Chapter 10: Sacrifices
Days passed by more quickly than expected. The El Search Party kept track of Chung's progress every day. Yet despite the apprehension, they used the time they had wisely. Some of them went to the zen gardens to meditate and to clear their minds in the presence of nature. Others took the time to sleep and nurture their physical bodies. Still, others trained themselves for the upcoming fight. Yet no matter what they did within these seven days, they each did it to prepare for one of the most important battles of their lives.
They were going to rescue their dear friend. That was the motivator that kept the fire in their hearts alive.
One day, Sasha burst into the dining area while the group had just finished breakfast. She was panting heavily, which was quite a departure from her usual calm and collected vibe. She remained at the door until her breathing stabilized.
"I… Hah… I just checked the footage. Less than five seals remain."
"What!?" they all exclaimed.
"He's close to the Water Seal!"
They all rushed out of their seats and into their respective rooms to suit up. Panic ensued among the priests and the workers at the sudden news. They all knew it would come to this, but to see someone actually break through every seal on the way to the Water Seal was impressive yet unnerving.
Everything they knew was at stake now.
Ara was in her room, hastily putting on her battle clothes. After fixing the signature ribbon to her hair, she picked up the fox hairpin and spoke to it.
"Today's the day…" she said to it.
Indeed it is, replied Eun in her mind. But you're ready.
Ara smiled confidently at the hairpin. "Let's go."
She expertly twirled the hairpin before stylishly burying it in her long, silky hair. Grabbing her spear, she ran out into the halls and rendezvoused with Sasha. The rest of her friends were at the throne room where they fought Ran.
Looking around, she noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Aren?" Ara asked.
"He can't fight," replied Sasha. "His body's not up to it."
"Oh…"
Going back to the throne room, everyone marveled at how big it was. It was at least three stories high and approximately a kilometer wide on each side. Sasha led them behind the giant throne. Once they passed it, they could see the opening on the far side. The opening seemed big enough, but the sheer size of the throne room dwarfed it, making it look like a mouse hole.
"This is the entrance to the labyrinth. I will lead the way. Do not deviate, lest you may be lost in here forever," instructed Sasha.
Heeding those grave words, the El Search party followed Sasha into the labyrinth, being careful not to lose each other or the Water Priestess. They followed silently as Sasha led them through a path filled with dust and broken bricks.
Soon the path began to narrow, and the party had to continue in a single file line.
Over time, the narrow hallways began to choke them. The walls seemed like they could implode in on them at any given moment, yet they remained sound. Only the sound of footsteps could be heard as Sasha and the El Search Party traversed through the Labyrinth of Trials. They could tell where the magic seals used to be. Light-blue shards of glowing, solid mana lay on the ground like broken glass. Along with it, cracks and soot on the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The party finally reached the heart of the temple. The room was one gigantic hallway, with a wide path leading straight to the Water Seal. There were four giant pillars on each side, just ten meters from the walls. They were wide and tall, reaching four stories all the way to the high ceiling.
Sasha walked into the place where the Water Seal was.
The Water Seal was there in all its beauty. But there was also a tiny dot of white light at the bottom of the seal. Sasha stared at the wondrous dot of light, admiring how delicate it was.
"Get back!" snapped Raven. He grabbed Sasha by the shoulder and harshly pulled her back. Just then, a sudden thundering crack resounded all throughout the room. There was an explosion at the wall just where Sasha was standing, and when the dust settled there was a gaping hole covered in black soot.
"Explosive rounds… You could've died just now," Raven grimly uttered.
"Hah… Hah…" the priestess panted, still shaken. "Thank you…"
"Just a warning shot. You may enter," a voice resounded. They recognized the voice, but they all knew better. It sounded like Chung, but it wasn't Chung.
Pat… Pat…
Elsword and the others gasped in shock when Ara shoved past them.
"A-Ara!" called Aisha. "Don't! You'll get shot!"
Ara continued. As she walked out into the open, she beheld her beloved Chung, who was sitting on his Destroyer on a high ledge. His eyes were deep red and soulless, just like Ran's were. Black tattoos outlined in red were visible on his faded face. His face was no longer pale, and the dried river of blood on his face was nowhere to be found. Instead, his skin was as gray as stone, and probably just as sturdy. However, his hair remained golden, like how it always had been. It served as the last sign that he wasn't totally lost.
His Freiturnier was also different. It had turned black and red, with spikes protruding backward out the shoulder plates.
