Minutes of clawing his way along the cliff's edge passed before Irim took flight. Without a saddle, the prince had to hang on for dear life with his arms wrapped around its neck. The heavy rain only made keeping his grip that much more difficult. Keeping just above the surface of the water, it would be impossible for even Rena's keen eyesight to pick up a white Hameling among the white seaspray at night. The dragon gained altitude only when they reached the castle's still-smouldering grounds. Cresting the cliff edge and circling the wreckage, the dragon and the prince stayed long enough to quickly scour the ruins.
It didn't look good. Chung could make out bits and pieces of the Black Crow, scanning through the dense layers of rain and ignoring the thousands of demons that infested the land below. It was in ruins and only the upper half of the destroyed ship was recognizable among the wreckage. If Add and Eve had survived the crash, which was highly unlikely at this point, that they would need to have made it out undetected with the swarm of hellspawn that covered the area.
Eve. The thought of her falling into that technophile's clutches, and then sent crashing to through the castle was a send off he could never see coming. He never even had a chance to grieve for her. It pained him, now that he flew over her grave, to know that he'd lose her, even more so after what they've been through together. He had learned so much about her and she so much about him. The fleeting moments of comfort they sought in each other's company were gone. He only wished he would have known of her fate to make their final night together more meaningful than what it was.
"C'mon, Irim," the prince said, patting the dragon on its neck, "I… don't think they made it. Just take me to Ran. That monster will pay for what he's done. I'll make sure of it."
Still in flight, the dragon hung its head low, flicking its tongue several times as it searched for their target's scent. Surprisingly, it didn't take long and the Hameling quickly took off not towards the ruined castle building, but towards the Halls of Water at the other end of the bay.
Rain matted Chung's face as they raced through the cover of clouds towards a massive elaborately built structure sitting along the sheer cliff face in the distance. Shrouded by the thick layers of rainfall, it was difficult to see from the castle ruins. Built right at the cliff's edge, the structure, made almost entirely out of white marble, resembled a grand cathedral. Its needle-like spires, each represented the primal elemental stones that held their world together, pierced the heavens. Each of one of them towered well over a hundred feet with the largest at the center: the spire of water. Its height alone nearly doubling that of the others. Like an iceberg, these spires were only a piece of the enormous structure that continued downward along the cliff and well below sea level like a pyramid buried under gravel and water. Several water ducts dotted the structure's cliff side, emptying into the ocean.
As Chung drew closer he noticed the ducts, which once produced the blessed waters that healed the sick and fattened the marine life, now only vomited blackened brine. This cursed water was what allowed the demons to flood Resiam and it's the same water that mutated their marine life, turning even the once docile coral serpent into a monstrous ship-swallowing beast.
Irim grunted, nodding his head towards the cathedral. War had ravaged the building to the point where three of the six spires looked ready to fall. Holes had been punched throughout the structure's frame and the grand stairway that led up to the gigantic entrance was littered with the corpses of paladins long past.
It was strange. In his memories, before he was forced to leave the castle, the remainder of Hamel's military had been focused around the castle. Why, then, had he not seen a single paladin within the castle when they first stormed it? This was the first time he had seen the fallen knights during his entire campaign… what were they all doing here at the entrance of the Halls of Water?
The grand entrance to the halls: a huge metal door engraved with the kingdom's flower stood ajar with nothing but darkness beyond. Strangely enough, not a single demon could be seen guarding the entrance. Not a single living demon, at least. As Irim descended to the steps, Chung could see, in detail, the corpses of several demons among the bodies of long-dead Hamel Knights. Fresh corpses.
The Demon General, Ran, had demonstrated his disregard for his own minions before by cleaving one in half, but before Chung were bodies numbering in the twenties. Dismounting Irim, the prince climbed the last few steps to the entrance and listened before peeking inside. The silence was unsettling. Staring into the void beyond the entrance increased this sense of dread.
A low bark caught his attention and he turned to the dragon who seemed to be waiting for a new command. Bringing the dragon with him, however, would be unwise. In his younger years, Chung had only been inside the Halls of Water twice: once for attending the anointing of the old high priestess and again to send his friend Sasha to undergo the harsh training as the new priestess. Although the actual layout of the complex was difficult to recall, what he had learned in those two visits was that, although the halls were unreasonably large for their purpose, they still would be a tight squeeze for a beast who relied on flight to maneuver.
"This might be where we part ways, Irim," he said, turning to the dragon and hugging the beast by its snout, "Wait, if you wish. But if I don't make it out alive, take the rest of your flight and flee this place. You don't have much of a future in this fallen kingdom."
Chung stepped back, regarding the beast once more before turning to the hall entrance. Leaning against the heavy metal door he gave it a good shove. The rusted hinges echoed throughout the hollow room as the door groaned open. Lightning flashed behind the prince and, for a brief moment, he was greeted with the macabre scene of dozens of dead demons strewn throughout the room. White marble shined a sickly black as the entire room was filled with the foul stench of demon blood.
Not a thing stirred as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the entrance hall. In the distance was a vertical line of faint blue light akin to that of the power of El. Recalling what he could about the Halls of Water's layout, the next room should be the building's public communion area. Smoke could be seen rising from several of the corpses and he very quickly grew aware of the scent of burning flesh. Whatever had been through here had done so recently. But who or what could have taken out all these beasts by itself? The obvious answer would be Ran, seeing as even Velder's best fighters would struggle against these numbers.
Chung glanced back over his shoulder at the dragon who still waited apprehensively at the grand stairway. With a simple nod, Chung bid the dragon farewell before drawing his revolvers and making his way into the halls.
