I absolutely always want to shout out my incredible beta, ValancyJane for all of the hard work and commitment she has towards this story! It wouldn't be as amazing without all of her help! Please give her work a look, shes a fantastic writer!
I'm not dead, I swear it! However, I am on a mini-hiatus due to pregnancy, work, and basically life. Which means I will upload when I find time to write, but will finish the stories. AFTD is my absolute passion and I assure you, this story is approaching its ending. I hope you enjoy this installment!
ooooooooo
"Sound, touch, vibration." Eyes shut, Haley repeated those words in a whisper while patting the texture of the rooftop's banister. With her breathing steady, and ears sharp, she focused on everything around her.
The dead didn't need oxygen, but whether it be muscle memory, or the soul's innate desire for life, their bodies mimicked all natural functions. Catching these actions required intense focus, but they gave away Diarmuid's location. So did the oscillation from his footsteps, the shift in the air, and the tiniest ring of metal from adjusting his grip on Gae Dearg.
Sound, touch, vibration. Diarmuid's instruction was replayed as sweat slipped down Haley's cheek, undeterred from the brisk breeze.
While the Psychic was used to enhancing her perceptions with magic, this recent discourse buried her in sensory overload. The flapping of a bone-bird's wings and the cracking of its talons as it landed on a surface. The whistles of wind, whilst trying to discern it from her sparring partner's movements.
Teeth clenched, Haley swung her arm and caught the length of her Knight's spear at its edge, the sting from the blade trickling blood down her wrist as she sighed.
"Does this count as a block?"
"You have successfully predicted my blade's path," Diarmuid withdrew his weapon to his side, "But it is still not enough." At Haley's dejected slump of her shoulders he added, "Though I assure you, it is great progress given the freshness behind your ailment."
The corner of her lip turned slightly upward, even if her expression yet reflected sorrow. It was progress, the Irishman presumed, as he craned his gaze towards the lowering sun. Its rays warmed the low temperature of his body, but did nothing to soothe the labyrinth of his worry. There wasn't enough time to build enough skill to take on Gilgamesh. With serious adjustments to their initial strategy made, what was most imperative to him was his Lady's adaptation to all her hardships.
Be that as it may, Diarmuid willed success in the manner of surviving no matter what contrivances be in their way. With that thought in mind, he readied his spear. "Alright, ready yourself again, Haley. There is more we shall try to focus on before the sun completely sets."
—
The warm draft carried the scent of the salty sea. Gilgamesh dawdled his way through the archway that overlooked the Arena, head lowered and eyes closed. His golden armor gleamed brighter than the sun as he ignored the glares by the members of the lowly Panel, and blocked out the obnoxious onlookers.
The King of Heroes snagged his bejeweled Throne chair and dragged it across the open air to sit above the peasants milling beneath him. Leaning on his knuckles, the blonde cast his wine-colored gaze down upon the filth that studied him. The lowly beings didn't deserve to look upon him, but he would disregard them; he would play his little role.
"Mongrels before me, although your journey shall indeed end here, I'll at the least grant you praise for reaching my Greatness!" Gilgamesh raised his right hand high, conjuring the barrier around the mortal and the former Heroic Spirit below him, "Now, behold your demise!"
Haley flinched, something was off about the Demi-God's intentions. The bloodlust she felt didn't match the manner of his words.
"To which manner of fighting shall we take, King of Heroes?" Diarmuid asked dryly.
"Tch, SILENCE, Mongrel, I can have your head for speaking out of turn!" Gilgamesh stood with a jerk. "Now, complete these challenges brought forth against you," Snapping his fingers, Gilgamesh smirked at the petty beings, primed to trifle with them at last. "Conquer the depth of the seas, my creations that shall ravage you—and despair as you lose everything like the vile savages you are!"
Gilgamesh's smug grin spread as wide as his arms, an aureated light embellishing his form, blinding everyone. Waves rescinded and thrashed about the Arena, almost too fast for Diarmuid to react; he yanked Haley as she yelped into his side and leaped to the only place on the beach that hadn't been engulfed by sea water.
Beneath him the earth rumbled, giving no time for the pair to react before they were plunged skyward. The sand solidified into a tall pillar, leaving them stranded at the center of the raging ocean. Haley's enhancement magic stirred, readying her for whatever was to come, but…
"Diar, I can't swim," she muttered, clinging to his tunic with a shiver.
