Journey to Hell
Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious.
A/N:
Chapter 25 (The Deadliest Sin)
After some time walking, the group made it to a hill that overlooked a bridge leading right to the building they'd been heading for. Tori felt the excitement and relief washing over her and looked around for anything that might be suspicious. When she saw nothing, she led the group down to the gate in front of the bridge. "We're almost here guys," She took a deep breath and glanced at the others with a wide smile. "I can't wait to get home."
"Yeah, the gate won't open." Her heart sank as she watched the ember flicker. There were no doubts as to what this represented, it was clear that Pride was the only one of the Seven left alive. "I don'
"Took long enough," Robbie said jokingly. Tori grabbed for the gate and stopped when she felt a strangeness overtake her. The bars were cold to the touch, save for the metal bar which was hot, and for some reason the gate would not open. She trailed her gaze up to the top where the seven iron bars reached up to the sky. There were six that were unlit as though something snuffed out, and the middle held a burning ember. "Something wrong, Tori?"t think it's going to open until Pride is dealt with. Look, seven spots where flames should be." She reached up and curved her finger into the hole of one of the pipes. "Cold to the touch while the middle is burning hot."
Sinjin reached around her and grabbed the middle bar only to tear his hand away. "Shit! She's right!" He shook his hand and looked over to the group. "Not sure if the bit about Pride is right, but at the very least something's keeping gate locked."
"My, you're fast." Tori felt a sudden chill as the foreign response beckoned the group to turn. Pride was staring at them with a darkened gaze. She was taken aback by this obstacle, since Samil was supposed to let them reach him. "You killed my comrades, but they were weak. Save for Sloth…" His eyes dropped mournfully and he held that sorrowful look for several seconds before scowling. "You cannot be allowed any further."
"Why are we forced to fight you? The deal made with Samil meant once we find him, we fight." Pride swept his hand through his hair with a laugh.
"You've not found him yet. Just the building. As for the gate, I've put that there. It's my handiwork, nobody else's." Tori exhaled and looked towards Sinjin, praying that his own pride wasn't an issue for him since they would need to fight this guy.
She caught Pride staring at her from the corner of her eye and quickly returned to him. "No worries, I will not have to turn to such tricks to kill the likes of you." He flashed his teeth and spread his arms out. His head bowed and his palms stretched out. Tori's heart began to pound as she watched long curved swords slide out of his hands. Pride's fingers curled around the hilts and his head lifted slowly. "I am the best for a reason."
"Everyone, get ready!" She generated her own blade, but was wondering how she'd phase it through him. The gun was likely a better choice. She glanced to the right, watching the others prepare. Andre and Sinjin sheathed their weapons, Robbie held Rex up, and Jade stirred up the clouds in the sky. Beck clenched his fists and sneered at Pride. "Beck, you're not going to use the wolf?"
"I'm trying to save that up for the big guy." He took a deep breath as Pride slowly turned his gaze onto him. "Can't use it too much." Pride threw his head back and laughed.
"That may be your fatal mistake." In the blink of an eye, Pride was upon Beck. Tori's heart pulsed with fear when she saw blood splash out. Jade screeched and Tori turned to see a large gash shooting up Beck's torso. He staggered back and threw his hands up to his chest, trembling as he turned his gaze down to the wound.
"Kill him!" Jade swung her arm through the air and Pride twisted around in time to see the lightning forming in the clouds. Jade screamed aloud and lightning shot towards Pride. The man aimed his blades out, clenching his teeth as the storm struck him. He swung his blades through the air and sent the lightning back to Jade.
Her body flinched as the electricity shot through her. Beck's eyes widened as Jade dropped to her knees and moved her hand up to her head, groaning. "Jade!" Despite the blood pouring down his body, Beck charged back into the fray.
He turned to his wolf form and grabbed for Pride. "You'll pay!" Pride ran around him and stepped up behind him. Tori saw the perplexed look on Beck's face and froze when his expression twisted into pain. The tip of the blade shot out from his stomach, and blood splattered onto the ground.
"That's for Wrath," Pride twisted the blade and Beck howled in anguish. Pride glared out over Beck's shoulder and turned his icy stare onto Tori. "And soon you will pay for Sloth." Tori gasped softly and watched him yank the blade from Beck, causing the large wolf to spin and crash on the ground.
"He's doing what I would do," Sinjin whispered to her. She turned her head slightly, waiting for the man's explanation. "The strategy is to take out the strongest members and cull the weak."
