Hello all!
We have finally reached the climax of the plot in this chapter, I can't say anymore at risk of spoiling the events that take place but I do hope that this will meet expectation:)
Strongly strongly reccomend listening to Open Your Eyes by Jules Bomley, it's the most fitting song to this chapter I could almost claim it was made for it;)
Enjoy!
Destruction
Honestly, Mel wasn't sure what she had expected when she stepped through into the portal. A fiery throne room, screaming demons roaming the room around a throne.
What they stepped out onto instead, was a dull grey cobblestone path that wove through rocky terrain and scrub bushes. Behind them towering up above everything was a mountain cliff face, stabbing into the sky with black peaks.
"I feel like if we take a step forward something is going to explode." Mel finally admitted.
Gyendal snorted.
"As do I. If we ever get out of this mess alive we are more then likely going to be the most paranoid mages in existence."
Mel smirked slightly, taking a hesitant step forward before relaxing slightly. She pulled her hand free of her companions grip once they were both on smooth footing and slowly but surely began to venture forward. They walked for close to half an hour before around them things began to darken, night falling over the final layer.
Exhausted and relieved they pulled themselves several feet up the mountain they still walked next to, finding a niche in the face that would fit them comfortably. Mel settled herself down on one side with a heavy sigh, Gyendal squeezing in next to her.
She watched as night covered the layer like a blanket, a cool breeze blowing through. If she focused hard enough she could almost pretend that they were on Aia, there was no smell of fire or sulphur on the wind only fresh and clean. A small trembling smile flitted across Mel's lips.
"We're going to die here, trying to stop my disaster, aren't we?"
Gyendal shifted next to her, shoulder pressing against hers.
"If we don't then maybe for once the fates aren't playing us as their toys."
Mel laughed, the sound weak. She slowly turned to face him, her blue eyes meeting his calm green ones and she gave a slight shake of her head.
"I don't know if I want to survive this." She said quietly, voicing thoughts that had been plaguing her all along their hurried quest. "The idea of being trapped in the demon realm for eternity...I don't know if I can handle that."
He raised a brow and Mel snorted, looking away. He probably thought her thoughts were stupid, they had survived all the layers so far. If they could handle that then living in Genesis for eternity would be a piece of cake.
"Neither do I. After all this, after everything I've been through before here and now, to be trapped here for the rest of my immortal life is worse then any prison sentence."
Mel nodded, gazing blankly ahread before giving herself a brisk shake. She reached into the Magic pocket, her hand shimmering and flashing until she pulled it back with a cloth wrapped bundle. Setting it down on her lap she pulled it loose and laid it open, revealing her slate pieces. Reaching down she picked the first two up, looking between them silently as she recalled those moments once again.
A hand reached under her arms, grasping the third and final piece of slate from her lap and pulling it over to study. Mel tensed, placing the pieces in her hand back down gently before turning to watch with narrowed eyes as he studied the slate depiction of the Death Orb quest.
"Why did you do that?"
He glanced up at her questioningly and she gestured down at their picture on the slate.
"You flirted and tried to win me over for your own purposes, I get that. But why did you bother to take it that far? You hated me, and yet you were the one that pulled me over while I was still awake. Why did you bother? It's not like those actions did anything to further your goal, and I'm hardly a physical person so it's not like I went out of my way to seek that kind of thing out. Why would you tolerate such close physical contact, letting me fall asleep against you like that? Not to mention that when I woke up that morning in that exact same position you were sleeping just as soundly."
Mel waited expectantly, curious about the full extent of his grand nefarious plan. Before this, even thinking about it was hard. But it was like this whole quest had deadened that for her, either that or she was just to exhausted to care.
Gyendal stared at her for a moment before abruptly reaching over to place the slate on the top of her stack and rewrap it for her. She blink, taken aback but accepting the now wrapped bundle and placing it back in her Magic pocket.
"What-"
"Go to sleep. We need to be well rested for whatever comes in the morning."
His tone was curt and his jaw was set as he turned away, watching out of the niche. Mel stared at him for several minutes, puzzled and mildly irritated by his reaction before heaving a sigh and closing her eyes. She began to drift as she pictured her friends, her favourite places that she had found in their travels of Aia, the happiest moments in their travels. Her stupid fights with Edward over the proper way to pronounce a word, her heart to heart moments with Stella, the nights spent hearing all about the great Rhen Pendragon and who she really way outside of the legends.