The guardian treaded carefully over the bodies that littered his path, taking extra care to avoid each claw and tooth just in case. Following the faint blue light peeking through, apparently, another door that remained latched shut. Stepping closer, Chung carefully undid the latch, pulling it into the communion hall.
Blue light blinded him as he stepped through the doorway and he raised his hand to shield himself from the drastic shift of light. El shined within the magical braziers and candles that hung from the ceiling. Off-white marble decorated with carvings that told the tale of the Water Stone being gifted to man were portrayed between the large archways. A statue of the El Lady built with gold and platinum stood at the far end of the communion hall behind a rather grand altar. This altar sat atop a waterfall that emptied into a pool of blackened water. Seeing this hall after so many years almost shrouded the destruction that laid before him. Almost. Hundreds of destroyed pews were strewn about as if he stood at the wake of a cyclone. Just like the previous room, demon corpses littered the area, their bodies either bloodied or burned.
He traversed through the carnage, climbing over the piles of broken pews and bodies as he approached the altar. If Chung remembered correctly, behind the statue of the El Lady, there should be a lever-operated stone door that led deeper into the complex.
He stopped at the pool, disgusted by the black bile that poured from the waterfall. To think that this filth was once as transparent and fresh as the air they breathed. Now, it was clouded to the point that he couldn't see the bottom of the otherwise shallow pool.
A sound like a rush of electricity echoed throughout the communion hall and Chung spun around with revolvers raised and ready. Before him several patches of dark clouds appeared as energy rippled through them. They grew wider, wide enough for a man to step through. Through each of these ripples the prince could see a demon trying to claw its way through. Rifts were opening! Had he been discovered already?
The first of the shadow walkers stepped through the rift and quickly met their end through a rain of bullets. Two quickly took its place through the other rifts, then four, then twelve. Chung greeted each with enough firepower to bring them down, yet for each one he killed, several more quickly replaced them.
With each wave that poured through the portals, Chung was forced further and further up the stairs towards the altar. It didn't take long for him to be overrun as many began to flood up the other set of stairs to flank him. Holstering one of his revolvers, he gripped the heavy cannon on his back and slammed the two that were behind him with a horizontal sweeping strike, knocking them off the altar into the shallow pool below. With that same motion, the prince used the momentum of his swing to jam the bladed end of his cannon into the walker in front of him. He pulled the reload lever along with the swing before unleashing a cannon shot at the one behind him. So much stronger was the recoil of the cannon that the blast nearly sent him flying down the stairs to the waiting demons below. He caught himself, however, spinning the cannon around with the same recoil and pulling the lever once more before firing at the demons climbing up his set of stairs.
The cannonball punched a hole through the center of the walker, catching the one behind it at its shoulder and severing it from its right arm before detonating at the third behind it, the blast itself shook the room at its foundations. This cannon was a work of art and, in his head, Chung thanked Horatio for his efforts in making it, spinning to the nearest demon directly behind him, he placed a shot at its weak point. At that range, it was near impossible to miss and the walker gave a pained cry before collapsing in a plume of dust.
With the path temporarily cleared, he quickly made his way behind the large statue, hoping and praying his memory was right. Sure enough, the ancient lever-operated door stood closed before him. Chung hurried to it, pulling on the mechanism, causing a series of heavy mechanical gears to churn through the walls. The doorway opened upwards. Slowly.
He was surrounded.
With his back pressed against the wall, he quickly scanned the incoming threats: there must have been at least a hundred of them pouring out of the rifts below and they all funneled in towards him from either side of the grand statue of the El Lady. With a revolver in one hand and his cannon in the other, he could only do so much as he was. But he was much more than that.
Slamming his mighty destroyer on the ground, the advancing demons were suddenly pushed back by an explosive blast of pure El. Like flames that engulfed his entire being, his body began to glow a fantastic display of blue.
''Just until the door opens," the prince thought to himself, "I should have enough El to manage that''.
The door continued to slowly rise and was almost up to his knees. With his awakened inner fire controlling his body, he simply willed the El coursing through his veins and it moved him faster and more precise than his own muscles could. He brought down the bladed edge of his destroyer on the first incoming demon, slamming its upper half to the ground before quickly spinning around with a horizontal swing, cleaving the demon in half by its hips. The el shard embedded in it shattered from the sheer force of the blow and the demon exploded into ash, making way for the other walker right behind it. The revolver was already there to greet it as the shot punched through its eye. It lurched forward, shrieking in pain as it continued its charge. The prince side stepped it, dodging its claw by the hair on his neck as the beast collided with another at opposite side of the prince. He continued past that demon, raising his revolver arm and blocking a claw with his armor before smashing his forehead against the beast's head, causing it to reel back in pain. He wrapped his arm around the claw, pulling the beast forward and firing a shot at its weak point at the hip. The powerful round pierced through it and through the weak points of the other two behind it. Chung turned around, back to the previous demon missing an eye. Holstering his destroyer and drawing his second revolver, he unleashed a hail of bullets catching each demon as it rounded the large statue at the hip.
Behind him. He ducked, narrowly dodging a claw aimed at his head. Sweeping low, he quickly holstered his revolver and was back on his destroyer, once more, as he spun around in one fluid motion. The cannon swept the demon off its feet. In that moment, Chung grabbed the beast by its leg, swinging it around him once before flinging it back down the stairs with enough force to plow into several of the advancing horde. By then, he had already taken siege stance and had a fresh round loaded into the cannon. Bracing for recoil. The prince pulled the trigger. The cannonball punched through several of them before coming into contact with the hard marble wall, detonating in a deafening blue burst.
He spun around, checking the door and found it at waist level. Perfect.
