Tainted fal'Cie
A/N: And the chapter you've all been waiting for is finally up! Thanks everyone for your patience, reviews and support. For those of you following my other stories, the next chapter for Some Things You Just Do is also up. And to any Halo Reach fans, I have also posted a one shot for the Halo Reach universe. You can find it in my profile. It`s called Refusal.
For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:
Devious Child – Thanks for the review! Don't worry about not reviewing before. I know people have other things to worry about instead of reading fanfictions and posting replies. :3 Post when you have the chance and I'll be just as happy. ^^ If you liked the previous chapters, I'm guessing you'll like this one too. Mwahaha...
Chocobo ProdoCo – You're very sweet Chocobo ProdoCo. I'm not sure if my story is the greatest out there, but I do try my best to at least make it entertaining. :) And yes, the next of the Shadowed Four is finally here. This chapter is full of action and drama and all that good stuff. Enjoy!
Riku91 – Hehehe... What's going to happen next with the Shadowed Four? I think this chapter will answer all of your questions. Though... it may just make you more worried about some things too. Mwahahaha... *coughs* Sorry, I'm getting into the Halloween mood. Lol. Read on Riku. I'm curious to see what you'll say after this chapter. XD
Disclaimer: There is some mild swearing in this chapter. If you don't like that, don't read it.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.
*** ~ Chapter 29: Of Light and Dark ~ ***
Balance they brought to the humans they chose,
Etro's wish fulfilled, yet not imposed.
Bond they did with their partners strong,
As partners helped each other along.
- the Tablet of the Eidolons
Rock exploded. Pebbles lashed outward in a 360 degree spray.
"Damn it Lightnin'! I'm on yer side!" Fang hissed, sliding backwards on her feet to avoid a dark Thundaga. Her blood red spear twirled in front of her, deflecting debris away from her body.
Black wisps of Thunder crackled in the palm of a gloved hand.
"Shi-" Fang dove to the right, somersaulting across the stone floor, ducking for cover behind some fallen stalagmites.
Black eyes showed no semblance of recognition as another dark Thundaga erupted in Fang's direction.
"Holy Etro, Light! I'm not yer enemy!" The huntress cursed in Pulsian, dust mushrooming into the air as her cover rumbled under tainted Lightning's attack.
A distorted roar ripped through the air, tainted Lightning's focus shifting back to her original target. The spear wielder was forgotten. Fang growled, daring a glance over the fallen stalagmite she hid behind. The fight dragged into its tenth minute now, Fang having made no progress in getting closer to Lightning nor defeating the second of the Shadowed Four.
The moment the others took refuge behind some rock debris near the hidden entrance to the underground cavern, Fang charged head first into the battle between Kerberos and Lightning. They would later realize that this was the hidden Nih archives they were all desperately searching for, but for the moment, everyone's attention was on the battle at hand. Fang needed to defeat Kerberos quickly, somehow waking up the possessed soldier in the process. Fang's Highwind attack managed to catch Kerberos off guard, her blood red spear slamming into the tainted beast's side and sending it skidding across the stone ground with a screech. But when she dashed forward to follow up with a vertical slash, she was forced to leap backwards two steps later as a dark Thundaga blasted the spot she once occupied.
Emerald eyes widened in alarm, the huntress lurching to the left to avoid another bolt of tainted magic. Black eyes narrowed at her, Fang gritting her teeth as she dodged yet another dark Thundaga. The moment Fang moved out of the soldier's range, tainted Lightning turned her attention back to Kerberos and clashed with the beast again. And so the process repeated.
"Fang!"
Fang's head snapped left. "Vanille! Hope! Are ya both mad!"
The two in question cowered behind the remains of a broken Cie'th stone which lay less than ten feet away to Fang's left. All of them shrunk behind their respective pieces of cover when the ground shook and grit blasted past them from another explosion.
"Get back ta the others!" Fang shouted. "I can't protect ya both and fight!"
"We're here to help!" Hope shouted back. The silver haired boy yelped, a hand instantly raising to shield his face when a broken Cie'th stone tumbled by the pair just narrowly missing them.
"Hope!"
"We're alright!" Vanille said with a shaky breath. The redhead flinched at the sound of breaking Cie'th stones echoing in the underground cavern. Taking a deep breath, she peered over the top of their cover hesitantly.