As she drifted she never noticed as her hand tipped sideways to rest on someone else's shoulder, and as she was pulled under by the wave of sleep she never even registered as she shoulder was shifted down to allow her a more comfortable headrest.
"Mel! Get up!"
Mel bolted awake and was instantly reaching for her staff as Gyendal shook her by both shoulders to wake her.
"Wha-?"
She shifted her foot, then gave a sharp gasp as her foot lifted off the ground slowly as if suctioned down. Her head snapped down to stare at the black ooze that was slowly creeping up their little niche.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Mel nearly leapt over the ooze, scrambling out of the niche on Gyendal's heels. They managed to get out without injuring themselves or each other but there progress was soon halted as they found themselves facing the direction of the portal they had entered through, becoming the first to see something infinity more terrifying.
The black ooze poured out of the the portal and before their very eyes a massive black appendage reached through the portal, grabbing onto the side of the portal.
"T-That's a hand." Mel whispered, stumbling back as her stomach dropped.
A malevolent laugh echoed out from the portal and as panic washed over them Mel and Gyendal spun, sprinting away down the path as the sound of the portal being ripped and bent chased them.
"We have as long as it takes for that demon to get out of the portal." Gyendal snapped, catching Mel's arm to steady her for a moment before releasing her as the black haired woman tripped slightly on the uneaten ground.
Stark terror drove both of them, thunderous noises echoing across the layer as the sky above became black with clouds and red lighting forked across the sky above the portal. They followed the path as quickly as possible, glancing behind them to see a massive grey humanoid figure stick it's head through alongside the one arm. Mel didn't know she was capable of achieving speeds so high, her chest pumping so hard that she could feel it through her whole body.
"There!" Mel suddenly shouted out, pointing towards a massive open gateway in the distance. Massive stone walls with intricate designs chiseled into it's face stretched on either side for miles.
The closer they got, the more clear it became what lay beyond the gates. It was a city, black and grey stone buildings towering above the wall and creatures milling about near the gate. They put on an extra burst of speed, bursting in through the gateway just as a tall dark haired man with deathly pale skin rushed to meet them.
"New arrivals?! What in the name of Aia's realms did you bring through with you?!" The man barked, his voice thick with a strange accent and colder then any other tone Mel had heard in her life.
"It's the demon of the Destiny Staff, the staff was broken and the demon was freed. We were sent ahead to the Demon King, but we're too late." Mel gasped out, turning back to gesture frantically at the demon that could be visibly seen towering above the forest and the mountains all around. It had finally gotten through, letting out a terrible roar as it began forward.
The man paled, spinning back to face a woman with an unusually blue skin tone, her dress appearing almost to be made of ice. The woman had been in deep discussion with a blond man in blue armour when the main in front of them barked out.
"INDRA! AGAS! Send for the others immediately and prepare to battle! We must hold off the demon as long as it takes for these young ones to get to the king, he is too deep in his palace to register what is taking place here and we cannot hold the demon off long enough with one of us missing to do the job themselves!"
Both of the individuals he spoke too nodded before vanishing with a flash.
"Are you insane?! You cannot stop the demon with a few mages and a glorified warrior! The Shadow Oracle herself told us that no one other then the Demon King could face him last time!" Gyendal snarled, eyes wild as he stabbed a finger in the Demons direction.
The man in front of them smirked slightly, red eyes glittering as he opened one hand and summoned a ball of crackling black and purple energy. The ball condensed in his hand and the man reared back before hurling the Magic as high as he could. Mel and Gyendal watched wide eyed as the Magic picked up speed until it was nearly a blur, unseen until it collided with the demon in a fiery explosion accompanied by a furious howl.
"Yes, well last time we Daeva were not alive. Things have changed, we will hold them off."
Next to Mel Gyendal's jaw dropped at the word Daeva, clearly the term meaning a great deal in his mind.
"Wait. Dark magic...the robes...You're Nanghaithya-"
The man waved his hand and Gyendal's mouth shut immedietly, a soft snort escaping the Daeva.
"Yes I am." Then the man, Nanghaithya, went serious. "I will transport you to the entrance of the citadel but I cannot bring you any further! You must did the way to the king and tell him, make haste as we will not last forever."
Nanghaithya raised a hand, flicking it and causing their surroundings to shimmer and bend around them. Less then a second later Mel and Gyendal found themselves standing in front of a ominous staircase that led down, deep underground.