With a swing of his cannon he smashed the lever before ducking under the still-opening door, entering what appeared to be a hallway with ocean-blue windows. Finding the gears operating the door, he smashed a cog, causing the heavy stone slab to suddenly fall shut with a loud crash.
The flames of the El surrounding him dissipated and he almost fell over with the weight of his cannon now being supported by his physical body. He could feel the El within him wane. Other than his first time using his awakened strength against Victor, this was the only time he really had a chance to use it. An incredible amount of his El reserve had been spent in those short moments. Incredible as it was in enhancing his strength, speed, and even his armor, if he wasn't able to completely control the outward flow of magical energy, he could quickly find himself without any at all. With the vanishing of his inner fire, he found himself quickly surrounded in darkness. Chung checked behind, making sure nothing had been waiting for him on the other side of the door before checking the strength of the barricade.
The frenzied claws scratching at the thick layer of rock was drowned out by the heavy storm that pummeled at the windows of this long dark hallway. A brief flash of lightning revealed that there was nothing before him but a dark passage at the far end of the marble hall. Another flash of lightning revealed another, more subtle detail dotting the white tiles trailing from where he stood to the passage ahead.
Blood. Chung kept his guard up, unsure if it belonged to a demon or otherwise. Black and red blood was difficult to discern in low light. Either way, whatever went through here before him was dangerous enough to wipe out an entire room full of demons by itself. Still, he had to press on.
Faint light filtered into the halls from the blue tinted windows. The rain pelted the glass, playing with the light filtering in, making the hall feel as if it were completely flooded with water. It was quiet. Eerily so. At the halfway point of the hallway, the scratching had been completely washed away by the storm. He almost wished for its company, as the uncertainty of what laid beyond made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
He had never traveled passed the communion hall as a child and everything here was new territory for him. Reaching the end of the hall, the dark passageway was, in fact, an open doorway that immediately turned to his right. The path, although dimly lit with faint blue lanterns of El, slowly descended downward, cutting into a ninety-degree turn left before continuing further to another left. And another, with each straightway longer than the last. Chung figured he must be descending the pyramid-shaped portion of the complex.
The small trail of blood continued along this descent. Each drop was much further apart, indicating they either tried to slow the bleeding or ran. The inner wall of the spiral was slowly cut away the deeper he traveled and he was eventually greeted with an amazing view of the lower complex and the sound of hundreds of gallons of rushing water.
Light flooded in the hallway revealing the rest of the spiral's path, ending at the first layer of the Hall of Water's sanctum. At the very center of this layer was the source of the light: a spire channeling cyan-colored light at its apex; the light of the El Stone of Water. From this apex, pure water was shot upward through four powerful jets that magically cascaded down the pyramid-shaped ceiling. Tightly packed stone buildings and columns filled the area the size of a large marketplace. These buildings were topped with a dome-shaped roof, many of which had an opened top to let the magical light filter in. From where he stood he could see the many functions of each building: a vast library, several rooms of worship, a mess hall, smaller quarters for servants, and more elaborate quarters designated to the priestess and other religious figures who once lived there.
Now, the buildings were filled with the bodies of warriors who lost their lives long ago. With the light source illuminating his path, he could very easily discern the drops of blood he had been following to be red. Non-demon. The prince hurried down the rest of the path, following the trail stopping at the gates of the first layer's iron gates. Its thick iron bars looked as if it had been blown open long ago and left to rust at the wake of the old remnants of Paladins and soldiers alike… Velder soldiers.
Stepping closer to the bones of the fallen, he investigated the remains, curious as to what the hell Velder soldiers were doing here. Had they pushed this far during the previous campaign to reclaim Hamel? He knew nothing about the aging of cadavers but the bodies looked as if they died around the same time the Hamel Paladins had. Now, the prince was confused. Whatever the reason, it appeared the Velder troops were fighting alongside the Hamel Paladins long ago.
And then he ran into his first civilian.
Clothed in a commoner's dress, the woman's bones clutching the remains of another, smaller body. Inside a building just past her, through a destroyed wooden door, were more civilians. Men, women, children; everyone who had been huddled in the castle all those years ago… they all came here… and died. Hundreds more littered this level; soldiers and civilians. He continued following the trail of blood among the pile of skeletons. It was a shame that even their combined strength wasn't enough to hold off the flood of hellspawn… which Chung noticed a distinct lack of in the area.
Fresh demon corpses dotted the area, but older bodies were nowhere to be seen. Only human casualties. The trail led to what appeared to be an elevator with the platform not at his was an operating lever to the right of the elevator gate. With a little bit of muscle and a loud echoing creak, the prince activated the heavy pulley system. Heavy chains clanged as gears began to turn.
Grinding. It was discrete at first. He brushed it off as the rumblings of the elevator lift. But the distinct sound of collapsing foundation put him on high alert. A larger, more pronounced tremor shook the stone floor beneath him. The tremor echoed through the shaft as an ear splitting crack. So strong was the force that half of the entire first level buckled from its own weight. The thick stone split under him and he quickly sidestepped it as rock burst from the fissure. The walls resonated with crumbling rock.
Turning his attention back to the way he came, he witnessed the first level's entrance separate itself from the upper passageway. The ground tilted at his feet as the far end began plummeting to the lower levels, bringing the prince with it. He had to get to stable ground. Looking back at the other end of the initial crack, he quickly found himself standing on the wrong half of the first level. The entire floor began to slide, pulling away from safety. The gap was widening with each fraction of a second. Without much time to think he steadied himself and prepared for a running leap.
