The Tangled Dooms
Chapter 22
Cassandra wanted to wake up. The pain that echoed through her body had caused her to pass out. Unless it was all the blood flowing through her fingers. She must have fainted the moment her veiled eyes blinked. It was obvious, for what she was seeing could only be a nightmare. Otherwise, what kind of dark magic could turn a young girl as candid and radiant as Rapunzel into such a monstrosity?
What was paralyzing Cassandra, usually so reactive, was not fear. She knew this feeling better than she would ever admit. The warrior had felt it in the front of blades, fangs or void. It was as if you were grabbed by the collar when you wanted to act, accompanied by an overly sharp sense of things. This time, she had ice in her veins and her spasmodic muscles, including her face, were torn apart, unable to know what to do in front of a primary danger so overwhelming that there was no escape.
Much like the old lady who had hurt her, just like Flynn who was standing back, Cassandra could not take her eyes off the shrunken irises of the horde of creatures in front of her. Nor of the obscure mistress whose court they formed. There was no escaping from her scarlet hair tentacles, her clenched hands, whose fingers resembled badly cut claws, or her rabid wolf like face with eyes the color of impure gold. Rapunzel's shiny teeth accentuated the crazy gaze of her asymmetrical face, partially obscured by red hairs like a living curtain. No, what was paralyzing Cassandra was not fear. It was pure terror.
The bandit who had been by Rapunzel's side the entire time of her first trip out of the tower could no longer recognized her. Even the one who pretended to be her mother couldn't quite grasp what she was seeing. The young girl in the pink dress, with the wrists adorned with broken handcuffs, was dimly lit by a faint ray of light that hardly dared to enter this place dominated by darkness. She was focused on the one who had manipulated and imprisoned her during her entire childhood. Just as were the demons who had sprung from nothingness, drooling to their lips. Their groans, roaring with appetite, accompanied their slow and playful steps towards the buffet that was offered to them. One of them, entering the field of vision of the demented young girl, caused to her a gesture of astonishment, a puzzled look, then a voice cold as venom.
"How dare you…" she said, stopping the advance of the bewildered creatures. "How dare you present yourself in front of me?!"
Misunderstanding mingled with the dread of the three remaining humans as the beasts gazed at Rapunzel as if they were only noticing her now. Unless that indecisive look was due to the enraged face, she was passing towards each of them.
"Why couldn't you leave me alone?!" She declared, screaming at the top of her voice.
This fury was answered by an imp in the only way he knew: the wrong one. The throaty screech he sent to the young girl drew her demented gaze to it. Its scream was cut off in the blink of an eye by a flare of red hair that gripped its throat and carried it, knees to the ground, in front of the mad princess.
"Why did you destroyed my life ?!" she yelled, forcing her hands into the imp's mouth.
Without her arms hesitating, not feeling the pain of the beast's fangs against her fingers, a macabre stretch was in the second accompanied by an abject crunch that echoed through the tower. Rapunzel let the imp's jawless body and skull drop as if they had already faded from her memory. The blood that had sprinkled on her twisted face, mingling with her living hair, and now flowing onto the tiles, did not exist for her.
The hell knight alone managed to catch her attention with its scream the instant he rushed towards her, before being interrupted by hair that leapt to its face with the force of a meteor. Tackled against the wall by this hand of threads, other tentacles hurried to plunge like spears into its flesh, provoking a new howl, much less proud, muffled by the scarlet muzzle around its face. Under Rapunzel's horribly fixed gaze, her teeth clenched almost to the point of shattering, the filaments rooted in her head plunged deep into the Hell Knight's body and began to pull in opposite directions. A murky tension accompanied the demon's cry until he fell silent as its colossal torso had been split into two spasmodic and bloody masses.