Behind them multiple explosions of magic energy could be seen, battle cries echoing over the city. Desperation fuelling their steps Mel and Gyendal ignored the events behind them, instead descending below into the earth. No more then three steps in there was a rumble above, a massive stone door falling down over the entrance with a dull boom.
They were trapped now, underground in Tartarus and blind in the pitch blackness.
Mel held her hand out blindly, summoning fire in her palm to light the area around them. She held it out in front of her to try and illuminate further, her eyes adjusting to the dim light.
They descended down until they came to the bottom, carefully advancing through a dark hallway. There was no running here, not until they knew what they were doing. They reached the end of the hallway, coming to a stop in front of a wall that allowed them to progress left or right only.
A metal plaque was fastened to the cement wall, words written upon it in elegant script. Mel held the fire closer, allowing her and Gyendal to read the words.
"You have come through the very gates of hell to reach this place, but just strength and wit does not make this your home. You wish to greet the king and become one of us? Then come, survive your final challenge of magic as you venture through the black maze and face the King of Demons."
Gyendal trailed off and Mel gaped at the plaque.
"We have to get through a maze?!" She finally burst out, her voice echoing off the walls. "We don't have time for this!"
Gyendal never got the chance to respond as from in the darkness down the corridor to their right there was a groan and a shuffling. Neither of them needed anymore prompting as they turned and ran down the opposite hallway and entered the maze.
"We need a plan. How do we get out of this?" Mel snapped to her comrade as they hurriedly followed the path they had started.
"I don't know! I haven't studied for this anymore then you have!" He snarled.
"There's no tugging in our gut like their was before, we're running blind." Mel snapped before giving a muffled shout and dropping to the ground as Gyendal leapt backwards.
A massive swinging ax that had been hidden in the wall had been released somehow by their approach, Mel could just feel the air disturbance above her neck as it swung into a slot on the opposite hidden by magic.
Mel scrambled forward and away, Gyendal bolting over to her side with inches to spare as the ax came swinging down a second time.
"A simple trap, but a very obvious example of how difficult things are going to be." Gyendal muttered, pulling Mel to her feet. "My assumption is that the deeper we go the more complex the traps will become."
Mel nodded, eyeing the maze walls suspiciously. They had no time to hesitate so despite the newly realized danger they continued forward. The further they got, the more frequent the traps became and they were forced to dodge or avoid trapdoors, collapsing walls, contained magic explosions and weapons.
In front of her Gyendal stepped hard on the ground in front of him and with a mighty shake the entire panel they stood on shuddered before breaking and falling into a pit below. Mel landed hard in the murky water below before scrambling to her feet and racing over to Gyendal who was already up and trying to wring out his shirt.
There was a gurgle and at the far end of the swamp-like area they had fallen into water began to trickle down the side of the wall.
"...that is not a good sign." Mel muttered.
A thump, and as if her words had released the flow a sudden blast of water shot out of the wall. The levels in the swamp began to rise, Mel and Gyendal forced to flee to the opposite wall as the water began to rise around their legs.
Gyendal let out a string of curses in a language she didn't recognize as he ran his hands along the wall, searching for hand grips and cracks that they could use to climb.
Mel started moving down the wall searching urgently for a way up as well, her movements slowed as the water neared her hips. Gyendal's movements became more frantic but she found herself unusually calm, her slightly trembling hands the only sign of her nerves. As she made her way down the wall her hope began to dwindle, the wall was smooth and there was no way to climb with how soaked they were. She lost her footing at one point, eyes widening as she dunked under before finding the ground and pushing herself back upright, sputtering and coughing as she reached to steady herself against the wall. Then suddenly her fingers fell into a hole in the wall, Mel instinctively ripping them out before realizing exactly what had happened and craning her neck back to peer all the way up.
"Hey! I found it!" She shouted out, her black haired companion wading over immediately.
He looked pale and his eyes darted between the water and the rock face before he jerkily gestured for her to start climbing.
"Go. I can stop your fall if you lose your grip."
Mel almost went, but something about his expression stopped her.
"Yeah... if the water rises anymore though you might have to start swimming."
He twitched and hissed through his teeth.
"I'm not an idiot Mel, I can see that as well as you. Start climbing!"
Mel shoved his hand away when he reached to urge her forward as he edged as close to the wall as he could get.
"You can't swim."
Gyendal snarled at her, grabbing her wrists and shoving her at the wall.
