Chapter 17 - The witch's army

"Dear students, I finally found you!" Mephisto growled, and his words were followed by a stream of flames. "Come and die for your master!"

The evil twin was the first to put herself together, aided by the unbridled hate she harbored in the heart. "You are not our master anymore, bastard!". A feeling that she materialized into an incandescent fireball two times her size summoned without the need of any magical incantation or motion of fingers. It flew fast as a shooting star and hit the devil with a blast that lit the night on with a flash and a boom.

"Gadget, we have to take him to the church!" Lawhinie shouted as she cast on herself a mage armor spell. Her sister soon did the same. "Dive, now!"

"Aye!"

"Church?" Mephisto's black lips curled into a sneer. "No church can stop me, witch! Not when I'm so close to become complete again!"

Everybody in Less Innocents turned their eyes up and witnessed how a beast soaked in flames emerged out from the smoke cloud and delivered an ear-shattering roar to a pair of silhouettes that hurried away from it. Everybody in Less Innocents screamed in horror, for the worst nightmare they could imagine in their lives was heading on their direction. "Devil! witches! "

"Enter into the church!" Chip and Dale hurried the panicked crowd. "You'll be safe there!"

"God have mercy…" father Andreas whispered a prayer. "Come on, everyone! Get inside!" Both priests moved aside to allow the people to slip through the crevice they were guarding. "Eustachious, get in too! I'll guard the entrance!"

A caring couple took the old mouse on their shoulders and fled together to the sanctuary. Or so they tried, for the entrance was too narrow to allow more than one person in at the time. This situation resulted in a bottleneck of people pushing and yelling at each other. A turmoil fueled by pure fear.

Tammy, meanwhile, took Chip by the paw and urged him to make his way into the church. "Come on, or we won't make it!"

"That's why we'll make our stand here!" The ranger planted himself steadfast on his ground. "We have to lure that devil away from the people!"

Courage and selflessness, that was what Tammy admired most of his beloved chipmunk. "Yes, let's do it!" The cleric nodded and stood at his side as the devil hurdled down towards them enveloped in flames. Almost unconsciously, they looked for each other's paw and braced up for the incoming battle.

Dale spent many heartbeats looking for Foxglove among the sea of people. He finally found the poor bat curled up right against the wall of the church, rocking back and forth and sobbing. In a flash the red-nosed chipmunk got to her side. "Foxy, love! Are you hurt?"

"D-dale?" The pink female bat looked up at her fiancé and pulled him closer. "Please, take me away from here! I'm so scared!"

"Now, now… Calm down. Everything is under control"

"It's a demon, a real demon! Is going to kill us all!"

"No, our friends won't let that happen. Come on, we have to join them!"

"No! it's too late for that, I hear it coming, and he makes such horrible noises!"

Lawhinie and Gadget were now close enough to the ground to discern the smallfolk crammed against the church's closed doors. "So many people!" The good twin exclaimed with concern. "We'll put them in danger!"

"Keep going!" The evil twin commanded as she dodged another burst of flames. Mephisto was again close on their tails. "And where is you-know-who?" She asked.

Gadget, too, had to swirl away to avoid being hit. "Chip, where are you?" The mouse thought with dismay. If they were among that crowd…

"Hey witch" A bird-like voice spoke directly into her mind. "We are waiting for you at the fountain's steps"

"M-Munnin?"

"Hurry up! We are hungry for devil's blood! So is your boyfriend, by the way. Heheheh"

"You darned ravens…" The blonde witch cursed under her breath, as her clairvoyant third eye involuntarily focused on a pair of small winged auras spreading out cruel and coldhearted vibes right where the voices hinted. "There they are! Lawhinie, follow me!"

"Right beside you, sis!" Lawhinie sent a pair of magic missiles at the beast, more to tease him and provoke him than to make any real damage. Once they got one meter above the ground and on Gadget's signal the witch assaulted the mighty devil with a spell called 'Melf's Minute Meteors': a continuous barrage of fireballs which hurt and blinded him for a moment, hoping he would end up crashing against the ground.

Alas, that didn't come to happen. The cunning cat somehow managed to land on his four feet, if barely, and triumphantly announced his arrival with a high-pitched, terror-inducing feline growl. Those who were still outside the church either fainted or clawed at the wooden doors in desperation. Most of the ethereal residents of the graveyard vanished on the spot or fled underground, wailing horrible shrieks that only Lawhinie was able to hear.

Foxglove tried to open her mouth, to shout, to ask for any help, but found her voice had left her body altogether. Crazed with fear and unable to contain herself anymore, she sprung up and lifted off the ground in an attempt to flee but was promptly pulled back by the bard. "Wait, wait! He urged as he wrapped the arms around the pink bat protectively. "It's not safe yet, stay with me, Foxy!"

"I'm sorry, cutie" Foxglove hid her face on her boyfriend's chest. "I wish… I wish I was as brave as you!"

And Dale wondered why he wasn't screaming and running in circles himself, even as the temperature around him spiked and the air began to reek of sulfur.

The couple was promptly spotted by Mephisto, but before he could even think of make a move against them a series of magical entangling vines summoned by Gadget fiercely wrapped around his legs and body. Unfortunately for the witches, their former master shook these tendrils off as if they were made of straws. "It's useless, my dear!" The devil looked up at her mockingly. "I taught you that spell myself, remember?" Then he turned to address the other twin. "And the same goes for you, my best student! I taught you every spell you know, and yet you plan to use them against me? Pathetic!"

So engrossed the devil was, lecturing his former students about the futility of their actions and relishing on the incensed stares they gave back at him, that didn't noticed another pair of rodents sneaking up on him. A cleric and a ranger were about to join the battle.

"My mother wrote an entire chapter in the grimoire about devils and demons" Tammy recalled as the spell book left her paw and hovered at eye level. "Detailed instructions about how to to engage and defeat them. Now, stay close"

The cleric cast a chain of divine spells on her and her companion: protection from evil, bless, chant, resistance to fire. Their bodies shined as result of these blessings and their blood pumped up with renewed energies and hope.