"Get yer asses back there!" Fang narrowed her eyes at the pair of magic wielders, a tanned hand pointing in the direction of Snow and rest of the family. The blonde sentinel and the remaining two former l'Cies took up residence at the far end of the underground cavern, a good twenty feet away from the current battle, near the entrance to the once hidden archives. "This is not a game!"
A human-like roar drew the trio's attention back to Kerberos, the tainted beast leaping into the air ready to pounce on their leader.
"Light!"
Tainted Lightning flipped backwards in the nick of time, Kerberos' metallic claw ripping through her cape harmlessly.
"Uh oh." Serah cringed at the sight of Lightning's now tattered accessory.
"Is that a good uh oh or a bad uh oh?" Sazh asked reluctantly, looking at the youngest Farron.
"Umm…"
"Serah?" Snow looked between Lightning and his fiancé.
Before Serah could answer, an animalistic cry rocked the entire cavern, followed by an earth shaking explosion. Snow and Sazh stumbled for a few steps before landing on their rears. Serah fell to her knees, covering the back of head and neck with her hands as she hunched forward.
"Serah!" Snow scrambled over to his fiancé.
"I'm okay!" The smaller of the sisters shouted in response. Serah dared a peek over their makeshift cover, their cover being some fallen stalagmites.
"Sonuva-How did she do that!" Sazh gawked. As did everyone else.
On the far end of the cavern, cratered in the far wall, was Kerberos. Tainted Lightning stood defiantly in front of the Shadowed Four, breathing heavily, shoulders shaking.
Serah sighed. "Claire is a bit… obsessive compulsive about her cape," she said quietly.
"I can see that." Sazh hesitated. "That explains why she cuffed me in the jaw when I accidentally pulled on her cape the first time I met her."
Serah chuckled wearily.
"So…" Sazh continued. "What's the big deal with the cape?"
"Well-"
A hair raising roar.
Kerberos howled as it pulled itself from the wall, shaking itself off. The Shadowed Four's gaze snapped to the soldier before it charged at Lightning screaming for blood. Tainted Lightning snarled in response and charged at her target.
"Light!" Fang left the protection of the broken stalagmites and chased after her.
"Fang!" Vanille jumped to her feet, about to chase after her partner. A gloved hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged her back down.
"Wait Vanille!" Hope hissed, his gaze scanning the cavern. "Do you smell something… funny?"
"Hope! Not-"
"Vanille!" Hope cut her off again, a pressed urgency in his voice. "Just… do you?" The now present odour was familiar to the boy, so familiar that it set off alarm bells in his head.
Vanille frowned before she paused to sniff the air. Unbeknownst to the former l'Cies, the walls in this particular underground cavern were not as thick at they appeared to be. In some areas, trapped pockets of gas lined the walls, due to the natural shifting of the Gran Pulse's landscape. The strength of Lightning's most recently attack had sent Kerberos flying into the cavern wall with enough force that its metallic spikes punctured a hidden pocket of trapped gas. And now the gas slowly leaked into the cavern, invisible yet fetid smelling.
"I do smell something," Vanille said wrinkling her nose. She couldn't quite place the smell, but it smelled of rotten eggs and-
"It almost smells like…" Green-blue eyes went wide. "… gas…"
"Gas? As in the stuff that goes boom with fire gas?" Vanille gasped.
Vanille knew what gas was. And she knew how dangerous it was too. When she was younger, a hunting party got caught up in a gas explosion during a routine patrol in the Mah'habara Subterra. It wasn't pretty.
"Yes, as in-LIGHTNING NO!"
Hope watched in utter horror as another dark Thundaga erupted from Lightning's hand. Kerberos expected the attack and easily leapt out of the way. Black bolts of magic smashed into the punctured wall igniting the far end of the underground Nih archives, orangey-red flames blossoming outwards, consuming everything within twenty feet of the blast.
Serah shrieked, wrestling to break free from Snow's restraining arms as the taller man tackled her to the ground behind fallen stalagmites. A sonic boom ripped through the area, making Sazh's teeth chatter as he too ducked for cover. Just before she hit the ground, Serah caught sight of Fang and Lightning being enveloped in flames along with Kerberos. "CLAIRE!"
Hope tackled Vanille to the ground behind the broken Cie'th stone they were using for cover, shielding her with his body. His l'Cie Drivers flashed purple. Scorching flames roared overhead the pair, in a ceiling of molten red and orange. Stray flames licked dangerously close to Hope's back, but Lady Luck smiled upon them and his garments remained untouched. Thankfully the broken Cie'th stone also held, despite melting a fair chunk, and protected them from the worst of the blast.
