A/N: I'm really sorry that this took so much longer to post up, I'm not having as much motivation as I use to. Plus I've been trying to sign up for the marines. I hope things are getting good for you guys. Thank you for your fantastic reviews. I may rewrite this chapter though because I don't think it's that good. But let me know if I should or not.
Chapter 7
The room fell silent. The people in the room looked at the Dark Lord with great horror. The thought of stealing someone's soul was unthinkable and too horrible to imagine. The Goblins, on the other hand, looked at their master with wide, evil grins. Some even chuckled at the idea. Derek and Jacob stood frozen to where they were. Jacob looked at his former student full of hate. He knew that this creature was evil, but to take the soul of his sister was the worst possible thing anyone could imagine. Derek was full of fear. Not for himself but for his wife. He had been through so much with her and almost lost her twice. Now here stood a man wanting to take her away from him. Odette was the one in most horror. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth hung open just a bit. She couldn't believe her ears. He wanted to take her soul. She knew of what the Forbidden arts could do, but she never would have thought of this. Out of instinct, Odette raised her right hand to her chest but kept her eye forward.
"My soul?" she whispered aloud, but not enough for anyone to her. Sargon, however, knew what she was thinking and chuckled at her.
"That's right my dear sister," he said. As the last living member of our family, I need your soul to complete my plan." Odette, still full of terror, glared at her older brother.
"What could you possibly want with my soul?!" Odette demanded. Sargon grinned.
"Well," Sargon began, "As I spent my years in the land I now call Mortenera, I learned that it was there that the Forbidden arts was created. Krugnor," he gestured to the large Goblin beside him on his right, "told me of a chamber that lay at the top of my fortress. Unlike most secret chambers that you would find deep beneath castles where no one could find them, this chamber was the source of all the forbidden arts. It was there that I began to do more research. Books of the past rulers of this land made records of their accomplishments. And as it turns out, there were five other Dark lords before me, each more powerful than the last. The last Dark Lord, Memphis, was on the verge of discovering eternal life." Odette's, and many others, eyes widened at the words 'eternal life.' Could it be possible to live forever?
Could this be what he wants my soul for? She thought to herself. But the real question was: why my soul? Odette looked up to meet her brother's gaze.
"But why have you come all this way just for my soul?" Not that she wish for anyone else's soul to be taken. She was just curious, with good reasoning, to know why he needed her soul specifically. The Dark Lord grinned at her question.
"To be perfectly honest Odette," Sargon said, "I didn't for your soul at first." Odette raised one eyebrow at this statement. "I was originally going to use our father's soul to finally have my revenge. But then I did more research on it and found that I needed a young soul in order to keep my life eternal. Memphis used this on his own father, but his life was only prolonged, not eternal. Once I learned this, I thought that I would never become immortal. But then a few years ago, one of my spies came to me one day and told me that I had a younger sister. I was surprised by the news. I thought that I was an only child. But my spy told me that you were born just after my invasion failed." He looked to meet Odette's eyes. "And I knew then that I could become immortal." Odette looked at Sargon with a confused look on her face. She still didn't understand what this all had to do with her. Sargon saw this in her face and continued.
"Well you see Odette," he said. "According to Memphis' research, the key to the spell of eternal life requires the soul of the same bloodline as the user. Memphis had no more living relatives during the time of his reign so he couldn't perform the spell. So I thought I would give it a try. And since you're the last living member of our family; that makes you the most likely candidate. Nothing personal of course." He grinned wickedly at his last statement. This made Odette's anger grew larger. He wanted to use her soul for immortality? Like hell she was going to let that happen. She was not going to let the Forbidden arts destroy her life again. But before she could reply to her brother Uberta stepped in.
"You selfish, ungrateful, and good for nothing, evil pig!" she shouted. "How dare you come here, destroy my kingdom, terrorizes these people, and pretend that stealing someone's soul is no big deal. You villains are all the same. You never have any respect for royalty and care only for power. But you all have one thing in common; you always lose to good people. You lose to good King William before and you will lose now. Because bad people stand no chance against good people…" As Uberta kept on ragging on, Sargon rolled his eyes. Now he was going to listen to this old hags voice going on about how good always wins? Sargon's expression turned to boredom as the old queen talked more and more. He should be used to it was younger and had to listen to her lectures when he got in trouble when his parents weren't around. He had almost forgotten how dreadfully boring and annoying Uberta's voice was.
Jacob was worried for Uberta's sake. He knew that this wasn't going to end well. But he knew that when Uberta stared, there was almost no way of getting her to stop. Although he knew Sargon's patience would wear thin soon. He had to be prepared for anything to happen. He turned his head slightly to look behind him and spotted his general Philip and Uberta's captain Joshua. They were looking at him with questioning looks. He gave them a nod to tell them to be prepared. As if reading his thoughts, they both nodded in understanding. They slowly stepped closer to them to react instantly should anything happen.
Derek, meanwhile, stood there with his mind running at full speed. How could he get Odette out of here? They were completely surrounded by hoards of Goblins. But he couldn't think of anything. He just hoped that something would happen so that his beloved wife wouldn't be taken from him. Then he caught something out of the corner of his left eye by the buffet tables. He turned to see what it was and saw his best friend Bromley peaking over the table. Derek sighed with relief that his best friend wasn't captured by the Goblins. But he soon became curious to know what on earth he was doing.