Directly behind him was the Water Seal, shining brightly like the moon with a glittering surface that seemed to shift like ocean waters. Dark symbols were slowly drawing themselves on it, tainting the purity of the Seal.
"He's… He's corrupting the Water Seal..." muttered Sasha.
A flow of blue dust flowed into Chung's body, clinging him to the power of the Seal like a tether. To his right and to his left were also large statues, tall enough to reach to the ceiling of the temple. They were statues of his ancestors, and they each donned their version of the Destroyer. Magical glyphs from a lost language flowed slowly from the statues into Chung's body as well.
"So you finally made it," said Chung. His voice resonated eerily throughout the room, sounding like the voice of a multitude.
"Chung! I know you're still in there!" Ara shouted desperately. "We came to save you!"
"You came to die," he replied coldly.
A wall of ice suddenly raised, blocking him from view. But there was a window in the middle, allowing the Fallen Guardian to peek through.
Btooom!
The bullet barely scraped Ara's head, and she could feel the nauseating effects of its gale force bullet trail. She froze in shock; death's touch had never been so close.
Snapping back to her senses, she bolted towards one of the pillars for cover. Raven, followed by the rest of the team, stormed inside.
"Sniper! Keep your damn head down!" the Reckless Fist barked as he scrambled for cover.
Shots rang out like a thunderstorm, exploding the ground and the walls as the El Search Party scattered for cover. They each took refuge behind pillars of thick stone, flinching every time the bullets slammed into the pillars.
"Raven! What's the plan?" Elsword shouted over the chaos.
"We need to hit him from behind cover!" Raven yelled. A bright flash engulfed him as he entered into his Awakening Mode. Tiny lightning bolts sparked to and fro in the air around him. When the flash subsided, Raven's Nasod Core was with him, following him like a floating drone.
"Shooting Star!" they heard Chung yell.
All of a sudden, homing rockets flooded the room, looking for signs of life.
"Move!" Raven yelled. The bright-blue rockets drew them out from behind the pillars, as they each did somersaults to avoid the deadly projectiles.
Btoom!
This time, the deadly bullet hit. It didn't hit anything vital, but the bullet gutted a gruesome ridge across Elsword's lower back.
"Aaahh!" he yelled in pain.
"Elsword!" screamed Aisha as she watched him fall.
"Don't! Keep mo—"
Btoom!
The Nasod Core bloomed inwards to create a shield. But the bullet hit so hard that it completely disintegrated the Nasod Core.
"Damn!" cursed Raven as he made it to cover in time. Explosions peppered the battlefield as rockets slammed into the walls and floor. Dust rose like a mist, engulfing the room in darkness.
Raven and Rena stood side by side, fear and adrenaline coursing through their veins like lightning. Ara was behind her own pillar, still shell-shocked from almost losing her head. Eve was behind the pillar across from her, her drones staying close by. Elsword and Aisha were together behind another pillar after the purple-haired mage had barely dragged him to cover before getting shot herself.
The Knight grunted in pain, feeling the horrid wound that the bullet caused. Knowing what she had to do, Aisha set her hand ablaze.
"A-Aisha…" muttered Elsword when he saw the bright flash in her hand. Then he too realized what she had to do. Producing a leather strip from his cloak, Elsword took a deep breath and bit into it as hard as he could.
With a heavy pant, he nodded at her. Aisha tore Elsword's tunic to further reveal the wound.
Aisha gently rubbed her flaming hand over his back, causing the flesh to sizzle as the fire cauterized the wound. A single tear fell down Elsword's cheek as he let out a suppressed cry of pain. His body trembled from the pain, and the leather strip fell from in between his teeth and onto the floor. He leaned against the pillar as the wind left him.
Aisha caught him before he fell, tightly wrapping her arms around him. "Shhhh…" she tried to calm him. "Shhh…"
Slowly, his breathing normalized and he was able to get up. "Hah… Thank you…" he said.
Elsword noticed the dusty atmosphere. "What's the plan?" he hollered towards Raven and Rena.
"I don't know..." Raven hollered back. "Hold on!" The Reckless Fist slowly drew out his sword.
"What are you doing?" Rena whispered fiercely.
"Just watch. I wanna try something," he whispered back.
Slowly, he poked the tip of his blade out into the open.
The sound of Chung's rifle going off made their hearts jump. Raven's sword flew right out his hands, landing 20 feet away with a clang. Though he could not see it, the savage impact of the sniper round had punched clean through the middle of the sword, cracking it in half.