Diarmuid huffed at this new information. After spending every second together, there was still more to learn about his Lady, and at the worst of times. Crashing waves slapped around them, the sky thundering fiercely as his "Majesty" seated himself and vanished into the thick, roiling grey clouds.
It was a wonder why they had temporarily been stripped of weapons, yet now it was clear. Just as their key of Knowledge permitted that fateful day, Gilgamesh had his own games in mind, and ones that didn't include the Gate of Babylon. Haley thought that a blessing, not having to dodge and clash with vast arrays of Noble Phantasms of all Heroes. However, now they both stood confused and unsure what was expected of them.
"Are we to battle the sea, King Gilgamesh?!" Diarmuid shouted into the gusts of wind, garnering no response. He surveyed the Arena around him.
"Conquer the seas," Haley mumbled bits of Gilgamesh's speech, "There has to be some sort of hint." She nibbled her lip, attempting not to be overloaded by the gales of wind, wild waves, and booming thunder.
"If there is, we must think of it hastily." Diarmuid warned, spying the sand crumbling at its edges. The column began shrinking in size, readying them soon to be swallowed by the rising tides.
Bursts of wind whined too near; eddying water plunged into the turbulent waters. Haley bit her lip hard, not needing sight to know the storm was barreling closer to their tiny refuge. Adding to their woes, overwhelming exhaustion took hold of her. Her body felt sluggish, her eyelids heavier than bricks.
"Whatever shall you do? The longer you remain, the sleepier the mortal will become." Gilgamesh spoke, his voice rivaling thunder.
Why did that sound familiar to Haley? Sleepiness, a terrifying ocean, "Conquer the depths of the seas"
Realization struck— "Gilgamesh's myth!"—just as a funnel of water submerged Diarmuid and Haley within it, swirling viciously, stealing oxygen from their lungs and replacing it with salty fluid.
Diarmuid despised his uselessness at being spun and lifted in a whirlpool. Yet he forced open an eye, kicking against the reeling current to shove the drowning lady out of it. Haley, once you feel me push, with all your might, push back!
The woman barely managed a nod, knocking back and forth in her attempts to remain upright and retain her breath. At that moment, the water spun, flipping over Diarmuid. In frustration, he bent his knees and punted her right in the gut, knocking both of them out on opposite ends of the spout.
Air whisked free from Haley's agape mouth while she screeched. Down, down, and down she plummeted, arms flailing to catch hold of anything. Her back answered in sharp pain from the impact, as the ocean consumed her whole.
Chuckling, Gilgamesh tugged at his rectangular earring. The fools. It was a good plan until their uncalculated approach held too great a power. A blind woman scrambling in a turbulent ocean who seemingly cannot swim? "Heal your eyes, damned woman."
Gilgamesh's outburst rang against Diarmuid's ears, holding some merit as his muscles protested against the waves. He loved the ocean, had even been gifted a home near it as he'd always wanted during his tryst with the Loathly Lady (however short-lived that had been). He now despised it, fighting it with all his might simply to guide Haley to the pillar.
Once he steered her safely to the stalagmite, Haley began through ragged coughs, "Diar, at the bottom of the sea, that's where Gilgamesh found a plant of youth," she paused, catching her breath. "I think that's what conquering the sea means!"
The idea was uncertain, but all they had. Diarmuid readied to dive. "Haley, if I am to venture the depths, can you manage here?"
"I don't know, but if the water is too deep, I can't guarantee I'll be able to hold my breath long enough." It didn't help that the rough waters required her grip to be enhanced with magic, something that wouldn't last much longer, either.
"I shall try to be quick," Diarmuid stated, putting a reassuring hand on her soaked shoulder, "But if I cannot retrieve it, think on Gilgamesh's declaration. If you could see, it would be easy for you to rise to the top of the pillar."
Haley rested her forehead on the rock wall in frustration. "You could just as easily guide me to the top without my eyes. Just go!"
"Then let me—"
"GO!"
Silencing himself, Diarmuid nosedived into the ocean as commanded. What would this plant even look like? He had not thought to ask, too absorbed with convincing Haley to heal her sight. Just briefing the topic resulted in her shutting down like a turtle retracting into its shell.
He needn't be distraught over this now. The further the Warrior descended, the murkier the waters became. Had Gilgamesh ventured this same sea, or was this a twist on his experience to add to the difficulty of completing his challenge?
