CHAPTER 11: ACCEPTING THE COAT.
(POV: Billster.)
As I laid on the ground, taking in what the familiar voice that is the Mysterious Narrator had said to me, my mother and father helped me back to my feet and tended to my wounds as flashes of golden lightning struck the shadowed soldiers. Before anyone asks, yes my mother and father have been here in this fight the whole time, for they too were Sorcerer-Knights. As we then looked on worriedly, watching Alfred hold Lady by the neck, readying to kill her, IT happened.
"Al...Al...Al...Al...ALFRED!"
"ARGH!" Alfred screamed as a certain someone zapped him with a bolt of golden lightning, before standing back on his feet once more, picking up his broken Caliburn.
"Thomas!" My mother exclaimed.
"He's finally awake!" Said Annie as she and Clarabel jumped with joy.
"Welcome back, Thomas." Lady then sobbed as Thomas then looked lovingly as ever at her.
"It's good to be back, Lady."
"So, you went ahead and woke up from that slumber?" Alfred commented as Thomas then looked on sternly.
"Well duh! Of course I would! Also no offense Alfred but it's not nice to see your insolent face again."
"Ha! As if I would!" Alfred sneered as they both retrieved their usual fighting weapons, with Thomas summoning his via seal of pendragon.
"Whelp!" Alfred said as he sighed. "On the plus side I can find out how you scream now upon your death. Fun right?"
Thomas just gave a scoff as he gripped the handle of Excalibur and readied to fight as Alfred then came charging at him.
"KLANG! KLANG! KLANG-KLINK!" Sounded the blades as Thomas blocked Alfred's strikes.
"Is this all you have?!" Alfred asked in a taunting way. "If so then you disappoint me, Thomas Billinton. Give me more!"
"Argh!" Thomas sounded as Alfred kicked his leg, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground.
As Alfred thrusted his sword into the ground, Thomas quickly rolled out of the blade's reach just in time before standing back up again with the former B12 driver charging at him once more.
"Come on, number 1! Give me at least somewhat of a good fight before I have to kill you!"
Alfred continued to sneer as he then grabbed Thomas by the collar and threw him across the area that they were fighting on. Fortunately, Thomas was able to stay in a defendable position after the throw. Unfortunately, however, the only thing that Thomas would be able to do is guard, for Alfred charged towards him once more as he was on his knees. As Thomas struggled to defend himself from the attack, Alfred gave a devilish sneer as he eyed over at Caliburn.
"You could survive easier if you toss aside that broken sword and use both hands. The clock is ticking, and it's only a matter of time before all of those shadowed soldiers wake up."
"And if I do that you'd probably manipulate the others to turn against me!" Thomas replied with a scowl. "Don't think I don't remember those days Alfred! You used social and systematic sabotage to try to get your ways! It takes a lot to kill those shadowed-soldiers when using just a sword, and so doing that would cause great suffering. I will not fall for it this time, Alfred! THAT IS WHAT I SWEAR!"
"Oh but it will." Alfred replied. "However if you wish to be stubborn, that's fine too. Once I'm done with you, I'll be going down the list of people whom you care for. Starting with Lady, and then everyone else. You can count on that puffball!"
As the blade of Alfred's broadsword then began to reach Thomas's neck, all of us began to grow worried.
"This is not looking good." Mother remarked.
"We have to help him!" Timothy cried, as I then a familiar presence and voice filled the air.
"Have no fear, my family, I'll assist Thomas."
"That voice..." Annie stammered.
"It couldn't be.." mother added.
"But it is." I replied, thinking back to when the same voice encouraged me on, to help Lady.
(POV: Thomas.)
As I continued to struggle against Alfred's sword, I suddenly felt another hand place itself upon me and help me as my arm pushed the broadsword forward more. As I then looked to my left my eyes widened, for I knew the ghostly figure who was trying to help me out here.
"Come on, Thomas!" He said to me. "Let's win this!"
"Jason." I replied, as tears of great joy filled my eyes.
The spirit of my long since passed adoptive brother was once again here helping me, as he did in times before, and I couldn't help but be emotional. Turning my attention back towards Alfred, Jason's spirit and I heaved hard to push the long time foe of mine back. Then with one long and loud scream, we parried his sword back. Seeing that my Sorcerer-Knight self was not going to cut it in this fight along with the fact that we still had those Shadowed Soldiers to deal with, Jason helped me raise Caliburn high into the air, since I was still afraid to do so, and together we called out a certain pair of words.
"ELEMENTAL RELEASE!"
The blade of Caliburn shot out a bolt of lightning, before it flashed and reforged the blade. Using the knowledge I know, I have Caliburn send out another bolt of lightning but this time it was one that was meant to kill and turn a person's remains into mana in such a way that it was painless. The lightning struck all the unconscious Shadowed Soldiers and now left me with only one thing to do as both of my swords collected the now released mana.