Rapunzel did not have time to linger on its half-crushed skull or its nodding spine on crumbling legs. it was not even said that she had the mental capacity for it now. A burst of blazing light appeared in the corner of her field of vision and the instant a fireball should have hit her, a curtain of threads interposed. The projectile exploded against the red wall without leaving a single burn. The evil hair parted to let Rapunzel's mad gaze meet the monocular one of the cacodemon floating above her. The creature bellowed. Rapunzel screamed and a new set of glowing flashes danced across her hair before a new imp and a whiplash appeared. Before deigning to give them a look, the capillary tentacles threw themselves against the plump monster to hook it up and then swing its limp body in her old bedroom.
This butchery would have been enough to scare away any reasonable person. However, Cassandra was in a state of paralysis that blocked both her movements and her desire to faint. She did not recognize the one who had stood up to her and shown an impressive zest for life. All this never seemed to have existed in the cursed gold gaze of this creature whose red hair made her leap like a beast on one of the monsters. The Iron Lady nearly turned her eyes when the screaming maiden's slender fists surged against the Imp's skull without interruption, even as the demon's skull shattered and threw its brains bit by bit to the ground. The blows only stopped hitting the demon's cerebral boil after a column of red light made the girl leaps to not be cut in half. After the Imp was, it was up to Flynn to react. His survival instinct allowed him to break the paralysis and roll over to Cassandra.
Both exchanged a pleading look for the other to tell him what to do. None had an answer to provide. They could only turn in horror to Rapunzel when she growled at the ophidian creature whose chains reminded Cassandra of bad memories. At least for a second, because the hair of blood had quickly thrown on the Whiplash to envelop it like a wired straitjacket from which its animal gestures and howls could not free it. The voracious strands spun, underwent a small resistance then a dry crack was followed by a deluge of blood and organs oozing between the rotating locks like a wrung-out cloth. When the dripping hair freed its prey, only a puzzle of fluids, bones and torn metal remained.
Flynn and Cassandra froze, despite a nausea that hit the bandit's throat. Curiosity distracted them from their unease when a detail in a mirror intrigued the wild girl. Hope rekindled Flynn and his injured partner until Rapunzel turned around, more furious than ever. They discovered the old lady who, shortly before, was still by their side, ready to finish them off, and who was now halfway through an opening in the floor, near a piece of tile which must have hidden it.
As soon as Gothel met her daughter's demonic gaze, she rushed for the exit. Her steps were wide and quick, her concentration, despite the ice in her veins, impeccable. Her path was however interrupted by a cupboard which passed awfully close to her face, putting up a wall between her and the exit. Gothel leaned in despair against the wall of the tower, discovering with even more dread the girl she had raised all these years. Haloed by her capillary spears which were dropping vital fluids by big drops, Rapunzel walked slowly towards the one she had called her mother. The one that had hugged her and consoled her. The one who had taught her to comb her hair, read, write, dance, and play guitar. The one who had brought her so much joy just to milk life from her like a cow.
"I'm not gonna hurt you," whispered Rapunzel, before screaming. "I'm gonna rip you! I'm gonna tear you!"
Gothel leaned against the wall, without it hiding her from the blood-lady's yellow gaze. The sharp, dripping tentacles soared like eagles and, with the old woman's cry of fear, swooped down on their prey.
"Rapunzel! Stop!" screamed a masculine voice while a familiar shape appeared on their way.
The ravenous hair froze in front of a shaking Flynn, arms outstretched as if to form a wall of tottering twigs. His eyes wide with fear, uncertain of the origin of the power that had allowed him to intervene, shimmered those of Rapunzel, frozen in complete confusion.
"You must stop Rapunzel," declared the bandit with a wavering voice.
He didn't know what gave him the strength to stand up to this creature who had taken possession of the little girl he had learned to appreciate. He had only memories in mind. Rapunzel's smile when she stepped out of her tower for the first time in her life, the overwhelming joy she showed when she sang in the bar, the bravery she had in the canyon facing the giant monster and, most of all, her sincere concern at the idea of harming someone unnecessarily. It all seemed trapped inside the bloody lady. A prisoner about to be executed. He didn't want to see that.
