Aye, the updates have been frequent lately, no? Two reasons, I had a lot of the latest stuff written down a while ago, just needed to bring the rest of the story there. Second, I have tendency to hit writer's block when I'm about one page away from finishing a story, so updating quickly is a way of trying to force myself away from that tendency.
And you get another cliffhanger because I love you all, and I'm evil. MUHAHAHAHA!! This isn't the most evil thing I'll do in this story though, just wait for the epilogue. I recommend you write your wills while you wait for it… *cackles*
Chapter 14, Final battle
"You damn bastard..." Janus growled, getting to his feet with narrowed eyes.
"Face the simple facts, wizard," Slash said and sheathed the Slasher in front of the stupidly blinking ghost, whom like everyone else was looking at Ozzie in stronger or weaker surprise, "it was only a question of time until your 'theories' would eventually fail you."
"I knew better, I really cachore did..."
Janus held out his hand and the staff leaped into his grip, almost creaking under his whitening fingers. It took a good deal of control not to glance upwards again; he didn't want to see Schala and Lai's eyes.
With a smirk Slash quickly passed the hesitant assassins who didn't know who to fight anymore. He reached Flea, who glared up at him with nothing but remaining anger. The bald monster was about to speak when Janus charged with a roar, and the Slasher cleaved the air as the swordsman leaped out of the way. The wizard furiously followed him, but the man suddenly stumbled and almost hit the floor again. In his rage Janus hadn't seen the lizard, who finally had managed to catch a leg with his tail.
Somehow Lai's fiancé managed to keep his balance while Slash danced further out of reach. But before the wizard had time to fully get control again the staff was ripped out of his grip and his arms were torn backwards. He growled in fury and pain as they were locked against his back by invisible hands.
Trapped.
Slash snickered and calmly walked back towards his placement before the attack.
"Come on now, Flea," the swordsman said with a scornful glance at the struggling Janus, "use your head. Did you really think that we'd choose him over you?"
"Yes," the magician coldly said, "'you're under arrest for treason' didn't leave me much of a doubt."
"If you're talking about the episode in the castle, I sent Slash to get you out of trouble," Ozzie said as he too approached, "the treason thing was just something he would use in an emergency to retain the peace since we cannot have another war."
"And why the hell would I believe you now?" the magician snapped.
Ozzie smirked.
"Flea, my friend," he said and crossed his arms, "Skeeza has been pounding all of us to understand the fact that it was an accident. And she should have noticed."
He met the cold, distrustful eyes and glanced aside. Janus' teeth showed and his breath came out ragged due to his fury, but he couldn't do anything. Magic couldn't get him out of the assassin's grip and he was locked in a position where strength was neutralized as well.
Looking back at Flea, Ozzie let his own – sharp – teeth show.
"Still don't believe me, do you?" he asked.
"Not exactly," the magician sourly said and stood, without brushing himself off.
"Oh, let's see then," the king of Mystics said with a snicker, rubbing his chin, "to harm the queen is treason, indeed. I suppose not even you can pass without some kind of punishment."
"There we are," Flea snapped and turned away.
"About three quarters of a year in exile sounds pretty good to me. What do you say, Slash?"
The swordsman chuckled.
"Fair enough. And it seems to have expired right about now, as well."
Flea looked around and glared at the two monsters.
"Don't come here and try to feed me that crap," he heatedly stated.
"We're not toying with you, Flea," Slash said almost softly, "you are not our enemy."
"Right."
There was no trust in the magician's voice, nor in his eyes.
"We didn't make peace with the humans back there because we wanted to, but it was pretty obvious that we were on the verge of our powers," the swordsman said, unfazed, "you know that as well."
"You took the first bloody chance offered without even trying!" Flea heatedly accused, "no attempts to make him pay!"
He waved in Janus' general direction; the wizard hadn't moved. For some odd reason.
"How much did you see really?" Ozzie asked with a frown.
"Enough! You couldn't take a beating and just bowed to Skeeza. And her little 'it's tragic that Flea died, woe art us' speech made me sick."
Slash and Ozzie exchanged brief glances, then looked back at Flea. And they took him completely on surprise when smiling.
"Back then she said that you wanted it so, didn't you hear that?" Slash pointed out, "anyone of us would have stopped you from fighting Janus alone if we had believed you'd listen. You'd do the same now if you could, wouldn't you?"
"No, I would not," Flea snapped, "I have nothing left to prove."
"Ah."
