26. Release
Nox didn't waste time summoning Blood Creatures, all of them lunging at the group. Calista managed to dodge, summoning a Holy spell to throw back at Nox, but Nox sidestepped it just in time, the spell hitting the wall behind them.
"You think it'll be that easy?" Nox challenged. Three Blood Creatures went charging at Calista, but that was when Mirania blasted two out of the way with a Forest spell. Yurick followed it up with Prominence, and the third Blood Creature got caught in that blast, screeching as the flames licked at it.
"Mandatum!" Asthar shouted, but it wasn't working. The General cursed under his breath, realizing he couldn't quite control said creatures due to Nox's larger influence. He felt the lull of Nox's gaze against him, trying to trap him in their control, but Asthar shook it off. He'd been prisoner long enough by Nox to know what the hell this person did to him.
Arganan appeared to struggle with this as well as Dagran, both of them grimacing or shaking their heads to keep their focus on the battle. Asthar blocked one Blood Creature's grasp with a shield, before slashing at it to get it fully out of the way. He rushed over to Dagran first, slashing down one Blood Creature that neared him, then turned and stabbed another Blood Creature that tried clawing at Arganan.
"Fight Nox's control!" He yelled to them. "If you let them win—"
Two Blood Creatures tackled him down, but Asthar didn't lose grip of his sword, holding it between them and himself as best as he could so they couldn't bite him or claw at him too much. A long, gold arrow knocked the first one off him, before a Forest spell hit the second one, and he got up in time to see Zesha and Mirania turning from him and casting their spells at other Blood Creatures trying to come near.
At Asthar's left, Calista and Zael both managed to approach Nox, as well as Therius, but Nox didn't look too fazed by their attacks. Slashing back at them with the lance in their hands, he suddenly jumped back afterwards, before yelling.
"Take the Gurak Warrior and the General!"
Asthar dodged the Blood Creatures trying to nab him, but then he heard a scream come from Zepha. Looking to his left, he saw Zesha enveloped by the Blood Creatures at once.
"No!" Mirania was heard yelling, before throwing a Forest spell right at the Blood Creatures surrounding Zesha, but a red barrier came up between them and the spell, destroying the Forest spell as it hit the barrier.
Nox laughed. "You have no chance of beating me. Just give up."
Asthar rushed at the red barrier, but as he swung his sword at it, a force of red shot out from the barrier, blasting him across the hall. Hitting the ground made him groan, and his vision flickered as he got to his feet.
"General?" It was Therius rushing to Asthar's side, helping him straighten himself. "That barrier—do you know how to break it?"
Asthar could only shake his head.
"I have no clue."
And he really didn't.
Zesha hadn't expected to get ambushed all at once by majority of the Blood Creatures. He'd intended to go in and strike Nox, but then Nox saw him.
Everything went downhill from there. Zesha only remembered hitting his head when all those Blood Creatures swarmed him. He couldn't breathe, for a moment, and then he opened his eyes.
In front of him was Zangurak, but it wasn't the King he remembered. The man was wrapped in bloody chains, clearly beaten from where Zesha could see any exposed skin on him (which wasn't much) under the dented armor.
"Release me." Zangurak's voice was evident through his own lips this time. He certainly sounded like himself, albeit much weaker than Zesha ever remembered hearing him. "Please."
"How?" Zesha breathed back. He looked around, and there was nothing but red and black around them, with the red occasionally glowing. "What the hell is this…?"
Zangurak's consciousness, under control by Nox? Is this what it is? Am I in contact with Zangurak…the real him?
Zesha took a deep breath, thinking back to the time he served Zangurak, back when the man in front of him was King. And he had a feeling he knew how to awaken Zangurak's consciousness, make him fight back from Nox's control.
He was probably also sure this strategy might piss off the first King of the Gurak, but it was probably worth trying. Anger was a great motivator.
"Pathetic," Zesha spat, looking to Zangurak. He mustered up the best glare he could, which was easy to do. His own anger broiled within him, angry that Nox would ever repress Zangurak. Angry that Zangurak would fall to… "I expected a lot better from you, you know. The King of the Gurak I know wouldn't fall so easily to a human. I was angry when I found out Nox took your body. I'm still angry."
Zangurak's eyes lit up with a familiar glare, but Zesha kept going. "Did you not know that Nox was a human? That he's possessing you right now? Using you? I know you better than anyone else. You can show him you're better than a weak human trying to take over you and our people. You proved that to all of Lazulis once, that you were unstoppable. Prove it to them again."
There was silence, but then Zesha heard the sudden snap. One of the chainlinks hit the ground.
And then there was another snap.
And another.
Zesha took a step back as Zangurak let out a hiss, before all the chains suddenly burst open—
Therius watched as Nox suddenly groaned, falling to his knees.