Bromley kept on peaking over the tables to get a good look at the Dark lord in the center of the room. He tried not to reveal himself to the Goblins that stood not too far away from him. What Rogers had said to him still wondered around in his mind. He hated being called a coward. But he hated it even more that he knew it was true. So now he was determined to prove everyone, including himself wrong. In his left hand he grasped a bow that he had found on the tables during the battle. But now all he needed was an arrow. He searched around the table to find one, but there was none to be found. He went under the table to see if there was anything he could use, but there was nothing. Bromley crawled to the other side of the table and slowly lifted the skirts off the floor an inch or two. He lowered himself onto his stomach and brought his head to the floor and peek out towards the room. So far no one had noticed him. The Dark lord still stood in the center of the room facing forward looking completely bored as Uberta kept on talking. Bromley took this opportunity to look about the area close to him for something of use. He still couldn't find anything.
Then something caught his eye to his left. There, not too far from him, stood a Goblin that was very close to the table. But it wasn't the Goblin that caught his eye; it was what hung down its right thigh. It was a quiver of arrows that caught his attention. And better yet, the butts of the arrows were facing towards the table, not even a foot away. Bromley lowered the skirts of the table and made his way towards his target. He moved as quickly and quietly as possible as to not be discovered. Once he reached the spot where he assumed the Goblin was, he lowered himself again and peeked out to make sure he was in the right spot. And he was! There the Goblin stood just ahead of him and with the quiver still hanging at its side. Fortunately for Bromley, there was a slit in the table cloth from where one set of covers ended and another began. Bromley quietly sipped his hand between the cloths and slowly reached out for one of the arrows. He watched to make sure the Goblin didn't notice his movements. So far the Goblin didn't. With sweat sliding down his forehead, Bromley continued to reach for the closest arrow to him. Now he was only four inches away from touching the arrow. Just a little bit farther and… There! He now had the arrow in his reach.
He grabbed the arrow and slowly withdrew it from the quiver. Bromley looked up at the Goblin as he retrieved the arrow and saw that the goblin was still facing ahead. Bromley pulled the arrow slowly until the tip of the arrow was in view. Then he pulled his arm back under the table. Once there, Bromley released a long breath he didn't realize he was holding in. he looked at the arrow in his hand and smiled. The tip of the arrow had a hook on the bottom of t so that once it hit home, it would stay in and be extremely painful to pull. He had done something he had never done, or even thought of doing, before. But now that he accomplished it, he was now determined to finish the job he had in mind.
Bromley moved from under the table to the other side. Once there, he peeked over to see if the Dark lord was still where he was before. He was. Sargon was still listening to Uberta ranting on about him being a horrible being. From the look on his face, Sargon was getting increasingly impatient. But he was distracted. It was now or never. Bromley slowly stood up to where his bow was just high enough to where he could have a clear shot over the table. He knocked the arrow on the string and slowly pulled back. He looked carefully at his target in the center of the room, still distracted. Bromley pulled the string all the way back. He slowly let out a deep sigh and released the arrow. The arrow slid smoothly across the bow and soared over the table. The arrow came closer to the intended target. It came closer and closer to the right side of the Dark lord's temple. Closer and closer it came. Bromley smiled. There was no possible way that the Sargon could survive this. No way could he… but he did.
Just before the arrow hit home, Sargon caught the arrow, with just two fingers. The arrow was just two inches from hitting him. Sargon was still facing ahead when he caught the arrow. The room was in complete silence after what just happened. The people all gasped when Sargon caught the arrow that they didn't even see. Even Uberta was silent. Derek, Jacob, Philip and Joshua were the most shocked out of everyone. Each one of them has played a few rounds of Catch and Fire, but never have they seen anyone catch an arrow like that before, with just his two fingers at that. The Goblins were in a small uproar when the saw their master almost killed. But they were soon quiet when Sargon raised his left hand for silence. Sargon looked at the arrow in his hand and began to chuckle slightly. He glanced over to where the arrow came from. Bromley stood there shaking, unable to believe what just happened. Sargon looked from the arrow in his hand to Bromley, then back to the arrow. Then, with his thumb, he broke off the arrow tip and held it in between the points of the gauntlet on his thumb and his pointer finger. He glanced at Bromley once more and grinned wickedly as he pointed the arrow tip towards him.
"Here, catch," he said then flicked the arrow tip at him. But with the added force of the forbidden arts, the arrow tip shot like a bullet. The arrow shot across the room and hit Bromley in his right shoulder and passed clean through and hit the wall behind him and was stuck and inch in. The force of the impact from the arrow tip was so strong that Bromley was actually forced back off his feet and hit the wall five feet behind him. As Bromley fell to the floor, Derek tried to run to him but was stopped by six Goblins that stood in his way. Derek tried to force his way passed him but the Goblins kept him back. Derek looked passed the Goblins to his best friend that lay still on the floor. He began to fear the worst. He tried even harder to get passed the Goblins but one used the butt of his spear to try and hit Derek in the stomach. Derek managed to grab the spear but was hit on the back by another Goblin. The pain only made Derek angrier and more determined to reach his friend. A third grabbed his right arm and another grabbed his left. He fought the Goblins as much as he could but he was outmatched. The Goblins were only holding him so he could watch his friend suffer. But Derek tried even harder to break free of them, punching and kicking at them.