"I feel… invincible" The astonished ranger grinned as he drew his longswords out. "You are an amazing cleric, Tammy!"

"These blessings won't last much, Chipper" She warned. "We must act fast"

"As fast as a cat" Chip joked, his eyes shined purple and the blades on his paws shed feathers off to the wind. "Let's go!"

"Of course, allow us to show you the way" Both ravens hissed.

Above in the sky Gadget's heart skipped a beat as she spotted Chip throwing himself blades first at Mephisto with unnatural speed and an expression that spoke of bloodlust. One again the ranger had allowed the ravens to take reins of his actions and perhaps even his conscience. Once again Gadget despaired and cursed the ancient Norse gods for using her friend, love and soulmate as an expendable pawn in a game long lost.

The black-nosed chipmunk, on the other hand, had only one thought in mind the moment he jumped at the hind leg of the distracted beast. "We have a deal, yes? I kill this devil, you set Gadget free from her contract"

"The all-father will keep his word" Both ravens answered in unison. "As long as you keep yours!"

The devil cat flinched in pain as the magical swords cut through the scales and flesh in a dual swing motion. "Gwargh!" He rolled to one side and again stood on his four feet. Who dares!?"

"Chip Maplewood is the name and Odin sends his regards!" He announced as he made his way through the smoke and charged again to bite at the beast's foreleg twice with his fabled swords.

Mephisto wailed and took to the air, away from these sharp blades and their small wielder. "You little shit! Your god has no power in this land anymore!"

Not sooner had the devil finished that sentence than yet another spell struck him with force from above. "Bolt of Glory!" Declared Tammy and then witnessed as a spear-like bolt of divine energy coursed through Mephisto's body and brought him down to earth with a loud thud that raised a cloud of dust.

"Raaghhh!" The devil trashed around on the dirt.

"Oh my, she did it!" Lawhinie exclaimed agape. "The brat really did it!"

"Our chances are improving!" Gadget smiled at her sister, which sent in return a silent nod.

Only when the pain subsided and the limbs stopped lashing around uncontrollably Mephisto found there was a fourth contender in the battlefield: a red-haired squirrel teenager that gave off the scent of someone he used to know all too well. "You… you are supposed to be dead!"

Tammy lashed back at the enraged cat with her own burning rage. "You killed my mother, monster! You killed my father too. Tonight, justice will be served"

Mephisto forced himself up again and surveyed the four rodents that stood against him. Despite the burning pain, he managed to let out a derisive, mocking laughter. "Oh, please…" He addressed the witches suspended above him. "Is this how you plan to escape your fate? By joining forces with a pair of self-righteous adventurers?"

The evil witch cocked her head teasingly. "I take you don't like my new friends? We are all united by the same urgent desire: to see you dead!"

"You'll be the one to die here, Lawhinie… and then I'll punish your treacherous soul in my circle of hell for an eternity! Oh, how am I looking forward to it!"

"This devil is just stalling for time" Huggin observed. "Look at the wounds, they are closing themselves. Go forth again!"

Suddenly Gadget's voice echoed in Chip's mind as clear as if she were standing at his side, when in reality she was up in the air making her own plans. "Your raven is right, Chip. We must put actions to words and stay on the offensive until the end" The chipmunk felt the apprehensive tone of her words. "Unfortunately, and unlike Tammy, all I can offer to you are my illusions"

With an arcane word and a flourish of the paw, the good witch cast 'mirror image' on the ranger. A spell that causes three illusory duplicates of a person to appear besides them. These duplicates mimic every action of the host until they get destroyed by a direct attack. However, they can't add to the damage of the host's attacks as they are a simple mirage.

Upon witnessing this, Mephisto sent a hateful glare at his former student. "You, the one who asked me for knowledge to surpass even King Salomon's, should know better than to join this ill-fated rebellion. You should also know that when your master orders you to die, you die!"

"I won't let that happen, fiend!" Chip blurted out and lurched forward again, the blood seething in his veins as the ravens stirred up in him hateful ideas and feelings. Lawhinie herself joined the assault by summoning a rain of fire and lightning that struck the devil with unrelenting force and accuracy. Tammy and Gadget were left behind to apply defensive spells on their companions. The real battle had begun and its deafening echoes reached the four corners of the cemetery.

While the living denizens of Les Innocents hid on their dens and crevices fearing for their safety, dozens of ghosts rose from their graves again and gathered around the battlefield upon discovering one of the contenders was their champion – the slayer of the despised necromancer lord.

Dale and Foxglove finally stepped out their hideout, completely unaware they were surrounded by spirits of recent and ancient times. "Now, this is our chance!" The red-nosed chipmunk said while keeping his girlfriend from stumbling and falling to the ground again. The terror-stricken bat had her eyes closed shut and the ears covered with the wings in a futile attempt to quell the cat's high-pitched, hatred-fueled growls.

The couple reached again the church's doors. Andreas and Eustachious were still there, as still as marble statues, witnessing the incredible battle that raged a few meters away from him. A few other rodents were also enraptured by the outbursts of magic and martial progress that both sides displayed in their fateful duel. Dale couldn't help but to be grateful these onlookers weren't pushing each other anymore and that the entrance to the inner chambers was clear open now.

Just as Dale was about to guide Foxglove into the sanctuary a familiar voice buzzed above their heads. "Oh, thank God you are safe!"

"Sir Zipper!"

"My friends!" The small fly came to them and shared into a long due embrace. "This is insane" He lamented. "People suddenly rushed into the church, shouting incoherencies about demons and witches falling from the sky"

The beast let out another furious high-pitched shriek, one that almost made the scout fly jump out of his skin. "Oh God! Is that Mephisto, the one Chip and Tammy kept talking about?"

"Uh-hum" Dale nodded slowly, fearing that the sole mention of the name would make the devil turn his gaze at them.