The tar-like substance clung to him like glue, impeding Diarmuid from swimming further. He struggled, pulling his right arm free, but the movement only stuck his hand elsewhere. Unable to decline deeper, how was he to find this plant? Regrettably, he needed Haley. If she could clear a path for him, he might manage, but in this moment—
The current shifted, tumbling Diarmuid into the thickest portions of black ooze that hinted at two specks of orange light in the distance. The ocean rumbled, the lights multiplying in pairs as the shape of what approached took form. Large men of stone swelled in size, surrounding the trapped Knight. To his side, Gae Dearg appeared. Squirming, he reached for it, needing anything to abate the towers of stone readying to attack him.
With no access to the Throne of Heroes' vast knowledge of Heroic Spirits, Diarmuid relied on his Lady's input. Haley, what of tar or Stone Men do you know of in Gilgamesh's myth?
They were killed by him, but were supposed to help him find the plant, she replied; but her telepathic voice sounded strained.
Are you alright?
No, the exhaustion Haley felt earlier amplified with every second, and the water spouts continued to multiply. She relayed the message, clinging to the hope finding the plant would shift their situation. She heard the sound of clicking legs instead.
Her head whipped up in the direction where she recognized insect legs crawling towards her. Freaked, the woman manipulated the waves of psychic energy to fling whatever approached her off the pillar. To her shock, some dodged, as if predicting where her invisible power would land.
"Foresight," Gilgamesh answered her silent question. "My scorpions' intelligence is vastly unlike the brainless beasts this tournament has gifted you."
The Monarch centered his attention upon the wretch beneath the ocean, sneering as he spied the Irishman had not answered the bait to fight, and instead had let the Stone Men clear his path to the next layer of the ocean. This was similar to his fight with Loki, where he somehow understood or propitiously figured out Loki's son wanted his sword in exchange for the man's freedoms.
This game began to lose its interest. If he were to deter them further, and force the woman to do as desired, he needed to add pressure. Fingers snapping, the pillar's edges collapsed faster. Gilgamesh would leave not the narrowest sliver of land for the mortal to cling to.
Rocks rained from above, in addition to soccer-ball sized scorpions snapping their claws to overwhelm Haley. She knocked away a few with her free hand, desperately gripping onto the formation that quickly fell apart. Never quite feeling so pathetic, she called out to Diarmuid, Have you found anything?! I-I am about to be left stranded in the ocean to feed his beasts!
Diarmuid fared little better. From the darkness, a ferocious dragon-like snake attacked. The head and face belonged to a viper, while the long body had black and red glittering scales. It slithered through the ocean with terrifying accuracy thanks to the flippers at its side and tail fin. It had not measured alike to the monstrous reptile from Loki's challenge, but its fangs were a thousand times more vicious.
Shattered boulders speared through the water, turning the deep ocean turbulent like the waves above as the serpent barreled like a freight train through the Stone-men. His only help was turned to rubble whilst he evaded the snapping jaws of this creature, leaving Diarmuid with little options to swim towards the surface.
Use your power to float, My Lady, and fight, as I slay this serpent! That was all the Knight could think of to temporarily remedy their situation. With Gae Dearg in hand, Diarmuid fought for stability and prepared for the dragon's return. Yet this was its domain, and in the seconds he had before its next strike he pondered if there were any chance at victory at all.
Gilgamesh guffawed at the duo's pathetic struggle and dwindling control. They could never dream of conquering what he'd put forth in their current condition. Moreover, he wanted them to undertake more and beg for his mercy while he plucked their pride.
The tower of solace to which the woman clung came crashing down, splintering her shot at staying above water. Gilgamesh's temper spiked as the woman rode the resulting waves, missing the volley of debris whilst taking minimal damage from the spare rocks she was unable to dodge. So, she still required his intervention?
Head dipping, the white of his teeth showed as Gilgamesh gritted them, his crimson eyes hinting at a glow. "Go, my beasts! Slaughter the weak whose eyes yet remain closed!"
The enhanced scorpions positioned themselves above water, with no fear of sinking. Once, the only woman worthy of the King's eyes had done the same. They whipped their tails to sting and poison their victim who admirably remained above water. She was capable, using her power to stay above the surf and not drown by their sheer numbers. Too bad that was all she could do.
Haley's body grew sluggish. Claws sank through her tunic and shredded her skin. Behind her, the roaring whirlpools grew louder as she neared them, the water wicked and unforgiving. With having no weapon and it being near impossible to stay afloat, her power drained, the taste of liquid salt burning her throat. One minute there was oxygen, the next her nostrils and wounds filled with the ocean.
