From the bottom of the tower, the might roar of the dragon type Enetelexeia could be heard, carrying the Fierta and ten allies to rescue Rita and stop Dorik and his boss's plan to raise the dead.
Rita perked up at the familiar sound, instilling a sense of hope into the young mage's heart.
She looked to the sky, seeing Ba'ul's rapid decision.
Dorik rushed outside and motioned for his knights to join him, "Brave Vesperia is not allowed past these gates! They must be captured!"
"You won't be able to, " Rita told him, "They are unwavering."
Dorik dead stared at her, "You'll find that your friends are not as strong as they once were. They will fall here, as will you."
"Enslaved Citizens!" Rita shouted, "There are more of us than there are of them! Flee to the ship! You will be taken care of after the battle!"
There was chatter among the slaves, Dorik put his hand over her mouth, "That was a mistake."
The Knights were too focussed on the advancing squadron of heroes to deal with the escaping slaves.
"Forget about them!" Dorik shouted, "Concentrate fire on those warriors!"
Amidst the confusion, Rita slipped back and used a welding torch to sever the chains on her legs, allowing her to move freely.
The party gracefully evaded all of the incoming arrow shots. Raven casually responded with his own, more precise shots.
Finally, within blade contact, the chaos commenced.
The sounds of shouting and clashing echoed throughout the tower's structure, the Cumore Brigade versus the entire party, and the knight twins.
In the heat of battle, Dorik snatched Rita and began climbing the building.
"Rita!" Estelle shouted.
Rita wriggled her way lose and smacked Dorik in the side with her foot.
Dorik grunted but grabbed her foot and dragged her off, "Don't test my patience. I need you!"
Estelle clashed with two knights simultaneously, but her focus was on Rita, "No!" She shouted, watching Dorik ascend the stairs.
She took her rage out on the guards, brutally slashing them.
"Let's finish this!" Yuri shouted, "We can do this!"
"Together!" Flynn shouted, parrying three blades are once.
•••
Löder stepped into his room, which was unlocked.
"What the...?" He whispered.
He walked into his residence, which had been visibly searched.
"What could've..."
He picked up a piece of paper on the desk, which had a formally written note on it.
"Dear your highness, I am sorry about the mess that we have made. Dorik ambushed all of the members of the guild Brave Vesperia and their associates, myself included. This was accomplished by his abuse of the Cumore brigade and order of civilian evacuation of multiple districts via a letter from you.
Obviously, Dorik forged your name to minimize civilian interference in his affairs. We escaped, retrieved our weapons from your secret closet, and are now heading into the underground sewer tunnels.
Please contact Sodia and tell her to send all available units to the tower of gears: Ghasfarost.
-Flynn Scifo
"Oh, my word..." Löder whispered to himself.
"I must inform Sodia quickly..." Löder rapidly exited his room.
A slim figure stood in the way, his face not visible to the reader, but visible to Löder.
"Going somewhere?" He asked.
"Yes..." Löder told him, "I need to speak to Captain Sodia."
"No. No, you don't."
The figure clobbered Löder over the head and dragged him.
He pulled out a communication device, Dorik appeared as a hologram to him.
Dorik was holding an unconscious mage, "Yes, my lord?"
"I am disappointed with the escape of my adversaries, surely you know the consequences of your failure."
"You have my word. I will bring them to you in cages, sir."
"That better be true, or I cannot promise your reward will come fully intact."
Dorik closed his eyes, "Yes sir..."
"I have sent your friends to aid you, as you requested."
Dorik opened his eyes, "Thank you, my lord."
•••
After the action stopped, the few knights that were left conscious slowly lowered their weapons.
"Leave!" Flynn shouted.
What was left of the Cumore Brigade nearly tripped over themselves to run off into the distance.
Dorik was far enough up the tower carrying Rita that the rest of the party could no longer see him, but they knew where he was going.
"Alright, I hope you all didn't skip leg day for the last ten years, we've got a long ways to go up," Yuri told them.
They started huffing and running up the stairs as fast as they could.
"He can only go so far. We'll catch him!" Flynn shouted.
•••
"Damn!" Dorik shouted, the next set of stairs was stuck, and there was no way for him to open it.
"Mordio..."
He took the unconscious Rita off of his back and shook her awake, "Get those stairs down, now!"
"W-what?" Rita was still dizzily waking up.
"Find a way to get those stairs down! Now!"
Rita shook her head, "What?! No! Why would I help you?!"
