Hello, everyone! Time for the new chapter! Today, we continue to progress towards the climax! Were will this lead? What does Gaia have in store for the group? We'll just have to wait and see! Enjoy!
Final Stretch
"Cynder!" yelled Spyro, finally catching up with her near the temple entrance, panting. "What's wrong?" he asked, confusion plain on his face.
"Nothing! Nothing's wrong! Just drop it already!" responded Cynder, anger still in her voice. "Let's just go inside, rest for the night, then in the morning, I can get my egg back!"
Spyro looked confused, but before he could respond, a sinister laugh came from the nearby, causing the group to turn to see Commander Gaia slither out of the temple. "My my, what have we here?" asked the Naga Commander, though she looked more unhinged than before. Her eyes were slightly sunken in and the irises in her eyes had turned a dark red color.
"Gaia…w-what happened to you?" asked Pyrus, horrified by the marked change in appearance on the Naga Commander.
"What ever do you mean, you traitorous little prince?" asked Gaia, her voice having an ever so slight distortion, as if there was more than one voice talking at once, the others just barely being audible. Her breathing also seemed somewhat labored, as if she was out of breath. "I could ask you the same thing. Siding with the enemy and all."
"Gaia! What mom is doing is wrong! I can't let her do something like that!" replied Pyrus, still looking at Gaia's corrupted appearance in horror. "And I'm still her son, if you try anything to me you'll be sorry!"
Gaia laughed. "Little Pyrus…do you really think all the Naga are as loyal to you as you think we are?"
Pyrus blinked. "What do you mean?"
"A great many of us believe you shouldn't be prince," said Gaia, giving a more unhinged smile. "You're a pacifist, that doesn't quite work for us…but that doesn't matter, what matters is we're both here, it's time we fight, isn't it?" she asked, then gave a extremely deranged laugh.
Sparx gave a shiver. "Man that's a creepy laugh!"
"I don't know what's happened to her…" said Pyrus, fright in his voice. "She seems so…wrong, just wrong!"
"She's corrupted," said Spyro, a bit of pity in his voice. "She must be the source of the black magic we were warned about. She's been using it all this time and it's corrupted her…" he stated, a twinge of sorrow in his voice at the sight.
Delilah gave a sigh. "Why can't people just learn to stay away from black magic?"
"Corrupted or not, she's not getting in our way!" snarled Cynder before charging. She leapt at Gaia, only for the agile Naga to whip around and dodge, driving a stiff palm strike into her side and knocking her away.
"Cynder!" yelled Spyro, then snarled and breathed fire at Gaia, who once more dodged, almost dancer-like before her tattoos lit up green and she threw her hands forwards, launching clumps of rock and blasting Spyro away.
"Come on, give me your best shot!" replied the increasingly deranged Naga commander, laughing insanely as she moved.
Ember and Demi charged and attacked with Ember's Heat Breath and Demi's Earth Shot. Once more Gaia agilely dodged the attacks and flew forwards, slamming a fist into each of their chests and launching them backwards.
Ember and Demi coughed a little bit, the blow having knocked the wind out of them. "She's really fast…" muttered Ember, trying to catch her breath.
Pyrus growled. "Quit hurting my friends, Gaia!" he yelled, snarling.
"Why don't you do something about it, little prince?" asked Gaia in return. "Or are you too much of a pacifist to hurt a Naga?"
Pyrus looked down sorrowfully. He then looked back at Gaia. He looked at his friends as they got back up from the blows, only for a blast of Gaia's Earth Missiles to knock them away. His face turned to a snarl. "Not when my friends are getting hurt…" he growled as Gaia prepared to fire another Earth Missile, only for Pyrus to freeze her hand solid, allowing Ember to strike her chest with a Comet Dash. "You're right, Gaia, I don't want to hurt a Naga…but if there's no other way, I will!"
Gaia got back to her feet and used a martial arts chop to shatter the ice off her hand. "Touching, really it is," she stated, giving another unhinged smirk and laugh. "But I still don't think you've got it in you," she stated before sending an Earth Shot his way and blasting him back.
Ember snarled fiercely at this, leaping on Gaia's back and biting her shoulder. Ember's body superheated, burning the Naga commander. "Leave him alone!" she yelled, her voice muffled.
