I do not own any of these characters, they're owned by their respective companies.
10
THE CURSED ARMOR
The giant burning demon strike with his giant fist, aiming for Gutts head. The impact sunks part of the ruin into the lava. Suddenly a giant sword strike the monster's neck, cutting a part of it. In the blink of an eye, Gutts has avoided the demon attack, jumping and inflicting a fatal strike.
Lucatiel and Puck are astonished with what they just saw, a human wouldn't be able to do that. Lucatiel say to herself:
That armor, is that…enhancing Gutts ?
The black swordsman jumps through the ruins, avoiding the colossal strikes of the monster. The demon's arm goes down trying to reach Gutts but he jumps back and uses the broken wall at the other side as impulse to storm at the monster face.
He pierce it's face with dragonslayer, but the monster does not die. As it turns it's head more and more fast, Gutts uses the dragonslayer threaded in it's head to gain balance.
Lucatiel tries to reach Gutts, but Puck pushes her the other way by the hat saying:
You can't go there, it's too dangerous!
Lucatiel replies:
I am not scared of this demon!
Puck looks at the two monsters fighting ahead and say:
I'm not talking about the demon…
Gutts sees himself in his mind, everything is blurred, dark and hostile. He feels that if he doesn't kill every single living being in there, he's going to die, and more importantly: Griffith will continue alive.
Gutts then take his sword off the monster head and swings it at the demon's eyes, blinding it. With a monstrous roar the monster grabs Gutts and crushes him into the ruin's floor. The two watching the fight scream in despair as the monster launches Gutts inside of the ruins.
Gutts breaks through the walls, passing the final bonfire of the castle and lands on the thick wall on the other side. Lucatiel and Puck charge to Gutts location, managing to avoid the monster blind strikes. When the two see Gutts they almost throw up.
He's in a pool of blood, one arm with a exposed fracture and the other turned completely the opposite way. The left knee joint is pushed to the other far end almost completely, and his neck is locked in a diagonal position, turned half way, almost in his back, all wrapped in a long chain that must been hit when Gutts stormed through the place. Lucatiel falls on her knees as Puck say:
Can't be…he can't be…
Gutts can only see darkness, his friends voices are fading, then he hear a guttural voice saying:
We're not done yet…
Gutts start to see his friends silhouettes, and he thinks:
They shouldn't be at my side… they will…
The guttural voice returns saying:
Yes…they will die…everything will die…
The silhouettes changes, now Gutts sees monstrous shadows with sharped teeth. He then sees the wolf, the monstrous black wolf, it's red demonic eyes looking at him. It licks it's sharp teeth while saying:
Kill the world…
Suddenly Puck and Lucatiel hear a cracking noise, right in front of their eyes, Gutts torned members place themselves correctly again. Lucatiel say to herself without realizing she's yelling:
It's the armor !?
With the final sound of his neck being back into place, Gutts takes out the chains of him and with it in his hand, gets up, and walks towards the two. Gutts takes Lucatiel by the neck and lift her above ground. Puck start punching Gutts desperately, but to no avail. Gutts start choking Lucatiel while the red eyes of his helmet meet the cold metal eyes of her mask.
Suddenly the monster approaches again through the enormous rupture that was the ruins ceiling. The monster comes in their direction, it uses a final effort to wipe out all of the threats, it's mouth start to shine red, gaining Gutts attention.
He throws Lucatiel away and run for dragonslayer on the ground. Gutts wrap dragonslayer's grip with the chain, he then uses all of his new strength to launch the sword in the demon direction. The sword pass through the devil's mouth, piercing through his head and coming to the other side. Silence fills the place, and Lucatiel and Puck only hear the metal sound of the chains being pulled before the sword could fall into the lava. Suddenly the sword comes storming to Gutts hands, the metal burning like hell. He looks back to the two frightened friends and stares at them for a couple of seconds. He sees monsters, but the voices, they tell him otherwise. Suddenly the great black wolf appears in front of him saying:
Kill…the world!
Gutts feels the gigantic pressure of the events that have passed, all the pain, suffering and rage. Then a little person, wearing a purple mage's robe and hat emerges from the shadows of the corner of the room, the person uses a wooden staff and chant an enchantment.
Gutts sees a bright light and then a feminine and very young voice saying:
Calm down…
For some reason he can't explain, the rage gets smaller and smaller, the wolf vanishes in shadows and Gutts fall on his knees, the helmet opens revealing an exhausted and badly hurt man. Lucatiel and Puck reach Gutts, the two are amazed and terrified with what just happens. They look at the little mage, Gutts eyes meet hers and then, she waves her staff, and vanishes into nothing. As Lucatiel and Puck surround Gutts trying to see the extent of his wounds, the black swordsman whisper:
I'm…sorry…
Lucatiel just ignores the words, as Puck throws some elfic dust in Gutts wounds saying:
It's in the job's description big guy!
Suddenly, they hear a laugh. The laugh echoes through their minds, Gutts and the others look to the monster, it was to be falling into the lava, but it's standing, and transforming. The rocks and lava transform itselfs, molding the monster into a giant lady, with provocative curves. Her black wings cover her body, letting the rest to the imagination as she waves her vine-like hair.
She looks down at the three warriors and then only at Gutts, and say:
My, my… you've became quite a warrior…
Gutts looks at the giant woman and remembers, she was at the eclipse. She is part of the God Hand, five demons who control the world, Griffith sacrificed everyone in the band of the Hawk to turn into one of them. The armor starts to take form again as the woman say:
You miss Griffith right ?
The armor stops, Gutts looks at her, surprised, and asks:
What… what did you say ?
She licks her lips and say:
You miss him don't you ? You don't really want to kill him…
Puck and Lucatiel can't understand what is happening, they try to move Gutts from there but he refuses to leave. The giant woman starts to become smaller and continues:
There's a way to turn things good again…
Suddenly she's a size of a human and touching Gutts face. Lucatiel draw her sword and Puck takes Gutts dagger, as they attack Lucatiel screams:
Die you-
The woman laughs quietly while snapping her fingers, making a shockwave and launching the two away. She them makes a movement with her hand and the red behelit floats out of Gutts pocket. While it floats in front of Gutts the woman makes a proposition:
Become one of us my dear, and help the Hawk conquer the world. Like the old times….
The last words echoes in Gutts mind, the behelit starts to change but suddenly, the dragonslayer comes storming for the woman's head, launching her away. His rage will never let he live in a world where Griffith lives. The woman laughs again while floating above the lava saying:
So be it… maybe it's more fun this way…
She lick her lips looking at Gutts and shatter in a thousand pieces falling in the magma. Gutts hold the behelit in his hand and it continues to change, triggered by his hate as the helmet continues to engulf his head. Lucatiel then takes the red thing off Gutts hands, her arms closes, hugging him and saying:
Enough, you are not a demon…
The helmet opens and disappears in Gutts cloak as he falls in the ground, tired. The great soul finally goes to Gutts body, healing him partially. He gets up and look at Lucatiel for a second, then he ignites the bonfire as Puck lands in his shoulder thanking the elfic deities that he's alive.
Suddenly an enormous face composed of vines and veins emerges from the flames. Gutts only says:
Aldia…
Lucatiel scream in shock:
Lord Aldia!
And Puck says:
Am I the only one who don't know this guy ?