to the ground. "I'll let you make the first move," Phyress said impassively. "It's time I saw what you can do."
Sonia was hesitant to strike first; Phyress was probably goading her into making a mistake, and Sonia had no idea what the sorceress could do. But Sonia still had to stop her from getting away with the Mystic Orb; there wasn't time to hesitate.
Sonia decided to take a chance. She raised her bow, arrow at the ready, and shot at Phyress' shoulder. The sorceress effortlessly dodged the shot with a short movement to the side. Phyress then raised her staff at Sonia and a bolt of demonic energy shot at the Defender from its crystal. Sonia dodged the shot and countered with another arrow, but Phyress knocked it out of the air with a swing of her staff.
"Is that all?" Phyress taunted. "I find it hard to believe my minions would have so much trouble from a child like you."
Visibly angered, Sonia cast a spell. Immolation! A concentrated stream of fire shot at Phyress. The sorceress swung her staff to the ground as the flames struck it, which parted as they hit the staff, passing around Phyress. She was unharmed by the spell, much to Sonia's dismay.
"Heh… amateur…" Phyress said silently.
The sorceress then countered with a spell of her own. Bone Lance! A spearhead made of bone materialized and shot at Sonia with incredible speed. Sonia barely avoided being skewered by the spearhead, but it grazed her ribs and she winced in pain, clutching her side. When she looked at her hand again, it was stained with blood.
Sonia shot more arrows at Phyress, but the sorceress deflected them easily with her staff or dodged them. Sonia knew then that she was in for a tough fight. She decided to change strategies and cast a new spell. Spore Cloud! A cloud of spores enveloped the shrine, making it almost impossible to see. Sonia used the cover to duck behind a pillar, out of Phyress' sight.
Phyress was unimpressed by Sonia's move. She assumed a stance calmly, waiting for the Defender to make her move. A moment later, Phyress heard footsteps rushing toward her from behind. She whirled around to see Sonia with her dagger drawn as she slashed at Phyress. The sorceress blocked the strike with her staff and backhanded Sonia in the face, knocking her back. Then, with one hand, Phyress stylishly swung her staff at Sonia and hit her in the chest. Sonia fell to the ground on her back. As she tried to get up, Phyress held her staff head to Sonia, preventing the Defender from rising. At that moment, Sonia's spore cloud faded, leaving the shrine visible again.
With a silent laugh, Phyress said, "You disappoint me, Defender. I expected you to put up more of a fight."
"Who says I'm done yet?" Sonia said confidently.
Then, before Phyress realized it, Sonia slid her guardian stone behind the sorceress across the ground. Furion, Nature's Wrath! The silver stag guardian appeared behind Phyress and thrust its antlers forward at her. Phyress was too fast, however, and blocked the attack with her staff. Sonia quickly got up and hopped back from Phyress, putting a little distance between the two while sheathing her dagger. Phyress made a push with her staff, forcing Furion back, and then assumed a defensive stance between her two adversaries.
As Sonia was readying her bow again, Phyress took a short glance at Furion. "Well, this is certainly unexpected…" she said satisfactorily. "That guardian… it was once your father's wasn't it?"
"What? How do you–"
"I have seen it before; the silver stag belonging to the Di-Gata Defender Gerard. So… you're his daughter. How fitting then that you should bear his sins on your shoulders."
Phyress cast a spell before Sonia could react. Dark Sacrament! From the spot where she cast, several spirits screeched as they came forth, flying about the shrine randomly. Sonia looked about frantically as the spirits zoomed around. One of them rushed at Sonia, who barely dodged it. She shot at the spirit, hitting it dead on and destroying it. Furion stamped a hoof and vines shot up around it, striking several of the spirits and destroying them.
As Sonia and Furion turned their attention back to Phyress, she raised her right arm. The bracelet around her wrist began to shine red from a black gemstone embedded in it.
"Mephisto…" Phyress said, her voice echoing slightly.
Next to Phyress, a crimson circle of energy formed on the floor, quickly drawing out a demonic pattern. As the circle finished, there was a flash of light as the demon knight Mephisto teleported in.
Seeing Sonia, the demon knight said, "So the girl finally confronts us. How amusing…"
"I will handle the Defender, Mephisto. You can deal with her guardian."
"Hmm, very well." Looking at Furion, Mephisto said, "The silver stag… a hopefully worthy adversary." Mephisto raised his large demonic sword, Exaccus, and assumed a stance.
Opposite Phyress, Sonia readied her spell stones again and cast a spell at the sorceress. Inferno's Embrace! Several strong fireballs flew at Phyress. Phyress cast a spell in retaliation. Shield of the Dead! Several small discus shields made of bone materialized before Phyress, blocking Sonia's attack with ease. Phyress followed up with another attack spell. Blazing Pyre of Dako! Flames made of Dako energy arced forth at Sonia, who barely managed to roll away from the attack. She took minor burns, however, making her wince in pain as she got back up.