Gaia snarled in rage and elbowed Ember in the stomach, knocking the air out of her and grabbing her by the horns before throwing her a good distance away. Gaia gave a growl and charged her, doing a spin and trying to slam her tail down on Ember's head. She was stopped inches away by Pyrus' horns. "I said stop hurting my friends!" he yelled, blasting Gaia in the chest with a Fire Bomb and blowing her back. He quickly looked to Ember. "Are you alright?"
Ember looked up, once more becoming hot under her scales. "…Y-yes, t-thank you," she said, taking his paw and being helped up.
Pyrus felt his face getting hot as well and blinked. "It was nothing, you're my friend after all…" he replied, smiling nervously.
Cynder snarled and pounced on Gaia's back, charging poison into her claws and trying to slash into the Naga Commander but her forelegs were caught and she was flipped over head. Gaia snarled and did a spin, attempting to crush Cynder under her tail, only for the black dragoness to rise up shadow spikes. Gaia howled in pain as her tail slammed down on the spikes and leapt back.
Spyro didn't give Gaia time to breath and flew in from behind, sending bursts of electricity into her from behind. "This is getting really annoying!" she yelled, swinging her tail around and wrapping it around Spyro's midsection before slamming him to the ground.
"He's annoying?" yelled Cynder, pouncing on Gaia's back and stabbing her with her tail blade. "You're annoying! If it wasn't for you, we'd been in Serpent's Edge by now!" she screamed, bitterness and rage erupting as she stabbed Gaia's shoulder.
"That's the idea!" said Gaia, slamming her head into Cynder's face to stun her before grabbing her by the forearm and flipping her overhead.
Demi suddenly charged in and head butted Gaia, sending her flying back, only to be struck in the face with an Earth Missile and knocked back. Delilah leapt out of nowhere and landed on Gaia's back, lifting her tails and blasting the Naga Commander with Fox Fire. Gaia growled and grabbed the Kitsune by the leg, swinging her around and throwing her into the rising Spyro.
Ember and Pyrus reentered the fray and blasted Gaia with their fire breath from behind, lighting her robe on fire. Gaia snarled, but didn't seem to notice as the rain quickly put out the flames and she fired Earth Missiles at the two, only to be dodged. Spyro and Cynder both flew in from behind and blasted her with poison and fire, blasting her down.
As the dragons landed to watch and wait to see if Gaia would stand up, the Naga started emitting very unhinged laughter and rising to her feet. "Very nice try, this has been such fun!" she said, laughing insanely once again. "But I've got to get going, it looks like you'll just have to make due with my little friend," she stated, whistling, causing a pair of bright red eyes to light up in the temple.
"W-what is that?" asked Sparx, hiding behind Spyro.
An enormous skeletal serpent suddenly burst through the temple doors, eyes glowing red as it roared and glared down at the group, wrappings and burial cloth wrapped around it's ancient body. "I found it buried here and brought it back to life," stated Gaia, smiling before having another fit of psychotic laughter. "Have fun!" she laughed before slithering off.
"Oh great, like we didn't have enough to deal with!" yelled Cynder, snarling in rage and dodging the snake's tail as it slammed it down at her. She replied with a burst of poison breath to it's face.
Spyro flew up and sent a torrent of flames into the snake's face, but then had to dodge a bite from it before being sent flying back with a headbutt. Pyrus and Ember flew in and let loose their fire breath on it's back, dodging it's tail but then being bashed away by its head. Demi joined in, charging forwards and slamming her head into it's side with tremendous force, managing to knock it into a wall before it sent a blast of green flames from it's mouth and blasted her off. Delilah was next, landing on it's head and hanging on tight as she fired blasts of blue flames into it's head. She managed to continue this for about a minute before being bucked off and knocked aside with it's tail.
Cynder growled and let loose a Wind Cutter, slashing deep into the bony armor of the serpent, getting it's attention. After she let loose a burst of Shadow Fire into it's face, it snarled and replied by blasting her back with a burst of green fire. Spyro reentered the fray, firing a bolt of lightning into the snake's chest, shocking it badly before it swung it's tail around and sent him flying into a wall fairly hard. Pyrus flew in and let sent a stream of ice into it's back, freezing parts of it solid, Ember following up with a Fire Bomb that shattered the ice and some of the bone beneath it. Before they could follow up, the snake swung it's tail around and bashed them, launching them hard against the temple's side.