As Derek tried desperately to get passed the six Goblins, who were still standing in his way from reach his best friend, two more Goblins made their way towards Bromley. They picked up the still body and brought him to their master as blood dripped onto the floor with every step they took. Once they reached their master, the Goblins dropped him face down on the floor in front of him. Sargon grinned as he stared at the seemingly lifeless body in front of him. He then looked up at Derek, who was still fighting to reach his friend. Sargon chuckled at him.
"Oh relax," he said to the fighting prince. "He's not dead, he's just unconscious." Derek stopped fighting to look at the Dark lord then to Bromley. Sargon then rolled Bromley onto his back with his foot. There Derek could see his chest slowly rising and falling with every breath he took. But his breathing was faint and could almost barely be seen. Sargon smiled wickedly. "But just barely."
Sargon looked at his two Goblins that stood in front of him then to Bormley's unconscious body and he nodded his head upward. The Goblins, seeming to read his thoughts, grabbed Bromley and dragged him across the room to where Derek and the rest of them were. Once they were close enough, they tossed Bromley towards them and walked back to where their comrades where. The six Goblins that stood in front of Derek did the same.
Derek immediately ran to his unconscious friend and dropped to his knees beside him. Odette and the others did the same. Puffin, Speed, Jean-Bob, and Whizzer, who were hiding in the crowd, ran forward as well. They all gathered around Bromley as Derek examined the wound on his friend's shoulder. The arrow had passed clean through his shoulder, but it was bleeding like a waterfall. Out of instinct, Odette tore a piece of the bottom of her dress to make a bandage. She tied it around Bromely's shoulder tightly to stop the flow of blood as much as possible. Jacob watched as she tied the bandage. He was surprised that she thought of something that quickly.
She must have done this before, he thought to himself. He turned around and glared at Sargon. But the glare was just full of anger; it was also full of wonder and curiosity. That arrow that Bromley shot was perfectly aimed. It was silent and it should have been out of the Dark Lord's peripheral vision. It was a shot that should have easily killed him. So how the hell did he catch that? This was the question that bothered him the most. And how Sargon just flicked an arrow tip and it fired faster than anything he had ever seen. Perfectly aimed to add to it. Jacob knew better than to think that Sargon's shot to that area was just coincidence. Sargon wanted to dishearten them so they would fear him more. And almost everyone in the room was already terrified. Sargon had indeed improved over the years. But just how much more powerful was he?
Sargon saw the look in Jacob's eyes and grinned. It was always a pleasure to get under his former mentor's skin. He had been doing it a lot while he was training with him as a kid. And he would try everything he could to improve his skills and annoy his mentor, in a fun way of course. But now he enjoyed seeing Jacob angry but unable to do anything about it. It was an invigorating feeling to be powerful. He looked from Jacob to Odette and everyone else crowded around the foolish boy on the ground. He chuckled at the sight.
"So much fuss over such a foolish peasant," Sargon mocked. This got him the reaction he wanted. Derek shot him a glare with the intent to kill. This man had done so much. He destroyed his mother's kingdom, invaded his own kingdom, threatened to steal his beloved wife's soul, and nearly killed his best friend since childhood. This was getting too much for him to bear. He stood up and faced the Dark lord. He was about to step forward when a hand stopped him, forcefully pushing on his chest. He looked at the owner to see Jacob glaring at him.
"Haven't you learned anything by now?!" he said in a low but harsh tone. "He's trying to get you angry so that you will do something as foolish as what you were just about to do, again!" Derek shifted his gazed to the floor as the anger that was inside him was boiling over. He wanted nothing more than to drive a hot blade through his heart, if he even had one. But Jacob was right. After what happened before, charging head on straight into a fight that he knew he wouldn't win wasn't a good idea. But he couldn't just stand here and do nothing. The life of his wife is at stake, as well as his kingdom. There had to be something he could do. But he only had one thing in mind. Derek looked at Jacob then to the Dark Lord then back. Derek let out a big sigh. He knew what he was going to do, and he knew no one was going to like it. He looked back at Jacob.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But I can't stand here and do nothing. This is my kingdom and it is my duty to protect it." He began to walk forward. Jacob, knowing exactly what Derek had in mind, tried to stop him.
"Derek!" Jacob shouted as he reached out to stop him. He grabbed Derek's shoulder but Derek jerked it away. He turned his head around to look Jacob in the eyes. He was determined to finish this. Jacob saw this and realized that there was nothing he could say that could change his mind. This was exactly what he was afraid of. Odette, seeing as Jacob had ceased from stopping Derek, stepped forward as well.
"Derek, please!" she shouted as she tried to run after him but Jacob stopped her by wrapping his arms around her. She struggled to break free of his grip but he wasn't letting go of her. Derek, hearing the plea in his wife's voice, turned around to look at her. He knew she wouldn't let him risk his life like this, but it was something he had to do in order to try to save his kingdom, and more importantly, Odette. Odette seemed to see this in him, but she still struggled to break free of Jacob's grip.