"And… Wait, is that Lawhinie?" Zipper took a cautious step back. "Are you guys in Lawhinie's side now? Are you out of your minds?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Dale waved vigorously at first, only to fall pensive for a second. "She is the one… in our side?"

Upon Zipper's dubious look, Foxglove quickly added: "Chip's idea"

"Outrageous! Simply outrageous!" The fly seethed, clenching and unclenching his fists so hard he left marks. "Do you have any idea what she did to Monty? Do you?"

"Oh yes, Sir Monterey!" The kind bat peered left and right. "We need to talk to him! Where is he now?"

"Talk about what? About the murder of Desiree D'Allure?"

Both Dale and Foxglove flinched. "D-Do you know already?"

The choleric Zipper drew his rapier out and pointed it to Gadget. "The last member of the gang told us everything, including how the blonde witch of blue eyes murdered Desiree in cold blood three nights ago" He then narrowed his eyes and sent the tip of his weapon in Lawhinie's direction. "She has to pay for her crimes!"

"Sir Zipper, please" The bard pleaded with a grandiloquent motion. "Save that righteous anger for tomorrow morning, tonight we have a bigger problem to deal with!"

"Are you serious? She killed my friend's girlfriend! Do you have any idea how much he is suffering now?"

"Knowing Chip, he won't let that crime go unpunished… but right now, Lawhinie is the only one strong enough to help us. We must fight together, like a team!"

"Goddamit…" Zipper ran the free paw across his head as he perused the situation again. He had never seen a devil before and honestly, he could have lived on happily without that knowledge. Mephisto leapt up and down the fountain's steps in pursuit of the ranger and cleric while the witches made use of every spell on their repertoire to slow him down. The flaming dragon cat had endured the barrage of fire and lightning; Illusions had little to no effect on him. It was a miracle none of his friends had fallen victim of his rage yet, but it seemed to be just a matter of time before the devil scored a fatal strike on any of them.

On that moment a stunningly intense flare made everybody held their breath again. Mephisto had finally pushed the ranger into a corner and was about to blast hellish fire down on him with all the rage and hatred a demon was capable of.

"Chip!" Gadget and Tammy cried out and quickly cast on him all manner of defensive spells, hoping against hope these would help their friend survive long enough to find a way out.

Everyone witnessed with horror as the chipmunk disappeared from sight enveloped in stone-melting flames. "Oh my God…" Foxglove covered her eyes. "He just killed Chip!"

"No!" Dale yelled falling aghast to his knees.

Just then, the blackened figure of Lawhinie flew past the fire and smoke holding the ranger tightly by the arm. The good twin at first sighed with relief the moment her sister put Chip in the care of the cleric, then grew perplexed as she whispered something to his ear - something not even Tammy who was already applying healing spells was able to make out, something that made the chipmunk's ears perk up - and then lifted off again with a smug grin on her face.

Dale, together with everyone else gathered at the doors of the church, cheered as the chipmunk hero stood back to his feet and charged again at the monster. "Yes! He is safe!" The bard hugged his girlfriend and then looked up at the dubious fly. "See, I told you Lawhinie was in our side now!"

"Chip survived just barely!" He retorted. "How do you plan to win this battle?"

"Ah, well…" Dale settled down and rubbed his chin. "Lawhinie said that Mephisto gets weak around churches and holy sites and the like, that's why we came all the way here"

"Unbelievable!" The fly scoffed. "Out of all the churches in Paris, you had to choose exactly this one?"

"Lawhinie's idea" Foxglove quickly justified.

The fly buzzed nervously left and right. "No, it cannot be a coincidence! That witch must be up to something!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Pietro, Monterey and me just buried Desiree in this graveyard a few hours ago. We wanted to spend the night in this church in peace and prayer. God knows how much Monterey is grieving! And now you tell me it was the witch who chose this place as battlefield? Ah, whatever… I cannot turn my back at this situation anymore!"

The eyes of the rodents brightened up. "Are you going to help us?"

"Of course! I leave Monty on your care, ok? He's in besides himself with grief. Also, do not mention a single word about Lawhinie in front of him, I'm afraid of what he could do of he learns she is around" With a nod of agreement and a martial salute, the small scout fly darted at full speed in the direction of the ongoing battle.

"Come on, cutie" The bat pulled her boyfriend by the shoulder, before he also decided to follow and enter the fray. "Let's look for Sir Monterey at once, only God knows how much he must be suffering"

"But, but…" The chipmunk tugged on the opposite direction. "Chip could still use our help, we must find a way to help!"

"Just leave the crazy to them, please!"

Mephisto was by then engaged in a match of wits and speed against the nimble chipmunk ranger, which kept on scoring hits left and right with his strange swords against the body of the beast. However, the more the devil got cut, the more heat was expelled from the open wounds, causing Chip to drown himself in retaliatory bursts of fire. Zipper's experience as a duelist told him that it wouldn't be long before his friend passed out of exhaustion or even worse, a heat stroke.

Tammy and Gadget were also getting aware of that, as they glanced worried eyes to each other while casting all kinds of protective spells on their friend. They, as well, would be soon drained out and unable to help or even run away.

"Not good, not good!" Zipper shook all fear away and dived down straight like an arrow to sink his rapier deep into an exposed patch of flesh on the nape of the devil while shouting a furious battle cry that took everybody, foes and allies alike, by complete surprise.

That is, everybody except the evil witch, who had spotted the fly with the corner of the eye right when she was about to launch a fireball at that same exposed spot. The arrival of the scout into the battle brought malevolent joy to the mouse. "Heh! Only one left missing" She said under the breath. "I wonder where that fatso is"

The dragon cat flinched and trashed and spun around uttering all sort of swearwords towards the unknown aggressor. A blast of heat followed, which burned Zipper's clothes and wings to crisps. The badly injured fly finally lost his grip on the weapon and fell to the ground face first. Once the dragon cat realized the perpetrator of such painful backstab was a tiny green insect he smashed it down with all the weight of his flaming front leg. "mortal scum!"

