CHAPTER SIX: ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH

The four heroes soared through the crimson sky, their faces grim as they pondered the upcoming battle. They had barely survived their last encounter with Amalek...would they survive this one, when he was at full power? But now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. First they had to find Amalek, and that was the task of the Dragons. The rest, they would worry about when they arrived.

"I've found him!" roared Quark suddenly. "I can sense his presence at...the Ebony Tower!"

Dyne's face grew dark with rage. "He dares defile such a holy place? A monument to those that died at his master's hand?"

"There is nothing Amalek would not dare to do," Quark replied quietly, although there was a furious edge in his voice that mirrored Dyne's.

"Take us in!" Dyne cried. "It's time to send this monster back to Hell where he belongs!"

The Dragons followed the scent of Amalek's aura to the Ebony Tower, a massive tower carved completely out of onyx. It seemed to materialize out of nowhere, against the bloody sky. Ghaleon's eyes narrowed coldly. He had been to The Ebony Tower once, long ago. When he had first seen it, it stood bleak and solemn, a fitting memorial to such a tragedy and loss of life. Now, Amalek's presence seemed to turn The Tower into a vile, demonic...thing. Ghaleon swore by Althena that even if he died this day, Amalek would go first.

The Dragons descended, and the heroes climbed off their backs. "Return to your caves," Dyne told them. "If we fail, you must protect The Goddess and the people."

"We shall," Quark said. Then he smiled. "But we do not believe you will fail. The four of you have much power, skill, and spirit. With this on your side, you will emerge victorious. Good luck."

The Dragons flew away, and the four heroes now stood before the massive entrance to the Ebony Tower. A fierce wind howled as it soared through the tower's turrets, as if the souls of those who died on the Blue Star were tormented by Amalek's violation, and were crying for vengeance. Preparing for battle, they entered the Tower.

*****

From the turrets of the Ebony Tower, Amalek watched the arrival of the heroes. So the Dragonmaster has arrived, he thought. He truly does command the power of the Dragons. But what does that matter? The White Dragon may have defeated me on The Blue Star, but I am more than what I once was. Much more.

His confidence suddenly faded as a new thought struck him. So if that's true, why do I still feel afraid? Why do I fear the man with the green eyes? I am Amalek, the commander of Zophar's forces! I am the soul slayer! I have crushed the hearts and spirits of thousands! How can a mere human stop me?

Reassuring himself, Amalek laughed as he realized the answer...he can't.

*****

"I don't like this," Dyne muttered as his eyes wandered around the main chamber. The chamber was well lit by magical orbs, similar to those he had seen in The White Dragon Cave. "It doesn't look like anybody's home. No traps, no monsters, nothing."

"Maybe Amalek thought that we wouldn't be able to find him and didn't bother with them," Lemia said. "Or maybe he didn't have enough power, after his spell."

"Or maybe he thinks he will be more than a match for us alone," Ghaleon said grimly. "This is a demigod we're dealing with, not a power-mad mage. His power is sure to have returned by now."

"Could the Dragons have been mistaken?" Mel asked.

Dyne shook his head. "He's here, all right. And I'll bet he knows we're here too."

Mel frowned. In the past several days, he had encountered Dragons, undead armies, and demigods. He had never bothered with magic or mages, not including Lemia or Ghaleon. It wasn't his kind of battle. He preferred the clash of steel against steel, his axe biting through armor and bone. For the first time since he was an outcast child on the streets of Meribia, he truly felt out of place. After all, brute force wasn't going to do much good against a powerful demigod. But there was no way he was going to sit on the sidelines of this battle. He had never known fear or defeat in his life, and he was not about to start. Having steeled his resolve, he tightened his grip on his axe, waiting for battle.

He wasn't disappointed. Without warning, hordes of undead warriors tore through the floor, their hideous howls and foul stench filling the chamber. Their weapons scraped against each other, and malignant smiles formed on those able to show them.

Despite the danger of the situation, Dyne grinned. "At least we know we're in the right place." His companions returned the smile.

And with no further words, the battle was joined. The four heroes tore through the undead army like a hot knife through butter. Sword, axe, and magical spells struck down skeleton warriors by the dozen. Arch fiends and carrion vultures struck down by the mages' flame spells hurtled towards the floor, resembling blazing comets.

