"Any way we can." came Tegryn's determined reply.
"Hmmm... I've got a better idea. Why don't the two of you walk away, and I'll promise not to hurt you when I finally conquer this wretched realm."
"You really think we're gonna let you get away after what you did to our friend Layla? No way!"
Kaiser erupted into laughter. "Still looking for revenge? Hah! If it's revenge you want, why not get revenge for yourself? The way I had you crying like a baby really was pathetic!"
"Why you!" Tegryn snarled as Mirta desperately held him back.
"Come on Teggy, don't rise to him. He's only doing it to make you angry!"
"Yes Teggy-Weggy, you listen to your little girlfriend." Kaiser taunted, highly amused by what he saw. "And don't worry about your precious Musa - I'll make sure she's well-loved after I've destroyed you!"
That was the final straw.
"That's it!" Tegryn yelled as he unleashed a trio of Rage Blasts at Kaiser, who easily blocked the first two with the Celestial Sceptre before effortlessly brushing the third one aside with a flick of his wrist. Tegryn and Mirta looked up in astonishment as the bright white bolt of energy vanished into the sky with a glint.
"Hmph. Well that was frightening." Kaiser said sarcastically. "Got any more party tricks up your sleeve?"
"Damn it!" said Tegryn. "What are we supposed to do?"
"We've got to get that sceptre out of his hands. It's our only chance. I have an idea."
Kaiser tapped his foot impatiently. "Ahem! When you two have quite finished chatting, I have a little something for you." With that, he pointed the sceptre at them. An immense golden bolt shot out from it towards the two friends.
"Look out!" Tegryn yelled as he shoved Mirta out of the way before the blast hit him. Luckily for Tegryn, he managed to protect himself with his shield spell, but the powerful blast was still enough to send him skidding backwards, leaving a large skid mark in the ground as he went.
"Did you enjoy that? Here, have some more!"
Kaiser fired more lightning-quick blasts at him, too quick for him to dodge. Although he was able to block the first, the second knocked him off-balance and the third hit him square in the stomach with sickening force. He crashed to the ground in a heap, winded and struggling to catch his breath.
Kaiser looked on smugly.
"Heh. Looks like you've got him beaten, brother." a familiar voice whispered behind him.
"Darcy? So you managed to get free - that's good." he replied, not bothering to look back.
"You know something? It would be beneath you to finish him off with the sceptre. Why not give it to me and prove how strong you really are by ending this with your own magic?"
"Yes... that would be a most satisfying end to an already great day." he said holding out the sceptre for Darcy to take.
"Now Teggy!" Mirta yelled.
"What!" yelled Kaiser in surprise as the Celestial Sceptre started to float past him, helped along by Tegryn's telekinesis. "Darcy, what are you doing?"
He turned around to see Darcy's image fizzle away, and the three witches still held fast in their rocky cages. He growled and glared at Mirta, who smiled nervously back at him, before holding out his hand. The sceptre stopped where it was, halfway between Kaiser and Tegryn as they engaged in a telekinetic tug-of-war in a bid to grab the sceptre for themselves. Tegryn grunted as he struggled to hold on against Kaiser's superior strength.
"Hah! This is gonna be too easy!"
"Shut up... I'm holding on pretty well here, aren't I?"
"Yes, but how long can you keep this up? Perhaps this will loosen your grip."
Kaiser fired off another magic bolt into Tegryn's body, which sent him flying and forced him to release his invisible hold on the sceptre, allowing Kaiser to reclaim it. He turned around to face the witches and held the sceptre up. As it started to glow, the rocks that encased them slowly began to crumble until they were finally able to step away.
"And as for you, you pesky little half-witch," he said angrily as he turned and glared at Mirta. "You're really starting to annoy me now... but I really don't like picking on weaker witches, so instead I'm giving you a grandstand seat."
Out of nowhere, a force bubble appeared around Mirta, completely trapping her. She screamed frantically and thumped the sphere as it rose up a few metres off the ground.
"There - that's better." he said smugly to Tegryn. "And now that little irritation's out of the way, let's see how well you do against all four of us!"