Ozzie's lips stretched again, but his teeth didn't show. Reaching out, he quickly moved his hand around in thin air, as if painting several circles. And something was drawn with a sickly reddish light, acquiring proper form as the fat green hand grabbed it.
Flea blinked, but his arm automatically swung up and the fingers grasped the slender material as the green monster tossed the item at him.
"It's not you who need to prove yourself now," the king said with the remains of the smile starting to turn more bloodthirsty, "but you'll need that."
"What the hell are you pulling?" Flea snapped, his skilled hands hesitantly taking the whip in a better grip.
Instead of replying, Ozzie turned to the wizard again. But the monster didn't look at Janus, instead he glared at the air behind the wizard's shoulder.
"Let go and stay out of this," Ozzie commanded, with more authority than he'd ever shown in his entire life before.
Janus stumbled forwards with a snarl as his arms were freed and quick steps brought up the settled dust from the floor. The assassin withdrew.
The staff came back to the wizard's hand, but his eyes never once left the three monsters.
"You know, coming here and commanding my last allies isn't going to earn you any favors," Flea icily said, crossing his arms but not letting go of the whip.
"You damn traitors leave me no choice!" Janus snarled, raising the staff in both hands, "Powers of the World, lend me the power of Lightning!"
The weapon connected with the floor and lightning bolts erupted from the wizard's chest as he threw out his arms, keeping the wooden pole in his right hand.
"Didn't they teach you anything about courtesy in the castle?" Ozzie snarled as he dove out of the way, his voice barely heard over the sharp fizzling.
Janus didn't reply, concentrating on keeping the bolts alive.
With a snort Flea leaped backwards to avoid getting hit and Slash dashed aside. None of them completely avoided the magic however, even if it was nothing deadly in any case.
Not without great effort Ozzie forced his mind off the violently stinging burns on his back and threw his hands in Janus' direction. The wizard perfectly directed a few of his bolts to meet and deflect the attacking fireballs, but in doing so he was forced to divert his focus.
In the last second he noticed the movement from the corner of the eye and spun around, barely getting a worthy grip of the staff. Before he managed to add his left hand to the hold, the Slasher had almost forced the wizards own weapon straight into his face. Metal dug into wood and Janus threw himself backwards, hearing the swooshing sound of an approaching fireball. The flames brushed by his shoulder as he fell, somehow managing to tear the staff free from the sword in the movement. Slash had to bend away from the magic attack.
"Watch it!" the swordsman growled.
Ozzie just snorted and kept his hands raised. As he glanced aside he saw Flea just stand there, watching Janus get to his feet and rush at Slash.
But the pink fingers twitched, ever so lightly.
Leaving it, the king of Mystics fixed his eyes on the fighters, trying to predict the swift movements.
"After all that's happened in the last day I guess I should say something like 'sorry, nothing personal', but, you know…" Slash smirked at the wizard's raging grimace.
The monster ducked and tried to thrust the Slasher at Janus' momentarily defenseless stomach. But the wizard's elbow came down on Slash's shoulder and brought him off balance, forcing him to half stumble, half roll aside to avoid getting hit.
"Truly sorry," Janus growled and moved into a defensive stance with the staff ready to parry again.
"Oh yes, but you'll just have to go for Flea's sake."
Slash's hand clawed the air and tiny fireballs flew from his fingertips, gaining size as they zoomed forwards. With a snort Janus easily deflected them all by spinning his staff to change their flight.
Too late he realized it had only been a distracting maneuver. Ice blocks at the size of his head slammed into his back on Ozzie's patiently awaited command and the wizard stumbled with a groan, only keeping his balance by desperately planting the staff in the floor.
The dark nets around Lai flared, but she didn't manage to break free no matter how hard she tried. And as she was unable to speak out the spells, the magic didn't have any real power, which surely was why not even Schala's wild attempts to blast herself free didn't help.
Throwing her head aside Lai saw Molor's red eyes glowing strangely, staring at nothing.
'Can you help him!?' she silently screeched, loudly the words being an incoherent mumbling through the dark threads that covered her lips.
'I'm trying!' the snake hissed back.
Janus more fell than ducked out of the way of the Slasher again, but this time his right arm got a cut. Wincing he pressed his left hand over the stinging wound, trying to avoid receiving anything worse.
Slash's white eyes glistened and he dashed forwards again. Janus leaped aside and backed further away from the swordsman's new position, as the monster advanced.
"Mhmf!!"
Frog tried to scream, and he wasn't the only one. For as the wizard moved backwards, he left his back wide open for attacks.