Derek turned to face the Sargon. He stepped forward a few more paces before stopping a few meters away. Derek stood there facing his enemy. Sargon smiled at the smaller form in front of him. Sargon was at least half a foot taller than him but Derek was unfazed. Even thought Sargon got a good blow to his chest before, Derek was calmer now and more focused. The room was silent for a moment before Derek spoke.
"I challenge you to a duel," was all he said. The people in the crowd gasped at Derek's words. The Goblin hoards began to talk in their own language among themselves, wondering how this would turn out. Either with Derek killed, or brutally maimed. Odette went berserk as she struggled against Jacob's hold on her. She was not going to let this happen. She didn't want to see her husband get hurt. But he already called the challenge. Once Sargon accepted, there was no turning back. Sargon's grin widened.
"And the terms?" he asked. Derek didn't have to think for a moment.
"If I win," he spoke, "you and your army must leave this kingdom, go back across the seas to your own kingdom, and never return." He said this with such seriousness in his voice that Sargon couldn't help but grin at him.
"I accept these terms," he said. "And we shall fight unarmed as well." Derek hesitated at first, knowing that this was going to be one of the toughest fights of his life, but reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Aren't you going to name your terms as well?" he asked. Sargon grinned at him.
"Why ruin the fun with that?" Derek narrowed his eyes further at the thought of this being a game to him. But he reluctantly kept silent. But then Derek realized he had no armor on where as his opponent had a full suite of armor. He was about to speak up about it when Sargon raised both hands above his head.
"But first let me change into something more comfortable." He brought both hands down in a swift motion and a blast of light surrounded him. Derek covered his eyes until the light faded away. Derek looked back at the Dark lord to see an entire new outfit. Sargon wore a white loose outfit with a black belt around his waist. The top part looked like a small robe with the sleeves ripped off that exposed his well toned arms. The pants he wore were very baggy and reached just above his ankles. He also didn't wear anything on his feet. Derek had never seen this type of style of clothing before and found it strange. Sargon saw the look on his face and explained.
"This outfit is called a Gi," he said as he gestured to his clothing. "The outfit is designed to let the wearer move freely as he fights. It is also very light and strong and not very easily torn. I picked this up on one of my many conquests across the seas." He then moved into a stance that Derek also had never seen before. Sargon moved his right foot out in front with his left foot back with his toes facing out. He also moved his right arm out in a downward position with his left fist in front of his chest. (A/N: if you're a martial artist you'll know what I'm talking about.)
"Ready when you are," Sargon said with a sly grin. Derek took his own fighting stance, simply stepping with his right foot forward and both fists in front of his face. Sargon examined his stance. Not bad, he thought, but let's see what this little prince has to offer. With that Sargon attacks, almost catching Derek by surprise. Sargon leaped forward throwing a quick jab at Derek's head. Derek manages to dodge the attack by only an inch. He recovers only to have more jabs thrown at him. Derek blocks them as best he could and throws a few punches of his own. Sargon blocking and dodges them effortlessly. After Derek threw one more punch with his left fist, Sargon caught it right, brought it passed him to grab it with his left, and then threw a punch with his right fist again, all in one quick motion. Sargon's fist hit home and Derek staggered back, dazed by the blow. Sargon advanced forward and did a spinning back kick to Derek's stomach, knocking the air completely out of him and caused him to drop to his knees. Sargon straightened up and walked towards Derek. He looked down at him and smirked. Derek, who was still on the ground catching his breath, looked up at his opponent. This was not turning out well. The fight had practically just begun and he was knocked to the ground while Sargon looked like he wasn't even trying. But Derek wasn't about to give up just yet. He stood up ready to continue the fight. Sargon grinned at him and beckoned him to come forward. Derek, after finally regaining his breath, advanced towards Sargon.
Right when he was in range, Derek threw a right roundhouse kick to Sargon's left side, but Sargon blocked it easily. But then Derek performed a left roundhouse kick to Sargon's right side a one quick motion. Sargon was caught off guard for a quick moment before he recovered quick enough to block Derek's right hook. Derek began to throw all sorts of combinations at Sargon and Sargon was blocking all of them. Derek threw one more right hook and actually managed to land a blow on Sargon's right cheek. Sargon staggered a bit and looked at Derek with narrowed eyes. Derek, after finally landing a hit, was feeling much more confident in this fight. This time Sargon advanced towards Derek and began throwing combinations of his own. Derek, this time was the one blocking most of Sargon's attacks with a little ease. Sargon managed to land a few hits here and there but Derek was managing to hold his own.
As the Two were fighting in the middle of the room, Odette and the others watched on like everyone else in the room. Odette was amazed at how well her husband was doing against this new villain. She had never seen Derek fight so well before. She was actually confident that Derek could win this. She looked over to her right at Jacob to see how he was feeling about the fight. But what she in his face wasn't a look of confidence, but a look of anger and concern. Odette wondered why he looked like this. Her Husband was doing well against her brother, so what was he concerned about.
"What's the matter Jacob?" Odette asked. Jacob didn't answer at first but kept staring at Derek and Sargon as the fight continued. He seemed to be completely focused on what was going on. He almost didn't answer again when Odette called his name again.
"Yes Odette?" he finally answered.
"What's the matter?" she repeated her question. Jacob was confused by her question.