Furion stamped its hooves, causing a flurry of vines to shoot up at Mephisto. With a single sword strike, he sliced through all of the vines easily. Then, with a follow-up swing, Mephisto shot a wave of dark energy at Furion, which hit the guardian. Furion vanished in a flash of light, with its stone dropping to the ground next to Sonia.
"An unimpressive display…" said Mephisto. He then turned to watch Phyress and Sonia duel.
Seeing her guardian defeated so easily, Sonia knew she was in trouble. Phyress was so much more powerful than anyone she had faced before, and Sonia's spell stones were running out of energy.
"Damn it…"
As Sonia's mind raced, Phyress calmly cast another spell at the Defender. Miasma! A violet fog began to spew out of Phyress' staff, quickly engulfing the inner shrine. Sonia choked on the fumes as she felt her body begin to go numb. Her legs shook as Sonia strained to keep herself standing. Phyress, who chuckled silently at Sonia, was strangely unaffected by the toxic mist.
"No… I… I won't lose…!"
Sonia's body ached as she forced herself to stand up straight and cast a spell. Blinding Blaze! Powerful magical energies entered Sonia's body, to which she screamed in pain. Phyress watched in curiosity as Sonia slowly drew an arrow to her bow and pointed it at Phyress. The power of Sonia's spell surged through her arrow, swirling in a wave of fire.
Sonia shouted as she released her arrow, which was surrounded by an immense fire. The force of the shot knocked Sonia back into a nearby wall, but she managed to stay standing despite the shock of the impact. Phyress, meanwhile, raised her staff to Sonia's attack, producing a barrier of demonic energy before her. The look on her face indicated that she hadn't expected Sonia's attack to be so strong.
But then, unexpectedly, Mephisto ran in front of Phyress and slashed Exaccus at the fiery arrow. The two attacks clashed for a moment, but Mephisto's sword quickly won out. Sonia's attack was dispersed and wrecked the shrine in numerous places, but both Mephisto and Phyress were unharmed.
Sonia looked on in muted horror, unable to comprehend how her strongest attack had failed. "No way…"
Mephisto quickly swung his sword in Sonia's direction, unleashing a quick wave of dark energy. Sonia barely had a moment to cast a shield spell. Fortify Front! A blue barrier started materializing before Sonia, but Mephisto's attack struck it before it could fully form. Mephisto's attack smashed through Sonia's shield and struck her, but it was weakened enough to keep from killing her. Sonia screamed as she was blasted back into the wall behind her, and then collapsed to the ground on her knees.
Stepping past Mephisto, Phyress said, "That was hardly necessary, Mephisto."
"True, human," said the demon. "However, I wished to ensure that you were not slain at such an inappropriate time."
"Heh, as you say…"
Phyress slowly walked toward Sonia, who was unable to stand due to her injuries and the toxic miasma. Despite knowing she was in a hopeless situation, Sonia did her best not to show fear.
Turning to look at Mephisto, Phyress said, "She barely posed a threat to me in any case. I was hoping my revenge on the child of Gerard would be more… exhilarating than this."
Despite her injuries, Sonia hissed through her teeth, "How the… hell do you… know my dad?"
"That's very simple, Sonia. My father, Gandar, was murdered by him."
"That– THAT'S A LIE!"
"It's no lie. I was there. I watched your father murder him… my father."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"
"If you won't believe my words, then perhaps this will change your mind."
Phyress knelt down in front of Sonia, who struggled as she grabbed the handle of her knife. Before she could draw it, however, Phyress touched a finger to Sonia's forehead. In an instant, Sonia's mind was engulfed by images and sounds. Then, all of a sudden, everything went black.
Sonia slowly opened her eyes as a feeling of dizziness washed over her. She was met by the sight of a ruined temple chamber; outside in the temple corridors was an orange glow. Men and women were shouting in the distance as a battle raged throughout the structure.
Sonia's vision began to move around. She didn't know what was going on. She couldn't even look where she wanted to, as if someone or something else were controlling her.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came pattering down a nearby corridor. An elderly man dressed in elegant black robes scurried his way into the chamber. He was clearly stressed about something, for he muttered away about something incoherently. His voice was hoarse and bitter, indicative of his age.
"Damn those Wizards!" said the old sorcerer. "They and their Defender ilk will pay for this!"
"Father…?" said a young girl's voice. Sonia first thought she had said it, but realized it was too young to be her.
The sorcerer made his way to the statue of a winged demon in the chamber and pulled one of its arms downward, activating a hidden switch. A small section of a nearby wall shifted away, revealing a hidden passage.
Sonia watched as the sorcerer turned toward her and said, "Come, Phyress. It is time for us to leave this place."
