Graydon had only been telling half the truth when it came to who was
watching behind the thin wall. Someone was indeed watching the progress of
the battle, but it wasn't any of Kurt's friends and it wasn't to make sure
the game was done fairly either. St. John and some of his soldiers were
watching to see if Graydon needed any help. When Kurt pounced on top of
him, St. John sent his soldiers running to the room as he headed for the
dungeons, going to plan B.
Graydon's orders had been precise when it came to what happened if the blue freak got the better of him in the battle. St. John opened the cell door that he thought had Rogue and he found only the Russian, Erik, and the one called Logan. Shrugging inwardly, he ordered them out of their cells. When they refused to move, he used a nearby torch to make a fire whip.
As St. John lifted the whip to lash out at them, Piotr ran into him and rammed him up against the wall, giving Logan and Erik the time they needed to look for the keys to their collars. Before they could use them, St. John sent an arrow of fire through Erik's hand, making it useless.
"You're really getting on my nerves." Logan growled, narrowing his eyes. Without thinking about it, his claws shot and he lashed out at St. John, ripping his face off without further ado. Looking at his claws, he raised his eyebrows and shrugged as he got the keys and opened the cell doors.
"Looks like the collar only works for my healing factor!" he said, slicing off the collar calmly. When all of the doors were unlocked and the collars were off, Raven had a plan all set up as soon as she looked down at St. John's body and up the stairs.
"We need to get upstairs and find Graydon. He took my son up there two hours ago and I haven't heard anything about him. I don't even know what he's doing to him." She said seriously.
"We need to destroy the crystal as well. If we leave this castle and Graydon still has it in his possession, it will be like this all over again, but I fear we won't be able to stop him that time." Xavier said calmly.
"We don't even know where it is, pops! What are we going to do; run around the castle with guards chasing after us looking for this damned thing?" Bobby asked, cocking an eyebrow arrogantly. Xavier looked at him calmly and sent a swift mental slap that sent him sprawling on the ground.
"Do not be smart with me, Bobby Drake." He said. "I could melt your brain and then reshape it to look like a peanut. Although, something tells me that is the exact shape and size it is all ready."
"Look, we'll split up in two groups. Chuck, you pick a group and go after the crystal while I go and try to help the elf with whatever problems he's going through with the king right now." Logan said, giving Bobby a shut-the-hell-up-right-now look.
Kurt shoved Graydon against one of the torches, sending it smashing to the ground on one of the curtains, setting it on fire a few moments later as the two battled on. Blows were deflected while others hit their marks, both of them bleeding from their various wounds.
Kurt had lost one of his rapiers when he charged at Graydon and slashed across his face. It wouldn't have been able to be used anyway; since Graydon had been able to stab into his right arm deep enough to make him unable to even lift it. Now he fought, his right arm pressed against his chest.
When the soldiers were finally able to break through the door, Graydon quickly took that time to retreat and shouted for them to kill Kurt now. Kurt waited for the men to get close before he lashed out like wild, using his blade, fangs, and claws to kill and maim them, sending the one survivor running from the room.
Seeing the room blazing, Graydon turned around and followed after the guard, his sword still in his hands. He shouted out orders as he ran by guards, too terrified to turn around to face the thudding sounds of Kurt's feet coming after him at a charge.
Kurt leapt up into the air, ready to take Graydon down when Logan reached the top of the stairs instead. Before he could teleport, he landed on top of Logan and the two of them fell back down the stairs. With a crash they landed on top of Warren, his feathers flying all over.
"Kurt! What the hell happened to you?" Logan cried, pushing him back so he could sit up. "You fought him didn't you?" he asked, looking at his wounded arm. When he saw the marks on his back and shoulders, he looked Kurt in the eyes and raised his eyebrows slightly in question.
"You should see the vounds I gave him aftervards." Kurt said weakly. "I ran mein claws through his cheeks!" he laughed faintly. When he looked up at Raven, his smile died away slowly and his tail flicked faintly as he slowly tried to stand up.