"Then what do we do?"
"Attacking at once might help." Tori nodded and glanced back as Beck and Jade slowly rose to their feet. Jade put her arms around Beck's waist and buried her face into his fur. Sinjin stepped forward and called out to Cat. "Turn into the elemental guy, that might help!" Cat pressed her lips together and nodded carefully. Pride shot the redhead a stern look and growled lowly as the girl began to transform.
"Not so fast!" Pride swung his blade and raced for her. Sinjin thrust his own sword into the ground, letting out a powerful shout as fire shot out from the sword and cracked the ground, splitting beneath Pride's foot. "Shit!"
The demon fell back and threw his head up. While Beck held his hand over his wound, Jade remained attached to him, but her eyes were glowing bright white and thunder was crashing all around them while the wind picked up speed. Powerful tornadoes shot onto the ground and danced around Pride. "You're not going near my friend," Jade bellowed.
"You think a little storm is going to stop Pride?" The man rose up to his feet and scoffed at the group. "Every one of you-vanity is still your greatest vice. Do not forget." Tori frowned as Pride threw his eyes to each member of the group. "For every person you've stepped on, every person you've insulted on Earth and said you were better…Yes, even some of you still think you're best, and I will gladly feed off of your vanity!"
Pride spread out his arms and threw his head back in laughter as the tornadoes closed in on him. Jade stretched her hand out and curled her fingers in, localizing the lightning to engulf the now giant tornado. "Robbie!" She threw her head to the man and pointed. "See if you can't stun him in there! I don't want him getting out of my storm!"
"On it!" Robbie motioned Rex at the tornado and began to fire off multiple shockwaves. Next he turned the attacks towards nearby debris, causing a mass of rocks and boulders to fly into Jade's tornado.
Tori was proud of the teamwork, but still something didn't feel right. She scanned the perimeter to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. Knowing Pride, he would not let himself fall so easily. "Guys, save your energy. I don't think he's in that tornado right now."
"What?" Jade snapped her head to Tori and narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean he's not in there?"
"I don't know. I just feel like he wouldn't go out that easily. He's the hardest sin and the toughest guy we've fought so far." With the exception of possibly Sinjin's other, but that one didn't apply for her.
"Damn it." Jade closed her fist and swung her arm out, dispersing her storm. When the smoke and debris cleared, the girl was aghast to see that Pride was nowhere to be found. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"Not kidding," Pride's voice came from behind Jade. The girl's body tensed and she slowly turned her head over her shoulder. Tori spotted the man standing on top of a rock structure above Beck and Jade, his arms and swords spread out as though he were about to attempt a jump. As he curved his swords down like a praying mantis, Tori called out.
"Robbie, hit him!" Robbie turned Rex onto the structure, striking the ground and cracking it before Pride could jump. He let out a fierce shout and hit the ground below, groaning as the debris landed on him. Tori could feel the force of the impact and snapped her fingers at Andre. "Don't give him a chance to get up."
Andre aimed his explosive pistol. "Got it, Tori." Pride's head poked up from the rubble and his eyes widened as Andre pulled the trigger. Tori saw the demon jump out just as the bullet struck the pile of rubble. "Shit, I missed!"
"Let's see how good you are without a leader!" Tori's eyes widened as Pride charged towards her at high speed. Before he reached her, Sinjin swung his sword and slashed the demon along the back. Pride fell off to the side, hissing angrily. "Big mistake." He shot up and swung his swords to Sinjin, who brought his blade up as a shield. Sinjin brought his knee up and kicked his foot outward, striking Pride in the knee.
"Back off!"
Pride stumbled backwards and looked around as the group circled him. Cat was now in the form of the elemental, her six claws shot out and she cracked her neck. "I'm ready to take him on." Pride raised an eyebrow and scoffed at the group.
Tori watched in shock as he sucked the swords back into his hands. "You aren't the only one that can contort your body and appearance." Pride smirked at the group and fell onto hands and knees. He clenched his teeth and grunted as his body started to bulge.
The group took a few steps back, watching with nervous gazes as the man's skin turned to a deep violet color. After several seconds, he appeared as a tall and mighty Clydesdale horse. Smoke billowed from his nostrils as he tapped the ground with his hoof. The frightening aspect wasn't the fact that he was a horse, but simply in addition to the long burning tail and mane, he had two long horns where his ears should have been.