"Sir Zipper!" Tammy yelled in horror the moment the fly disappeared under the clawed foot of the monster. Dale and Foxglove, together with many other witnesses, looked away terrified. Up from above, Lawhinie leaned forward with a confounded expression.

But something was amiss. Mephisto couldn't help but to raise a brow as he rose his paw and found there was no trace of the victim anywhere.

"What…" The devil blinked in surprise first at the empty soil, then at the ranger three strides away carrying the scout fly to safety. "It was… an illusion?" He exclaimed outraged, then sent a murderous stare on Gadget's way. "You mouse, dare to fool me?"

"You let your guard down, master" The witch responded bravely. "Or perhaps I've become powerful enough to fool a devil"

"Never forget I lent you that power! I want it back now!"

Chip used that chance to bring the scorched fly to the cleric. "That was too reckless!" He reproached as Tammy applied healing magic. "You didn't even had…"

The fly half-opened his eyes. "Siding with Lawhinie is even worse" He berated.

"Look out!" The squirrel warned and the trio managed to evade the sharp claw of Mephisto as he pounced on them swiftly and mercilessly. In a split second the devil changed direction and went after the chipmunk and fly with blinding hate, dropping all pretense of grandeur and confidence in favor of raw animal savagery. Tammy could only jump aside and watch as his friends were pursued by the beast and cornered against the fountain.

The devil's burning claws grazed Chip's back and ripped through his green cloak. "Gnnhh!" The chipmunk gritted his teeth as he rolled away with the half unconscious Zipper still in his arms.

"Throw the fly back at him!" The ravens yelled. "Use it as a decoy!"

"Forget it!"

As the injured chipmunk stood back to his feet and turned to face the fangs of the beast once more, his small friend grabbed him by the shirt. "Where is my rapier?"

"Your needle? I don't know…"

"Cough! We must look for it"

A sudden blast of fire put an end to the exchange. Blessings granted hurriedly by Tammy prevented a tragedy but the force of the explosion still sent Chip and Zipper flying many treads away and made them crash violently against the fountain's wall. For a few terrible moments, both heroes lost consciousness.

"Gotcha!" The devil celebrated and got ready to pounce of them. "Now you die!"

"Chip!" Both Gadget and Tammy shouted in horror.

Just as the illusionist was about to dive in a desperate attempt to reach her friends before Mephisto would, the commanding voice of Lawhinie froze her to a halt. "Stop, sister!" The evil twin demanded, her expression locked in a wild-eyed and wicked grin; her finger all the way up as if pointing to the stars. "I got him right where I wanted!"

Lawhinie seethed as she focused all her magical power in a single bolt of lightning, one so powerful, so bright and so ear-shattering it would make the ancient god Thor clap with pride if he were alive. BOOM! The lightning split the sky in half on its way down to a metallic object embedded in the nape of the beast: Zipper's lost rapier.

"Yiarrghh!" Mephisto shrieked amid chattering teeth as electricity ran in arcs all the way from the head to the tip of the tail. The lightning bolt coursed back and forth wildly, burning the monster's body from the inside out. Mephisto staggered back and to one side and finally fell to the ground uttering a low rumbling growl.

While Lawhinie mockingly celebrated the pain and suffering of her despised master, Tammy wasted no breath and rushed to apply strong healing spells on his companions. "Chipper, please, open your eyes!"

Echoes of a derisive laughter reached Gadget's mind as she witnessed the scene down below, as she witnessed how strongly Tammy cared for Chip. "heheheh, a shame, isn't it?" Huggin jeered at her. "If only you were a cleric instead of a witch, the chipmunk would be now resting on your lap and not on the squirrel's"

"Mmhh, her fur is so fluffy!" The other raven teased.

"Just stop it!" Gadget grimaced and even covered her eyes with the paws. "I don't want to hear it!"

Lawhinie frowned at the sight of her disquieted sister, a far cry from her usually collected behavior, then glanced down at the squirrel and chipmunk and couldn't help but let out a scoffing chuckle. "That's enough, sister!" The witch ordered joining Gadget's side and forcing her to glance at the recovering dragon. "The battle is not over yet! Mephisto is still breathing!"

"Sorry, I…"

Lawhinie bore her eyes into hers. "You want to save Chip? Then keep our master away from him!"

"R-right!" Gadget conceded. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't feel this way"

"You are still such a naïve girl… now, snap out of it and hold Mephisto down as long as you can!"

"Aye… Just look at this, sister!" A garden of fluorescent entangling vines sprouted out all over the field and wrapped around the bewildered beast's legs and torso like a nest of serpents. For her surprise and everybody else's, the spell broke past the diminished resistance of the devil and managed to restrain him, if barely.

"Yes, that's it!" Lawhinie showed her a fanged smile. "Keep these roots alive, dear sister!"

On the margins of the field, the wounded heroes witnessed the garden of fluorescent vines blossoming to life. Chip tried to stand up, but his legs betrayed him. Fortunately, Tammy was already there to support him. "The vines are holding!" He pointed out. "Now, this is our chance!"

But the dragon cat still had some strength left. "Gadget Hackwrench!" he glanced up at the witch with blazing bloodshot eyes. "I'll make you regret this!"

"Stay down, master!" The illusionist commanded from above.

"I refuse!" He shouted and made use of his elongated fangs to rip apart some of the vines that wrung around his front legs. "Your parlor tricks won't stop me!"

Mephisto relentlessly forced himself in the direction of the wounded rodents, snapping the tendrils on his neck and torso with strength born out of pure rage. Suddenly, as he tried to take yet another step, he noticed in complete stupor that his left paw had been glued to the ground by a mass of spider webs; silky threads that spread up the arm like a voracious swarm of insects. In the blink of an eye the web enveloped the whole left side of the infernal body and up the neck. "A web spell? Lawh…Mppph!" He managed to say right before the magical fibers wrapped mercilessly around his mouth.

A wicked little grin curled Lawhinie's lips up as she landed next to Tammy. "I'm not fond of spiders, but I was saving this silly trick for a special occasion" She declared cockishly as she jumped off her broom. "Now, brat!" She yanked the squirrel up and away from the wounded companions and pointed at the hellish beast. "Go! Use your strongest spell on him!"