"What do you mean?" Odette pointed to the middle of the room.
"I mean, don't you think that Derek is doing well?" she answered. "I mean, he might win this." Jacob looked back out at the two fighting in the middle of the room. By this time Derek had just managed to land another hit on Sargon's left side with a kick. Jacob frowned at this.
"Yes he's doing well," he replied. "But that's the problem."
Odette turned quickly around at Jacob. "What do you mean?" she asked. Uberta, whom was listening in, decided to speak up as well.
"What on earth are you talking about?" she said sternly. "My son is the best there is in any kingdom around. I'm absolutely sure he can whip the villain's buttocks in no time." Jacob turned his head slightly at Odette and Uberta.
"I mean that Derek is doing too well." Jacob nodded out towards the middle of the room. "Look carefully at how Sargon is fighting." Odette followed his gaze. "I know Sargon well enough to know his techniques. And this isn't it." Odette looked hard at Derek and Sargon. She really didn't understand what Jacob meant by this. Derek may have taught her a bit of hand-to-hand combat, but she still wasn't much of a fighter to understand. But she knew that Derek was fighting at his fullest. And he seemed to be having the upper hand.
"He's letting him win," said another voice. Odette and Jacob turned around and saw Phillip and Joshua standing behind them. Odette looked at him questioningly.
"What do you mean 'letting him win'?" she asked. Phillip looked past them with a serious look.
"I mean he's letting him feel like he's winning," he answered. He pointed to the other side of the room with the horde of Goblins. "Look at all the Goblins back there." Odette looked to where Phillip was pointing. She looked carefully and saw it. Every one of the Goblins was smiling wickedly. Not one looking concerned for their master. It was then she realized that Jacob and Phillip were right. And Derek was in danger. She turned to Jacob.
"Then what are we going to do?" she asked with great concern. "Derek is in danger. We have to do something." Jacob just kept his gaze on the fight in front of them. Even though he didn't show it, he was extremely worried about Derek.
"There's nothing we can do," was all he said. Odette's eye widened at what he said. But before she could say anything, she heard another punch being landed. She looked at the center of the room. Apparently Derek hand landed another right hook on Sargon's left cheek. Sargon stepped back a couple of feet with his face looking towards the ground while he panted, his hair covering most of his face. Odette looked over at Derek who was panting also. Derek still had his right hand out after landing another blow. Both Derek and Sargon stood where they were for a few moments. Everything seemed quiet. Then Sargon smiled and his panting stopped. Derek, who was still panting, stood up a little, wondering why Sargon was smiling.
"I think it's time to play for real now," Sargon said as he lifted his head and brushed his hair out of his face. Derek's eyes widened a little at what he heard.
What does he mean "play for real", Derek thought to himself. Was he just fooling around with me this whole time? Now it all made sense. Sargon was able to catch an arrow without even looking at it, but his reactions were slower during the fight? How could he not have seen this? The thought of being made a fool of was driving him mad. But he had to calm himself. There was no point in getting mad over it now. He had to focus on the fight ahead. He quickly returned to his fighting stance from before. Sargon went back to his own fighting stance as well as Derek stood ready for whatever Sargon's next move might be. Then Sargon made the first move.
Sargon had launched himself forward at astonishing speed. Before Derek could even react, Sargon landed a punch square center of Derek's face, sending him off his feet and back a few feet. He landed with a loud thud and skidded to a halt. Derek was sure that his nose was broken after that and the pain was incredible. But he wasn't about to give up. But before he could even try to get up, Sargon grabbed the collar of his shirt and lifted him up off the ground. He then threw Derek behind him with great force, sending Derek off the ground again. This time Sargon appeared in front of Derek before he landed. In one quick motion, Sargon lifted his leg up high and brought it down upon Derek's chest with a lot of force behind it, causing the floor to crack on impact. But Sargon wasn't done yet. He picked up Derek by the collar and threw him high into the air. Sargon once again appeared out of nowhere above Derek and pushed both feet down on Derek's torso causing both of them to descend towards the floor with great force. At the last moment, Sargon jumped off Derek so that he would be the one to hit the ground hard.
The floor cracked on impacted and a cloud of dust rose up while Sargon landed gracefully on his feet three meters in front of the crowd before him. Sargon turned his head slightly to look behind him at the damage he had caused. The cloud of dust began to dissipate and all that was there was a motionless body in the middle of the room. Sargon smiled and turned fully around and began to walk towards the motionless form.
Everyone in the room was in shock, even Jacob. He had never seen anyone move that fast in their lives. How was that even possible? Seeing this caused the people in the room to sit in shock, and also fear. Jacob couldn't believe what just happened. He may be a master at martial arts, but he was not that good. And appearing in mid air the way he did before his finishing move was impossible. But then he remembered that Sargon possessed the forbidden arts. He could do anything he pleased. And this made Sargon all the more terrifying.
Odette stood motionless in shock. Her husband lied still in the middle of the room. She wasn't sure if he was still breathing after what had just happened. And she feared it more than anything. She wanted to run out and be with her husband but her feet wouldn't move. She wanted to scream but her throat was dry. She couldn't do anything right there. She wanted to believe that this was just a dream, that none of this was really happening. But she knew it was all too real. Then finally she could feel her feet again and broke out into a run towards Derek. But she didn't get far because Jacob grabbed her wrist and held her back. Odette began to struggle against him. Uberta tried to run towards her son as well but was restrained by Joshua.