"Hm…"
Ozzie glared at his turn-coat general. His own green hands were itching to release another lightning storm, but he was in this fight for the same purpose as Slash.
Flea's fingers twitched as the staff and Slasher met again, the owners locking hateful glares.
Slowly the magician's right arm fell, most of the whip streaming over the floor. But the movement was sluggish, lacking all interest.
Ozzie clenched his teeth. He was risking the peace by fighting Janus again, just to achieve Flea's trust.
'What more does the damn cross dresser ask for?'
Slash held his ground pretty well, but after all Janus had a weapon offering use of full power in a lock such as the combatants'. The bald monster grunted as the wizard snarled and grabbed the staff tighter, twisting it around in order to open for a hit.
Growling Slash had to leap backwards, but the wide arch of the staff got the side of his chest and he choked, trying to stumble out of reach. But he was still in the right area for Janus, who swung the staff around in a wide arc.
The restrain got him so suddenly that the weapon fell out of his hand and he lost his balance, with a pained wince clawing at the red rope that was wrapped around his upper arm.
"About damn time!" Slash grunted, straightening up with a faint smirk.
"Don't you get any ideas, it was just too tempting," Flea snapped and lightly pulled at his whip, as if to only mark his statement.
The effect of the small move was quite impressive, however. Janus gave a half strangled, gurgling sound and his hand flew to the right shoulder to violently press at it.
"Na mat… ala… se…" he rasped.
There was a disgusting popping sound as he pressed the bone back in place, sweat covering his forehead. Despite the healing magic his arm looked quite stiff as he ripped the whip away and stood, collecting his staff again. And now he held his weapon in the less experienced left hand.
"What an end for the wizard, I have to give you as much," Flea said, his lips twitching faintly, "but at least it's not as pitiful as when you were hanging on the wall."
"Oh gee, thanks a lot!" Janus snarled, throwing out his good arm.
Icicles pierced the air and Flea lashed the whip around, its red glow growing stronger. The ice shattered, only a couple made it past the spin. And both of them only hit the floor. But while the first attack still was in the air, Janus had directed new blasts of ice at the other two monsters, forcing them backwards.
Slash had to just try to get out of the way, Ozzie did a pretty good job fighting the ice back with fire.
"I think we're nearing a conclusion, wizard," the green monster commented as Janus' hand fell.
The blue-haired man gritted his teeth, trying not to lean too heavily on his staff.
Not good… not good at all…
Forcing his eyes upwards he saw Slash sheath his sword and hold up his hands with the palms turned at the wizard. There was a dangerously sparkling sound in Ozzie's direction.
"Damn…"
Clenching his left hand until the staff shivered, he tried to summon his last strength.
"Powers of the world…"
Flea had crossed his arms again, silently watching.
"… Pure power…"
"Flea!" Slash called, his palms flashing in a blue light.
No reaction.
"Twandor!" Janus hissed, spreading his fingers.
A bubble of light formed around him, just as Ozzie and Slash released their magic. Walls of pure magical power, Lighting and Water based, flowed around the globe.
Janus gripped the staff tightly and closed his eyes, focusing all his will into keeping the wavering shield alive. It shrunk and expanded in a quick pace, beating like the wings of a dying butterfly.
Lai dared to tear her eyes away and quickly glance at Molor for a second. The snake's eyes were literally flaring.
"Give it up, damn you!" Ozzie snarled, his fingers twisting as he forced more power into the magic.
Janus growled but didn't move, even if the beating of his shield grew more desperate as the walls flowed between blue and yellowish.
The whip fell to the floor and Flea's hands swept upwards.
"Nobody…"
The wizard looked up, eyes widening in pain by the movement.
"… Kills Janus without me!" the magician snarled.
A red wall shot into the shifting one, sliding in two directions upon the meeting. The magic expanded between the three monsters, creating a triangle form with Janus in the middle.
It flashed in blue, yellow and finally red.
The staff fell out of Janus hand as the bubble shattered and his feet left the floor, arms spreading by the pressure and his mouth twisting open in a silent scream.
Lai heard Schala hiss out a whimper, but no sound could leave the younger woman's lips. Not a breath made it through her sandy throat. Not one single thought lived in her petrified mind.
The triangle flashed in bright white.
It was gone.
"… ah…"
Janus' fall seemed to go on for eons, and when he hit the floor the dry, dead thump echoed through the cave.
He didn't move anymore, sprawled on his back like a rag doll.