Healing the damage was brief, for every time she snapped the tail or arm off one scorpion, three more took their place. Most predicted her every move! Panic was a nasty thing, settling into her struggling lungs and burning flesh while obstructing critical thinking. It was useless, and though she was terrified, she drew her deepest breath and ducked her head just below the surface.
The tips of all five fingers cradled Gilgamesh's face as he withheld his cackle. "Ah-hah! So desperate are you that you drown yourself? Ridiculous! Now, Hedammu, show them their labors are in vain! You have an even easier meal awaiting you at the peak of the ocean!"
—
Evading the snake was an admirable feat and a useless one. Every second it veered past, Diarmuid risked losing a limb. He slashed down with Gae Dearg, but his motions felt enervated in the water. When it raced past for the hundredth time, mouth agape, starving for his flesh, he let it clamp on his torso.
Pain sang in his crushed, dormant organs, yet his agony hadn't deterred the blade of Gae Dearg. It skewered the Serpent's gills, a crimson flow flooding the waters as he dragged the blade through the creature's side towards its eye and yanked it free. The screech that came forth sent shockwaves through his bones and rippled in the ocean, but the damage wasn't nearly enough.
The beast was not finished. It recoiled, barreling toward the injured Knight. Arms shaking, he brought Gae Dearg across his front to take the force of the snake's mouth, the relentless force of the viper's strikes inevitably pressing him to sink deeper into the black murk of the sea.
At the corner of his eye, Diarmuid caught a green sparkle, corroborating Haley's suspicions about what they must obtain. He reached out for it, unable to grasp the herb before being swung upwards when the snake released his Spear.
"Ah-hah! So desperate are you that you drown yourself? Ridiculous! Now, Hedammu, show them their labors are in vain! You have an even easier meal awaiting you at the peak of the ocean!"
Diarmuid hunched over his anguished body, jerking his head upward at Gilgamesh's gleefully malicious command. He cannot mean—!
There was no need to finish: the sea-dragon—nay, Hedammu—had new prey. He swiveled, tail slapping Diarmuid further away from the prize below and launched.
Petrified, the Knight heavily weighed his options and clenched his eyes shut at his decision. He plunged deeper, refusing to acknowledge the pain in his gut. There wasn't a chance he'd make it to the surface swiftly enough to battle the snake in his condition (or even if he were in pristine shape) it mattered only to retrieve the plant. If he did, then the challenge would be won.
Diarmuid relayed that conclusion as quickly as he thought it, and although Haley agreed, it didn't settle well. Clouds of ink smeared his vision the closer he got to the herb. His empty lungs betrayed him, becoming clogged with the gas. Foam gathered at his mouth like a rabid dog, but he pressed onward towards the lambent green plant.
It resembled a folded rose, its roots snug in the sand. Even as his eyes blackened, and his lungs shriveled from intoxication, its beauty hummed a calming tune. His hands cradled the blooming petals, while vines grew, wrapping their thorny edges around his body and resolving the Knight's strife in reward.
BA-BOOM!
Suddenly, Diarmuid's heart pulsed, sounding like a banged drum and snapping his transfixed gaze in Haley's direction. Deeply engraved with the God's magic, the crystal etched upon his chest the day he accepted his Lady's gracious offer alerted him to her imminent danger. Once, the connection between Master and Servant through the command seals made this possible, but in this place, the effects shifted. The seal granted a miracle: this crystal spoke to his Lady's impending death.
Having the plant in hand wasn't enough.
—
Piercing demonic energy approached her; that much Haley knew by the shifted tides. She managed a gulp of air before her leg was sniped by what she gathered was the jaws of a humongous beast. It crossed her mind to thrust her psychic power downard to eject her into the sky, but rejected the idea as the tumultuous wells of water surrounded the battlefield. She'd be shot down or drowned in an instant.
Its name sounded familiar, but wasn't anything Haley could place specifically. Wait this out. That was her plan, having no weapon to defend herself. Gilgamesh couldn't kill her, only fatally wound his contestants before declaring their loss. Healing the exaggerated damages negated that, or so she had imagined.
This creature's four fangs sank deep into her flesh, snapping bones, almost severing them entirely. The pain wasn't new, but still her screams were as raw as the muscles being snared bit by bit. This beast, 'Hedammu', slithered through the ocean and thrashed her cruelly, like a wolf toying with its prey. It didn't matter how fast she healed, her chest flooded with water, and her brain fell into a haze. She was too tired, too weak.