"There's nothing you can do Odette!" he said. But Odette continued to struggle. "If you go out there it could violate the agreement of the challenge and those creatures will use it as an excuse to slaughter us all." But his words were falling on deaf ears because she continued to struggle. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she tried to reach her beloved. She was determined to reach him no matter what. Uberta tried to run towards her son as well but was restrained by Joshua.
"You're Highness, please," he said trying to calmer. "You must calm down. We mustn't get involved in this yet."
By this time Sargon had reached Derek's still form. He kneeled down and examined the body carefully, then grinned.
"He's still alive," he said. Odette immediately stopped struggling. She looked on at the scene before her with hope. Derek was still alive, but how badly was he injured? Sargon then stood up.
"That's good," he said. "That means I get to deliver one more final blow." He then raised his left foot over Derek's head.
"NO!" Odette screamed as she finally broke free of Jacob's grip and ran towards them. She had to do something to stop this. She couldn't let this happen, not again. She just couldn't lose another loved one. She had to stop this nightmare, even if she had to die herself. But then two figures flew past her towards Sargon. It was Puffin and Whizzer.
They flew right past Odette to try and save Derek. Sargon turned slightly and was caught by surprise by the attack. Puffin and Whizzer both zoomed in and rammed Sargon on his forehead, causing him to stumble back. Then Puffin and Whizzer, slightly regretting ramming him with their foreheads, took advantage of his disorientation and began pecking at his head. Sargon tried using his powers to destroy the pesky but couldn't focus enough to aim correctly. Every time he tried to fire and fireball at them they would dodge it quickly and continue pecking his head. Odette was surprised at what was happening and smiled at the scene. Then she saw that Speed was joining in by using his shell to slide across the floor. Taking advantage of the confusion, Speed slide his shell under Sargon's feet, causing him to slip and fall hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Puffin and Whizzer continued to peck his head while spend crawled up and started biting Sargon's legs.
Odette was giggling at the scene when she saw Jean-Bob running to join the chaos yelling while welding… a wooden spoon? Jean-Bob ran towards his comrades and began to beat Sargon on the chest with the spoon. Everyone in the room began to laugh at how the animals were making a fool out of the Dark Lord. It was a pleasant turn of events. Even Jacob, Phillip, and Joshua were laughing quite loudly. The Goblins, on the other hand, had no idea what to do. They weren't the smartest of creatures. They normally followed the orders of the Dark Lord on what to do. But this spectacle was new. Should they help their master or let him handle things himself. Usually that's how their master handled thing. Fighting battles was their specialty, but watching animals beat their master was something entirely new. Even Krugnor, who was Sargon's best warrior and general, wasn't sure if he should get involved with this matter.
Sargon was becoming quite annoyed with these animals. Two birds were pecking at his head, a turtle was biting his legs, and a stupid frog was hitting him with a spoon. This kind of humiliation was not tolerable. But he couldn't destroy them. Not yet at least. He had plans that would humiliate these pests and cause Odette a great amount of pain. But he just had to wait a little longer. They would be here soon.
Puffin and Whizzer kept on pecking away; with Puffin occasionally did a kung fu move every now and then. Whizzer, with his long and thin beck, was able to quickly hit the spots where Sargon couldn't protect fully. Jean-Bob kept beating his chest with the spoon and speed kept on biting. This continued for a few moments, then suddenly Puffin and Whizzer felt something slam against their necks and pinned them to the ground. Jean-Bob and Speed stopped for a moment when they, themselves, were simultaneously slammed to the ground. Speed was pushed away and slid a couple of feet away. He was about to get up when he was slammed back down. Jean-Bob was knocked to the ground face first then felt a great amount of pressure on his back. Sargon, bruised slightly, sat up a little.
"About time you three showed up," Sargon said. "These pests were beginning to annoy me."
"I'm sorry master," said the figure holding down Puffin and Whizzer. Its voice was deep and shrill and sounded like more of a hiss when it spoke. Both Whizzer and Puffin were struggling against their captor.
"Unhand us this minute you vile fiend!" shouted Puffin as he and Whizzer struggled continuously.
"I command you to get off me this instant!" Jean-Bob ordered as he tried to push of the floor. "This is no way to treat a prince!" Speed didn't say anything but tried to push off the ground as well.
"Ha! A prince you say?" the figure on top of Jean-Bob said sarcastically. "Well my apologies my prince." Even though Jean-Bob couldn't see it, he felt the villain on top of him bow in mockery.
"And what is this?" said the figure standing on Speed. Its voice was deep and threatening. "Your personal servant?" Speed lifted his head out of his shell to get a good look at who was standing on his shell. What he saw both shocked and frightened him. It was a large, black alligator snapping turtle, three times the size of him. Puffin and Whizzer also looked up to see a very large silver eagle standing above them with its talons around their throats. Jean-Bob turned his head as much as he could to see who was on him. He was surprised to see a large horned toad sitting on his back.
