Chapter 25: Combat
The group walked down the twisted slope of the mountain, getting lower and lower as they went along. They found themselves at the foot of the range in a large valley with two exits; one about a mile away to the east, in front of them, and the other to the north, which was two their left. They chose to take the north path, not only because it was shorter, but because Pit felt that Dark Pit was closer going that way.
They turned to the north and walked out of the valley, immediately ducking into the foliage as they scoped out the area in front of them. It was a beautiful area that changed to a different terrain just about every fifty feet if not longer, from forest, to grassy field, to beach, to ocean. And Dark Pit was sitting there on the grass, about fifty feet from the forest, halfway between the forest and the beach.
"Do we still have the element of surprise?" asked Zephynn quietly. Pit didn't answer, as he was looking around the area for someone else. Aria could not be seen, nor Magnus and Gaol.
"Are they all hiding as well?" Pit whispered under his breath. He took another look around, sure that Magnus and Gaol would at least be present near Dark Pit, but he couldn't find them. Dark Pit seemed as though he hadn't detected them as he was sitting on the grass, eyes shut tight and seemingly meditating on something. Pit figured instantly that he was looking for them and gestured for his companions to follow him.
They moved through the foliage silently and hid behind a large rock near to the mountain. Pit continued to scope out the area, still finding no sign of Magnus and Gaol. It began to make him wonder if they were even anywhere near the location.
"Where are they?" asked Pit.
"Who? The other two imbeciles?" asked Vinnia, who had already drawn her lance and was brandishing it, "Who cares? The less there are, the better chance we have of screwing that fool." Suddenly, there was a shock in his mind. He heard something deep within his mind that hit him as though someone was speaking to him. It was a voice; the voice of Dark Pit.
"I'm alone, come face me," it said telepathically. Pit went into shock for less than a second and his companions looked at him worriedly.
"Are you alright?" asked Zephynn.
"I'm fine," said Pit, rubbing his head, "I think Dark Pit just sent me a challenge."
"How?" asked Vinnia, gripping her lance.
"Telepathy," said Pit, "Wait here. This is my fight." He was about to leave the hiding spot and confront his rival, but then he felt Vinnia's lance suddenly come up around his neck. The left blade on the tip touched his gullet.
"This isn't just your fight," said Vinnia, almost threateningly, "We didn't come all this way to sit on the sidelines again. When I said no more duels, I meant it." Pit understood that there was no turning her away and he looked at the other two. Raven looked extremely reluctant but a few quick glances at Vinnia made her show her readiness to fight. Zephynn had his hand on his sword hilt and was prepared to draw it at command.
"Let's do this," said Pit as he twirled the staff expertly in his hand. Pit stepped out from behind the rock, still hidden in the foliage and took aim at the now standing Dark Pit, who was already preparing his blade for battle. He gritted his teeth and then charged forward. The staff hindered him only slightly and jumped forward, firing the staff's forward charge shot and rolling back to his feet.
The trees in the way splintered in the face of the shot and when Pit was able to see again, he saw that Dark Pit had dodged the shot and was literally only two feet from striking him in the chest. Pit blocked the stab with the staff hand pushed back with all of his might, unleashing a barrage of melee strikes. Dark Pit parried and then jumped back, brandishing his weapon again.
"Hello again," said Dark Pit calmly.
"Hello yourself," said Pit through still gritted teeth, "This time things will be different."
"Ooh, someone's got fire," said Dark Pit mockingly, "I must have really done a number on you for you to be so aggressive." Pit didn't even have time to respond because at that moment, a blast of wind came from behind him, grazing the top of his head and heading directly at Dark Pit. Zephynn landed on the ground a few feet behind Dark Pit, readying his sword for another attack. Vinnia was close behind him. The strike had had no effect on Dark Pit, as it was absorbed into his sword easily.
"Stupid wind abilities…" Pit muttered inaudibly. Zephynn seemed a little surprised but he didn't have long for that to stay. The next few second were an extreme blur. Dark Pit charged backwards and attacked Zephynn with everything he had. Zephynn, entirely surprised, tried to counter but he was knocked back by Dark Pit's wind, which he was surprised he couldn't counter. He figured that as a wind user, he would be able to control it, but there was a something about it that overpowered him.