"Graydon is trying to get avay from us." He said, looking at the ground. "Ve need to catch him now before it is too late. Zhe castle is starting to burn from a toppled over torch. Zhis place is not going to last long if it spreads."
"Are you sure you wouldn't want one of us to help you get out of here?" Raven asked, resting a hand on his shoulder lightly. Kurt flinched slightly but he looked at her and shook his head.
"Nein, mutter. I vant to see Graydon suffer." He said. "Help me valk." He leaned heavily on Raven, gritting his teeth as they climbed up the steps once more. Turning his head to face his mother, he pressed his mouth against her ear and whispered so only she could hear him.
"You never told us Graydon vas mein half-brother, mutter! You hid zhat from me for years und zhat is vhat he used against me vhen he vhipped me vith mein sword!" Raven gasped softly, looking at Kurt with wide eyes. He looked away quietly, muffling a groan as his back starting to sting once more.
Tilting his head up slowly, choosing to ignore what Kurt was saying with his mother, his hearing able to pick up every word he had said, he sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes, pointing left.
"We need to go this way!" he said, starting off without another word about it. Frowning slightly, Kurt stopped and pointed right, pulling his mother in that direction as well.
"Graydon vent zhis vay, Logan!" he said. Suddenly, a soldier on fire came running down the hall from that direction. He was screaming wildly and his arms flailed around uselessly as he headed right for them. Scooping up a small pebble, Remy charged it and hurled it at the guard, killing him swiftly before he got too close to them.
"I t'ink dat be y' answer 'bout dat way, homme!" he said, watching the fire start to spread onto a tapestry. "If we go dat way, we gonna git 'urt from dat fire y' started!" he said.
"We also need to help Chuck get the crystal since we can't reach Graydon, Elf!" Logan added. "Come on!" Narrowing his eyes, Kurt waited for the others to start going before he teleported himself and Raven past the flames.
"Kurt, bring us back to the others! You're in no condition to fight anyone or anything right now!" Raven cried, looking at him worriedly. Kurt looked at her, and he started to limp down the hall.
"Ve must take care of Graydon here und now, mutter. After all, he is our family's problem now isn't he? Und our family deals vith its problems!" he said. Raven slipped under his arm and helped him walk on.
"Kurt, I know you're a little upset. . ." she started, not daring to look at him.
"A little?! Mutter, why I must learn zhis terrible secret from Graydon und not you, mein own mutter? Vhy didn't you ever tell me und Rogue vhy you stayed for four years vhen you only needed a day to do your job?!" Kurt snapped his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Because I knew you would be upset and now look at you! You're shouting at me and going on an insane mission to kill him!" Raven cried. Shaking his head a bit, Kurt looked a head and continued to walk.
"I am in no mood to argue about zhis vith you, mutter." He said simply. "I am going to do zhis und zhen it vill be over und done vith. Zhere vill be no more discussion about zhis."
"Should one of us go after him?" Bobby asked, cocking an eyebrow as he looked where Kurt had gone. When he turned back around, he saw that Logan and the others were walking on without looking back.
"Why should we? When the Elf has his mind set, it'll take an actual act of God to stop him." Scott said, shrugging a bit. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about at the moment." He added.
"Where are we supposed to find this crystal anyway? Charles went off with the others without telling us a thing about its location." Warren pointed out, looking around. Logan ran up the steps after he sniffed the air again.
"It'll be up here somewhere." He shouted down to them.
"How do you know?" Piotr asked.
"I can smell their scents from weeks ago." He said calmly. "If I can keep picking up their scents, it will lead us right to the crystal." He explained. Hearing thundering from down below, Warren turned around and he ground.
"God damn it!" he growled, spreading his wings out wide to get into the air. "Why are these people so damned stupid? The castle is on fire and these people are still trying to fight us!"
"They're desperate to do something to please their king before they leave. Taking our heads would be a good way to get on his good side." Logan said, turning around and unleashing his claws. "Let's make this quick; we fight a few, drive 'em back, and then we run up these stairs and continue to follow the scent to the crystal."
