The End Part One
Arturo laughed as the Phantoms surged forward and his podium sank into the ground. Laury quickly gave ground firing a well-aimed shot into a Phantom's shoulder. It hissed with rage and its black-as-night claws extended to their full length nearly reaching three feet. It roared its song of fury and glided over to Laury, she pulled her knife and barely blocked its razor-sharp claws. Its other hand came around and knocked the hunting knife again and it flew across the clearing soaring past another Phantom's head and disappearing into the brush.
Laury tensed reaching for an arrow desperately preparing for the end. Estelle let out a furious screech ad leapt through the air slashing wildly with her sword. She landed on the dew covered grass, her sword drenched in the Phantom's midnight black blood. A moment later the Phantom toppled its head separating from its body and rolling across the meadow.
Shianne threw Shylam's knife at the one who had slain him the arrow now battered from the creature's attempts to pull it free. The knife struck home stabbing right into its cruel black heart. The creature let out a pitiful wail and collapsed still twitching in its final moments.
Shianne walked over to it and stomped her black combat boot on its face putting an end to the mutt. She pulled the knife free and gasped as its clawed hand shot up and caught her painfully in the side. She spat a mouthful of blood in the grass and stumbled off feebly clutching at her side. She viciously fought as two Phantoms spotted her wound and attacked her in a brutal onslaught. Shianne stabbed both in the chest twice before she was swarmed by the remaining two the scent of blood was too much to bear from them and she disappeared in a tide of scratching claws.
Laury jumped to her feet sweeping into action running across the clearing and poured arrow after arrow into the four. Estelle and Leon charged with Kyna and Dean close behind hacking down the mysterious beasts. The beasts fell behind everyone's combined might, lying in a pool of their own dark blood. Sylvia nd Nessarose watched on the outskirts of the clearing with a smirk on their faces.
Laury smiled as Leon and Estelle let out cheers after defeating the President's obstacle. The smiles quickly slid off of everyone's faces when the ground shook and the Cornucopia lifted off the ground gliding o its sleek metallic platform over to the other side of the clearing. Laury nocked an arrow cautiously as the ground shook again coming from the ruins of the old Cornucopia and a massive clawed hand reached out of its vast depths.
Leon froze with terror as a fifteen foot behemoth rose from the depths dwarfing its predecessors. The beast screeched its earsplitting war cry and lashed out with its six foot long claws catching Dean in his ribs. He flung Dean aside across the clearing and he slammed against a tree collapsing in a sprawled heap. Kyna screamed and hastily threw one of the knives strapped to her thigh and it stabbed into the creature's side.
She sprinted across the meadow to help Dean and the creature pulled the knife free like a thorn in his side. Sylvia went into action signaling to Nessarose and the two steadily went to work setting an invisible trap to the beast.
Leon charged bringing his dual swords to bear and dodged the beast's claws using them as a ramp to run up his arm. He leapt up to its shoulders and stabbed down with both swords leaving a deep gash in its shoulders he jumped down and sliced downward cleaving through flesh and bone. The beats bellowed in a mixture of fury and agony as its dark blood pooled from the grievous wound. Leon yelled in pain as its right hand lashed out and slashed him swatting him aside like a fly and he flew across the clearing tumbling a few yards across the meadow.
He struggled to his feet as the beast lunged forward charging him. He dodged the hasty blow desperately as it attacked with both clawed hands ignoring the wound. Estelle raced across the clearing trying to help him and the beast lashed out with a huge tail lifting her off her feet five feet into the air to crash back to the ground.
Estelle gasped as the air rushed from her lungs and she collapsed with a grunt. Laury ran over to her helping her to her feet and fired off another arrow to distract the beast. The massive Phantom roared as the arrow ripped through the huge wound delivered by Leon flying down into the pit behind it. It spun on Laury flying towards her quick as the wind. She dove aside as its claws plowed through the ground where she was. She fired another arrow into its right arm and then another.
Estelle sliced off one of its claws and ducked under its other hand trying to slice through her neck Leon rolled under its arms delivering a two long parallel cuts down its left arm. The beast roared and its tailed lashed out catching Leon off guard and it hurled him twelve feet into the air and the wind rushed from his lungs and he plummeted striking the ground hard near the pit breaking a rib or two on a rock.
Estelle screamed and swiped at leaving a vicious gash in its leg and sprinted behind it to Leon. Laury drew the best away somewhat aware of Sylvia's plan. Sylvia smiled as the beast thundered after Laury towards her awaiting surprise. The trap sprang and snares flew out of the tree tangling around the beast. Razor wire sliced deep into it delivering multiple deep wounds. The beast roared struggling against its restraints and several ropes snapped freeing its arms. Leon rushed across the clearing to help with Laury close behind.
The huge Phantom lashed out spotting him and a single huge claw ripped through his chest. Estelle froze in horror switching to shock seeing Leon freeze with a single black claw sticking out of his back. She screamed as he fell off of it as the beast retracted it and he collapsed in the meadow already dying from his wounds. He gasped in heavy breaths as Estelle finally reached him. He reached out to her gently grabbing her hand, "Y-You can still w-win this. Go on without me 'Stelle."
"No," said Estelle, "Please don't die on me now. We've come so far." Tears streamed down her face and she clenched his bloodied hand tightly not letting him go.
"K-Kill that thing and win," said Leon with a faint smile, "Then y-you can go h-h-home."
"No," said Estelle refusing, "You'll make it."
"Please…" he said, "Win for me."
"I-I can't," she said blinking away fresh tears, "D-don't die."
Leon leaned up and kissed her one last time before falling to the ground his eyes glazing over. The cannon rang signaling his death and Estelle choked back a sob rising to her feet with sword in hand.
She turned towards the beast and said to Laury out of the corner of her mouth, "Let's finish this."
A/N: Fin! Barely shorter than usual but next chap will be extra-long and really sad so grab the tissues. Lots of action though too. The victory tour will make next chapter extra-long cause I don't want to put in the sequel. Enjoy next chapter coming soon I'll start working on it now but it will take another day or two.
P.S.: Get ready to PM me your tributes make them super extra awesome. The winner of this story will become a mentor and will become a main character in the series. Keep voting in the polls I'll edit it since two people died and we'll go from there. I promise the next story will be even better enjoy I might add a little sneak peek at the end of next chapter too.