Gaia panted, making her way up a cliff standing between her and Serpent's Edge. To her surprise, Grendel's hand came down and grabbed hers, pulling her up. "Grendel…thank you…" she panted, smiling lightly up to her beloved.
Grendel smiled back. "I was just making sure you were alright…did you get the crystal?" he asked, looking down at her curiously. Gaia nodded, pulling out the bagged crystal, allowing Grendel to take it out and look at the Moon Jewel and look it over. "Good, the final piece of the puzzle is in my hands…"
Gaia cringed, holding her head. "W-what's happening to me?" she asked, her breathing labored.
Grendel looked back at her. "Probably a side effect of using so much black magic…"
Gaia gasped. "You…you knew this could happen?" she asked, shock in her face.
"Yes, but don't worry," said Grendel, smiling a bit and pulling her close, allowing her to hug him. "It won't last long…"
"Alright…I trust you…" said Gaia, before moving in to kiss him. Suddenly, she gasped in agony, looking down to find one of Grendel's lower arms driving a sword straight through her stomach and out her back.
Grendel smirked lightly. "That was your first mistake…" he whispered, looking into Gaia's horrified eyes, taking in the betrayed stare she was giving him, the disbelief in her face. "And your last…"
"B-but…I l-loved you…w-why?" asked Gaia, her voice in complete disbelief as she stuttered from pain.
"That's exactly why," said Grendel, without emotion tearing the sword out of Gaia's gut and turning to head back to Serpent's Edge with his prize.
Gaia crawled after him, holding her mortal wound as flames began to rise from her body and tears fell from her eyes in vast numbers. "Grendel…please…don't do this…I…I love you!" she pleaded, her voice broken and cracking with heartbreak. "I love you…"
Grendel looked back and chuckled. "…And that's what made you weak and easy to manipulate. Unlike you, Spyro, Cynder, and Deadlock, I lack that weakness," he stated simply, holding up the two mystic relics he'd pilfered and looking them over. "The only thing that matters to me in this whole world will be made possible by these two little jewels. And thanks to you, it will be mine!" he finished, turning back towards Serpent's Edge. "Thank you…for being so gullible," he stated, slowly slithering away.
Gaia gasped, her face losing any semblance of hope it might have had. All that remained was pure despair and heartbreak. "I loved you…I loved you…" she muttered, beginning to sob openly, repeating that same heartbroken words over and over as finally, she collapsed, burning to ashes which the rain slowly washed away…
Spyro flew over the skeleton snake's head, blasting it with Earth Missiles and driving it's head down and allowing Delilah to jump up and bite onto the ridge of one of it's eyes, blasting into it with her Fox Fire and causing it to roar and buck in pain, but she hung tight. "I knew those bull riding lessons would come in handy!" she shouted, hanging on despite being bucked around.
Cynder sent another Wind Cutter into the monster's side, cutting another deep gash. Pyrus and Ember blasted the monster from each side, lighting it's burial cloth aflame and causing it to roar in again before Demi leapt into it full force, launching I backwards into the wall, Delilah leaping off as it happened.
The group slowly watched the monster lay, seemingly defeated. "Don't get too close, its probably not dead," stated Delilah, seriously. Sure enough, it suddenly spouted green flames from it's entire body in all directions, blasting the entire group away in one shot. The serpent rose up once again and roaring in fury.
Cynder snarled, getting to her feet. "That's it! I've had enough!" she yelled, eyes lighting up red as red energy swirled around her.
"Take cover!" yelled Spyro, seeing what was coming, the group jumping to their feet and all hiding behind anything that was visible.
The red energy swirled around her and formed into a gigantic, terrifying dragon composed of red energy which roared, blasting the snake with red sonic waves and freezing it in place with blind terror. It then swung it's tail around and smashed the snake to bits in one shot.
"Wow! That's awesome!" yelled Ember, eyes sparkling with amazement. "So that's what a Fear Fury looks like!" she exclaimed, running up as Cynder returned to normal. "Awesome job Cynder! That was so awesome!" she shouted, only to whimper when Cynder swung around at her with a very angry glare. "C-Cynder?" she asked, backing up in fear.