The crumbling platform slammed into the outer wall, knocking Chung off balance and sending him in a roll downwards. The wall was destroyed by the impact, rock and cut stone burst through the sheer cliff side and the guardian was nearly sent rolling off the edge had there not been a wayward lamppost there to roll into at the very edge of the remaining platform. The prince hung on for dear life over the edge of the cliff where nothing but the black waters of Hamel Bay waited far below. Debris and bodies rolled past him as the floor continued to tilt. He held his breath as the platform seemed to slowly find its equilibrium and slowly, miraculously, the first level finally came to a rest.
Chung had to climb. The intense storm that soaked him to the bone only weakened his grip as he pulled himself up and onto the destroyed first level. Every curb of the sidewalk, every opened window and column was used as one misstep on the slippery stone surface could easily send him sliding down to the rocky waves below. Slow and steady he climbed, reaching dry ground as he pulled himself out of the rain.
The guardian reached the top of the fallen platform. Pulling himself over the edge, he rolled off of it and onto the more stable second platform, laying on his back with as he tried to catch his breath. He was alive. For now.
'But what caused the tremor,' he wondered. It sounded like some sort of grinding; a churning of rock. Whatever it was must have destroyed a key support column below him resulting in the upper floors crashing through the wall.
Raising his head and looking around, he found himself staring at a high ceiling several stories tall. Like the first level, there were stone buildings surrounding the central spire that emitted the El Stone's power. The level was wider and its internal structures were built higher. An entire city's population could take residence in these levels, which probably explained why the Hamelians sought refuge here.
After investigating his surroundings more thoroughly, he noted that several towers had been erected throughout the area, acting as magical fonts to draw from the central spire. The spire itself, however, was heavily damaged. At the very center of this level, embedded within the spire, was a broken glass chamber big enough to comfortably fit one person. This section of the spire was completely shattered and whatever had been stored there was no longer in sight.
"Hello?"
Chung shot up at the faint sound of a voice.
"Hello?" the voice called once more. It was female.
"Help!"
It was faint. Muffled. Distant, or at least sounded distant. The prince was on the move, listening for another cue and uncertain whether he should respond. Yes, there was someone calling for help, but if there were enemies nearby he dared not give away his position.
"Where… what's going on… hello? Is someone out there? Anyone?"
The voice sounded so familiar. He couldn't put a face with it but he felt a rush of hope as he hurried to locate the source.
A scream. It echoed through the ruins. Something was wrong.
"Help! It's… something is…"
The howl of a strider.
Chung followed the call. He was close. He found himself at the base of the spire. Rubble had piled around it and digging furiously at a particular mountain of stone was the four-legged beast.
"Hey!" Chung shouted, grabbing the demon's attention. It growled viciously, stepping away from the pile towards him. Behind the demon, through a small slit between the rocks, was a pair of eyes peeking at him.
The strider pounced on him only to connect itself with the upward swing of the destroyer. It was sent upwards, giving Chung the opportunity to quickly draw his revolvers. He fired upwards at the beast, the bullets tore through its upper torso as he searched for the sweet spot. It shrieked as the shard was struck and the demon dissolved into dust well before it hit the ground.
With the threat neutralized, the guardian hurried to the pile of rocks, to check on the survivor buried underneath.
"Are you okay?" he whispered, trying to find a rock he could pull out without risking the rest of the pile collapsing on the person trapped within.
"I think so. Bruised… but nothing broken, I think. But thank the goddess a paladin was still around to help… I honestly thought-"
"I'm no paladin, ma'am," Chung grunted as he tossed chunks of rock aside.
"But… you're carrying a paladin's weapon. And your fighting ability certainly surpasses that of a regular soldier," the young woman pointed out. He pulled more of the rock aside and the stone began to shift, falling off and finally setting the woman free.
She had trouble standing before him, and he had to catch her before she collapsed. She was wrapped in a blue cowl and dressed in a long white form-fitting dress. Medium length blue hair peeked out of her cowl and a band of gold decorated her forehead. She was slightly taller than Chung as most Hamelians were, but perhaps the most striking feature was the cyan eyes that looked back at him. He knew who this was.
"Were you harmed at all, priestess?" he asked, barely able to contain his sudden surge of emotion.
"I'll manage," the priestess said with a nod after quickly checking herself over. She then regarded the prince, tilting her head as a thought crossed her mind. "Do I… know you?"
A soft smile crossed the prince's face, "It's good to see you again, Sasha."
The priestess stared, wide eyed at the young man. He watched as her eyes scanned over the features of his face, the brown tips of his blond hair, the puppy-paw eyes. She threw herself on the prince, arms wrapping around him in a tight embrace.
"Chung… is it really… by the goddess, you're alive!" Sasha cried, burying her head on his shoulder, "I can't believe it… you're alive…"
She suddenly broke away from him, remembering her manners, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I mean… forgive me, your majesty. It's good to see you well."
Chung shook his head, "No need for the formalities, Sasha. I'm a prince of nothing, now. I'm undeserving of that title."
Sasha smiled, tilting her head, "You're right… I don't think I'd ever get used to calling you anything other than Chung."
"And I find it weird having to refer to you as 'High Priestess'," the guardian said. They stared at each other for a long moment before they both broke out in light laughter.
The priestess visibly loosened up as he brushed off her show of respect. She looked as if she had a million questions to ask, which was unfortunate because Chung felt the same.
"I… how long," she began, trying to get her bearings of her surroundings, "Is it just you?"
Chung nodded, "The Velder army is all the way at the other end of the bay right now, occupying the waterway."
"The… Velder army?" Sasha looked visibly worried at that, "Ugh… my head. What… happened?"