In the meantime (the previously explained events had happened in a matter of seconds), Vinnia was charging, with her lance ready to stab Dark Pit in the back. Dark Pit apparently sensed her and knocked Zephynn to the ground with a blast of wind. Then he turned and didn't even aim for a block, instead stepping to the side and allowing Vinnia's stab to hit the air. Then Vinnia felt the slam of Dark Pit's blade flat on her face and she was thrown to the ground.
Though in a daze, Vinnia managed to get up, and as her vision cleared, she saw Zephynn and Pit both charging the dark angel from opposite sides. Dark Pit only smirked and let them draw in close, then unleashing the Power of Flight. Pit almost had no time to react and was barely able to slide under Zephynn's sword as it came at him by pure accident.
"Sorry!" Zephynn yelled. Pit wasn't paying attention to the apology. He was too busy getting back onto his feet to combat Dark Pit, who he had seen sight Raven behind the rock that she had stayed behind. Dark Pit had been staring for only a few seconds; it was just enough to make Pit believe that she was his next target, as it was quite clear that she was unarmed in the position she was in.
Pit charged at Dark Pit's back but the dark angel's reflexes were quick and he stepped out of the way, causing Pit to fumble and lose his balance as he tumbled over his feet and rolled about ten feet down the beach. Pit stumbled to his feet and turned around, seeing that Dark Pit was charging something at the tip of his blade, which was pointed at him. He instantly assumed charge shot, and wasn't all that surprised considering what else had been added to Dark Pit's weapon. He knew that he wouldn't be hit, because he saw Vinnia and Zephynn charging at Dark Pit from the back. Dark Pit smirked, and Vinnia sent one of the ribbons on her lance flying towards Dark Pit's sword arm, thus causing it to lose its balance and send the shot flying.
Dark Pit immediately responded by jerking the lance out of Vinnia's hand via the wood ribbon that had hit him and throwing it over his shoulder, almost hitting Pit in the foot. Zephynn then tried to knock Dark Pit off of his feet with a gust of wind from his sword, but Dark Pit literally sliced the wind in half with his blade. The resulting sword beam caused Zephynn to dive out of the way and hit the sand. Dark Pit then pinned him to the ground with a ball of wind and turned to Vinnia, who was trying to resort to her demigod powers.
Dark Pit was on top of her before she could form a proper shield and sliced at her, cutting down the shield and then socking her in the face in the next movement. Vinnia fell to the ground and Dark Pit gave her a good kick in the stomach. At that moment, a cry rang out across the beach and Pit, who had been about to charge, turned to see Raven running down the beach, her hands in a position to hurriedly summon water. Pit was about to yell for her to get back, but it was too late. While Zephynn had somehow found a way to break free of the wind, it was too late to stop Raven from charging. A wall of water was forming around her, but Dark Pit had summoned a new ability and charged at her; his sword set on fire and he flung the flames in a fantastic fireball.
Much of the water was turned to steam, but the wall continued to form around Raven. Zephynn tried to charge out and help, as did Pit. Vinnia stayed down from the brutal attacks she faced beforehand. Dark Pit came in close and then swung his blade at the wall in full flame again. The blade met the water and for a few seconds they clashed, but Dark Pit overpowered the defense and pushed through. Though the fire had been doused, he still managed to land a strike, with the blade, on Raven's forehead.
A gash was left by the attack and Raven was left on the ground unconscious, likely from the shock. Unbeknownst to anyone else, as Pit and Zephynn looked on in shock, Vinnia had been able to pull herself up as Dark Pit was destroying the shield. The second she saw Raven on the ground, her mind lost any trace of mercy and sanity. There was nothing in there but the desire to kill the dark angel. She let forth a banshee-like scream and stood up, her form radiating pure rage. Her fist was lifted in the air and she slammed it into the ground.
Out of nowhere, the earth shook and the ocean roared. From the mountainside, tumbling rocks slammed into the forest and crushed many of the trees. Everyone in the area was thrown off of their feet. Raven was carried by the liquidating ground over to the ocean, where the tide caressed her unconscious body. Vinnia, though, charged over the shaking ground and grabbed her lance out of the sand. She wasted no time charging back at Dark Pit, who was barely off of the ground. Her eyes shone with vengeance.