"FANG!"
The Pulsian huntress groaned, her ears feeling like they were stuffed with cotton and her throat feeling like it was lined with ash. Coughing, Fang weakly tried to bring a hand to her head only to realize it was pinned under something. The last thing she remembered was reaching out a hand to grab at tainted Lightning's shoulder just as the soldier sent a black Thundaga in Kerberos' direction. Then things exploded and she was knocked off her feet, the breath literally knocked from her lungs.
A groan.
"L-Light?"
Fang stared in horror. The thing pinning her down was none other than a limp Lightning.
"Light!"
Fang bolted upright, cradling Lightning's form in her arms gingerly. Lightning's back was scorched black, her once white sweater burnt cleanly off her back. The remaining edges smouldered. Hope's last minute Shell protected the pair from the worst of the explosion, but it wasn't enough. The barrier dissipated two seconds too soon, leaving the soldier and huntress at the mercy of the dying flames. Regaining some semblance of her humanity in that time, Lightning spun around and tackled Fang to the ground as the semi transparent barrier fell, taking the rest of what remained.
"Claire!" Serah took off running, having finally escaped from her fiancé's hold. Even from this distance she knew things were bad.
"Serah wait!" Snow chased after her, he too seeing how bad Lightning looked.
"Watch out!"
Heads snapped up at the sound of Sazh's cry. Kerberos stood mere feet away from Fang and Lightning, roaring in fury. It looked no worse for wear despite bearing the brunt of the explosion which left Lightning badly burned. Of note however, was the left side of its body, the part scorched the worst by the flames. Instead of the cool shimmering metallic sheen the spikes normally had, the metallic spikes now looked black and breakable like glass. But the sharpness was still there.
Fang snarled, clutching her spear tightly in one hand, with Lightning's limp form held against her with her other. Milky white eyes narrowed at the huntress, Kerberos lowering its stance. Muscles coiled in preparation for an attack. The hold on Lightning tightened slightly. Fang knew she wouldn't be able to dodge Kerberos' charge like this. Not that she ever intended to in the first place. No, she was going to protect Lightning with her very life, like she should have done the first time. Kerberos lunged.
BANG!
A howl.
Black glass shattered, Kerberos staggering backwards a few steps. Impenetrable armoured fur no longer, the metallic spikes gone black broke off from Kerberos' body under the force of a bullet. White flesh remained on its left flank, actual soft flesh of the normal kind and not hardened rock skin.
"It worked…" Sazh said breathlessly. "It actually worked…"
With his family in trouble, Sazh did the first thing he could think of. Blast the threat to hell with his guns. He knew his attack was in vain. The second of the Shadow Four was armoured better than a Thermadon and was even more deadly. But Sazh refused to stand idle and let things happen. He had to do something, if only to draw the beast's attention away from his downed family members allowing them to escape. And did it ever. Kerberos was now roaring at him.
"That's right!" Sazh said glancing over in Fang and Lightning's direction. "Over here you big nasty!" The gunner flailed his arms for extra emphasis.
Had this been any other time, Fang would have laughed at Sazh's choice of vocabulary. The old man was not known for picking up Pulsian slang like the others did. Sazh was very much conditioned in the ways of Cocoon and his habits were thoroughly ingrained. To hear him use such a word now was both hilarious and endearing.
Lightning groaned.
"Light?"
"Look out!"
Fang's gaze snapped upwards as Kerberos lunged towards them again. With a cry of defiance, the huntress lurched to the right rolling to the side with Lightning in her grasp. Stomping sharp claws missed the pair by mere inches. A flash of red caught Fang's eye, as Kerberos charged past her for Sazh. On the Shadowed Four's white underbelly was a partially uncovered red eye. Half of it remained hidden under metallic spiked like fur. Fang opened her mouth to yell-
Serah screamed.
"SERAH!"
Kerberos barrelled straight at her, like an out of control train. In her haste to get to Lightning, Serah ran directly into the path of the raging Shadowed Four. She had no way of dodging the beast at this distance.
"Serah duck!"
Snow knew he wouldn't make it in time. He just didn't have the speed. But he had strength. Running to the closest downed chunk of stalagmite he could find, the sentinel heaved the car sized piece of rock into the air and spun around pivoting on his heel. After one revolution, he let go of the rock and sent it hurtling straight at the charging Shadowed Four like a rocket. Stop! STOP!