"Cynder!" shouted Spyro, running up. "What's gotten into you?" he asked, concern and worry in his face. "I know you're upset we're not going straight there, but this isn't like you…"
Cynder snarled, turning around to face the group. "You're right, it isn't! And you know why?" she yelled, repressed rage streaming out as she spoke. "Because my baby is so close and I can't do anything about it! My friends, and even my mate, are keeping me from rescuing it, Spyro! Do you have any idea what that feels like? Any idea how frustrating that is? How maddening that is to be so close to the thing you've wanted your entire life within arms reach and something keeps stopping you from reaching it?"
Spyro took a step back. "Of course I do, Cynder! Its my egg too!" he replied, knowing that he had to try to relate to her situation as best he could.
"Then act like it!" screamed Cynder in a fury. "This entire time, I've been the one whose cried her eyes out! The one whose been worried sick! Ember looked more upset over our egg getting kidnapped than you did!" she yelled, the words coming out with venom on every one.
Spyro looked hurt. "But Cynder…I…I was just trying to be strong for-"
"I didn't want you to be strong for me!" interrupted Cynder, panting from her own outburst. "I wanted to not be alone anymore!" she screamed, the rain pouring down heavier.
Spyro blinked, confusion and hurt plain on his face. "But Cynder…you're not alone…"
"You're wrong, Spyro! People can say "I know how you feel", but NO ONE knows how I feel! No one has EVER been put through the living Hell I had to for twelve years of my life! No one has ever spent half of their life as a madman's puppet forced to kill and torture her own race! I killed my own mother and tortured my father, all without even knowing it! And there's not another being on this entire planet that I can talk to and they'll be able to understand what that feels like! No one understands me!" yelled Cynder, years of repressed bitterness finally erupting out all at once. "For once in my life, I was expecting someone to actually be able to say "I know how you feel," and I can tell they're right! But Spyro, every time you tell me you know how I feel, you're not the one crying his eyes out! You tell me not to think about what could happen to that egg but since we stepped foot in this desert, that's ALL I've been able to think about! I didn't want you to be strong for me! I wanted you to show you did feel like I did! I just wanted to not be alone anymore!" she yelled, silence falling over the area except for her panting.
Cynder finally settled, the realization slowly dawning on her of what she said, horror and guilt surging into her face as she saw her friends faces full of hurt and confusion…except Delilah, who just watched with a strange understanding. "Spyro…Spyro, I'm so sorry," she said, in disbelief as she looked her hurt and confused mate in the face. "…I-I was just so frustrated…we're so close to everyone and we keep getting delayed…" she muttered, wings and tail lowering in sorrow. "…You were just trying to help, you didn't deserve that…it was selfish of me to expect you to know that…"
"No…don't feel bad, Cynder," said Spyro after a brief pause. He looked up at her slowly. "You're right…I haven't been showing you that I feel the same way you do about this…I'm the one who needs to be sorry…" he explained, guilt and sorrow manifesting in his face. "…I'm used to everyone looking to me for hope…to be strong so they can be…it comes with being the legendary hero, its expected of me now…"
Spyro sighed, looking down at his paws. "…So that's why I keep everything hidden…why I don't let you or anyone else see how scared or upset I really am…I don't want to let them down…but you're not them…you're my mate…" he explained, looking his mate in the eyes, tears rising up in his own. "I should've seen that you don't need that…you don't expect it from me…in all honesty, I should've enjoyed finally having someone who expects me to show how I feel for once…" he muttered, thinking as tears ran down his face.
"…I do know what it's like to feel alone sometimes…" continued Spyro, looking up as he finally let his emotions come completely to the surface, tears streaming down his face and worry in his eyes. "…No one else knows what it's like to be the Purple Dragon…what it's like to have all this responsibility on their shoulders…I'm the hero everyone looks to…no one knows what that feels like…I'll never know what it's like to go through what you did…but I can relate a little…"
Spyro walked up and nuzzled his mate solemnly. "I'm worried…I'm upset…I want our baby back too…I want my parents back…and I want Hunter back…I'm sorry I've been hiding how I feel so much…I'm sorry…" he said, looking down at his feet.
Cynder slowly nuzzled him and laid her head over his shoulder, letting her own hidden emotions surface and crying along with him. "…Sometimes it's good to let your emotions out…" she said, softly. "…Cyros told me that…I don't like people to see me cry either…but if there's anyone we should let see how we feel…it's each other…"
Spyro nodded slowly, laying his head over her shoulder, letting himself cry for the first real time. "You're right…I'm sorry…"
Demi looked silently to the rest of the group. "I think they need some privacy, let's go see if the temple is safe now that Gaia is gone…" she stated, leading the rest of the group into the temple slowly.
