Alright minna, here's the next chapter -- I expect this to be over in a few
more chapters so I can finish the 9 other fics I have in the process before
my two year sabatical down south... ^_~
Enjoy, feedback is welcome!
Deus Ex Machina,
Chapter 10 of *the end is near*
PG-13
Darien looked in the direction his friend had run and sighed. Andrew was as
skilled as Darien, if not more so. He would be able to defend himself.
Time was of the utmost importance and the Lady Serena had to be rescued. He
would try to meet up with King Kashue and somehow join the recovery party.
"Andrew, you're on your own..." whispered Darien to himself as he jogged in
the opposite direction his friend had run.
Serena sighed. Too much was depending on her. She had the power at this
very moment to end the war, if that was what she desired. However, the
decision of taking that mantle upon herself was not an easy choice. Serena
didn't feel as if she belonged there. Where did she belong? Her head swam
in a tumultous flood of thoughts.
"Would you like to end everything now, young lady?"
Serena jumped. She hadn't heard anyone come in. Glancing about the room,
she found nobody else there. Was she only imagining things?
A gust of bitter wind flitted through the open window. Serena shivered and
ran over to close the window. Clouds were beginning to roll over the city.
It appeared as if a thunderstorm was rolling in. Serena shut the window and
latched it, then pulled the curtains and ran over to her bedside to light a
candle. Having done so, she sat on the edge of her bed and let out a deep
breath.
"Think about it..."
Serena spun around again. The voice was there this time. It was to real to
be her imagination. And once again she found herself alone.
"Take the kingdom, end the war... it's all their for you..."
"Who's there?" asked Serena hesitantly.
"Someone who wants to help end this silliness and get the kingdoms back
together."
Serena stepped backwards, inching towards the door.
"Princess, please... the door is locked. And I might as well tell you that
the guards outside your room have been put to sleep."
"Why are you doing this?"
"No, princess, why are you doing this? Remember... you have the power to
end everything."
Serena fell against her door and collapsed onto the floor. Tears flowed
steadily from her large blue eyes.
"Princess, what is wrong?"
Serena continued to cry. Everything was hopeless. She didn't even feel
that she belonged in this world, let alone such a small kingdom. How was
she to rule it when she didn't even know the people or the customs. There
was no chance... it may end the war, but it would never fix the overall
situation.
"I see, you are confused about who you are."
"Who are you?" screamed Serena. "What are you doing? How do you know my
thoughts?" She thrashed about violently.
"Princess, there is no reason to continue this. Look at all that you can
end by simply taking the throne. No more war, no more suffering... please,
do as you wish... I just do not want you to make a mistake such as leaving
the kingdom without a little thought..."
"GO AWAY!" screamed Usagi, jumping to her feet and madly thrashing at
everything. A knock came on the door and two guards burst into the room.
Everything was in its place. The Lady Serena lay silently in her bed, her
chest rising and falling as she slept.
One of the guards walked softly to the window and closed it. It would not
bode well for them if the Lady Serena were to catch a cold the night they
were on shift.
The door eased shut behind the guards as they resumed their posts. A figure
detached itself from the shadows of a corner. It floated rather than walked
to Serena's bedside.
"Remember my words... princess..." it whispered as it faded into the
darkness.
"ENEMY ATTACK!"
Kashue's door shattered inward.
"My king!" he shouted, bending to one knee. "Pardon the intrusion, m'lord,
but we are under attack!"
"What is the situation?" asked Kashue, clasping his armor about him.
"Unknown, sir. It appears a fire was started in the kitchens and it has
spread through nearly the entire base. Most of the civilians have been
evacuated, but we don't know where to take them. They were also waiting
outside. We have lost over half of our numbers already. We're lost, my
King."
"Nothing is lost until it has been snuffed out at the roots. What is their
focus?"
"They have already taken all of the main halls and are beginning to work
through the smaller sections."
Kashue finished with his armor and grabbed his sword. "Take me to the front
line, let us go down with a good fight."
Andrew sprang from the alleyway just as a ball of fire shot over his head.
The building behind him sprayed in a thousand different directions. The imp
chuckled playfully and eyed his quarry.
Breathing heavily, Andrew ran for the imp, vaulting himself from a statue at
the flying creature. He swung twice in midair, missing both times as the
imp effortlessly flew out of the way. Cursing, Andrew spun around the
minute he touched the ground.
"Why don't you creatures just die?" he shouted.
The imp cackled maniacally. Its lips curled back in a sardonic sneer. A
small tear appeared in the air next to it, and it reached in to remove
another spear. Andrew had the distinct feeling that the creature didn't
want to fight fair.
The creature stabbed downward as Andrew leapt backward. The spear tip
buried itself into the cobblestones. Sensing a chance, Andrew jumped
forward to attack the imp as it tried to dislodge its spear. Sacrificing
force for speed, Andrew swung his sword in an arc through the air. Not even
the imp was fast enough to avoid the blow completely. The sword sliced
through half of the creature's left wing. It howled in pain and fell to the
ground.