Sonia suddenly felt her body run toward the hidden passage, but not of her accord. She was like a puppet to some unseen hand. She soon reached the passage and stopped in front of it, as if afraid to enter it.
The sorcerer looked at Sonia and said, "The darkness is nothing to fear, Phyress. It is a source of great power to those willing to discover its secrets."
Sonia felt her body slowly stumble into the dark passageway. But after barely two steps, there was a loud bang as the door to the chamber was bashed open.
Sonia's head turned to see the sorcerer looking at a man in brown leather armor, somewhere in his early twenties. Sonia recognized him immediately: it was her father, Gerard, though much younger. By his side was a silver stag guardian, Furion.
"Gandar!" Gerard shouted angrily. "This ends here!"
With an angry snarl, Gandar drew his spell stones and cast them at Gerard. Black Inferno! Dark flames streamed at Gerard, who drew an arrow to his bow and shot it at the flames, enhanced with magical energy. The attacks collided, exploding as they clashed. Sonia's arms moved to shield her body from the blast. She then turned her eyes back to see Gandar attempt another spell. But before Gandar could cast, Gerard cast first. Inferno's Embrace! Several fireballs flew out, prompting Gandar to cast a hasty shield spell. Black Barrier! A barrier of dark energy began to surround Gandar, but failed to fully materialize before Gerard's attack struck. The barrier shattered and Gandar was struck by a fireball. The sorcerer howled as he was blown to the ground.
Sonia felt a strange concern for the sorcerer wash over her, something she couldn't understand. She didn't know this man, but at the same time he was familiar to her.
Gandar scrambled to get to his feet as Gerard set an arrow to his bow. Realizing he couldn't win, Gandar stayed on his hands and knees.
"Damn you, Di-Gata Defender…!"
"It's over, Gandar," said Gerard. "Your order is in ruins, and your followers have abandoned you."
"Merely a delay in my plans, Defender. You may imprison me, but I will not be denied!"
"You're wrong, Gandar."
"Eh?"
Gandar's face was suddenly stricken with shock as Gerard drew back the arrow on his bow, aimed at the sorcerer.
"I have no intention of imprisoning you," said Gerard coldly.
"What?! No, you can't do this! Have mercy!"
"Mercy?!"
Something seemed to click for Gerard, for he suddenly released his arrow and shot Gandar in his left shoulder. The sorcerer howled in agony as he clutched the wound.
Gerard set another arrow to his bow as he shouted, "You mean like how you showed mercy to my brother? To Edward?!"
Gerard shot a second arrow, which landed in Gandar's right shoulder. The sorcerer screamed in pain from a second wound.
"You had him burned alive!" Gerard shouted angrily.
Gandar wheezed as he pushed himself up against a wall next to the passageway. Strangely, Gerard did not take notice of Sonia.
"No, please… don't kill me…" said Gandar weakly.
Gerard drew his spell stones as he said, "With this, my brother, and all those others you have slain, can put their souls to rest."
Gerard cast a strong spell at Gandar. Blinding Blaze! A powerful fire blast shot at Gandar, who screamed in terror. The blast engulfed the sorcerer, spreading fire all about the chamber. Gandar howled in agony as his body was disintegrated.
As the flames from Gerard's spell spread toward her, Sonia screamed.
Sonia shrieked in shock as she was suddenly returned to the inner shrine of Lindai. Phyress took a step back from Sonia as the Defender weakly looked up at the sorceress.
"Now you see it, girl?" asked Phyress.
Gasping in shock from the vision, Sonia said, "That… that wasn't real… it couldn't–"
"Don't continue to deny it. What you saw was my own memory of that day. I watched from that passage as my father was burned to ashes. The very weapon used to defeat my father rests in your hand!"
Sonia didn't want to hear any more of Phyress' poisonous words. It just couldn't be true!
"Shut up! SHUT UP! IT'S ALL A LIE!"
But something inside Sonia couldn't let her deny it. She knew deep down that it was true.
"My dad… was not… a murderer…"
Sonia's eyes began to well with tears at her revelation, and she began crying uncontrollably.
"A pitiful display," said Mephisto. "Humans are so easily betrayed by their emotions. What say you, sorceress?"
"It's as you put it: a pitiful display. And still, this girl has yet to suffer the pain I felt."
Phyress raised a hand, causing a set of spell stones to float above her palm. The spell stones soon activated. Mortal Venin! A stream of venom surged from Phyress' outstretched hand and coursed into Sonia's body.
At that instant, Sonia screamed at the top of her lungs as her entire body was wracked by pain. It was as if her body was burning up from the inside. Sonia slumped on her side as her body convulsed. She begged for the pain to stop, but it persisted without any remorse.
Soon, Sonia was so weak she couldn't even scream. Her eyes streamed with tears. At that moment, dying would have been a blessing for her.