Serah dove forward at Snow's yell. Lightning's LCDs lit up silver as the younger Farron buried her face in her arms, lying on her stomach. Daze slapped Kerberos in the face, the Shadowed Four stumbling a few steps, slowing down a fraction. The stone chunk connected with the Shadowed Four's face, just a foot short of Serah, sending it sprawling backwards with a sickening yet satisfying crack.
"Serah!"
Serah rose shakily to her hands and knees, eyes wide looking for Kerberos. Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and dragged her upwards. Serah yelped.
"Are you alright?" Snow shook as he held her at arms length. His eyes looked Serah up and down searching for injuries. Thankfully he found none. Visible ones at least.
"I-I'm alright" Serah replied trembling. "I-"
"Light!"
Vanille and Hope crouched next to Fang and Lightning, Cure and Curaga forming in their hands. But before they could use them, burnt flesh twisted and hardened into blackened stone. Lightning's back healed itself within seconds. Just like before with her arm. Hope was horrified, Vanille even more so. The taint was spreading so fast.
Vanille knew it wasn't Lightning intentionally tapping into her darker abilities. It was the taint inside of her doing that. A self preservation mechanism of sorts. Like a parasite, the taint's survival relied on Lightning's survival. And as long as Lightning breathed, the taint inside would not let her die. Even if she wanted to.
Black eyes snapped open, quickly surveying the area. Fang tensed the moment they landed on her. The warrior currently cradled the soldier in her lap, arms braced around Lightning's shoulders and the back of her knees. For a split second, Fang could have sworn she saw a swirl of blue.
"Lightnin'?"
A roar.
Lightning elbowed Fang hard in the throat, Fang sputtering. "Light wait!" the huntress choked out, a hand on her neck, her vision momentarily blurry.
Lightning was already on her feet racing towards Kerberos when it roared again. But something was different about her this time. And everyone noticed it. Shoulders hunched forward. Breaths came out in harsh rasps. Lightning's gunblade trembled in shaking hands. Lightning's body was starting to wobble under the pressure of the fight and the taint.
"We have to stop her!" Vanille exclaimed. Stooping next Fang, the redhead sent a Cure through the spear wielder's neck. "She'd going to kill herself at this rate!"
Serah's eyes went wide at Vanille's declaration.
Sazh gritted his teeth, Lightning clashing Kerberos again. "Where the hell is the eye on this thing!"
The gunner fired a few shots at Kerberos' exposed skin as Lightning staggered to the side from a hit. Kerberos flinched, black blood dribbling from the fresh wounds, but Sazh was ignored. A metallic claw swiped at Lightning.
TWANG!
"Not gonna happen!" Fang growled, fighting against the Shadowed Four, brute force against brute force. Kerberos' armoured claw screeched against the shaft of the spear just above her head. Fang just barely got between Kerberos and tainted Lightning in time, knocking the pinkette back with a hip bump as she raised her spear defensively in front of her. "Not while I'm around!"
"Serah!"
Serah turned to Vanille.
"We have to turn Light back!"
Serah nodded, knowing exactly what Vanille had in mind. But as the Medic opened her mouth to begin her chant, a gloved hand wrapped around her forearm and spun her around.
"Vanille don't!"
"Hope!" Vanille could not hide her confusion. "We have to turn her back before it's too late!"
Another roar. Kerberos stumbled to the side as a broken Cie'th stone shattered against its armoured side. Snow's booted feet stomped past Hope and Vanille, the blonde picking up some more debris and chucking it at the Shadowed Four. Fang grinned at him before slashing at the tainted beast.
"Vanille!" Hope's grip around her arm tightened. "Lightning, is our only hope of keeping that thing back right now. I don't like seeing her like this, but if you turn her back now, can the rest of us really defeat that thing?"
A startled yelp.
"Snow!"
Snow went flying backwards into one of the few remaining intact Cie'th stones. The stone crystal shattered the moment he connected with it, Snow sprawling on the stone floor moments later when the Cie'th stone gave way under his weight. Thankfully, he was whacked by the fleshy white paw of Kerberos, leaving him left relatively unscathed. The blow was strong enough to knock the breath from his lungs however, leaving his head reeling.
Snow groaned, struggling to sit up as he got his bearings back. Serah raced up to his side placing a potion to his lips. Sazh stood next to the pair, snatching a grenade off of Snow's belt and hurtling it at Kerberos.
"But Fang-"
BOOM!