Andrew stepped forward and hefted his sword into the air.
"Perhaps I am about to answer my own question, demon..."
He thrust the sword downward with all his might, but it simply sparked from
the cobblestones. The creature had disappeared. Andrew looked around
nervously. A cackle split the silence from behind him. The imp stood on
the ground, facing him, a spear held in its two hands. Somehow, the
creature had grown. It now stood six feet tall. Andrew sighed. The fight
was far from over.
Throwing caution to the wind, he charged. This fight would end one way or
the other...
The sad sounds of church bells filled the cold room as Serena stirred in
bed. She sat up and stretched. What was going on? She pulled a robe
around her and hurried to the window. Unlatching it, she threw it open.
A procession walked the main street. Commoners lined the streets, heads
bowed. No words were uttered among the crowds. A light fog had settled
down from the night before.
Serena wondered what could be going on. She continued to watch with great
interest as a procession of soldiers marched through the vacated main road.
Several well-dressed men walked amidst the soldiers, bearing a large wooden
board between them. Laid on the board was the king, his eyes closed and
features peacefully at rest. He was garbed in the clothing of his royalty,
and his crown was still perched on his head.
The procession ended at the town center, where the king was placed on top of
a stone table. An elderly gentleman shouted out to the people, his hands
outraised. Serena couldn't make out the words from her distance. The man
walked over to the king and removed the crown. He then gestured to a torch
bearer, who stepped forward and lit the wood surrounding the king.
Everyone watched as the body of their king was taken up into smoke and
lifted to the heavens.
A lump rose in Serena's throat. Now that the king was gone, what was she to
do? If she did not take the throne, would they still allow her to leave
alive? Not very likely, she thought.
She sighed deeply as a loud knock thumped on her door.
Kashue ran blindly down the halls. How had the enemy managed to track them
down so quickly? Where had they come from? How had the fire started? Had
he really been so naive as to believe they wouldn't be found hidden away in
the mountains?
Smoke was now filling the passageways at an alarming rate. All of his men
had been killed, by a host of shadow-creatures. There had not even been
time to react. Blood flowed freely from the gash in Kashue's side. His
kingdom was over. He would not be able to survive long enough to rebuild
it. Thus resigned to his own fate, the king stumbled through the
underground maze to find the lever that would allow him to collapse the
mountain in on itself. True, it was to be a final way of escape, but there
would no longer be any reason to hold this place. He may die here
underground, but he would take many with him...
Kashue spun around the corner, nearly running over Kasumi.
"How fare your ninja?" asked Kashue.
"My clan has all evacuated, my King."
"You too, best be leaving Kasumi, if you wish to live. I have set myself to
die in this place. The Terindyan Kingdom is fallen, and it shall pass from
this land."
Kasumi grinned evilly. "As I had planned."
Kashue faltered as he found a knife buried in his chest to the hilt. He
coughed and tasted blood in his mouth. Kasumi's eyes glowed an evil red.
The king fell to one knee, holding a hand on the knife's handle which
protruded from his chest.
"I see..." he whispered hoarsely. "Even those closest to me have left my
side..."
Kasumi disappeared into the shadows, allowing the king to die in peace.
Battle waged despearately between the combatants in the fallen castle.
Andrew found himself quickly running out of steam, but the imp seemed to
grow stronger and stronger as the fight continued. Weary, he slumped to one
knee and kept an eye on his opponent.
The creature howled into the air. It dropped down, as if to sprint at
Andrew, and raised its spear in one hand. Andrew braced for the attack. He
ground his foot into the ground so he could launch himself into the fight.
And there, as the sun set, two figures pounced towards each other. Their
silhouttes merged as one before passing. And the shadows stood silent for a
moment as the figures stood, facing away from each other.
Andrew dropped his sword. His arm bled profusely from a gash which had
nearly cut to the bone.
The imp stood for a moment, an expression of horror mingled with surprise
touched its grotesque face. And then it slumped to the ground, where it
turned to a pile of dust and flittered away in the wind.
Tearing a piece of cloth from his tunic, Andrew bound his injury and
retrieved his sword. He turned away to leave the city, possibly to never
again return. The foremost thought on his mind was to find the king and
somehow mount a counterattack onto the Northern Kingdom.
He left the city just as the sun passed low behind the mountains. It would
be easier to travel at night. And he didn't have much time. Andrew knew
without a doubt that the imp's spear had been poisoned. His time was
limited.
Darien crested the mountain directly behind the castle. Not only was this
the quickest path to the Northern Kingdom, but he could recruit help from
the King. Smoke rose in a pillar to the sky. Darien looked down into the
valley below. The horizon glowed a hazy orange. The caves were under
attack.
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It's the ever-popular choose-your-own (rather, the lists') path:
1. Darien runs to the aid of the base below.
2. Darien continues onward to the Northern Kingdom.
3. Darien sits down and refuses to move... (okay, so I couldn't think of
any more...)
-- TLP ^(=)^