Raven cursed. Chung could see right through the smoke while they remained blind. Raven stood still racking his brain for ideas. His sword was gone, everybody except Chung was blind, and they were trapped behind pillars of stone.
"R-Raven!" Rena warned. She pointed to the peculiar red blur that was right beside them. Raven's eyes widened when he realized what it was.
"Tactical Nuke! Incoming!" he howled in panic.
He ran out of cover like a maniac to escape the impending explosion. He was blinded as the neon flash of Chung's Quantum Ballista lit up the dust around him. He raised his forearm to his eyes and kept running. But as he ran, an icy cold feeling of fear was slowly crawling up his spine. He could almost feel the red dot burning on his chest, tracking his movement perfectly. Then the shot rang out.
"Urgh!..."
All of a sudden, Raven's movements turned from graceful to awkward. A red geyser erupted from his pecks right above his heart, and he collapsed onto the ground just before he reached the pillar on the other side.
"Raven!" Rena screamed, her voice cracking in panic. She went to pick up her comrade, but she was stopped when another round barely missed her head.
But afterward, the shots stopped.
"He's reloading! Rena, now's your chance!" shouted Aisha. "Is he hit!?"
Rena didn't answer, she just dragged the swordsman to safety, leaving a horrible trail of blood on the floor.
"Aisha, get him to safety!" the archer begged with tears in her eyes.
"On it!" replied the mage. Aisha fixed her gloves and ensured that she applied a firm grip on Raven's body. There was a sudden flash, and the two were gone.
They reappeared inside the labyrinth. Aisha swept the dusty floor with her boots and carefully laid Raven down. Aisha placed two fingers to the Reckless Fist's neck. Miraculously, there was still a pulse.
Faint, but frequent footsteps could be heard as the Water Priestess quickly made her way to Aisha.
"Sasha! He's been shot!" Aisha called.
Sasha knelt down and gently slid her hand over the bullet hole.
"Heal…" she breathed out, the mantra barely audible. Blue specks of El converged like a whirlpool over the wound, regenerating the cells. As she cast the healing spell, Sasha hoped and prayed that the bullet hit nothing vital. A simple healing spell could only do so much.
A crew of medics arrived on the scene, clad in light armor and swords. One of them was carrying a heavy load of medical equipment, and still another had emergency combat supplies in case they were ambushed.
"Mendéz!" called the first medic. She had a special emblem embroidered on her chestplate that the others didn't have. She must've been the head medic.
The man carrying the medical equipment stood forward, deploying the crate of supplies. Immediately the whole team swarmed the crate. One of them took out a large piece of equipment and placed it over Raven's body. A tiny bar of light appeared at his midriff and began moving upwards at a constant speed. The machine beeped, signaling to the operator that the scanning procedure had finished.
The bullet went clean through Raven's body, but thankfully nothing vital had been hit. He'd live to fight another day.
"Hah… Thank you…" breathed Aisha, nodding at the medics.
Bang!
The gunshot reminded the girl of the harsh battle that was continuing on without her. She nodded at Raven, then at Sasha, and then at the medics.
With a chant, she returned to the Water Seal, righteous anger building in her chest.
Aisha teleported back to her previous place. Rena was standing there with a worried look on her face. The clouds of dust were gone; Rena's Carpet Storm had defogged the room.
"It's okay…" the mage comforted. "He'll live."
"Oh thank God…" Rena said on the verge of tears. But despite the relieving news, Rena could feel that something broke inside of her when she saw Raven nearly die.
The group made a grave mistake by taking this moment to relax. They were totally unaware of the dangerous red light that was next to them.
"Missiles incoming!" informed Eve.
"Artillery Strike!" they heard Chung scream.
In a panic, Aisha grabbed hold of Elsword's body as hard as she could. She teleported just in time to escape the blast.
"Damn! I couldn't get Rena!" cursed the mage in panic. But as soon as she turned around, she saw the Grand Archer running as swiftly as the north wind, barely escaping the volley of missiles that peppered the area where she once stood.
"Dread Chase!" they heard him bellow. Mounting the Destroyer on his shoulder, Chung unleashed yet another volley of homing missiles into the room.
"Does he have infinite mana!?" screamed Aisha.
"It's the Water Seal! Cut him off from it!" screamed Elsword.
Seeing the homing rockets, Rena drew her bow back and fired in their general direction.