"It's not you!" declared Eugene, before looking a moment to the old lady shivering against the wall. "I got it that you have good reasons to be angry at her, but you can't kill her like… like this. You are not a monster."
The bandit had to catch his breath after the monumental effort his speech had demanded. Yet he remained frozen, his gaze plunged into Rapunzel's, half masked by the curtain of blood. Even Cassandra no longer dared to move. Rapunzel let her crooked-fingered arms drop. Her eyes widened and a liquid glow appeared at the corner of the still visible one. Flynn began to relax and release his own arms.
"You too…" whispered Rapunzel.
Before Flynn could think about the meaning of those words, a bloody iron pillar slammed onto him. His skull banged against the stone of the wall and his throat was blocked by an irresistible grip. As he tried to catch his breath amid the ocean of pain that was his body, Flynn found a Rapunzel caught between bewilderment and rage.
"You are betraying me too?!"
Flynn's throat had grown too small. The air no longer passed the capillary clamp. He didn't even have the strength to express his terror anymore when a new tentacle turned towards him, spinning like a hungry screw before opening into multiple boneless fingers ready to dive into their prey. A multitude of clicks preceded a wind of panic to Rapunzel and the release of Flynn. The bandit caught his breath before discovering the one he wanted to save caught with a chain around her throat.
Cassandra knew it wouldn't hold for long, but her action had at least had the desired effect. Flynn had taken advantage of Rapunzel's amazement and her fight with the Whiplash chain to move. She didn't think he would help the old woman who had stabbed her, but she didn't have time to think about it as the powerful hair of the bloody lady parted the chain from Rapunzel's neck. without Cassandra being able to put up the slightest resistance. Her body was turned to stone again when Rapunzel's enraged gaze turned to her. Her acid eyes then passed quickly from the injured young woman to the bandit who fled through the trap door with her traitorous mother. Confusion and frustration invaded her mind and her hair. Her skull filled to the point of trembling,
"All of you! You are all nothing but liars! Manipulators! Traitors!"
Rapunzel then took a deep breath before making her vocal cords vibrate in a terrible high-pitched cry turned to the sky. Dozens of lightning bolts waltzed between her bloody hair and an army of demons appeared in the room. Imps and Lost Souls filled the space alongside Gargoyles and other Zombies. In a murderous reflex, Rapunzel turned back towards them and screamed, throwing her tentacles at the demons.
Cassandra, despite her condition, understood that this was her only chance to get out. She forced her legs to lift her, although they had turned to jelly. She directed her gaze and her body in the direction of the trapdoor and propelled everything towards it. She didn't have the energy to grab her chain, which she let drag behind her like a steel tail. The warrior found it hard to believe that her survival instinct was enduring enough to push her to this exit without flinching amid screams of monsters, spurts of blood and flying limbs everywhere. A finger fluttered over her head as a fountain of intestines nearly knocked her off balance. She had to come out of this storm of threads and flesh, which made her think, in a delirium of exhaustion, of a tornado in a slaughterhouse.
As Rapunzel hooked up a Gargoyle whose wings she plucked out with her bare hands, Cassandra reached the trapdoor into which she sank, unable to hold out any longer. Her fall ended smoothly. Her blurry sight recognized Flynn who had caught her and helped her rising to descend a narrow staircase in which echoed the cries and crackles of scarlet lightnings that revealed the bloody lady's fury only added to more and more targets to be spawned and shredded.
When they reached the end of the stairs, Gothel was finishing pushing the stones that blocked the secret entrance to the tower. When she finished, the trio threw themselves into the small valley darkened by the mountains which masked the setting sun. None of them took the time to think. The only thing that mattered was the cave that would lead them away from here. Gothel rushed towards this exit with the energy of despair. Flynn tried to stop her but his call went unanswered and he couldn't leave Cassandra. Too weakened, the latter could only move forward thanks to Flynn's arm which supported her.
"Rapunzel…" whispered Cassandra.
"We'll think about that later," anticipated Eugene. "First we need to find some help."