"Brilliant deduction, which is why I want you to get up there so I can climb before I need to learn!"
"Why would you wait?! I can swim well and if you were to fall I could support us both enough to keep our heads out of the water, just go!"
Gyendal didn't even pause, hurriedly scaling the wall before bracing himself on his knees as he leaned partially over the ledge and gestured for her to climb, the water having reached the bottom of her ribs.
Mel grabbed at the cracks in the cliff face, her grip slippery as she struggled to ascend the wall. She was just reaching the top when she felt her one hand slip and with a yelp she pulled herself flush against the wall with her other arm and fumbled for a handhold. She never found one as strong hands grabbed her upper arms and hoisted her up, Mel walking herself up until Gyendal had pulled her back from the drop off.
"This feels awful." She muttered as she stood, shaking water off.
There was an sudden shifting from behind her and Mel jumped as a warm cloak was settled around her shoulders, the fabric that came around the wearers shoulders to be closed in the front hanging low enough on her that the hem of the fabric in front brushed against her low stomach.
Her brows shot into her hairline and she spun to face Gyendal who was pinning the bottom of the cloak up to keep it from dragging behind Mel.
"Are you dying or something?! I can't remember having ever seen you parted from this thing until we got to Ira, and now you're putting it on me?!"
He ignored her, reaching forward to fasten the clasp that held the front fully closed.
"Your white shirt got soaked through in the water." He snapped gruffly. "I have zero interest in running around this maze with you freezing in translucent clothing."
Mel stared at him blankly, the absurdity of the situation dawning on her slowly before setting her off in half hysterical gales of laughter, the stress of all the situations they were facing and the impending doom that the Daeva were battling outside all being released through her laughter.
"You're as bad as Edward, when we all had to swim he nearly had an aneurism trying to figure out whether he should give his jacket to me or Stella! How gentlemanly of you, caring about the state of my modesty while we run towards our death sentence." She snorted, amused but appreciative of the warmth that his cloak offered none the less.
"Stop blathering and making stupid assumptions and let's get going." Gyendal ordered, clearly unamused by her comments.
She snickered but followed none the less, breaking into a jog next to Gyendal as they turned around a corner that their path in the maze took them. However instead of reaching another intersection in the maze they found themselves facing a dead end. They stood motionless for a moment, then with a angry snarl Gyendal reared back and hurled a ball of black energy at the maze ground.
"Damn it a-"
"Great Goddess did you see that?!" Mel gasped, gaping at the ground.
Gyendal fell silent as he saw what Mel had exclaimed over, the now faded glowing pattern that had lit up on the ground, leading directly under their feet and in the opposite direction back down the path they had just come. Moments later the Magic pattern faded completely, leaving Mel and Gyendal to stare at the ground in silence before Gyendal gave a snort.
"We are idiots. It should have been obvious, how it talks about this being a test of magic and wit rather then strength. There is Magic in this maze that'll lead us to the exit, we were just to stupid to think of checking for anything even remotely like that."
Mel nodded, kneeling down and pressing her hand to the ground to channel her magic into. Instantly the pattern lit up once more, glowing brighter then before and leading them in a clear path. She rose with an excited grin, her eyes bright with realization as she and Gyendal took off down the path to follow the slowly fading Magic guide. It backtracked them through several turns before taking them down a path they had not explored.
They were forced to fire Magic at the ground ever little bit to keep the path bright, but as they were led through the maze the traps that had one point been nearly all they hit were not almost never, the two of them running with increasing urgency the further they got.
Finally they reached it, the massive stone doors at the end of a final Isle that would lead them to the King of Demons. Mel paused several feet away, leaning on her knees as she heaved for air. Her body was at it's limit of what it could handle, even with the tonics.
"Mel, we-"
Her companion never got to finish his statement as outside there was an explosion so powerful that even the ground in maze shook, unstable get both of them for a moment as they both straightened instantly.
They were officially out of time.
It took Mel and Gyendal's combined strength along with their magic to force the stone doors open before they were stumbling over their feet in their haste to get through the long hallway that opened into a massive throne room.
Had they not been so panicked Mel would have been awed and slightly frightened of their surroundings. The walls were obsidian black, symbols and writings so ancient and powerful that the air in the throne room felt heavy from it. Demons scurried around the room, vanishing through doorways and carrying various objects to and fro. At the far end stood a massive dais on bloodstone and upon that sat a throne of fire.