She stabbed without waiting and Dark Pit was barely able to reflect the strike. Then she stabbed again and again. Dark Pit continued to parry frantically and defensively. The stabbing got through a few times, but injuries were relatively minor on the dark angel, with only a few cuts having opened. Vinnia wouldn't stop however, and eventually, she got tired of their little game and turned her lance around expertly, slamming the butt into his stomach and knocking him to the ground.
Then, the unexpected happened. Pit found Vinnia trying to stab at him as well, since he had been lying in pain next to where Dark Pit landed. He rolled out of the way and dodged Vinnia's expert lancing until finally, he got enough courage to smack her in the head with the staff. Vinnia grabbed the side of her head in pain, as it was the same side that Dark Pit had hit earlier.
"What the heck just happened?" said Vinnia with a gasp.
"You went crazy for a second," said Pit, "It must have been Raven." Vinnia's eyes seemed to light on fire again, but when she turned to face Dark Pit again, she got a nasty sock to the face, hard enough to give any normal person a concussion, and certainly enough to knock her out.
Dark Pit wasted no time swinging his sword at Pit. Pit immediately rolled onto the ground, feeling Dark Pit's sword swing graze his head. Pit was forced on the defensive as he deflected a sudden barrage of melee attacks from his opponent. The length of the staff provided an excellent tool for blocking the strikes, and Pit eased into the pattern. Then he broke it just as fast.
As Dark Pit pulled his arm back one more time. Pit jabbed the staff at him. Dark Pit jumped back. Pit decided that he would have to go all out in order to finish this and summoned the power of the staff's insane melee attack. The pink glow surrounded the staff and greatly increased its strength. Pit swung the staff at Dark Pit as hard as he could and Dark Pit was able to just barely catch the attack with his sword. He threw off the blow and caused Pit to stagger backwards; he was feeling the brunt of using the attack.
He wasn't worried just yet though, because Zephynn was raising a cry behind Dark Pit. Pit watched as Dark Pit decided to take a turn around and counter Zephynn's blow. He let loose a few more blows with his sword, and eventually Zephynn was hit in the side of the head by the flat of the dark angel's blade, thus knocking him to the ground. Subtly, he winked at Pit, who nodded, having almost fully recovered all of his strength using the self-healing ability.
Dark Pit turned back to Pit and sized him up. A boundary of strength had been reached, but neither was about to relent if blows broke out again. However, they only glared at each other. Pit spoke first.
"What happened to you?" Pit asked, "I thought we were at truce! I thought I could trust you! And where are Magnus and Gaol anyways?"
"Things happened," said Dark Pit coldly, "You are a thorn in my side. You have caused me pain and agony in more ways than I even know." Pit was ultimately confused.
"What do you mean more ways than you know!?" Pit cried in defense.
"My heart has suffered terrible wounds because of you," said Dark Pit fiercely, "I must have the satisfaction of ending your life."
"Are you crazy!?" Pit cried in panic, "We're linked! If I die, you'll die too!" Dark Pit's face formed a cocky smile.
"There is a way around that," he said slyly, "I can use the link to merge your soul with mine. When I kill you, I will be the only Pit. Your soul will be doomed to wander around in the darkness of repression within me." Pit was horrified at this, not only because it made him anxious, but because he saw how it could work.
"How could you say something so sick!?" Pit cried, "Wasn't it you who said that eating souls was a sick thing to do? You can't have gone back on that!"
"I must put an end to you!" Dark Pit insisted ferociously.
"I should be telling you that!" Pit said angrily, "You've hurt my friends! Zephynn, Raven, Vinnia... they're all innocent in this! I dragged them into it! And where's Aria?"
"You make no sense," said Dark Pit, "And don't change the subject."
"I need to know whether or not she's safe!" Pit insisted, "I have to!"
"She's no longer my prisoner," said Dark Pit with an impatient sigh, "She follows me of her own free will. She's not far from here."
"You say that as if there's something wrong," said Pit through narrowed eyes.
"Her leg is injured," said Dark Pit, "I made sure to move her away from where the fight would be. Unlike you, I make sure that innocent bystanders stay safe!" The final words were yelled. He charged at Pit, preparing a final strike, and Pit got ready to block it, but suddenly, Dark Pit's eyes went wide and he fell to his knees. Pit watched in surprise, withdrawing his weapon to a standing position. Dark Pit suddenly fell forward, face first onto the ground. His eyes had rolled back into his head and he was moaning something inaudible, though it sounded as though it was the mourning of someone's death.