Mel launched himself at an entire battalion of skeleton warriors. He was grinning broadly, the light of battle in his eye, as warrior after warrior shattered under his massive axe. Several swords cut into him from behind, but he barely felt them as he returned each stroke. It had been far too long since he had faced odds such as these, not since long before he had met Dyne, and he reveled in it. If this was to be the day he finally died, this is how he wanted it, on his feet, with his axe stained with the blood of his enemies. The skeletons had no blood to stain his axe, but dozens of them fell. Mel remained on his feet, impatient for more.

Lemia's gaze was as cold as the ice spells she was casting on the zombie hordes. Any misapprehensions or fears she had were forced deep inside. The constant spell-casting was wearing her down, but her resolve was stronger than her fatigue. She was the heir to the Magic Guild of Vane. She had never given in to fear before, not even when her mother was almost killed in the Airship incident. She had a responsibility to fulfill, as an Ausa, as the next Guildmistress, and as one of the children of Althena. She would not let any of them down.

Ghaleon, consumed with rage, unleashed hell on as many of the undead warriors as he could. Arch fiends, zombies, mummies, and skeleton warriors all fell before the barrage of his magical attacks. All he could think of was the hundreds of innocents who had died at Amalek's hands, and the countless thousands he and his vile master Zophar had killed in The Great War. Now Amalek was about to destroy all life on Lunar. Althena should have made sure Amalek was finished after his defeat. That was one mistake of hers he vowed to correct.

Dyne lashed out at the undead hordes with Althena's Sword, choosing to preserve as much of his magic as possible for the coming battle with Amalek himself. He wouldn't have been able to concentrate on the spells anyway. His day of destiny was here, and the thought thrilled and terrified him at the same time. As much as he tried to bury his worries in the thick of combat, he couldn't help wondering if he was truly up to the task set before him. All of Lunar, his friends, The Goddess Althena...

Upon thinking of the Goddess, her gentle smile, her magical voice, Dyne felt his energy increase. He doubled his efforts, dispatching an enemy with each stroke. The undead army kept swarming him, clawing, slashing, and ripping at him, but he would not be stopped.

With the combined efforts of the Four Heroes, the undead army was vanquished in less than half an hour.

"That was easy," Dyne said with a grin.

The earth beneath them shook again, and a monstrous screech tore through the chamber, as though the earth itself was screaming. The floor of the chamber exploded in front of them, and giant skeletal monster crawled out of the newly made crater. A thick matted mane surrounded the skull, and the body was that of a massive beast. Razor-sharp wings sprouted from its back, and its tail was a serpent.

"A chimera..." Ghaleon whispered in fascination.

"Ya couldn't keep yer mouth shut, could ya?" Mel said sarcastically.

Lemia said nothing, but cast a powerful ice spell to test how tough the undead chimera was. The ice shards shattered against the monster's skull as harmlessly as glass. It roared, and a strange green ooze rapidly flowed from its mouth towards Lemia. As it caught up with her, she staggered weakly.

Dyne swore harshly. "She's been poisoned! Ghaleon, can you do something?" Ghaleon raced over to Lemia, an antidote at the ready. The chimera kicked him with one of its forelegs, sending him flying cross the room. Dyne charged, slashing wildly at the monster, but it had no effect. The chimera fired a beam from its eye, barely giving Dyne time to block with his shield. He was off-guard long enough for the chimera to slash at him with its razor-sharp wings. He dodged, but the blade of the wing ripped into his leg. He cast a quick healing spell on himself just before dodging another stab of the wings. He slashed at the creature's legs, but the blade bounced off, leaving only a slight scratch.

Mel tried to take the creature from behind, but the serpent that was its tail lashed out at him. He ducked as the serpent lunged at him, and cut off its head with an axe, along with four feet of neck. Immediately, two more necks sprouted from where the cut was made, each with a serpent's skull on the end. He struck out again, severing another head. The same thing happened. Enraged, Mel slashed wildly at the serpents with his axe. Soon, he was facing an army of serpents, hissing in anticipation. Distracted, he didn't see the chimera's rear leg lash out at him. Its talons slashed across his chest, leaving three crimson welts on his chest.

