A Puppet's Promise

hello everyperson! here's the third bit, hope you like. not so much alnel as albel-wanting-to-kill-luther. i know this never happened, but pretend it did, for the sake of this fanfiction. and yes, i know i can't write action scenes, or anything else...

still please r&r, and one day the GUMMIE WORMS OF WOE AND DOOOM shall rule. oh yeah, pay attention to the title, it's very important. and special. (well, i like it, anyway...)

"Fayt! Watch it!"

The blue haired boy skipped out of the way as a bolt of lightning sped past, turning the movement into a 'side kick' attack. But the monster was prepared and caught his foot, ensnaring him in one of its many tentacles. There was a cry of 'firebolt' and the creature screamed as its body caught fire, throwing Fayt across the room. The one who had cast the spell raced forwards to finish it off, whilst the other caught Fayt and cast a healing spell. A scream rent the air, and it was done.

Nel watched Albel wipe off the creature's blood from the Scourge. It had been a good idea to teach him runology, after all. But surprisingly, he had been better at defensive and support symbols than attack. The fire spell had taken the longest to learn, which was to be expected, considering his past.

"Thanks, Nel."

She smiled at the boy-leader, before running off to find the others. Nel, Fayt and Albel were the main scouts, with the others bringing up the rear in case they ran into trouble. But the trio had grown so powerful that they were rarely needed. She didn't have to go far to find them; in fact, they were right around the corner, playing snap.

Cliff stood up. "Hey, you done?"

She nodded, and the group packed up and moved off to get Fayt and Albel. They were no longer afraid of leaving the warrior alone with someone else. He had grown more relaxed - sort of. Well, not really, but he was no longer glaring randomly, and the death threats had gone down a bit. And, he had even chipped in on the plan to kill Adray. So it hadn't work, but still. The point was that he had helped.

Once the group had gathered, they carried on. It would be just like every other day, they thought. But it wouldn't, as they soon found out. They passed a huge crystal wall, and it lit up. Immediately the scouts went into defensive positions, but they didn't really need to. A face was projected onto the screen. It smirked.

"So, you are the ones who have been attempting to destroy my plans. Somehow, I imagined you taller."

Eyes widened. They knew that voice, they knew it. Fayt straightened. "Luther."

The screen drew back slightly so his whole body showed. He bowed mockingly. "The one and only." His piercing eyes trailed over them one by one. "Now, who has come to play? Hmm, you must be Fayt, Sophia, and Maria."

The boy's hand inched towards his sword, Maria gripped her gun, and Sophia hid behind Fayt. Luther laughed. "You are the special ones? You? Hah! You don't look fit enough to kill a porcupine, never mind your creator. Come on, Fayt. You know it's hopeless."

He turned towards Peppita and Roger. "Oh, it's you two. I'm surprised you're still alive..."

Peppita's eyes were filled with determined bravery whilst nothing remained of Roger except a furry tail behind the girl, and Luther laughed again. He moved on. "You two must be Mirage and Cliff. One intelligent and beautiful, the other a blonde moron. I look forward to killing you, my beauty. Such a shame, really. Such a waste."

Cliff was shaking, rage barely controlled. Mirage stayed silent, glaring at Luther with pure hatred. "A fighter. You would have made the perfect queen to my kingdom."

He turned towards Adray, and quickly moved on, muttering, "Aren't you dead yet?" His eyes brushed against Nel. "Ah, my crimson haired beauty. You'd be another perfect addition. But, like the blonde, you have already given your heart. Foolish. At least you have better tastes. Oh yes, this will be fun. I won't kill you, no. And I won't even wipe your memory. You will be mine, and I want to hear you begging. I want to hear you scream." He laughed, and Nel drew her daggers, snarling.

"You will die," she hissed.

Luther laughed once more and turned to Albel. "And you. I would never have expected you to be here. You were the most fun to create. Oh, and how's your dear little daddy?"

Snarling, Albel charged at the crystal wall, the katana shattering it into thousands of pieces. It regenerated, and he slashed at it again, but every time he did so it kept rebuilding itself. Screaming, he called forth dragon spirits to tear it apart, blood red eyes blazing. And still Luther laughed.

"Oh yes, captain. Swing your sword, we all know how well that works."

"Enough!"

"Ha! He is burning, Albel! He is burning, and you can do nothing but watch and cry! All you've ever been any good for!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Face it, you don't deserve her. You know you don't. You know she'll just die. Just like your father, just like your mother!"

"I said SHUT UP!"

He laughed, then stopped suddenly, an evil smirk on his face. "Or maybe...or maybe she'll abandon you like your sister did."

Albel froze.

"I've hit a sore spot, haven't I. You always looked up to your sister, didn't you. She was the greatest, the smartest, the bravest. And then she went and left you. Rumor is she ran off with a man. The greatest betrayal, yet you still can't hate her. Fool."

Nel looked at the swordsman. His eyes no longer burned. His anger was concentrated, his eyes simmering; the calm before the storm. The anger radiated so much that everyone drew back. When he spoke, his voice was low and controlled, yet filled with hate. "I swear by the blood that flows and the fire that burns that I shall not rest until your body lies at my feet and your voice screams mercy. And you shall have none."

Nel gasped. The oath was the oldest known in Airyglyph, and also the strongest. If Albel failed, he would have to kill himself, and his soul would never rest. Luther stared, stunned by the power of his voice.

Quickly recovering, he managed to speak. "I'll look forward to it. Good luck, you fools."

And, as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

okay, for those that don't realise, this ties in with my other fic, 'until the end', and my new one that hasn't got past the planning stage. it will be done, though...i hope...but yeah, if you wanna find out exactly what happened, and why his sister ran away, then look for...'no one can hear you scream' (cool title, no? whaddaya mean no! i spent ages on it!)

so review now! please...