Kerberos snarled, swiping at the air to clear the dust which rose from the grenade's explosion. It was unharmed. Fang shouted insults at the Shadowed Four, doing her best to draw its attention away from Snow, Serah and Sazh to no avail. Kerberos charged at the trio, all of them scrambling out of the tainted's beast path the best they could. A dark Thundaga struck the ground between Kerberos and the scrambling former l'Cies. Kerberos skidded to a halt, head snapping to the side. Black eyes narrowed as the Shadowed Four turned its hateful gaze on tainted Lightning. The possessed soldier dashed off ahead, a feral Fang following on hot on her heels.
"It wants Lightning," Hope said grimly. "You know that."
Vanille bit her lip.
"We have to stop it before turning Lightning back."
Vanille made a fist. She reluctantly nodded, her eyes still glued on the battle mere ten feet away from them. "But how?" the redhead questioned. "I don't even know how we hurt it in the first place."
"I do," Hope said, turning to face the battle. "Fire."
SMASH!
Kerberos rolled head over heels in the air. It leapt into the air to avoid Fang's Highwind attack only to be whacked in the side mid jump by a broken Cie'th stone. Snow was on his feet again, rejuvenated and rearing to go after the potion Serah gave him. He acted as a human rail gun, picking up anything he could throw, launching it at the Shadowed Four with super human strength. Maybe Sazh's recently cast Bravery had something to do with that.
Tainted Lightning and Fang continued their deadly dance to dismember their target, Lightning ignoring Fang's presence for the time being as the second of the Shadowed Four posed a bigger threat right now. But Kerberos kept his armoured spiky side to them most of the time, Fang hissing in frustration as the red eye, as clear as day to her, always stayed just out of her reach. Tainted Lightning must have seen it too, for the possesed soldier growled whenever her gunblade came up short of popping the red eye.
As the skirmish continued, both Vanille and Hope circled Kerberos. With renewed strength from the Elixir Vanille had given him, Hope pressed himself as close to the stone wall as he could. He did his best not to draw attention to himself, moving slowly step by step past tainted Lightning and Fang's back. Vanille crept around on the other side, behind Kerberos where Serah remained under Sazh and Snow's protection.
Almost there.
Hope flinched as a broken Cie'th stone shattered against the wall just feet behind him. Serah squeaked at Snow, the blonde shouting a 'sorry' when Hope's angry glare hit the man. But his gaze didn't linger long. Hope couldn't afford to be distracted for too long. From behind Kerberos, he could see Vanille already in place a Firaga charging in her hand. Blue-green eyes narrowed, Hope stopping in his spot. It was now or never.
Sazh watched distractedly as Vanille charged a Firaga in her hands to his left. Every so often, the older man glanced at the girl, brows furled and wondering what she was waiting for. Sazh just barely made out Hope behind Fang and tainted Lightning doing the same, but just like Vanille, he too was hesitating. Were they afraid they'd hit one of the others? That could be the only explanation. No matter, they were obviously up to something and Sazh was going to do his best to help them. Any way he could. Bullets ripped through the air, the gunner's assault rifle spitting metal much to Sazh's delight.
Long ago Sazh abandoned his twin guns, converting them into his beloved assault rifle. It had more of a kick than the twins had separately. Kerberos now flinched every time his bullets hit. Not much of a change one could argue, but it was still better than nothing. A scream tore Sazh from his musings, brown eyes widening as Fang went flying backwards, crashing into tainted Lightning. Both of them hit to the ground with an audible crack.
"Lightning!"
"Fang!"
Hope froze in his spot, eyes wide as saucers. With Lightning and Fang crumpled to the ground on his left, Kerberos now turned its blank white eyes on Hope. The Firaga condensing in his hand was immediately noticed, Kerberos roaring the boy.
"Vanille! Do something!"
Hope silently cursed Snow's impeccable timing. At the blonde's shout, Kerberos looked back to see Vanille also forming a Firaga in her hands.
"Vanille! Do it now!" Hope screamed, flinging his hands forward, tossing his flaming attack at the Shadowed Four with all of his might. Vanille did the same, jade eyes wide with fear as the fire left her hands and zipped towards her target.
To everyone's horror, Kerberos dodged left in a half spin jump. Hope's Firaga sailed past its head missing it by inches, Vanille's Firaga missing Kerberos' flank by inches as well as the tainted general dodged both attacks with the agility of a chocobo. That is until Lightning's dark Aeroga jumped into the fray.