"The quick version is that the demons have taken over the entire kingdom. Velder has been running a campaign over the past few years to reclaim it and push the enemy out of the realm for good. It was working, to a point, little did everyone know, we were playing right into the Demon General's hand and now Velder is abandoning the kingdom altogether."
"And… you're here because?" Sasha asked, still confused by all this.
"Because it's my home. I wanted closure on what happened to my father and you can say this is my last ditch effort to make something good after all the bad that's happened."
"I'm sorry… but how long exactly have I been out?"
"I was just about to ask you the same question," Chung replied, "In fact, I'm surprised I even found someone still alive in this kingdom… How did you survive all this time alone in here?"
The question caused the priestess to bring her hand to her forehead as she tried to remember. "I really don't know. I was… uh… the last thing I remembered was… being told to 'protect them'."
"Protect them? By who?"
"Your father," Sasha said, trying her best to remember. The prince was silent at this news. "He said to me… 'Please keep them safe.' He was referring to the other civilians when everyone suddenly came rushing into the inner sanctum. I… remember being moved to a special chamber to channel the power of the Water Stone… and then… a nightmare."
"You mean that chamber up there?" the prince pointed up at the gap in the middle of the central spire.
"Yes… yes that's right!" Sasha replied, memory returning to her, "I was moved up there and was tasked with using the Water Stone to project a protective wall of ice that would freeze all entrances and exits. After that task was complete I was to deep freeze everyone within the sanctum, protecting us as well as the Water Stone. It was a last resort choice by your father. He believed that if we could prevent the demon invaders from reaching the stone, help would eventually arrive. It may not be soon, but the ice should be solid enough to protect everyone. But then…"
"Your nightmare?"
Sasha nodded.
"Once my physical vessel was frozen, I could only sense things through the flow of El coursing through me. The concept of time is strange when your physical body is not available to experience its surroundings, so for me it was like I was the current of energy itself. I did my job. I could feel the El of all the Hamelians as they fell into a deep sleep through the freeze but… something happened within the sanctum that I couldn't understand. Darkness. A small insignificant shadow within the bright flow of El. The shadow grew. I tried to fight it but no matter what I tried, I couldn't keep the darkness at bay. It swallowed the light until something… or someone appeared before me. I didn't have a physical body but these deep red eyes stared directly at me. The thing uttered three words to me… Never had I felt more frightened when it spoke."
"What'd it say?"
"It is done," Sasha hugged herself, visibly shaken from trying to remember, "Next thing I know, you're digging me out of rubble and… no one else is here."
"There were bodies at the upper level," Chung muttered, "More than I could count. They didn't look like they were frozen; more like they were running from something."
"That's… impossible. The Water Stone should have purged the demons from the building before freezing."
"No. They were killed by something. And to top it off, the barrier didn't work. The Demon General should be somewhere within this sanctum. He knew of my presence and, with the El Stone's help, created rifts to the other realm in an attempt to stop me."
"This Demon General you speak of… does he have red eyes as well?"
Chung nodded. "Demon General Ran has taken control of the entire complex. I'm here to hunt him down."
"It must have been him, then. He was the dark presence within my dream. I fought… so hard to keep him from controlling the El but he overpowered me," Sasha's eyes dropped at the realization and they were both quiet for some time.
"I'm sorry, Chung. I suppose that's what happens when a poorly trained individual is tasked with taking the mantle of 'high priestess'."
"You did what you could, Sasha. I'm glad you were able to hold him back for so long. There's no telling what would have happened if he had taken control of the El sooner."
Suddenly, Sasha's eyes lit up. "But… he doesn't have control of the El. Or at least not for long."
"What do you mean?"
"The power of the El Stones can only manifest through a conduit, someone tethered to its boundless energy. Only through those individuals can the raw power of an El Stone be used. I am that conduit. Without me, he is cut off from the endless energy… And if this Demon General isn't here, then he must not have realized it, yet."
"So then no more rifts?"
"I… don't think so. That or he has a supply of El and isn't aware of its limits."
The prince couldn't believe it. This could be it. This could be his time to strike back at the Demon General.
"Is there more of us, then?" Chung asked, "You said my father himself assigned this task to you, do you remember where he went? Maybe there are others who are still frozen around here."
"There might be," Sasha mumbled, not too sure of herself, "I remember the entire sanctum full to the brim with civilians. There must have been at least a thousand of us."
"Yet there are none in this level," Chung noted, looking around. He turned to Sasha, a gleam of hope in his eyes, "How many more levels are there? Maybe I can find survivors in there. Maybe my father's there, too!"
"There's two more levels," Sasha said, clutching her head weakly as she took a seat on the rubble, "But that's far below us… the Chamber of the Goddess. If they're not there… then they might have taken refuge further down, within the Temple of Trials."
"Got it. Once I secure the El stone I'll search for the others in the temple."
"By yourself?"
"There's no one else willing to help," Chung said with a shrug.
"Not even the ones who came before you?"
"Before me?"
"Before I awoke from my slumber, I sensed a new presence… Darkness tried to swallow this new source of light but deeper and deeper the presence delved. Next thing I know, the very foundation of the halls began to crumble, breaking me out of my stasis."
"There was a battle that took place before I arrived," Chung reported, "The demons that stood against whoever came through were decimated. Not without injuring the intruder, though. I've been following the trail ever since."
"They were injured?" Sasha replied, rising to her feet, "Then I must go, too."
The prince stopped her, shaking his head, "It's too dangerous to go down there."
"But I can heal them. The power of the Water El Stone allows me to heal all forms of injury no matter the severity."