"Now come on, that must've been new," said Sparx to Delilah. "You can't have seen THAT before."
Delilah gave some thought. "Well there were some of the 11 instances of someone having the curse beaten out of them, especially the one from that one dimension with the unicorns, ponies, and pegasi, since it started with bitterness and anger but ultimately ended in those involved making amends with each other. But those were sisters so this is different," Delilah stated, before looking back at Spyro and Cynder consoling and comforting one another with a serious look. "Still, it's touching to see people make up, no matter how many times I see it," she stated. "Sometimes things happen and we have to work it out, no matter how long it takes. Our relationships with those we care about are just that important. We just have to trust the ones we care about."
Sparx blinked. "That was a pretty…poetic statement…"
"Thanks!" said Delilah, snapping back to her normal personality. "One of my friends in that universe writes stuff like that all the time to report to the older of the two sisters I mentioned on whatever lesson she learned. I spent a lot of time there, since it's hard to find a universe that has lots of mythical creatures, dragons and kitsunes and such are considered mythical creatures in most universes, and doesn't have some weird masquerade to hide them from the local population, which is so annoying when you just want to have fun and make friends as yourself," she explained in her normal, rapid voice. "The universes were people try to capture you thinking you're a ghost or something or they just hate mythical stuff in general for whatever reason are even more."
"That's why I like that universe so much, and this one too. And the other ones with Spyros in them. I can just make friends and be me without having to worry about freaking everyone out or getting sucked into a tiny container by ghost and/or monster hunters and thrown into another dimension...again," explained Delilah after pausing to take a deep breath, then mumbling under he breath about the other dimension thing for a moment. "But there's not always a villain running around, causing chaos in that universe. It's fun to fight evil, but other times it's more fun to just relax at a party with friends and not have to worry about some evil villain bursting dramatically through the wall and a big fight breaking out…" she continued, then gasped in realization. "Oh dear! I forgot!"
Sparx jumped at her sudden exclamation. "What? What is it?"
"One of my friends in that universe, the one who through a part for me just for showing up, remember?" asked Delilah, now a little frantic. "I forgot her birthday! I've got to go write an apology letter and send it to her, ASAP!" she exclaimed, running off into the temple at high speeds.
Sparx just watched bewildered. "…That's got to be the weirdest girl I've ever met…how do you send an apology letter to someone in an alternate universe?" he mused, before following the group.
Deadlock looked over the eggs before her with a sigh. "…Little ones…your parents will get the chance I never got…someone will give you a chance to be saved…" said the ice head softly. "…But we are beyond forgiveness now…we've gone too far to turn back…we will have our revenge or die trying…"
Grendel suddenly burst into the room. "My queen! Commander Gaia has fallen!" he reported. "But she succeeded in her mission, Spyro's group has been stalled for the night into the Amber Desert."
Deadlock nodded slowly. "Alright…please, send our condolences to Gaia's family and friends…we'll have a proper funeral for her and the other two Commanders when this is all over…" said the electric head.
Grendel nodded. "Yes, my queen," she said, heading out of the room.
Deadlock's heads looked to one another. "…Tomorrow is the day…the final battle…" said the ice head slowly.
The fire head nodded. "When revenge will be ours…"
"And we'll see this through to the end…" said the electric head, solemnly.
"My sisters…" said the ice head, calmly looking to her other heads. "…No matter what happens tomorrow…I love you both…"
The fire and electric heads nodded in return. "As do I…" said the electric head, smiling lightly to her fellow heads.
The fire head managed a small smile. "The same for me…we'll always be together…no matter what happens now…"
"Alright…let's get some rest…tomorrow…we fight…" said the ice head, slowly heading towards their room.
Spyro and Cynder slowly walked into the temple and laid down in a spot set aside for them, the others already asleep. "Spyro…" said Cynder, looking up at him. "…I'm glad we got all that off our chests…"
Spyro nodded back, giving a small smile. "I agree…" he replied, thinking. "…If we hadn't, then we'd be going into Deadlock's lair frustrated and upset…even when we have an outburst and get mad at each other…it's better to work through it before it becomes a real problem…now we can fight Deadlock on the same page…"
Cynder nodded. "I agree…I'm sorry I was so angry though…"
Spyro nuzzled her lightly. "I know…but we all lose our temper sometimes…it's just part of being alive."