Twin Firagas instantly became a flaming tornado the moment Lightning's dark Aeroga connected them. Flames sucked up the aerial attack greedily, igniting in an upwards explosion which launched the Shadowed Four skyward. The entire cavern shook from the wail which escaped Kerberos' maw as it went airborne. Like before, metallic spiky armor charred black, soon turning to black glass as the flaming tornado dissipated. Sazh wasted no time in helping Kerberos shed its protective layer, bullets razing the air the tainted beast occupied. Shards of black glass littered the stone floor below, Kerberos flailing in desperation to right itself as it fell.
Snow took off, thundering towards the falling Shadowed Four, fist raised back. Within arms reach of the beast, he took to the air and smashed Kerberos in the stomach with a jarring punch to the red eye. Red flesh squelched and exploded around the sentinel's metal knuckled fist, Kerberos itself smashing into the wall on the far end of the cavern from Snow's second punch. Hope narrowly dove out of the way, just avoiding being pancaked between the fallen Shadowed Four and the stone wall. Kerberos slumped to the floor on its side and remained still.
"Is it over?" Sazh asked hesitantly.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes unmoving from Kerberos' still form.
Kerberos twitched.
"But we popped the eye!" Hope exclaimed, scrambling over to the others as the Shadowed Four shakily rose to its feet shuddering. Kerberos shook its head.
"That's impossible…" Snow said. "I popped the eye! I know I did! I-"
A gasp.
"It has another eye."
As Kerberos regained its stance, the white flesh on its back ripped apart, black blood oozing from the fresh wound before another red eye previously unseen to the group opened on its back. Serah clasped her hands over her mouth tightly. She was going to be sick.
"Maker…" Sazh said in exasperation. "How many eyes does this thing have!"
BANG!
Everyone flinched. Vanille yelled, startled. All eyes turned back to tainted Lightning, who was now standing. She swayed on her feet unsteadily, head bowed with her eyes hidden under the shadow of her hair.
"C-Claire?"
Kerberos charged.
"No!" Serah watched frozen in terror as the Shadowed Four raced towards her corrupted sister and Fang, who still lay disoriented on the floor.
Snow took off running after the beast, as did everyone else, but they were too far behind it to catch up in time. Lightning took off running towards Kerberos, gunblade held to the side and ready to strike. Vanille called out to the soldier, pleading with her not to attack it. When engaged with the Shadowed Four previously, tainted Lightning hadn't even realized they were nearby. Not until they threatened to steal her kill from her. If tainted Lightning dodged Kerberos' charge now, like instincts told her, Fang would be left open and vulnerable!
"Lightning! No!"
CLANK!
Teeth screeched against metal.
Lightning gritted her teeth, sliding back on her heels a few feet from the impact of Kerberos' attack. The soldier held fast however, stopping just inches short of a bewildered Fang. Blue eyes swirling black narrowed at the tainted fiend.
"L-Light?"
Fang gaped on the stone floor, staring wide eyed and slack jawed at Lightning's back as the sergeant struggled to hold Kerberos at bay. Muscles twitched and bulged as Lightning fought with Kerberos, ensuring it wouldn't take another step closer to her fallen team mate. Black arcs of energy danced along her fingertips until it raced outwards through her blade electrifying Kerberos in front of her.
"Fang!"
Fang flinched at the sound of her name. Lightning looked back at her, Kerberos visibly writhing under her dark Thundaga.
"Take the shot!"
Fang needed no other prompting. The Pulsian huntress staggered to her feet, grinning. "Ya ready for this!"
Fang leapt into the air, using Lightning's shoulder as a spring board to propel her even higher. Muscles protested and ached, but that did little to stop the huntress from bringing down her spear on Kerberos' second eye in her signature move Highwind.
A distorted cry rang through the underground Nih Archives, the second of the Shadowed Four finally turning to ash. Everyone breathed in relief the moment its ashes dispersed into the windless air. But their respite was short lived as the crackling of a dark Thundaga soon reached their ears.
Tainted Lightning grinned, a eerie smile dancing on her lips as the black arcs of magic crackled in her hand. Blue eyes were black again. She wasn't done playing yet.
A/N: Kerberos (Greek) also known as Cerberus, is the three headed dog often depicted in Greek and Roman mythology guarding the gates of The Underworld. Most depictions have Cerberus with three heads, though there are a few where it has only one head. For the purposes of this story, I have chosen to stick to the one headed version.