"Wait, I haven't finished healing Chipper!"

"Never mind about me!" The ranger assured her, and even stood up again to face the monster together, despite the pain that coursed through his body. "Finish this, Tammy! Only then we will go back home"

"Home…"

"Yes, remember?"

The cleric swallowed all her fears down and faced the devil eye to eye with a renewed resolve. "Mephisto… Mephisto!" She called out while adopting a fighting stance and commanding her mother's grimoire to levitate at her side. "You won't hurt me or my friends ever again!"

The monster snapped the strains of cobweb from the mouth and spoke again. This time, his voice sounded even more spiteful, even more infernal, as if the brightness of the cleric's determination triggered the foulest darkness within him. "Pathetic preacher! You are no match for me!"

Undaunted, with a quick and elaborated weaving of fingers, Tammy summoned a pool of divine energy that made the ground around the devil cat crack apart and shine with the purest of light.

"Useless!" Mephisto declared amid clenching teeth. "Your mother… tried this spell before" He hissed while taking a heavy step forward. "And then… and then she had to witness as I devoured your father!"

The cleric refused to be swayed. She wouldn't lose her concentration, no matter how much these words hurt. "You bastard…" She whispered as she sent forth another wave of radiance across the ground. "I'll make you regret that!"

The pool of energy expanded and soon covered the whole field in a blinding light. "Use… less!" The devil took yet another step towards the young heroine. By then Chip and Zipper had forced themselves up to protect her.

Tammy focused on sending more divine energy towards the pool of radiance. "For my mother, for my father, I expel you from this world!"

"No… no! How dare you! Urgghh!" Mephisto let out a shriek of agony that echoed all over Les Innocents and beyond as his infernal body got consumed by the divine spell.

"This is it!" Chip addressed the Nordic ravens. "Tammy is going to defeat Mephisto!"

"That girl is hogging all the glory for herself" Munnin noted. "Making you look like a useless fool"

"Even so, our deal still stands, right?"

"Aye, rest easy" The second raven assured. "Even if the cleric claims victory, you still get credit under the eyes of Odin. You are the one who brought her all the way here, to her fated moment"

"The master has to die first so the slave becomes free. You've done a good work protecting the witch so far, but haven't you noticed? The spell is hurting her as well!"

"What!?" Chip immediately looked up at the sky. Gadget was flying erratically in her broom, as if struggling to maintain her floating spell. "Oh no!" The ranger grew alarmed. "If Tammy continues then…"

"Don't worry about me!" Gadget's own voice reached Chip's mind. "I'm fine, if only a bit dizzy. Just keep going! You mustn't let Mephisto escape!"

"Gadget…"

"Please, let's finish this…" She begged with hints of pain in her voice. "Let's finish this and go home"

That strange choice of words, which mimicked the ones he had said earlier to Tammy, sunk the ranger's heart. "You were listening?"

"Keep going, please…"

The spell's strength increased in a tenfold and a sphere of energy slowly surged up from the incandescent pool, very much like an explosion occurring in slow-motion. As the graveyard was bathed in light, a burning sensation coursed through the witches' bodies and made them yell out in pain. Lawhinie dropped heavily on her arms and knees at the feet of the ranger and cleric. Gadget lost control of her broom and fell all the way down to the bottom of an open grave. Mud from last night's rain mitigated the impact, just not enough for the mouse to get knocked out cold.

"Gadget?" Chip raised his voice, half blinded and unaware of his friend's predicament. The swelling sphere devoured the whole battlefield and made him take a cautionary step back. "Oh God, is that supposed to happen?" He finally asked to Tammy who was, in all honesty, downright scared of the way her own spell was behaving.

The girl kept one arm extended forward while she turned to re-read the details of the spell in the floating grimoire as fast as she could. "According to my mother's book… yes! Hang in there, guys!"

"Do not stop!" Lawhinie demanded bent over in pain. "Do not dare to stop until my master dies a thousand deaths!"

Being so close to the divine sphere provoked a chain of burning injuries in Lawhinie's cursed body. Fissures and fractures broke through the pale skin she was so proud of and her delicate silky fur began to fade into the blackest of ashes that scattered away to the raging wind. "Rgghh!" She gritted her teeth out of pain. "Kill him… Make him suffer!"

Mephisto screamed one last time, this time outright panicked and anguished. "No, not like this! Don't send me back to her like this!"

"Who's 'her'?" Chip wondered as he raised an arm to cover his eyes.

"No idea" The ravens admitted after a pause.

The all-mighty sphere of light pulsed like a living heart for a few moments before finally exploding into a beam that pierced through the night sky. This spear-shaped beacon brightened Paris up like a second sun, both astonishing and frightening those who witnessed its ascension to the heavens.

And just like that, darkness fell again, followed by the deepest silence.

Not a single soul in the city dared to speak, to blink, to breath. Only when the bells of Notre Dame started to chime with dissonant alarm the people woke up of their stupor and realized in horror that they had fallen victims of a second supernatural event. Within minutes the screams of thousands of people flocking into the streets filled the nocturnal air all the way back to Les Innocents. Every church in the city followed the cathedral's example and joined in a chaotic concert, calling the people to the safety of their chambers.

The humble church of Les Innocents was not the exception. One of its human keepers pulled the ropes of the single bell with such energy and urgency that every guard and in the vicinity turn his head towards the ancient and famous tower.

These same bells brought Foxglove back to reality. Upon opening her eyes she found herself in the safety of Dale's arms. The bard had gallantly protected her with his own body against the shockwave of the exploding sphere. People around her, like the priests and the other rodent dwellers of the graveyard, had been knocked out and were slowly coming back to their senses. Even Dale seemed to be leaning on her a bit too numb.

"Cutie! Are you all right?" She asked with great concern, watching her chipmunk motioning his head from side to side somewhat disoriented.