Nodding grimly, they all charged at the soldiers, screaming wildly as mutant powers and human blades clashed amid the blazing flames of a brother's hatred towards another.
Graydon's orders had been precise when it came to what happened if the blue freak got the better of him in the battle. St. John opened the cell door that he thought had Rogue and he found only the Russian, Erik, and the one called Logan. Shrugging inwardly, he ordered them out of their cells. When they refused to move, he used a nearby torch to make a fire whip.
As St. John lifted the whip to lash out at them, Piotr ran into him and rammed him up against the wall, giving Logan and Erik the time they needed to look for the keys to their collars. Before they could use them, St. John sent an arrow of fire through Erik's hand, making it useless.
"You're really getting on my nerves." Logan growled, narrowing his eyes. Without thinking about it, his claws shot and he lashed out at St. John, ripping his face off without further ado. Looking at his claws, he raised his eyebrows and shrugged as he got the keys and opened the cell doors.
"Looks like the collar only works for my healing factor!" he said, slicing off the collar calmly. When all of the doors were unlocked and the collars were off, Raven had a plan all set up as soon as she looked down at St. John's body and up the stairs.
"We need to get upstairs and find Graydon. He took my son up there two hours ago and I haven't heard anything about him. I don't even know what he's doing to him." She said seriously.
"We need to destroy the crystal as well. If we leave this castle and Graydon still has it in his possession, it will be like this all over again, but I fear we won't be able to stop him that time." Xavier said calmly.
"We don't even know where it is, pops! What are we going to do; run around the castle with guards chasing after us looking for this damned thing?" Bobby asked, cocking an eyebrow arrogantly. Xavier looked at him calmly and sent a swift mental slap that sent him sprawling on the ground.
"Do not be smart with me, Bobby Drake." He said. "I could melt your brain and then reshape it to look like a peanut. Although, something tells me that is the exact shape and size it is all ready."
"Look, we'll split up in two groups. Chuck, you pick a group and go after the crystal while I go and try to help the elf with whatever problems he's going through with the king right now." Logan said, giving Bobby a shut-the-hell-up-right-now look.
Kurt shoved Graydon against one of the torches, sending it smashing to the ground on one of the curtains, setting it on fire a few moments later as the two battled on. Blows were deflected while others hit their marks, both of them bleeding from their various wounds.
Kurt had lost one of his rapiers when he charged at Graydon and slashed across his face. It wouldn't have been able to be used anyway; since Graydon had been able to stab into his right arm deep enough to make him unable to even lift it. Now he fought, his right arm pressed against his chest.
When the soldiers were finally able to break through the door, Graydon quickly took that time to retreat and shouted for them to kill Kurt now. Kurt waited for the men to get close before he lashed out like wild, using his blade, fangs, and claws to kill and maim them, sending the one survivor running from the room.
Seeing the room blazing, Graydon turned around and followed after the guard, his sword still in his hands. He shouted out orders as he ran by guards, too terrified to turn around to face the thudding sounds of Kurt's feet coming after him at a charge.
Kurt leapt up into the air, ready to take Graydon down when Logan reached the top of the stairs instead. Before he could teleport, he landed on top of Logan and the two of them fell back down the stairs. With a crash they landed on top of Warren, his feathers flying all over.
"Kurt! What the hell happened to you?" Logan cried, pushing him back so he could sit up. "You fought him didn't you?" he asked, looking at his wounded arm. When he saw the marks on his back and shoulders, he looked Kurt in the eyes and raised his eyebrows slightly in question.
"You should see the vounds I gave him aftervards." Kurt said weakly. "I ran mein claws through his cheeks!" he laughed faintly. When he looked up at Raven, his smile died away slowly and his tail flicked faintly as he slowly tried to stand up.
"Graydon is trying to get avay from us." He said, looking at the ground. "Ve need to catch him now before it is too late. Zhe castle is starting to burn from a toppled over torch. Zhis place is not going to last long if it spreads."