"Ran wants to use you for that very reason. I'm not going to walk you to him when he doesn't even realize you're missing. No. You're going to get out of here while I search for the others below."
"But… how will I even get out of here?"
Chung pointed back towards the giant hole in the wall of the sanctum. "If you can make it safely outside without falling off the cliff, a Hameling should be there flying around. I told him to leave… but I doubt he'd listen to that order. He answers to 'Irim'. Call for him and he'll be there. Got it?"
Sasha hesitated as she looked between the prince and her exit.
"I know you want to help… but I can't risk your life. If you're gone, there won't be anyone around to remove the corruption from these waters. When you find Irim, tell him to take you to safety."
Slowly she nodded, "There's a lift to the lower levels located next to a balcony overlooking a grand spiral waterfall. It's a bit of a long ride but it should take you directly to the Chamber of the Goddess."
"Thanks," Chung said, turning from her as he made his way through the maze of stone buildings.
"And do come back in one piece," Sasha called after him.
It wasn't hard to locate the lift. Following the same trail of blood of the unknown invader as well as the growing sound of rushing water, he quickly found himself staring over the edge of the second level at a grand balcony built over a massive flowing river that spiraled downwards towards the lower levels. The balcony itself would have looked beautiful had it been maintained. The five years had worn the stone to the point where the balcony was quite literally hanging off of the mortar that held it together. The stone railing had moss growing on it as well to the point where some sections had been pushed off its setting by the plant life.
Sure enough, an elevator shaft was next to it with the platform at one the level below him. He pulled on the lever, causing the mechanism to jolt to life. The gears running the pulley system turned, yet the grinding was almost drowned out by the sound of rushing water beyond the railing. The elevator itself was huge. Easily large enough to carry forty people. While he waited, he wondered just how far down the shaft actually went. He almost didn't notice the arrow as it struck the lever, stopping the elevator in its tracks.
"You're not going anywhere, kid," a voice called over the flowing water. The voice was direct, commanding. It was a voice that belonged to someone who he hadn't seen in years… someone he had been dreading to run into since he first encountered her sentinels at the waterway reclamation mission.
Turning to the source, he was shocked to find the priestess standing a few feet away from him. She had her hands raised submissively as the gleam of a dagger was pressed at her throat. Behind her stood a dark-skinned elf with light pink hair. Only a single fierce red eye could be seen as half of her face was hidden behind Sasha as she shouldered her bow with her free hand.
"Step away from the lift," Chloe snarled as she watched his every move. The elf blinked, as a smile slowly crossed her lips, "Haven't we met before?"
Chung did as he was told, hands up. He nodded slowly.
"Sorry. This is rare for me. It's not often that I get to see my prey twice. Now, remind me… where?"
"Velder. Market district."
"Ah, yes," the dark elf grinned, "You were the one with the cannon. Compensating for something?"
Slowly Chung's hands lowered, trying to get his hands as close to his revolvers as he could.
"Don't try it, kid. It never worked before it certainly won't work now… yes. I remember now. You had the same look on your face when you couldn't help your little friend. You were too busy hiding behind the safety of the gate."
"I also remember your face being burned off by Elesis," Chung retorted, "Now who's the one hiding behind something?"
The comment visibly angered Chloe and, for a moment, her head shifted as she gripped the priestess by the arm. Chung caught the faintest hint of a terrible scar over the other side of her face. It took a moment for her to calm down before she broke out laughing in realization.
"You've got quite the tongue, kid. What I'd do to see the look in your eyes when I cut it clean out of your mouth."
"You can start by letting the priestess go. She has nothing to do with this."
Again Chloe laughed. "Why in the hells would I ever do that?"
Chung's eyes quickly darted to Sasha. There was slight hesitation in her but after a moment to gather herself, she nodded.
"Because," Chung stated, walking back over to the elevator and pulling on the lever once more, "She's more useful to Ran alive than she is dead. Kill her and he loses his connection to the El Stone. No connection, no access to his infinite army."
"Bullshit. Like I'd buy that," Chloe growled, pressing the tip of her dagger against her neck. Blood began to pour from it.
"Oh? And why the hells did you and your glitter army try so hard to catch the Velder Priestess alive when it would have been so much easier if you just killed her? Did your leaders explain that to you or were you stupidly following orders like the puppet you are?"
"I am no puppet, kid. Keep talking and I slit her throat!"
"Dark elves… I know of you. Rena told me. I know of your exile from the Elven Kingdom. You're a dying race, aren't you? The last generation of your kind. What was it the demons promised you? Vengeance? Power? Regardless of what it is they promised, you sold your race to them. And here you are defending a monster bent on destroying our world and blindly taking orders from him… like a puppet."
"Our world…? No. If he destroys it, so be it!" Chloe roared, "Those elves stole my world from me long ago. I'm just returning the favor!"
"And by killing the priestess, what would you achieve? Ran loses his power. We win. All thanks to you. So… would the puppet kindly let the priestess go?"
That was the last straw. The prince saw whatever patience the elf had snap and he stepped back, drawing his revolvers. Chloe pulled her blade away from Sasha, pushing her aside as she threw herself on the guardian. The dark elf's face was horrifying to look at. Like staring at the otherside of a coin, Chung could see the fine features of an otherwise beautiful elf on one side, and the melted-shut eye and missing cheek on the other.
"Sasha! Get out of here!" Chung shouted, firing at the dark elf.
With a flash of blinding speed Chloe deflected the bullets trained at her legs and head, redirecting it back at him and forcing the prince to dive out of the way. Already backed into the corner of the balcony, all the prince could see was the gleam of steel. Strike after strike that would have struck the vulnerable joints of his armor instead met air as he narrowly, and often accidentally, dodged a would-be fatal blow. Not even the first five seconds of the fight and Chung was already on his back foot. He couldn't hold back at this encounter. Not when he was this close to Ran.