"Guided Arrow!" Five green arrows flew through the air and headed for the homing rockets. The arrows collided with them, causing explosions in the air that scattered dust and gunpowder.
"Thank you!" shouted Aisha as she led Elsword behind cover.
"We need to get closer!" Rena ordered. "Take down that ice wall!"
"Already on it," affirmed Eve. Crushing an El's Essence, Eve created an optical lens using Moby and Remy.
"Psychic Artillery!" The Battle Seraph fired a tiny beam of light towards the wall. With perfect accuracy, the beam went through the single hole in the wall, scoring a burning headshot on Chung. The Fallen Guardian staggered back, clutching covering his eyes and screeching in pain. Ara's heart broke hearing that scream, but she knew that it was a necessary pain.
"Energy burst!" With that, the tiny beam erupted into a gargantuan stream of light. The beam instantly vaporized the wall of ice, turning it into a sizzling cloud of water vapor. Still disoriented, Chung felt fresh new waves of pain as the brutal light enveloped him in its deadly incandescence.
The particle beam faded, revealing a kneeling Chung. His Freiturnier was singed, and parts of it had been melted by Eve's Psychic Artillery.
Ara stared at Eve, a tornado of emotions whirling violently within her. Sensing her malice, the Nasod Queen turned to her friend, looking deeply into her eyes.
"You won't turn on us again, will you?"
Elsword, Aisha, and Rena perked up at those words, and they saw the two in the distance eyeing each other like two duelers in a Mexican standoff.
"...Will you?" repeated Eve.
Ara couldn't answer. Her mind flashed back to the sound of Chung's scream just moments ago. Causing that kind of pain to the one she loved was unforgivable. But her brooding was interrupted when she saw the glint of a muzzle in the distance.
"..! Eve!" Ara reached out to save her, but she was too late. The shot rang out with its thunderous roar, racing towards its target at supersonic speeds.
Eve exploded. Her amber eyes widened in surprise as the vicious projectile tore into her body, sending metallic pieces of her flying off into the distance. Her steel torso ballooned outwards as the bullet exited her body, leaving her clutching a brutal exit wound. Legs shaking, breathing erratic, the Nasod crumbled pitifully towards the floor.
Ara caught her body and held her up, watching in horror as Eve's eyes flickered like a broken lamp.
"Eve… Eve!" Ara cried, shaking the fallen Nasod. "Not like this…"
The Battle Seraph weakly grasped Ara's arm. With slow, painful motions, she turned to face Ara.
"...Don't waste it," Eve muttered through gritted teeth. Then her eyes died. Beside her, Moby and Remy dropped to the floor, clanking like dead weights. Their lights faded as the power went out, and they laid dead on the ground beside their master.
A violent squall of emotions whirled inside of Ara as she held the dead Nasod in her arms. Fear, grief, and sorrow crippled her to the moment, burning unwanted tattoos into her soul.
"What are you doing? Get the hell out of the open!"
Ara ignored Aisha's pleas, and instead, she closed the Nasod's eyes with her fingers. Standing up, she Ara looked directly at Chung, locking onto his soulless ruby eyes. The muzzle of his rifle glinted eerily, and she could feel the red dot burning a hole in her chest where her heart is. But even so, she kept gazing into his soul, her eyes glassy from tears that haven't fallen yet.
"Chung!" Ara boomed. The sound of her voice reverbed all around the room and off the walls.
And against all odds, Chung did not shoot.
Author's Note
Hey guys. Sorry this upload took longer than expected. I haven't been uploading as frequently as when I first started this fanfiction. But in a way, that's a good thing. It's better not to rush something and have it come out nice. Believe me, I've put out fics that were ass because they've been rushed. (Tbh, another reason for slow uploads was that playing Garry's Mod with the peeps in my writer's discord has been lit! But that's another story .)
It's 2:20am as I'm writing this endnote. I might upload this in the morning (er… afternoon), cause I'm dead tired. I think I'm gonna split this action sequence into three chapters. I've had a lot of crazy things happen all in one chapter before, and I personally view that as a mistake on my part. So this time, I'll spread it out a little more :D
After I finish the action sequences, I predict that this fic will get all emotional and at times really fluffy. Lmk what you guys would think about that.
Oh and I totally didn't name this chapter after a song by Big Sean or something… Where did you get that idea? Anyways, it's ya boi LegenDarius. Rates and reviews always appreciated. I'll see you on the next one. Peace!