Gilgamesh's laughter boomed. Haley begged to hear anything else before her consciousness broke but his demeaning voice taunted her instead. Something about being able to see? Damn it all, why had everyone ascribed her value based solely on her sight?! Even with complete vision…
No, she would admit there were minor benefits. Calculations could be perfect knowing the full size, or where the eyes settled to predict the next portion of her it intended to eat. Perhaps she could locate a tight space where it couldn't reach her until Diarmuid retrieved the plant. Even so, she wanted nothing of it.
Haley refused to repent any other way. She put absolute faith in Diarmuid. A faint rictus of a smile dawned and faded upon her drawn features as she collapsed, either from shock or the unbearable strain of her continued, anguished existence.
The frown on Gilgamesh's face was as violent as the sea. It took this long for the spell to knock the woman out and all the while, her partner managed to retrieve the Plant of Youth. Despicable and lackluster; disgusting and vile, were these two pathetic beings. No valiant strength, no beauty of collaboration, merely recklessness and feeble optimism.
Disgusting.
Her blood had sullied his trial and weakened any value. The quakes rattling his ocean added to his rising ire. His glower drifted to the piercing pair of tangerine eyes. Out of the foggy midsts erupted the final Granite Giant, his grandest treasure.
This colossal being retrieved Diarmuid, whose one hand snagged his shoulder. The Knight's will alone commanded the Stone. Just by pointing, it understood, its massive hands clutching tightly on Hedammu's throat. His fingertips spattered the dragon's blue blood, yanking him down.
Despite it all, the Sea-Dragon refused to release Haley, who lay limp in his maw. This infuriated the Knight, now angrier than he'd ever been. In answer to his unnatural fury, the Stone-Man claimed his hands on the top and bottom of the Sea-Snake's mouth, prying open his muzzle with a snap that cracked the creature's jawbone. However…
…in the massive dragon's recoil, his tail thrashed violently. The enormous mass of stone recoiled, swaying his hands too slowly to catch it. Diarmuid's hapless body was caught up in the powerful fray, smashing against the tailfin and losing the herbal prize required for victory. It sank just out of reach as the beast released Haley, leaving the Knight with no choice. There was only one prize that guided his heart.
Diarmuid set out immediately to claim Haley's floating, berated body and transport her to the surface. He'd leave the dragon and stone to their battles. Never would he regret choosing the life of his Lady over their sole chance of victory but their failure tasted sour in his salt-stung mouth, nevertheless.
He spared one aggrieved look at the sinking treasure, his hope crumbling alongside the Stone-Man, the plant snatched away by Hedammu's flipper before vanishing into the gloom of the unforgiving ocean.
—
With the challenge over, the spell holding the woman to sleep had lifted; the sheepish female bucked and cried out pathetically, magic surrounding her in a frenzy. Gaps in her flesh healed, organs reworked themselves for both her and her partner, yet the King of Heroes was not pleased.
In a wink, the water rescinded into one of Gilgamesh's portals, his disappointment unmatched. Neither of them had performed to the Demi-God's standards, and they would be held accountable for wasting his time and efforts.
"It is not over! Now with your pathetic loss, I shall claim what is mine for the waste of time, this woman's pitiful life!"
Diarmuid—who held a steady hand over Haley's back—instinctively stood in front of her. "You cannot claim her life! Such things are against the rules of the Arena!" Diarmuid spat, searching the Panel behind them for any assistance. Their troubled gazes danced between each other, though Loki sat with intrigue.
Gilgamesh laughed, "Fool, I AM the rules!"
The Demi-God withdrew an Ax from his treasury and landed firmly on the Arena's rejuvenated platform. Diarmuid brandished Gae Dearg, looking pleadingly towards the panel, who remained seated. He damned the rules to hell.
"I shall not allow you to harm her, no matter the cost!"
The Monarch narrowed his eyes at the bold defiance. "Then I shall grant your desire here and now." Behind him, the Gate opened more portals, flinging spare weapons at the former Hero.
For Diarmuid, this was the style of combat he recognized back from the Holy Grail War. Unlike Berserker, he didn't feel the need to capture the weapons coming his way, but instead twirled his spear where needed to deflect the incoming weapons. With Gilgamesh refusing to relent, the arrogant King would need to fall. The distance wasn't far, only 100 feet between them. Annoyingly, weapons shot at him from all angles, requiring Diarmuid to scatter around the Arena to avoid getting sliced in two.
"This doesn't make sense! Stop!" Haley cried. Why was this allowed? Had Loki been slighted so badly from their victory he let Gilgamesh have his way? Was this punishment for succeeding this far? The cost of trampling on others' desires, and going against her promise?