A creature like neither had ever seen before sat upon the throne, watching them silently. He was huge, at least as big as the near fully formed demon of the Staff if not bigger. His skin was as white as snow, a stark contrast to his red mane of hair and eyes. Massive blue horns curved out of his head and his blood red robes churned and moved on their own, faces and images of Aia appearing momentarily before vanishing again only to be replaced with something new. Then he spoke, his voice the lowest baritone Mel had ever heard.
"My, did you two manage to set off every trap in the maze? The tremors in the ground are certainly impressive for the work of two humans. I'm impressed, you have survived the challenges. I did not realize that there had been new arrivals recently enough for your travels to bring you here, it must have been forgotten-"
"NO!" Mel shouted out, her lungs pained as she headed for air.
The demon king stopped, clearly startled by an impudent human cutting him off.
"No, it's not like that. We-we're here to warn you. It's coming, the Daeva were olding it off but the shaking is worse because it is coming!"
Gyendal picked up on her desperate words from there.
"The demon of the Destiny staff has been freed, the Shadow Oracle sent us to warn you but we are too late."
The demon king let out a curse in a language so old that it made her cringe, the powerful creature rising and striding across the room to a window covered by matching blood red curtains. With a swipe of his hand they ripped open, revealing what was happening outside.
It was the Demon of the Destiny Staff, it had already reached the maze and was now bypassing it altogether, crushing the gates and walls of the courtyard above where the maze lay below.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" The Demon King roared, turning to face them with glowing eyes.
Mel let out a strangled sound and Gyendal shoved Mel behind him, stepping forward with both hands glowing as Magic formed in his palm.
"The staff was broken in an accident, it had fallen into the lava and we never realized that it even could be destroyed. We are well aware of the ramifications of what happened." Gyendal snapped harshly, his shoulders set.
"You made it in moments to spare, but the demon approaches and I must face him alone. When this is all over the realm must be reborn, the lives lost reset to start as if this had never happened as it continues on as normal from what would have been hours before the release of the demon." He pointed to them and black glowing mist surrounded them, Mel choking as it filled her lungs and cut off her oxygen for mere seconds before vanishing.
"You have not been here long enough, you have barely completed a year mark in our time. You cannot be reborn, you are not one of us yet. You are only realm touched, you are not realm owned. You cannot be reborn."
Despite herself Mel felt her throat close and her eyes sting. This was not the ending she had wanted, she had known this would be her fate but she had prayed it would change.
"We're going to die..." Gyendal whispered in front of her, defeat in his tone as his head bowed.
Another explosion sounded but neither flinched. There was nothing left for them to protect against. This was their end.
"No. This is your end here, but not your end forever. You were never meant to be here, I have seen your fate and the path you should have followed, right back to the beginning. It is time you return to your home, and leave the demon to me. He will not win this, not after facing the Daeva. Goodbye humans, may you never darken the face of my realm again."
The king of the demons threw out his hand, a rumbling filling the room as a twisting wind formed before blasting towards them, Gyendal was thrown sideways by the direction of the wind while Mel fell backwards only to be dragged up by the twister.
Her eyes went wide and panicked as the wind started sucking her further in, her vision of Gyendal slowly becoming obscured.
"GYENDAL!"
Her scream echoed through the wind and the chamber, Gyendal diving forward and being forced back as the twister began to close. The cloak began to twist around her legs, Mel thrashing against the magic and reaching out as far as she could to grab onto him.
His hand came up, fingers just touching as Gyendal began to be pushed away again. She let out a desperate cry, jerking herself just forward enough to grab onto his wrist. His other hand came up to grab her arm and she began to pull, spitting out curses as the power of the Magic began to make her feel lightheaded.
"AAUUGHH!"
Then with one last pull he came through, the force of the suction he had broken by entering the whirlwind sending them both tumbling backwards as Gyendal grabbed her tightly and yanked her to him.
Then with a mighty clap the barrier between realms was split, Mel clutching tightly to Gyendal's tunic as the force of the winds threatened to rip them apart and throw them separate directions. They hurtled through the twister before pass through and freefalling towards a stone floor below. They landed in a heap, Mel on top of her companion as doors were flung open and startled shouts were heard.
"MISTRESS!"
There was a flash of green and purple, a tightening of the arms around her, and then Mel knew no more.
So what did you think? Reviews are welcome! Flames shall be laughed at, posted for others to laugh at, and ignored as I continue the story.