El surged through his body once more as he raised his hand to block an incoming blow trained at his neck. El took over. What was a block was now a parry. With a rush of strength, his hand pushed her wrist away, letting the blade fly past his neck as he moved forward, smashing his skull against hers.
So powerful was the blow that the elf was sent stumbling back, all momentum in her rush of attacks halted as she leaned against a broken column. Regaining her bearings, she looked up at the prince engulfed by blue flames.
"So. You've learned how to awaken your inner fire," Chloe said, wiping the spit from her jaw, "But it looks wild… untamed. You won't last."
"I only need a moment to finish you," Chung answered, switching to his cannon.
"No. You'll need far more than that," Chloe grinned. In that moment, a glint in her eye caught the prince's attention. It was subtle but he noticed the way her red eye seemed to shine a bit brighter than before. "This is one's inner fire at its most efficient."
She was on him. Faster than before. No sooner had she finished speaking did he find himself staring inches away from the face of his adversary. He swung his cannon, yet just as quickly as she had appeared in front of him, she was gone. At the end of his swing she was there once again, landing the spinning kick right at the side of his head, sending him stumbling over to the guard rail of the balcony.
He had little time to recover from the blow as the dark elf struck him once more, throwing her weight into a flying knee. The force broke the stone guardrail, knocking the prince on the ground with half his upper body hanging over the rushing water. She was already high in the air above him, dual daggers gleamed in the low light as she came down on him for the final blow.
Chung raised his cannon, blocking the strike that would have beheaded him. The shockwave of the strike echoed throughout the halls and, with a loud crack, the entire balcony came crashing on to the rushing water below. The floor under the two shuddered but remained intact as it impacted the stone under the shallow river and began to slide downhill.
Using this moment of confusion, Chung punched the elf on top of him before knocking one of the blades out of her hands. Recovering, she brought the other dagger down on his head. He narrowly dodged it and he turned, biting her wrist and drawing blood. The dark elf cried in pain, pulling her arm away and giving the prince another opportunity to knock the blade away. They flew in opposite directions, embedding themselves in the stone on either side of the platform they fought on. Chloe was relentless in her attacks, however. Even as the severed balcony careened down the river, she continued pummeling the prince's head while she had him mounted. He raised his arms to block and she quickly rolled off him making a break for one of her daggers.
The guardian stopped her, though, grabbing her by the leg and pulling her back towards him. Landing a punch square across the burned side of her face he picked her up by her head and brought it down hard on the guard rail, sliding it across the rough surface before throwing her on the ground. He stood over her, cannon in one hand as he raised it over his head to finish her. She swept her leg under him, knocking him off his feet and giving her a chance to run for her dagger.
The prince hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Without wasting a moment, however, he drew his revolver and fired at the elf. She rolled towards the blade, dodging the bullet that would have otherwise struck her in the back and was on her feet just in time to deflect another round trained at her head. Standing, she ran for the prince.
Both lost their footing, however as the balcony struck a column, sending the platform on a spin down the river. Slowly they rose to their feet, eyes locked on one another. Her face was scratched and bleeding and Chung's nose bled as he spat out blood. Chloe glanced behind Chung. She wanted her second blade. She had to go through him to get it. Raising his cannon the prince pulled on the lever, dumping more of his fleeting El reserves into loading three rounds.
Chloe saw this and immediately drew her bow, nocking an arrow as Chung fired. Each missile he fired at her detonated midair as she met each missile with an arrow. The explosions tore through the platform, separating the segment Chloe had been standing on. Through the clouds of smoke, he saw the fragmented segment was empty as it broke away. The prince was knocked back as Chloe came charging through the cloud of smoke. Kicking him in the chest and vaulting over him, she lined up a shot as she flew in the air and loosed the arrow. Without time to think, the prince quickly drew his gun and fired. The arrow hit its mark, burying itself through his chest from a high angle.
Chloe landed gracelessly, as the magical bullet had burned a hole in her knee. Despite this, however, she painfully rose to her feet, her El keeping her standing as she ripped her second dagger out of the stone floor
"You cannot win against Ran… if this is the extent of your strength," Chloe said in between gasps.
"Then I'll die fighting him," Chung stated firmly. He gripped the arrow shaft, breaking it before reaching behind him and pulling out the arrow.
Chloe uttered a pained laugh. "You humans and your ridiculous concept of 'glory'. I've lived hundreds of years. I've seen thousands of your kind fall in battle, each holding on to this idea that they will be remembered in history. How foolish. They have become nothing more than a notch on one of my many bows. You will join them."
"You're going to have to kill me first!" Chung charged. She loosed two arrows which he deflected with his cannon, closing the distance with her quickly before she could fire more. With a single bound, she stepped over the prince's destroyer, heeling him at the back of his head as she flipped behind him. Another two arrows were fired at his exposed back. Spinning around as quickly as he could, he dodged the first, but the second arrow punched through his armor at the shoulder.
Before he could react to the surge of pain, the gleam of daggers were once again on him as she capitalized on his injury. A blade grazed his cheek as he swung his destroyer to create space. She backpedaled, avoiding the swings as he drew his revolver. He advanced on her, firing into her and forcing her to dodge and deflect the incoming bullets.