It took Dale a pair of seconds before he could even weave a coherent answer. "Ooow" He held his head still with one paw. "Head spinning, ears buzzing, girlfriend…" He paused to examine the pretty pink bat cuddled against his chest, then let out a sigh of relief. "Girlfriend is all right, mission accomplished"

"Oh Dale!" Foxglove sprung forward to kiss her boyfriend with gratitude. "My hero!"

The bells above them began to toll even louder, forcing the bat to break the kiss and cover her sensitive ears. "Goodness!" She flinched. "The whole city is freaking out! What just happened?"

"The devil is gone!" Father Andreas answered slaw-jacked. He could barely stand on his own, shocked as he was. "The squirrel heroine vanished it with the light of God himself! Praised be our lord!"

The couple looked at the distance, at the now obscured and silent fountain where the battle had raged on a few seconds ago. "It's… gone?" Foxglove asked with disbelief. "Chip and Tammy won?"

"But, where is Chip? Where are Tammy and Sir Zipper?"

Eustachious, who had rushed to check on another pair of dismayed rodents, made out three rodent silhouettes lying down unconscious on the distance. "Over there, good minstrel!"

"Gosh, oh gosh!" The bard gasped in shock at the sight of his fallen friends. "Chip! Tammy! And… Lawhinie? We must go and help them!"

"Cutie, wait for me!" Foxglove lifted off the ground, only to be shaken to the core by the barrage of bells clanging from all directions. "Oh, when are they going to stop!"

"This is not good" Andreas commented glancing back at the church's tower, where flickering lights were moving down the spiral stairs. "Humans are coming!" He then beckoned at the gathered crowd. "Quickly, we must flee!"

"Wait, what about Monterey Jack?" Foxy asked. "Is he still inside?"

"He is ! Oh, if my human brothers find him…"

"I'm more worried for what Monterey would do to these humans if they get too close" She said glumly.

Dale shifted his weight anxiously from one direction to another, unsure of which friend assist first. "Ungh, this is heavy!"

It was the kind bat took the hard decision for him. "Darling, its ok. You go and take care of our friends. Leave Sir Monterey Jack to me"

"Are you, are you sure?"

Truth be told, the idea of getting separated from her beloved chipmunk even for a few minutes in that horrible graveyard filled Foxglove with dread and apprehension. The noise that kept bombarding her ears didn't exactly soothe her nerves. Still, she managed to fake a confident, determined smile. "Don't worry darling, I'm quite proficient in talking sense to people" She assured him.

"Oh, I know you are" Dale said and drew his girlfriend into a heartfelt kiss. The bard was well aware she was putting on a courageous act, so it fell on him to rewarded her accordingly. "Hey, I'll be back soon and we'll all leave this awful place for good!"

"Aye…" The bat whispered letting her boyfriend go. "Let's do that"

The chipmunk sprinted a few steps before turning his gaze back at the church again, just in time to see his girlfriend enter through the crevice followed closely by the rodent priests.

By the time Dale arrived at the battlefield the bells had fallen silent, leaving a completely unnatural and very ominous atmosphere. Cold shivers crawled down his spine at every step he took. Little did he know he was passing through a crowd of invisible spirits that had come to check on their own champion.

Finally he got to his friend's side, and without any care or consideration he tugged at the knocked out chipmunk back and forth. "Chip? Chip? Come on, wake up!"

"D-Dale?" The ranger groaned. "Cut it out, cut it out, dammit!"

Next to them, the cleric also opened her eyes and found herself lying uncomfortably face-down on the dirt. "Uhh… are you guys all right?" She asked between deep exhausted breaths as she rolled over to stare at the now clean starry sky. "We won, right? Please tell me we won, because I feel so much tired"

Lawhinie, who was a few steps away from them, hefted herself up and immediately reached for her feathered hat. "You peasants are all so noisy…" She said as she fixed her hair and put beloved garment on again. Only then she realized there were still some painful burning marks disseminated all along her white skin. Even worse, the veins that ran up her paws had turned black and quite bizarre to gaze upon. On the bright side, there was no pain at all. The witch fretted inwardly at the unbeautiful sight and hoped her body would recover once she put some distance away from the church.

But even more important that her looks was the small pile of ashes amassed at the very center of the battlefield, right where the devil had just stood minutes ago. The tiny rapier – twisted by the heat of the lightning bolt - had ended up on top like some sort of memorial marker.

"Heh… heheheh" The evil mouse smirked wickedly, then covered her muzzle with one palm in an oddly refined way. That self-restrain wouldn't last long. "Bwahahaha!" She exploded out of a sudden into a cruel laugh.

The creepiness of the blonde mouse unnerved the trio of friends to no end. "What - what's so funny?" Dale asked meekly.

"Oh, my master is dead!" The witch proclaimed hectic as she walked past the companions without even throwing a glance at them. "The mighty Mephisto is now a filthy pile of dirt! Hahahah! How pitiful! How lame!" Suddenly her expression darkened with a scowl. "Lame… so fucking lame!" The tips of her fingers lit with bright dancing flames. "Why did he become my master in the first place? From the very first day I was stronger than him. He should have been my slave all this time!"

From her outstretched fingers erupted a jet of flames that exploded against the pile of ashes and sent the rapier flying away. "I'm stronger, you hear me!? Always stronger! Now, rot in hell, bastard!"

Again and again the witch blasted the ground in front of her.

Lawhinie's rage made Chip and his friends retreat some steps back. "Is this real? Is Mephisto really dead?" The ranger asked in disbelief.

"Oh, he is" Munnin declared resolutely. "We are watching that devil falling down to hell as we speak. Broken, defeated and empty. Congratulations, hero; you and your squirrel girlfriend have made our father proud"

"The quest is complete, champion of Odin" Huggin said solemnly. "Our deal with you is complete as well"

"What about the contracts?" The chipmunk silently insisted.