"Picture it!" I thought. "Picture the coat! What facts about it are good? What will reassure you on wearing it?"
As I thought about the very coat that my future self wore, a few wonderful things came about.
"The length is long but yet not too long, the weight is nice and so is the color scheme. However, what makes this coat make me feel stronger than ever is the fact the Lady made it for me. Okay. Let's see if this works."
Lifting Excalibur up and over my head to line it up with Caliburn to collect the last of the mana, I said the command words again as I envisioned THE coat upon me.
"Elemental Release!"
As I continued to envision the coat upon me, my Sorcerer-Knight uniform slowly transformed into it. First the gloves, then then the boots and then came the final bits themselves. As I then summoned my scabbards to my back, Lady became all emotional for I was wearing the very coat that I refused to put on out of fear. As I then faced Alfred again, I saw a scowl across his face.
"You wasted all that mana for just a stupid coat?!"
"Well..." I replied nonchalantly. "This coat is actually more sentimental than stupid since it was created by my wife and also aren't you one to talk considering you've waisted your engine's career by turning it into a bomb just for petty revenge?"
"Oh ho, ho!" Percy then chuckled. "Alfred just got roasted!"
"That he did!" Timothy sniggered, as the rest who knew about mine and Alfred's history just howled with laughter.
"What's wrong, cucumber?" I then asked cheekily. "Are you in a pickle now? Ah well, all jokes aside I'm done fooling around with you, for I have things to do, faces to see, so let's end this encounter that's between you and me."
Alfred's scowl only got bigger as we both positioned to fight once more. As both of our auras and egos clashed, we charged at one another, and I found to have a slight difficulty with fighting him. But nevertheless, I was able to try and strike him, so that was something. As I then fell and slid on the ground again, two shadow minions that had the same shape as him appear on both sides next to Alfred. Only following my instincts I activated a sword-spell with Caliburn, unaware that there was a name for this technique. Colliding blades with the minions, I slashed them away, and then clashed blades with Alfred in an attempt to defend myself. It was then I used that same sword-spell I used against Leon and flame golem with Excalibur, to defend myself from Alfred's next attack. As our blades pushed against one another, I was not ready to throw in the towel. Everyone was counting on me, and I have to win. Tapping into the Seal of Pendragon, I didn't just manage to push the sword back, but also break the blade beyond repair. Seeing my chance I thrusted Excalibur into Alfred's chest which apparently caused a bit of a shockwave. When the dust cleared, Alfred was barely living.
"Not bad." He remarked with sneer as he coughed up blood. "But still, I'll never die until I killed you, Gordon, Henry, Edward, and anyone else who caused my downfall. You can all count on that."
"In your dreams, Alfred." I replied as I ended him in a similar fashion to how I ended Mordred. "You can count on that, cucumber."
Turning heel once more, I looked through the memories that my swords had shared with me, and found a spell that the great dragon once casted that was a rain which restored both mana and healed injuries. Holding Excalibur up high, I envisioned this same spell casted by my sword.
"Elemental release Excalibur! Heal and restore their mana!"
A bolt of lightning shot out of my sword's blade and the very same rain came down upon all of the sorcerer-knights. As I then walked over to everyone, I found my little sisters hugging me, and Percy doing the same.
"Seriously bud, you got to quit hogging the spotlight. It's really getting old."
"I don't mean to, Percy." I chuckled in reply as he and I fisted bumped.
As I then embraced Timothy, I looked over to see Lady, looking quite worried.
"What's wrong, Lady?"
"Thomas." She replied. "While you were asleep, another visitor from the future came, this time being a teen named Tamaki who is our great-grandson."
"Great-grandson?" I gasped in shock.
"yes." She replied. "But, Lux-Tenebris is following him to the time travel altar which is his only way back home."
"Then there's no time to delay. Tamaki is going to help then. But I won't be able to do it alone. Lady, will you come with me?"
My wife gave a smile as she then took my hand and hugged my tightly. I didn't need words to know her answer, for I knew what this meant. As I then wiped away her tears and gave her a quick kiss, I knew exactly what to do.
"Excuse me." I said as I then brought her into a bridal carry.
"Whoa! Thomas! What?! Why are you..."
"Billster, Timothy, please keep an eye on those knuckleheads." I said to my brothers as I gestured over at my friends.
"Will do, little brother."
"And we'll look for James, Emily, Gordon and Henry while we're at it."
"Thanks." I replied as I then activated a speed spell and darted off towards the Altar to find Tamaki before Lux-Tenebris did.
(To be continued…..)