Was their suffering never to end?
Their situation was bleak, like the ringing of metal clashing with no victor, and detrimental to their success if the Knight neared. It was stupid, all their effort wasted for merely succeeding in the Arena. For defending themselves against someone who arrogantly defied the rules.
Haley had enough. She couldn't let Diarmuid face him alone. If he valiantly rejected this overreach, then she would too. They would go down united; a death she would be proud of. She would think of that wretched fate later.
Standing with her fists to her side, she enhanced her hearing. Focused on the humming in the air and redirected something accelerating ahead, guiding it towards the buzzing of the barrier. The sizzling confirmed impact, but a low burring caught her attention. Magic flowed behind her with dangerous precision. Haley stumbled forward, avoiding the unknown weapons hissing behind her.
"Hmph, I had wondered what had taken you so long to rebuke your fate. Too bad for you both that it is in vain," Gilgamesh snickered, the Gate of Babylon emblazing the Arena, opening wider.
Diarmuid was forced to halt from the blinding light, and shielded his eyes. He had seen its brilliance before, but here, in his most powerful form, Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm trumped all. He retreated backward, wanting only to shield Haley. However, gilded chains appeared through golden rings, binding Diarmuid's arms and legs, locking him in place.
"What is the point of this?! Gilgamesh!"
Gilgamesh ignored the question, posing his weapons to strike the maker of that noise in the heart and head once he took care of his business. "Your resistance is admirable, yet impudent! I'll take great pleasure in punishing you with her merciless death."
Diarmuid grappled with the irons that bound him tighter. "No! Enough! There is no honor nor reason in this!"
Honor, glory. Pitiful. What sort of place is this land to ever consider such things? No, in the Underworld only the cunning survived.
"I won't let you." Haley said as she took a step back, maxing her senses. She refused to die, to let Diarmuid suffer for her incompetence.
Gilgamesh merely chuckled, strolling over to the feeble woman who stumbled backwards. He readied his ax, "An empty vessel you soon shall be."
Haley heard the slice of air before it stabbed at her pregnable chest. She waved her hand, angling the blade enough it carved open her torso. Blood coated her in an instant, and the panicked psychic energy she released knocked her backwards onto her rear. The hard platform had her tailbone ringing, but it served to remind her of photographic memory, and touch.
She gathered herself in a second, her palms transmitting the vibrations of Gilgamesh's footsteps as he crossed the short distance between them. Haley gambled on her recollection of the Arena tiles to be correct, as she sent telekinetic waves to raise the ground beneath the Mesopotamian's feet.
Gilgamesh's scowl was monstrous as he was launched—rocket-like—a few feet into the sky. "Enough with your unruliness!"
The Demi-God expanded the realms of his Noble Phantasm, surrounding the entire platform with his arsenal. He would ruin the women and then—!
Dread filled Diarmuid's heart: there was no defense against the expanse of Gilgamesh's attack. Haley would be shredded to pieces. Butchered like an animal. Yet the Heroic Spirit hesitated, a shockwave of magical energy engulfing the Arena.
Silence. Pure silence stretched for a grand length of time before the Gate of Babylon completely shut, and Gilgamesh lowered his hand to his side.
"Hmph, so be it then. Prepare for the punishment trials." Gilgamesh spat the words, turning away from the helpless woman who dropped to her knees.
The barrier fell, and the chains choking Diarmuid's body were released in a forceful gust. His knees met cold stone, but he was already bolting. Haley was pure tremors, her slated-blue eyes glazed over by staggered shock. Slowly, the Knight knelt at her side, wrapped his arms around her and tugged her to his chest.
Immediately Haley returned the embrace, her sobs echoing against the surrounding silence.
ooooooooo
Gilgamesh. He is the bane of my existence, and I hate him. No really, I do. I do not understand what provoked me to include him, but alas, here he is. I wanted this chapter to highlight his myth, while also diverging from it so it wouldn't be a blatant copy and adding SOMETHING from Mesopotamian myth. I don't know if I did that well, but i don't hate the chapter as much as I thought. I wish I could've thought of more characterization for Gil, and I really tried, I really did, but this was the best I could do with a character I really never should have included in the first place. I hope what I put forth makes sense, there were some breadcrumbs here and there I assure you, and well. Now comes the the ending percentage of the story. Were in the final quarter, and I hope you're as excite as me to watch things come together! 3
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