Cynder nodded slowly, nuzzling him back. "…I know…Spyro…do you think…do you think we'll be able to save everyone?"
Spyro nodded slowly. "Yes…I think we can…"
Cynder shook her head. "Spyro, I mean everyone," she repeated, looking slowly to the sleeping Pyrus with a worried look. "Deadlock is his mother…she's not like Malefor, she's not evil…she's just suffering and hurt…will we be able to save her?"
Spyro looked serious, giving it consideration. "…I don't know…" he replied, letting the worry that though brought him show on his face. "…I'm not sure…maybe we can, maybe we can't…I hope we can though…" he continued, looking back at her. "You're right, Deadlock is a victim in all this just like us…Malefor the one who is truly to blame for all of this…even all this time later he's still causing this world so much pain and suffering…"
Cynder nodded, giving a growl at the thought of the Dark Master. "…He's gone…the world is a better place because of it…but it'll take a lot of time for the world to recover from what he's done to everyone in it…" she agreed, a look of anger on her face as she remembered their battles with Malefor. "…Deadlock lost everything because of Malefor, it's not her fault she's like this…I just hope she's not too far gone to save…for her sake and Pyrus'…I don't want to kill the mother of someone I care about…"
Spyro sighed, giving it thought. "But we can't let her get away with this…she was a product of Malefor's actions, but we can't let her sacrifice six eggs for any reason at all…it's not right…" he continued, looking out the temple door into the night. "…We'll do everything we can to save her…but we have to be prepared to end it if there's no other choice…"
Cynder gave a sad sigh but nodded. "I know…but may the Ancestors not let it come to that…"
Spyro nodded slowly and nuzzled her again. "I agree…let's get some sleep now…" he instructed, knowing they needed all the rest they could get.
Cynder gave him a nuzzle back and yawned. "Yeah…goodnight, Spyro, I love you…" she said, smiling softly before laying her head across his back.
Spyro smiled lightly and laid his head across her back. "…I love you too, goodnight…" he replied, letting himself fall asleep.
Cyros landed at the opening to Serpents Edge. "Just as I thought, mother was too caught up in her ritual to notice me and Pyrus had left," she said, her voice unhinged and coming close to psychotic now. "Now all we have to do is sit back, relax, and watch the fireworks," she said, giving a sadistic smirk before heading inside.
Kage sighed, watching this take place. To his shock, he noticed a black, discolored pattern beginning to expand out from the wind tattoo on Cyros' body. "…Its just as I was afraid of…" he muttered. "Cyros!" he called, quickly, coming closer as fast as he could. "You must surrender Venti's power at once! It's corrupting you! I was afraid this would happen, remember?"
Cyros spun around and snarled. "Oh, you think so?" she asked, giving a glare. "Well how do I know you don't just want his power for yourself?" she asked, her deranged mind twisting concern into malicious intent. "Nice try, but I'm not falling for it!" she said, then gave a psychotic laugh before she ran off towards her room.
Kage watched this in horror, guilt covering his face. "…Princess…what have I let happen to you?" he asked, guilt and sorrow on his face. "…What have we done?" he asked, watching the young princess run, unsure of what she'd do in her current mindset…
Grendel stood in front of a large army of Naga atop a high platform carved from stone. "The queen's plan will come to pass tomorrow!" he announced, getting cheers. "And so shall ours! Tomorrow, after thousands of years of living in this forgotten land, cut off from the world, we Naga will rise again!" he announced, getting more cheers. "Be ready, my brethren! For the time has come at last!" he yelled, causing the Naga to chant his name. "Tomorrow, revenge is ours!" he yelled, getting a massive cheer.
Grendel smiled, turning away from his armory and looking at the Sun and Moon Jewels in his hand. "…No, revenge isn't ours…it's mine…all mine," he said, giving a laugh…
Well, another chapter done! I bet poor Gaia didn't see that coming! I decided to write Deadlock's heads talking to each other as sisters for once as they really are, but normally refer to each other as one being with a plural pronoun but it was more personal this way.
It's so much fun writing Delilah, since she's pretty much a completely different kind of character than everyone else and confuses the heck out of them.
Next chapter, the final battle begins! How will this all end? We'll have to wait and see!