Meanwhile, Phyress turned away from Sonia and walked up to Mephisto. She then presented the Mystic Orb to the demon and said, "The Orb of the Firmament. As I told you, Mephisto, this is progress toward our goal."
Mephisto made a nod to this. Then, a crimson circle of demon symbols appeared beneath the demon knight as he vanished in a flash of red light.
"Phyress, stop!" shouted a familiar voice.
Phyress turned around to see who it was. Suddenly, a smile came to her face as she said, "Well, well, this is unexpected of you, Alucard."
Alucard stepped into the inner shrine, followed quickly by Dohga and Fay. All three had at least minor injuries from battle, but were otherwise fine.
"SONIA!" said Dohga upon seeing her. Dohga rushed up to Sonia and lifted her into his arms, causing her to cry out weakly. Turning to Phyress, Dohga shouted, "What the hell did you do to her?!"
Phyress ignored Dohga as she looked at Alucard. She then said, "It's been such a long time, Al. What's it been… three, four years since I last saw you?"
"Three years and forty-two days," said Alucard casually. Despite his tone, however, he still had his hand to his spell stones.
"Uh, you know her?" asked Fay.
"Oh yes," said Phyress. "Alucard and I are old friends. How has the university been treating you?"
Alucard did not answer Phyress' question, but instead whispered to Fay, "Take those two and get out of here. I'll keep her busy."
Fay nodded to this slightly and moved over to Dohga, scooping up Sonia's bow.
Phyress, however, knew what Alucard was doing and said, "There's no real point in trying to save the girl, Alucard. The poison has already worked its way into her bloodstream. I doubt she'll live to see the next sunrise. If anything, you should just spare the girl and kill her now."
"You bitch…!" growled Dohga.
"When I saw you leave the university, Phyress," said Alucard, "I never thought you would go as far as this."
"Well, what can I say? Those who want results need to work toward it."
As Dohga carried Sonia toward the exit with Fay in tow, Alucard said, "And what result is it you're working towards, Phyress? What are you–"
"Oh, spare me the twenty questions, Alucard. You always were incredibly nosy. And this time, it's going to cost you."
Phyress raised her staff challengingly to Alucard, but he was ready for this and cast a spell. Sapphire Shroud! A cloud of glittering mist spread around Alucard, blocking Phyress' sight of him. She pointed her staff at the cloud and shot a blast of dark energy at it, but the blast dissipated as it entered the glittering cloud.
Outside of the shrine entry, Dohga carried Sonia out on his back, followed closely by Fay and Alucard. The group quickly darted down the stairs.
In an aggravated tone, Dohga said, "Al, mind explaining to me how the hell you know–"
"I'll explain later!" Alucard interrupted. "First we have to get out of here. How is she?"
Dohga looked at Sonia for a moment. Her body was covered in burns and cuts, and she continued to cry silently in anguish. It was painful to watch.
"Shit, she looks like hell," said Fay.
"Hey, shut up!" snapped Dohga.
The group reached the bottom of the stairs, but stopped almost immediately after exiting the stairwell. Standing in their way to the next stairwell was a group of Harbinger acolytes with various demons standing before them.
"Damn…" hissed Alucard. "I don't have anything left. Do either of you?"
"Nah, I'm out," said Dohga.
"Barely anything," added Fay. "But I've still got Shenron."
"I don't think your dragon's gonna cut it here."
"We can't afford to fight them," said Alucard. "Sonia's fading fast. Fay, can your guardian fly us out of here?"
"Me? Definitely. You guys? Maybe."
Fay quickly cast her guardian stone. Shenron, Kougeki! Fay's dragon guardian materialized with a loud roar, to which the acolytes took defensive stances. Fay quickly leapt onto the back of her guardian.
"Get on or I'm leaving without ya!"
Dohga and Alucard lifted themselves onto Shenron's back, with Dohga still holding onto Sonia. The dragon guardian took off as the Harbingers flung spells at the group. Shenron flew for the open outer walls of Lindai and soared out into the open sky as spells rained around it.
As Shenron flew off into the distance, Phyress walked over to the edge of Lindai's outer wall and watched the Defenders leave.
One acolyte ran up to Phyress and said, "Mistress, we must pursue the Defenders!"
"No, let them go," said Phyress. Then, turning to her acolytes, Phyress showed them the Orb of the Firmament and said, "We have what we came for, and we will be returning to Dakor immediately."
Out in the open sky, Alucard and Dohga held on for dear life on Shenron's back. Sonia was situated on the dragon's head next to Fay, still in agony. She was still conscious, however, but the pain coursing through her body was beginning to warp her mind.
Sonia's vision suddenly became hazy, and everything began to sound muffled.
At that moment, Dohga and Alucard managed to pull themselves up to see Sonia. Dohga shouted, "Sonia? SONIA!"
Dohga's words were the last thing Sonia heard as she blacked out.
End of Chapter 7