"Invalid now, according to hell's code of law. We can bring them to you if you wish, do with these useless papers as you please"

"Gadget, did you hear that? You are free!" The ranger exclaimed mentally. No answer came, though. Only silence. The chipmunk glanced at the sky in all directions but found no trace of his witch. "Gadget?" He called out for real this time. "Gadget, where are you?"

Dale and Tammy threw Chip quizzical looks, followed by the realization that their friend was nowhere around. "Whoa!" The bard's eyes widened for a moment. "I think I saw her before the big explosion… she was falling down"

"Falling down?" The chipmunk fretted. "Where?"

"Over there, Romeo" Huggin made the ranger turn his head towards a pit nearby. "You'll find your girlfriend in that grave. Relax, she is almost completely fine"

"Almost?" He started off in a hurry. "Dale, Tammy, I need your help here!"

The bard quickly went after his friend. "Hey, wait for us!"

Tammy's legs still wobbled after the first two or three steps, but soon afterwards she regained some amount of strength and balance. "Chipper, wait!" She sprinted only to come to a halt when she remembered there was another ally unaccounted for. "Hey, where is… where is Sir Zipper?"

Foxglove whispered a thankful prayer the moment the church bells fell silent. One more minute of these ear-shattering noises and the bat would have snapped in ways not even Dale had witnessed before. The rodent priests and the people who had taken refugee inside these walls shared the same feelings, it seemed, as collective sighs of relief sent waves across the inner chamber and its stale atmosphere. It took Foxglove a few moments to find her bearings; she was standing on the marbled floor of a transept and the main nave should be a short distance away. A series of candles illuminated the path ahead. On first sight the church of the innocents was as old and humble as the church of the village of Saint Pierre; devoid of gold ornaments on the columns and ceiling, a few medieval-style bible scenes here and there, a smell of incense mixed with the scents of decaying carpentry. A shadow of nostalgia encumbered the kind bat as she remembered simpler, happier times back home.

Father Andreas placed a comforting paw on her shoulder. "You'll find the knight somewhere in the chancel" He signaled. "Believe me, I did everything I could to rescue him from the dark place his grief made him wander into. Perhaps words from a familiar face will prove to be more successful"

The bat bit her lips hesitantly. "God knows I'm not the most positive person in the world" She confessed. "But I know one thing or two about love. I won't let Sir Monterey grieve the loss of Desiree alone!"

Eustachious sniffed the stagnant air and his expression changed to one of concern. "Our human brothers are getting closer" He warned. "Please hurry!"

"Understood!" The bat nodded.

"And be careful with the one-eyed mouse, he's armed and disturbed. A bad combination"

Foxglove stretched her membrane-covered wings and kicked off the marbled floor, flapping her wings in a powerful motion until she soared high above the ground. Then swiftly made her way straight to the crossing and right towards the chancel. What she found via echolocation made her heart skip a beat.

Sir Monterey Jack was down there, leaning against the base of a column with his paws covering his face, sunken in the deepest of contemplations. The bat's keen senses also warned about a second figure lurking behind the altar. This one an adult mouse of short stature and anguished heartbeats. The one-eyed mouse, she presumed.

Foxglove landed quietly a few steps away from his friend and surveyed the rest of the scene unfolding in front of her. The human-sized knife that doubled as a rodent greatsword was lying a few steps beside the heavy knight, with the scabbard dangling forgotten further away. It didn't take long for the bat to imagine Monterey making use of his weapon to scare away the rodent priests and everybody else who disturbed his sorrowful vigil. She could only hope her friend had spent all of that rage by now and was ready to talk things out. Slowly, carefully, Foxglove approached the mouse. This one didn't move a single muscle nor made eye contact whatsoever, enthralled as he was in his own obscure world.

"Sir Monterey?" She finally called. "It's me, Foxglove"

Monterey Jack slowly raised his head. The knight's eyes were red and watery, a sign that he had cried for a long time and now he had no more tears to share. "Foxglove? What are you doing here?"

"I-I'm here to warn you, humans are coming and…"

"Oh, I know they are coming, lassy. I could smell their foul scent a mile away" Then he sighed dejectedly. "It doesn't matter in the slightest anymore"

"Don't say that… they are dangerous! They have brooms and torches and.."

The knight scoffed at that comment. "There are worse monsters out there. Lawhinie Hackwrench, she is one of them… she killed my beloved Desiree, you know?"

"I-I know. Sir Zipper told us everything" The bat decided to omit the other, goriest side of the murder that Lawhinie herself confessed previously. "Sir Monterey, everything is going to be fine. Did you… did you see the light that enveloped this whole graveyard a few minutes ago?"

Monterey leaned forward, his expression turning dark and serious. "I saw and heard everything, lass. People ran in and out this chamber yelling about a winged flaming cat and a pair of witches throwing spells at each other by the fountain outside. Then came that blinding light you mention, along with an awful shriek and a deep silence. I assume you guys finally got rid of the devil you were so bent on hunting two days ago?"

Foxglove couldn't help but make a double take at the knight's overly detached attitude. "Huh, yes… We just did it. You know, Sir Monterey, we could have used your help out there"

The mouse leaned back, folded his arms and negated with the head. "Mephisto was never my problem. On the contrary…"

"On the… contrary?"

Monterey made a sharp inhale, sucking the air through gritted teeth. "On the contrary, too bad he isn't around anymore!" He slammed his fist against the wooden surface. "Now that I had just realized I'd even sell my soul to him in exchange of vengeance against that witch!"

Back on the demolished field between the fountain and the church, Lawhinie made a pause to catch her breath. "I only regret I didn't deliver the killing blow" She confessed to the wind. "But to be killed by a bratty girl… It was delightful to witness it"

By then the witch had been surrounded by a large crowd of admirers and supporters. All and each one of them disheveled ghosts, real dwellers of Les Innocents. These dead rodents – males, females, children – joined in a loud applause as soon as the witch glanced and acknowledged them. "Hurrah, Lady Lawhinie!"

"Our savior!"

"Devil slayer!"

"Lady of Les Innocents!"