Once close, he shrugged off the possibility of her attacking him and quickly went for the reckless blow, swinging his destroyer as he reloaded a fresh round into it. The dark elf flipped nimbly over him. Thinking quick on his feet, he pulled the trigger, the recoil launching the cannon the opposite way into an upward swing that caught the Elf off guard. The bladed end slammed into her side and she was sent flying into the stone railing, shattering it as she laid on the ground in a daze. Nothing but rushing water lay under her as the platform continued down the manmade river. The prince stood over her.
The bladed edge of the cannon dripped fresh with her blood and on the elf's body a deep gash had been cleaved into her hip, her spine being the only thing that stopped her from being cut in half. She stared up at him, her single red eye losing its fire as the barrel of his revolver was trained to her head. The flames of El had been extinguished from her adversary as well.
"What you fight for," she coughed weakly as the El faded within her, "is meaningless. You cannot stop the inevitable."
"We definitely won't stop it if we don't try," Chung replied.
Chloe heaved for air as her eye rolled to the ceiling that rushed past above them, "I've seen the vast armies… of the demon realm. The Glitter Demons? General Ran's horde? You've only seen… a fraction of the horrors that are awaiting all of us on the other side. There is no end to them… your world… our world is doomed. It's much easier to avoid the suffering. Join us… and we'll all watch the world burn together."
Chung didn't falter from her words. Instead his grip on his revolver tightened as he gritted his teeth at her. "No one in their right mind would accept such a bargain."
Chloe laughed weakly, eye clouding over as life left her, "You'd be surprised…"
Death took her as her head rolled to the side. Chung lowered his gun. Where he once held fear for the dark elf, he now only felt pity. He knew nothing about the elf except that she wanted to return the favor; to take away the world that others stole from her. What did she have to go through to be so hellbent on revenge?
The broken balcony he stood on continued down the long spiraling river. It wasn't long before he found himself within a gigantic lower chamber surrounded by blackened water. The man-made river emptied into a circular body of water wide enough to easily fit a sports stadium and cascaded in a loud circular waterfall around a large platform. Connected only by an elevator to the upper levels and a wide bridge leading off to the side of the chamber, this platform housed the base of the spire where the crown jewel of Hamel rested at its base: the El Stone of Water.
Chung leapt off the fractured balcony as it floated over the circular waterfall's edge. Chloe's body disappeared into the abyss below as the prince more than happily landed on stable ground. He pulled out the arrow still wedged into his shoulder before reaching into his pack to pull out one of his only two health elixirs. Chugging the entire flask in one go, he had to make sure he was prepared for whatever was coming next. His flesh burned as he could feel his body quickly healing the wounds over him. His nose stopped bleeding and the arrow wounds on his torso closed. He scanned his surroundings as he let his body heal.
Wide towering support columns dotted the area. Like a forest of thick marble tree trunks, Chung had to wander between these as he approached the seemingly uninhabited third level of the Halls of Water complex. Near the spire's base, he spotted the ruins of a collapsed column. Laying on its side, the width dwarfed the young prince as he stood by it. A pile of rubble had come crashing down from the ceiling and Chung believed this to be the cause of the upper levels collapsing earlier. But what could have done this?
His initial guess was Ran, but he wondered if the demon even had the power to destroy a huge stone column by himself. Chung received his answer, however, as the ground began to shake. Slowly, and to his disbelief, the collapsed column began to move. Dark energies erupted from under it as a cry of anger and pain resonated throughout the halls. The stone cracked as a portion of the column broke from the rest. A giant disembodied hand could be seen lifting the rubble up off a figure clouded in dust. Red and black energy pierced through the cloud, outlining the shape of a human with long demon horns. It was Ran.
"Go ahead! Run!" the Demon General screamed angrily through the clouds, "You think this… can stop me?!"
The hand rolled the column aside, letting it fall with a heavy crash behind him, pushing the dust away with a rush of wind. The Demon General stood before him, clutching at a visibly broken arm. The deep wound in his chest from Roger's blade was still visible… and still bleeding.
Ran searched his surroundings, black and red eyes falling on the lone prince standing before him.
"You…!" Ran growled, his eyes burning with hate.
Unsure of the circumstances that brought Ran to such a state, Chung remained steadfast before his final adversary.
"Demon General Ran!" the prince of Hamel spoke proudly as he loaded a round into his cannon, "As heir to the throne sworn to protect the El Stone, I've come to put an end to your invasion! For the good of the realm!"
A/N: Thanks to Aevari, Aliniel, and Kalafinn54 for your help in proofreading! I couldn't have done it without you! Yes, I'm still updating this story. I just have work so the updates are a little slower. So! What did you think of the chapter? I know it's a lot of world building and a lot of confusing description on what exactly is happening but I really wanted to set the mood for the next coming chapters. Who do you think left the trail of blood. What about the whole deal with velder and hamel soldiers together in the sanctum? What's that all about? What is the real history behind chloe? what exactly happened to chung's dad (well actually all of you should already know the answer to that :P) Anyways thanks for reading! On to the review replies:
Kiyoshiin: yes he left! he can't accomplish much at the other side of the ocean! And as you can see, he wasn't hurt, too bad. so you're WRONG! ha!
Aevari: Yeah maybe Elsword did hear him. It'd be a sweet little farewell. And that's a good guess. Maybe she will maybe she won't. Also, as far as the story goes, Chung has given up on the hope Eve's alive.
The BlueBomber: Yes! And if you haven't realized it yet, Chung HAS the Fatal Phantom cannon now. Horatio gave it to him as a gift. That's why his new cannon has a bladed edge.
fairy-circle: Yes, you have to remember that Chung is still a young man and he is reckless as youth is. But you do have to admire his initiative. Irim is an ice hameling and even Rena wouldn't be able to spot them through the dense storm so don't worry. His little escape from the waterway went unnoticed. Or did it...