Odette, who had been watching the scene the whole time, was greatly surprised at this new turn of events. Her animal friends had been pinned down by other animals. Not only that, but they were servants of the Dark lord. Was this what he was waiting for? Yes, it had to be. He could have incinerated them anytime he wanted. But instead he waited for more of his servants to come and do the job for him. Upon this realization, Odette began to fear the worst for her animal friends and Derek.
Everything was turning into a nightmare. Her kingdom was invaded, her people were terrorized, her animal friends are in danger, and her beloved husband is lying on the ground uncurious, and probably dying. And there was literally nothing she could do to stop anything. She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice Sargon standing up. He looked at Odette and grinned wickedly.
"What?" he asked. "You didn't think that you were the only one with animal friends did you?" He turned towards his animal servants. "Razor, Brutus, Balthazar, take care of these pests would you?" Sargon commanded. "And have fun with it."
"Yes my master," answered Razor, the eagle.
"As you wish my Lord," replied Balthazar, the alligator snapping turtle.
"No problem boss," Brutus, the horned toad, said. And with that their fun began. Razor spread his wings and took off into the air with Puffin and Whizzer still in his talons. Once high in the air, he performed a loop-de-loop once around and threw the two birds towards the ground. Fortunately both Puffin and Whizzer managed to recover before hitting the ground. They flew up side by side to meet their opponent.
"Alright Whizzer," Puffin said. "This may be our toughest fight yet. But this is also our chance to prove ourselves. We have the advantage, there's two of us and one of him. We can win this." Whizzer nodded in agreement.
"Yes sir," he responded. They both took off towards the enemy in front of them as impressive speed. But Razor evaded their attack easily. Puffin and Whizzer flew high flew past Razor and looped above him and dived down. Again Razor dodged. As Puffin and Whizzer were turned around and ascended towards him, Razor turned around and flew away; making the two birds pursue him. Razor wanted to make this fight as fun as possible. These two seemed to have excellent flying skills. He wanted to see just what their made of. They flew around the room as astonishing speed. Twisting and turning and flying around the pillars of the room. They even flew just over the peoples' heads.
As Puffin and Whizzer were chasing Razor, Speed and Jean-Bob were dealing with their enemies. Brutus had let Jean-bob back up and even gave him his spoon back. Jean-bob swung the spoon as hard and as fast as he could, but he just couldn't hit his target. Brutus was too fast for the little frog.
Speed was doing much worse than his friends were. Speed was upside down while Balthazar was spinning him like a top. After a few more moments, Balthazar swung his tail, sending Speed across the floor like a hockey puck. Speed bounced off the wall and came sliding right back to Balthazar. He repeated this like it was nothing but a game.
Jean-Bob was starting to get tired. His arms started to get heavy as he swung his spoon. Then Jean-bob swung one final, but Brutus grabbed the spoon and ripped it from Jean-Bob's grip. In that same moment, Brutus kicked his leg up, hitting Jean-Bob below the chin, sending him up in the air. And with his strong leg, though he wasn't a frog, Brutus jumped up and performed a front-flip, using the momentum to bring his heel down upon the poor frog. Jean-Bob hit the floor with a loud thud as he bounced off the floor. Somehow recovering from this, Jean-bob stood up as quick as he could and took off running. Brutus only laughed at the frog's actions.
"Awe, done already?" Brutus taunted. He then gave chase. "Come back here you wimp." But Jean-bob just kept running, maneuvering around, and the tables to get away.
Odette watched on as her animal friends fought hard. She couldn't take the sight of her closest friends being beaten like this. But what could she do? Like Jacob said, if she were to intervene, the Goblins would use it as an excuse to kill them all. But she had faith in her friends. And right now, all she could do is pray for them.
Razor, after finally having enough fun messing with the birds, decided to slow down a little to let his pursuers catch up. Then once they were close enough, Razor suddenly stopped and spun in the air and hit Both Puffin and Whizzer with his talons. They both began to descend towards the ground before regaining themselves. Both hurt badly and bleeding slightly, they decided to change tactics. They glanced at one another, nodded, and took off in different directions. The quickly flew towards Razor from opposite directions, each moving from one side to the other and switch vantage points to deliver a well aimed blow. But Razor just stayed where he was in the air, waiting and grinning. Puffin and Whizzer were approaching quickly. Then they suddenly quickened their speed and made a straight dash towards Razor from opposite sides, both getting closer to their target. But at the very last second, Razor dropped down from the sky, causing Puffin and Whizzer to collide with one another. The impact caused both birds to lose consciousness and fall ten meters to the floor, each landing with a loud thud.
Jean-Bob was on the buffet tables trying to hide in the assortments and dishes from the large toad. At the moment, he was trying to hide behind a turkey platter with the lid on top. Jean-Bob was slowly and quietly sneaking around the dish to avoid being seen. But he was growing nervous because, even though he couldn't see Brutus, doesn't mean that he wasn't close by. And that fact alone was setting his nerves on edge. He slowly made his way around the turkey dish, with his back against the lid. Then he felt it move suddenly, causing him to jump away. He turned around to look at the dish. He looked around it, expecting Brutus to come from around or above it. He wasn't expecting the lid to suddenly flip open.