Lawhinie straightened up and regaled the crowd with one of her trademark wolfish grins. "Oh, you flatter me, people!" She said as she tipped her hat. "Yes, Mephisto is dead and I'm free from his chains! Let the entire world know that her queen is coming and is carrying the flames of hell with her! Hahahah Hahahahah!"

Another round of cheers and applauses was suddenly cut short when the dead realized a living being was arriving into the scene. The small green fly approached silently and menacingly, the rapier firmly gripped in his paw, completely unaware of the dozens of eyes gazing at him.

"Ah, Zipper the fly" Lawhinie offered him a smug smile. "I was wondering where you had run off to"

The small scout didn't answer. He just kept on staring at Lawhinie intently.

"Oh, come on. If you are going to say something, just do it! I don't bite, you know?"

"You killed Desiree D'Allure" Zipper declared coldly.

At the mention of that name Lawhinie snickered with contempt. More than a few ghosts around her shared the sentiment and whispered callous adjectives and curses at the memory of the despised grave robber.

"Guilty as fuck" The mouse declared as a wide, sadistic smile plastered itself across her face.

"L-Lawhinie Hackwrench!" He held the witch's stare. "You are under arrest for the murder of Desiree D'Allure! Do not resist and come with me!"

The ethereals raised their voices in protest, despite knowing too well that the mortal fly wasn't capable to hear or perceive a single word no matter how loud they yelled. That didn't stop them, though, and the words turned into direct actions as Zipper made the mistake of raising his rapier at the evil mouse.

It started off as small goosebumps on his skin, followed by a cold shiver that slowly ran down the spine, as if an invisible finger slid under the layers of the musketeer uniform. This was followed by an oppression in his chest, one that squeezed his lungs and made the act of breathing more labored. Scared, Zipper dropped to the ground. "What… are you… doing?" He said as he made out the shape of a paw wrapping around his throat. "Don't!"

The sly witch merely tilted her head. "Oh, shush! I'm not doing anything at all!" She said with an amused chuckle as she witnessed the angered spirits lurching at the self-righteous hero to punish him on her behalf. "It just happens that we are not alone here, you know?"

"H-help!" Zipper managed to shout amid shallow breaths.

Lawhinie started to laugh, only to sober up when he listened to another hoarse laughter that overlapped with hers; one so foreign and so unearthly that made the spirits halt their harassment and float back frightened. This laughter kept on increasing in volume, and it seemed to stem from beyond the darkest corner of the field, where the foundations of the fountain met the tainted soil of the graveyard.

"Who is there?" Lawhinie asked losing her cool, much to the confusion of Zipper. The fly's confused reaction unnerved the witch even more, as she realized the creepy laughter was only being perceived by her and her dead subjects. "What the hell…"

The weakened squirrel cleric stopped on her tracks at the very edge of the open grave, just in time to see her companions bravely jump one after the other. Chip Maplewood and Dale Oakmond slid down the steep walls and dropped to run on four legs across the swampy surface. They reached the spot where the other Hackwrench sister was lying half-unconscious on one side. "Gadget!" The black-nosed chipmunk quickly knelt and lifted the mouse slightly upwards in his arms, carefully holding the back of her head. "Gadget, please say something!"

"Chip?" She mud-covered witch slowly opened her eyes and smiled weakly up at her ranger. "Chip, can you believe this was… my first crash ever?"

"Is-is that so?" He let out a long breath of relief, followed by a playful grin. "You came out pretty well, I'd say"

The witch eased up into a sitting position and run her paws down the edges of the stained silk cloak. "If I must be honest, I was only fifty-one percent sure the soil would be wet enough to absorb the impact of my almost perpendicular landing. Then Gustav… Gustav came out on the last second and cradled me in his tentacles to protect me. It is thanks to him that I'm a.o.k."

Chip pulled her favorite mouse into a tight embrace, one that she accepted and returned in kind. "Looks like now I'm in debt with your octopus" He smirked all relieved.

"So am I" Gadget said as he reached to feel the chipmunk's cheek gently. Just something she had desired to do all night long.

The sweet moment was noisily broken not by Dale, but by Tammy who called out from the distance. "Heyyy! Is the witch alright?"

Dale weaved back at her with both arms extended before shouting back. "Yes she is! Hold on!" Then addressed his friends again in a much lower tone. "Man, is not like she can use her white magic on Gadget, correct?"

Another shout from the squirrel above. "Tell Gadget I can't use my white magic on her!"

"Told ya" The bard winked, and the three friends in the bottom of the grave smirked together.

"Wait a minute, guys…" Gadget leaned back with a sudden alarmed expression on her face. "What happened to Mephisto? I remember the sound of an explosion and…"

"Mephisto is dead" Chip said as he took Gadget's paw on his. "Our battle is over"

"Yeah, it's over and we are victorious!" Dale added all fired up. "Tammy kicked his butt like a goddess from the tales of old! Oh boy, I can't wait to go back home and write down this whole adventure!"

Her eyes went wide, and said, voice cracking slightly. "So my master is… he is…"

"He is not your master anymore!" The ranger assured her with a gentle squeeze on the trembling palm. "We did it, Gadget, we finally did it! You and Lawhinie are free!"

The witch didn't dare breathe. Twice she tried to speak twice before she could find the right words. "But, I… No, I don't feel any different" She finally confessed.

The chipmunks exchanged befuddled glances. "What do you mean by that?"

"I had previously compiled a list of the symptoms a soul-deprived person suffers" She explained. "Depression, emptiness, dread, lifeless breath. More importantly, only people without souls are able to cast black magic" To illustrate this, the blonde mouse made a quick prestidigitation and invoked the mirage of a flame dancing on the wet soil next to her. She looked downcast at her own creation and sighed. "See? I'm still a soulless witch"

"Your friend is right, something is wrong!" The ravens busted in agitated. "All of you, get out of here!"

The darkness behind Zipper expanded and took the shape of a human – a tall, lanky shadow of a human with malevolent, hollow pits for eyes.

"Your soul is mine" Hissed the thing, the voice echoing all around the place.