As if to confirm his point, a powerful crackle echoed through the secret valley. Strong enough to immobilize and attract the attention of the three survivors, worried that a new danger had arisen. They first discovered a hole in the roof of the tower from which sprang a huge arm and a cry like a desperate plea. Its fingers scratched the roof without finding a grip before being carried into the dark hole. A last mighty scream echoed through the tower before an organic tear interrupted it.
Confusion froze the three humans until an explosion of wood and tiles made them leap in fear. From the sky fell at the feet of the survivors a huge demon's head with curved horns and a drooping jaw. They had no time to contemplate the remains of the Baron before a trio of Gargoyles sprang from the dark opening from which the bloody tentacles of the predator that all were fleeing emerged. The red peaks planted themselves in the remains of the roof and quickly lifted their mistress into the open air. Rapunzel rose above the tower then one of her tentacles caught a Gargoyle by the paw. Her prey was quickly carried in front of her. Rapunzel grabbed his throat with another strand to better stabilize her grip. She needed it the moment her hands dug into its rib cage to split it open and pour out the contents, before her hairy appendages tore it in two.
The bloody lady's gaze focused on the two flying demons who were standing at a distance perfect to provoke her. And in front of those terrified of her old acquaintances, Rapunzel was carried by her tentacles to the top of the tower. Some voracious locks raised her above the summit of the edifice, others haloed her and rippled under the scarlet twilight sky. Her breath was uncertain, her mind bubbling with blood and rage. Rapunzel took a deep breath before yelling louder than ever in the face of the world. From her throat sprang a shrill cry piercing the borders of the universe. From her hair rose a red storm. Many red stars appeared in the valley, followed by as many explosions.
Flynn and Cassandra lost all hope discovering the horror they were in the midst of this time. The sky was filled with cyclopean spheres and hellish bats. The foot of the tower was surrounded by a cohort of skeletal, obese or cadaverous monsters. A few creatures even had the audacity to appear around the bloody lady. A concert of throaty screams echoed through the Hidden Valley and the only humans still present trembled when a Prowler and a Dread Knight turned to face them. If Eugene and Cassandra did not dare to move, it was not the same for Gothel, who leapt like a trapped mouse towards the cave which served as an exit. The old woman was running wildly, her gaze still looking backward. The shock was all the more painful. Pushed to the ground, her face soring, Gothel in turn remained paralyzed when she discovered that what she had hit was familiar to her. She had already seen in her daughter's drawings this green armor and this colossal body which held a long metal cylinder in her hand.
"It looks like the strange energy I detected on the weapon has stabilized," Hayden's electronic voice noted through the Slayer's helmet. "More or less."
The interdimensional warrior did not focus on the demons. It would only take him a second to figure out what to do. He was more interested in the young girl standing on top of the tower, huge scarlet hair fluttering and her hands covered in blood. He recognized her. The situation had become very strange to him. Rapunzel then noticed, after glancing around the army of monsters, the familiar green armor. Seeing him froze her thoughts, then a new rage raised, colder, focused on a precise target.
"You!" she screamed so loud that even those downstairs could hear her. "It's your fault! All of this! "She accused. "If you hadn't been there, none of this would have happened. I wish… I wished I never knew! I wish I never met you!"
Each of the demons had turned their gaze to the target of the Blood Lady's fury. None stepped back an inch from the warrior. Some were screaming. Others waved their claws or loaded their cannons. For the first time in some time, the Slayer didn't see any of his opponents shake in front of him. He knew what it meant for demons: that they feared the person behind them as much as him.
"I'm…" enraged Rapunzel. I'm gonna kill you!"
The demons howled in response to this tantalizing announcement. Their shrill cries shook even the mountains surrounding the valley. Not the Doom Slayer. The enraged eyes on the porcelain face of the girl gave to the Slayer a feeling he had not felt in front of demons in some time: curiosity. He took his Combat Shotgun in both hands and rattled the forend, under the lost eyes of Cassandra, Flynn and Gothel.
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