Ghaleon staggered weakly to his feet, his mind racing for a spell powerful enough to destroy this monstrosity. Then he saw Lemia trying to stay standing, the chimera's poison taking effect rapidly. A victory this day would mean little to him if one of his friends did not live to see that victory. He cast a cleansing spell on her, destroying the venom within her. The spell cost him a lot of his magical energy, but it was worth it to him to keep Lemia safe.

Lemia recovered just in time to narrowly dodge a slash of the chimera's razor-sharp wings. A strange clang echoed through the room as the wing slammed into the wall behind her. She realized that the chimera's wings were covered in metal, and that gave her an idea. Summoning as much of her power as possible, she chanted "I call upon the power of The Goddess, and the Spirit of the Wind, to smite mine enemy with the magic of the Thunder Thrust!"

Lightning tore through the roof of the tower, slamming into the chimera with incredible force. The lightning coursed through the blades of the chimera's wings until they exploded in a brilliant flash. The chimera roared with pain and pivoted on its feet, but it was obviously far from defeated.

The serpents that made up the chimera's tail howled, as if they too were in pain. Mel took advantage of their pain to start another assault. But this time, his tactics were different. Hacking away through the sea of serpents with his axe, he made its way to the tailbone of the monster. With one hefty swing, he struck the tailbone off the chimera. The serpents collapsed to the floor in a group, hissing in rage as they slowly withered away to dust. This time, no new serpents emerged to replace those that had fallen. But the chimera attacked Mel with its rear leg again, kicking him right in the head. Mel slumped groggily to the floor, but forced himself to get up and keep fighting.

Dyne kept lunging at the chimera's neck. Decapitation was the most certain way to destroy the undead. But the ruby eye-beams and powerful kicks kept him at bay. An eye-beam caught him in the leg, and he tumbled to the ground. The chimera kicked him square in the chest, sending Dyne soaring through the air before landing on a pile of debris.

The floor beneath the chimera suddenly burst into flame. Ghaleon had cast his Inferno spell, aiming right at its legs. The magical flames weakened the joints holding its legs together, and it wasn't long before the chimera's legs fell out from under it. The chimera's now-legless body crashed to the floor. The ruby rays poured from its eyes now, determined not to go down quietly.

But Dyne had recovered and was approaching now. Shielding himself from the eye-beams with the Red Dragon Shield, he advanced towards the chimera, until he got right behind its massive head. With one stroke of his blade, he severed the head from its neck. The chimera's howling stopped immediately, and skull and body withered away into nothing.

The four heroes looked at each other in relief. Their wounds were serious, and had the battle lasted longer, some of them might be dead right now. But they were in no shape to fight Amalek, and they all knew it.

Dyne closed his eyes, and began to chant. "Blue Dragon of Althena, hear my command! I call upon your power to heal our wounds and return our strength!"

The image of The Blue Dragon appeared and spread its wings. A soothing energy flowed through the heroes. All their wounds healed instantly, and they felt stronger than they had in a long time.

"Now we're ready for Amalek," Dyne said with a grim smile."

*****

Racing up the stairs to the top of the tower, the four heroes finally reached a huge, domed chamber. The walls were solidonyx, and only light came from small magical orbs hovering around the room, and a window looking over the landscape. From the view, they could see the monstrous red cloud hovering over Lunar.

All of a sudden, they heard sinister laugh. Amalek was here.

In a flash of ebony flame, he appeared. He was at full power now, and his eyes gleamed triumphantly. "You four continue to surprise me. I can't help being impressed at how easily you dispatched my minions, and at the power you possess. It's been far too long since I faced a worthy opponent."

"Glad ya enjoyed it," Mel said grimly. "Because you're next."

Amalek laughed. "You may have beaten my undead army and my chimera. But I will not fall so easily."

"Feel like testing that theory?" Lemia said.

"We're only too happy to oblige," Ghaleon added.

"Come on, Amalek," Dyne said, readying his sword. "Let's finish this."

Amalek smiled, and his eyes glowed a sinister shade of green. "If you insist..."