"Zesha." Zepha looked towards where the Blood Creatures still surrounded Zesha. The barrier around them flickered, weakening, before it vanished, and then the Blood Creatures suddenly floated a few paces away from Zesha. Zesha himself, covered in blood, got to his feet, putting a hand to his own head, and Zepha didn't waste any time running to him, arm wrapped around him to help him stay upright. "Are you…?"
"I'm fine." Zesha reassured him, looking Zepha in the eyes. "It's still me. I'm still here."
Therius looked towards the groaning Nox, and then to Zesha. "Did you reach his mind? Was he trying to fully control you?"
"I don't think he reached me," Zesha managed, looking to Therius as he wiped blood off his face with a hand, "but I certainly reached Lord Zangurak."
As if on cue, Nox let out a scream, holding his head in both hands, before arching his back upwards. Red and black smoke escaped his eyes and open mouth, and Therius shuddered, covering his ears as he heard all the Blood Creatures also screech in unison. Zangurak's body hit the ground moments later, completely unconscious, but the gaseous form of what Therius assumed was Nox floated above the body, hissing with rage.
"You fools!" Nox's voice boomed louder than ever, a harsh laugh escaping him. "You only make it easy for me to take the Outsider's wielder!"
"Isn't Nox supposed to just up and die!?" Dagran was heard shouting to Mirania. "Why is he still here!?"
"That's how it was supposed to go!" Mirania called back, flipping through her book as best as she could while trying to avoid the red and black mist that was Nox.
Nox started hurtling towards Zael, and the Outsider's wielder barely dodged Nox's lunge. Therius quickly moved so that he stood between Zael and Nox, pointing his sword at Nox.
The red and black mist stopped a few feet away from Therius. "Do you think," Nox managed, "That you can simply beat me so easily? Your friend may have me outside of Zangurak's body, but—"
It happened fast, what happened next, but Therius didn't hesitate to call out "Ad Bellum," and stab Nox. He wasn't sure if it would actually work, but he thought he'd try. There was a Star Seal on that weapon, after all, and he know those certainly harmed Blood Warriors. Why wouldn't it harm a weakened Nox? It was worth a shot—right?
And to his surprise, it worked.
"No." The fog began to fade, and Therius realized, from the firm surface that he'd stabbed into, that he actually hit a body. More of the fog faded, revealing a person—an old, old man, appearing extremely shriveled, small and wrinkled.
Therius didn't hesitate to look Nox in the eye. "You're Nox." He stated.
Nox glared up at him, extending a hand towards him, but dropped it, coughing up blood. Therius pulled the sword out from Nox's chest, and watched the man struggling to get up as he fell onto the ground.
"This isn't over," Nox hissed, glaring up at him with his beady eyes. "I'll win. I'll have it all."
Therius sensed someone at his side, and he looked to see Asthar standing there, looking down at him with the coldest glare that he'd ever seen. Rarely did Therius see the General so angry, but Asthar virtually brimmed with it.
"No." Asthar spoke, pointing his sword at Nox's neck. Therius realized what the General would do, but didn't stop him as he raised the blade and spoke again. "It's over."
One clean slice was all it took to hear Nox's final breath.
The party split into little groups at once. Zael and Calista hugged, Mirania rushing to Zesha's side to quickly heal him, only for Zepha to crush Zesha in a tight hug as they attended to the unconscious (but definitely alive and not possessed) Zangurak. Dagran and Arganan both made their way to Zael and Calista, while Yurick, Syrenne, and Lowell all joined the others to ask if they were okay, express their relief at the fact that Nox was done for.
Blood Creatures floated around aimlessly, none of them attacking anyone still alive at the moment, and they looked far less malicious than earlier. They weren't about to do anything unless someone ordered them to do so, which was probably for the best right now.
Therius and Asthar both stood there, standing over Nox's corpse. Asthar cleaned his sword as best as he could, looking away from Nox's corpse.
"General?"
Asthar sucked in a breath, looked to his pupil. Therius looked mostly fine, save for a few obvious scratches and the fact that he, like everyone else, was covered in some amount of blood that thankfully wasn't their own. "Yes, Therius?"
"Are you alright?"
He shook his head. "No. Not fully. But I'm at some peace, knowing that he's finally gone."
Therius hesitated, but then extended a hand towards Asthar's arm, attempting comfort. "If you ever need to speak about him, at some point, I'm ready to listen."
Asthar looked to Therius' hand on his arm, then looked towards his pupil again, managing the smallest smile. "I appreciate that. But not today."
Right now, they had to go back and let everyone know that the war against Nox was over. That things would get better. They probably had broken buildings to tend to, people's broken bones to fix, potentially some dead to bury, and a lot of cleanup.
Talking about Nox would come later.
Next chapter: Therius speaks with Zangurak and learns a new revelation about the Blood Warrior, as well as their past opponents. Meanwhile, the current King of the Gurak and our resident healer get a chance to fully catch up on things.