"Are you sure you wouldn't want one of us to help you get out of here?" Raven asked, resting a hand on his shoulder lightly. Kurt flinched slightly but he looked at her and shook his head.
"Nein, mutter. I vant to see Graydon suffer." He said. "Help me valk." He leaned heavily on Raven, gritting his teeth as they climbed up the steps once more. Turning his head to face his mother, he pressed his mouth against her ear and whispered so only she could hear him.
"You never told us Graydon vas mein half-brother, mutter! You hid zhat from me for years und zhat is vhat he used against me vhen he vhipped me vith mein sword!" Raven gasped softly, looking at Kurt with wide eyes. He looked away quietly, muffling a groan as his back starting to sting once more.
Tilting his head up slowly, choosing to ignore what Kurt was saying with his mother, his hearing able to pick up every word he had said, he sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes, pointing left.
"We need to go this way!" he said, starting off without another word about it. Frowning slightly, Kurt stopped and pointed right, pulling his mother in that direction as well.
"Graydon vent zhis vay, Logan!" he said. Suddenly, a soldier on fire came running down the hall from that direction. He was screaming wildly and his arms flailed around uselessly as he headed right for them. Scooping up a small pebble, Remy charged it and hurled it at the guard, killing him swiftly before he got too close to them.
"I t'ink dat be y' answer 'bout dat way, homme!" he said, watching the fire start to spread onto a tapestry. "If we go dat way, we gonna git 'urt from dat fire y' started!" he said.
"We also need to help Chuck get the crystal since we can't reach Graydon, Elf!" Logan added. "Come on!" Narrowing his eyes, Kurt waited for the others to start going before he teleported himself and Raven past the flames.
"Kurt, bring us back to the others! You're in no condition to fight anyone or anything right now!" Raven cried, looking at him worriedly. Kurt looked at her, and he started to limp down the hall.
"Ve must take care of Graydon here und now, mutter. After all, he is our family's problem now isn't he? Und our family deals vith its problems!" he said. Raven slipped under his arm and helped him walk on.
"Kurt, I know you're a little upset. . ." she started, not daring to look at him.
"A little?! Mutter, why I must learn zhis terrible secret from Graydon und not you, mein own mutter? Vhy didn't you ever tell me und Rogue vhy you stayed for four years vhen you only needed a day to do your job?!" Kurt snapped his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Because I knew you would be upset and now look at you! You're shouting at me and going on an insane mission to kill him!" Raven cried. Shaking his head a bit, Kurt looked a head and continued to walk.
"I am in no mood to argue about zhis vith you, mutter." He said simply. "I am going to do zhis und zhen it vill be over und done vith. Zhere vill be no more discussion about zhis."
"Should one of us go after him?" Bobby asked, cocking an eyebrow as he looked where Kurt had gone. When he turned back around, he saw that Logan and the others were walking on without looking back.
"Why should we? When the Elf has his mind set, it'll take an actual act of God to stop him." Scott said, shrugging a bit. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about at the moment." He added.
"Where are we supposed to find this crystal anyway? Charles went off with the others without telling us a thing about its location." Warren pointed out, looking around. Logan ran up the steps after he sniffed the air again.
"It'll be up here somewhere." He shouted down to them.
"How do you know?" Piotr asked.
"I can smell their scents from weeks ago." He said calmly. "If I can keep picking up their scents, it will lead us right to the crystal." He explained. Hearing thundering from down below, Warren turned around and he ground.
"God damn it!" he growled, spreading his wings out wide to get into the air. "Why are these people so damned stupid? The castle is on fire and these people are still trying to fight us!"
"They're desperate to do something to please their king before they leave. Taking our heads would be a good way to get on his good side." Logan said, turning around and unleashing his claws. "Let's make this quick; we fight a few, drive 'em back, and then we run up these stairs and continue to follow the scent to the crystal."
Nodding grimly, they all charged at the soldiers, screaming wildly as mutant powers and human blades clashed amid the blazing flames of a brother's hatred towards another.