"Surprise!" Brutus shouted as he appeared from under the lid and tackled Jean-Bob, causing them both to fall off the table. But it was Jean-Bob that was landed on. Brutus stood up and looked down at the beaten little frog. Brutus chuckled a little at the sight. He picked up Jean-Bob by his neck and threw him towards the two fallen birds in the middle of the room. Jean-Bob hit the ground and slid to a stop next to his friends.
Balthazar looked behind him and saw that his comrades were done playing and wacked Speed across the floor with the rest of the small animals. Speed hit his friends at a fast past and they all slid across the floor a few feet. They were all conscious, but in incredible pain. They lay on the ground around one another as the three servants on Sargon gathered together around the fallen four. Puffin, Whizzer, Speed, and Jean-bob looked up that the three that had beaten them.
"Well boys," said Puffin to his friends. "We all did well today. Let us go out with our dignity. No fear."
"No fear," Whizzer and Speed said in unison. Jean-Bob, however, didn't say anything at the moment. He hated that phrase ever since that blasted puffin uttered those words. Every time he said them, Jean-Bob wanted nothing more than to stuff the bird's head in. But now was different. He finally began to understand the phrase he hated so much. What it meant to show no fear. He finally understood.
"No fear," Jean-Bob said. And he smiled, as did the rest of his friends. Razor, Brutus, and Balthazar stood above their prey, ready to strike. Razor spread his wings and flew just above Puffin and Whizzer with his talons ready. Balthazar opened his mouth and placed it over Speed's neck. Brutus lifted his right leg over Jean-Bob's head. This was the end, the frog thought to himself. This time he wasn't shaken with fear. He was still smiling as he closed his eyes and waited for the final blow.
Odette watched on as she saw her friends on the ground and about to be killed. She couldn't take this. She was not going to see her closest friends and her husband die. She began to run towards her friends, hoping to stop it in time.
"Enough," Sargon said at the last moment, causing Odette to stop in her tracks. Razor, Brutus, and Balthazar all look upon their master with a little confusion. "Leave the beasts to their fate. I have unfinished business with my sister." His three servants obeyed without question and backed off towards the rest of the army. Sargon looked at Odette and grinned. Then he began to walk towards her. Odette began to grow fearful now. She didn't know what was to become of her. Only that he wanted her soul. She took a few steps back as Sargon drew closer. At this time, Jacob, Phillip, and Joshua stepped in between him and Odette ready to fight.
"Don't you dare take one more step closer to her!" Jacob shouted. But Sargon just kept walking. Jacob, Phillip, and Joshua stood ready, but then they felt a great force push them away as Sargon swept them aside with his powers. They were all pushed back a few feet till they were at the feet of the crowd behind them.
"No more playing around," he said. "I wasted too much time here already." He drew closer to Odette as she backed away. But Sargon raised his right hand, and then suddenly she couldn't move. She was completely helpless as Sargon approached her with a maniacal grin. He reached his hand out to her.
"Finally," he said aloud. "Eternal youth is mine!" He laughed maniacally. It was a laugh that would send chills down the bravest man's spine. Sargon laugh loud and hard at his success. His goal was almost complete. Everything couldn't be more perfect. He was finally going to rule the world. His hand reached closer to Odette. But then he stopped. His wicked grin turned into a frown. Something was wrong, he could sense it. But what could it be?
Odette stood helpless as she watched the Dark Lord just stand then for a moment. She notice something was off when Sargon suddenly stopped and his face dropped. Her heart was pounding as she waited for something to happen. The tension was too much for her and she closed her eyes. Then she felt something on her stomach. She opened her eyes and looked down. Sargon's hand rested on her stomach. She quickly looked up at Sargon. She could see a small trace of a smile.
"Ah," he said. "So that's the problem." He looked up at his sister. "Looks like you're off the hook, sis." Sargon took his hand off Odette's stomach. "It seems I won't be needing your soul after all." He released his hold on her as she dropped to the ground. She looked up at her brother.
"What?" she asked. Sargon smiled and turned around and began walking away.
"Your soul is no longer of any use to me," he said. He a quick hand motion and appeared in his armor again. He made his towards his army as one of his Goblins brought him his large black steed. He took his horse and climbed on. "But don't worry," he continued, "We're still not done yet. I'm thinking of making this a little more fun. So I'm giving you time to prepare. But in nine months time, be sure to expect company, and not just from me." And with that, he turned his horse around and rode out of the castle doors with his Goblin army following behind.
Everyone in the room was confused on what just transpired. Why did the Dark Lord suddenly turn away and leave? Jacob, Uberta, Phillip, and Joshua all walked towards Odette, who was on her knees facing the floor. They all gathered around her, wondering if she was all right. Odette's mind was running a million miles an hour. Why did he just suddenly let her go when he had her in his grasp? And what did he mean when he said in nine months time to expect company? She was having a hard time piecing these things together. Then she remembered something: 'Nine months'. Then something else clicked when she remembered Sargon's hand on her stomach. She didn't realize she had just placed her own hand on her stomach. Then it all made sense as she brought her hands to her face and began to cry.
I'm pregnant!
A/N: Whoa, talk about a twist huh? Again, SOOOOOO sorry about the long ass update. I'll try to update sooner. But things are a little tight right now. But I promise I will not give up on this story. Please leave a review and tell me what you think and what you may want to see in this story. Thanks :)