He jumped high over Sinjin and kicked his back legs into him. Tori threw her hand over her mouth and stifled a shout as she watched Sinjin fly like a ragdoll into nearby wall. Pride's eyes glistened with hate as he turned his gaze onto Robbie.
Robbie started to move Rex, but Pride was already on him. Blood splashed onto the ground as a tearing sound echoed through the sky. Robbie's right arm and shoulder now had two jagged rips from the middle and out. His skin paled and sweat glistened on his forehead as he looked sorely at the others.
"Enough of this," Andre whipped his lance pistol out and shot at Pride, slashing through the horse's back. Pride reared back and turned his glare onto Andre. "Hold still now." Smoke shot out from the demon's snout and Tori watched in horror as it began to run. Andre let out a ferocious scream as he was jerked from the ground and dragged across the jagged earth.
"Andre just let go!" Tori never felt more helpless than she did in this moment, but she was uncertain why that was. It wasn't that she couldn't fight, but that she didn't see an opening.
Thinking fast, she turned her light blade into the gun and aimed for Pride. Her muscles tensed and she squinted, trying to focus on the horse that was now running in an unpredictable pattern. "Come on, Pride…slow it up."
Beck stepped in front of the horse, roaring out as he reached down and sank his powerful claws into Pride's neck. "Stay in one place," he growled. Tori smirked and positioned the gun onto Pride. When she saw more blood, she froze, watching in horror as Pride's horns tore up from Beck's abdomen. "Come on Tori, shoot him!"
She fired her pistol and Pride jumped back, bellowing as the bullet phased through his right front leg. Tori rushed over to Beck and Jade and knelt beside her fallen friend. He was holding his paw over his wounds and breathing heavily, gasping for air.
There was no time to heal her friends, and time was being cut short. She needed to end this match now. As Pride focused on regaining his ability to walk on three legs, Cat swooped in for the attack. A distraction tactic, and hopefully one that would leave Pride distracted long enough for Tori to take another shot.
Cat slashed her claws through the air, sending a massive blast of water from them and onto the horse, dousing the fiery hair. Pride reared back and turned towards her, growling angrily.
"I'm not done yet," Cat flicked her finger up and smirked as the ground beneath the horse started to rumble. Pride glanced down as a circle formed, and out of the circle, the ground rose up at a high speed and formed a spike that pierced through his body. "Water, earth, do you need some air?"
The smoke pouring from Pride's nostrils began to flow off to the right. Tori felt a strong gust of air pulling her hair forward and looked up to see Pride's head twisting around and his limbs flailing in an uncontrollable wind.
Cat thrust her arms forward, her metal claws grew black and a shadow appeared beneath Pride. From the shadows shot chains that wrapped around the demon's hooves. Her right hand became white as she ran for the demon, and as she thrust her hand forward, a powerful blast of light shot from her claws and engulfed the creature.
"He's blinded, Tori. If you're going to take the shot, do it now!" Tori sprang forward, turning her gun into the sword. With a mighty cry she thrust the blade and pierced it into Pride's chest.
Cat reverted to her own form and Tori pulled back just as Pride's head fell and his body went limp. Heavy pants fell from her lips as she watched the demon's body purify.
"We did it. We beat him." She heard a metallic sound and looked to the gate, the last flame went out and the gate was now sinking into the ground. Tori inhaled as the air filled with the groans of the wounded. A strange, yet familiar force drifted from the other side of the bridge.
Fear.
He was there, waiting on the other side. Barbas.
"We better heal everyone." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cat transform into her other form, the Light Dominion angel. "Why do that?"
"Because those in the Light Dominion on this realm can heal as well." Cat walked to Beck and Robbie, now lying side by side. "I'll handle their wounds, you help Andre, Sinjin and Jade."
"Okay." Those three weren't too wounded, but they were shaken up quite a bit. It would be necessary for her to purify their insides and make sure they were in tip top shape. They had fear and a behemoth coming up, the group could not afford to go in with any internal or external injuries.
If Pride were smart, and he was, he would have gone after Tori. Although he did try to get at her, and if he'd taken her out, the crew wouldn't have been able to be healed. That was a pretty harsh fight, he practically destroyed them. How disheartening is it to hear that of the three being Pride-Barbas-Samil, Pride is the weakest? Do I hear an 'aw shit'? Tell me what you thought of this battle, and let's be fun, who did you think was going to have the killing blow?