Dorik scowled and started randomly pushing buttons on the control panel, but it was no use.
"Dorik!" Flynn shouted. They had finally made their way up there.
Dorik sighed and slowly turned to face them.
Rita kicked him in the gut and ran over to join the group, Karol pulled her scarf out of his bag and handed it to her.
"Thanks, " She said.
"You are under arrest for treason, " Flynn told him, "Your refusal to come quietly will end in us using force to bring you in."
Dorik groaned and shouted out of anger, "Do you really think you're a match for me? Without Blastia, you'll be crushed in mere minutes."
"Only one way to find out, " Yuri drew his blade, the others prepared their weapons as well.
"Your brigade is finished!" Hisca shouted.
"And you will soon be as well, one way or another, " Chastel finished.
Dorik sighed and drew his swords, taking a combat stance.
"Hisca, Chastel," Flynn spoke, "Head back to the capital, inform Sodia and the other Knights of what has transpired here."
"You can take Ba'ul," Judith told them.
The Aiheap twins, Hisca and Chastel, rushed back down the stairs, disappearing quickly.
Flynn and Yuri rushed Dorik, who defended himself with the guard that the Blastia provided, shielding him from their onslaught.
Dorik slammed a blade against the ground.
"Crushing Eagle!"
Yuri and Flynn's balance broke, and they toppled to the ground.
The rest of the party wasn't far behind in the onslaught, attacking every possible angle, narrowly evading his magical Artes.
Raven broke his guard with an arrow and attempted a slash to his chest, but the attack was blocked by one of Dorik's longswords.
Dorik swung his blade at the off-balanced old man, but his sword failed to connect for the fatal blow as Rita's scarf had flung and grabbed it.
Rita planted herself deeply into the ground, holding back Dorik's mighty swing long enough for Raven to escape.
"Judith!" Karol shouted, leaping into the air.
Judith flung herself into the air to push Karol higher, and then landed gracefully.
Patty pulled her musket and fired a shot into Dorik's guard, scattering it for a brief second.
Within the timeframe, Karol landed and jammed his axe into Dorik's two raised blades.
Dorik groaned, barely resisting the might of Karol's swing.
"Hyah!" Estelle shouted, slashing Dorik's back, finally drawing some blood.
With Dorik surprised from the attack, Repede managed to slash his legs before his guard returned, knocking him off-balance.
The rest of the party saw their opportunity to strike and took it, hammering away at his guard.
"I've had enough of you people!" Dorik shouted.
"Destruction Field!" The brilliant, fiery glow of the Arte blew the party to all corners of the large room, scattering them.
Dorik sighed and stood up upon the now cracked floor, "Some of you have been ordered to be kept alive, but some of you are allowed to die!"
Patty, Repede, and Karol hid behind a moving gear.
"What do we do?" Karol shouted over the noise of the gears.
Patty looked at him, panicked, "We fight until the end, if we can't beat him, we will die trying!"
She reloaded her musket and waited for the others to get up.
Repede howled as loud as he could, his weapon at the ready.
Rita, Estelle, and Raven stood together against Dorik, who advanced on them.
"Demon fang!" Dorik hollered, aiming squarely at Raven.
Raven hopped out of the way just in time, as not to be burned by the light.
Raven returned fire with a triplet of arrows, but none of them penetrated.
"Man, this was easier with Blastia..." Raven whispered.
"Demonic Chaos!" Dorik shouted, producing a cluster wave of white projectiles.
Rita shoved Estelle out of the way of an incoming particle, but nearly took it herself, burning her robe.
"Rita!" Estelle shouted, painfully picking up her friend.
Dorik launched yet another storm of projectiles, which finally broke open the wall of the tower, revealing a one thousand foot drop to the bottom of the beach.
The outside air whispered menacingly.
Dorik walked to Raven, who had fallen to the ground amidst the chaos.
"Hey!" Patty shouted, running toward him with Repede and Karol at her side.
Raven kicked Dorik in the shin while he was distracted, but to no avail.
Patty fired her musket, but the shot didn't penetrate.
"Destruction field!" He shouted once more, sending them flying.
Raven bit the dust, his body sliding to the edge of the broken wall.
Raven saw his life flash before his eyes, gripping on to the edge of the floor. His feet dangled below him, and he knew the only thing keeping him from falling to his demise was the flimsy piece of broken metal he was holding on to.
Dorik took this opportunity to heal himself. The pure green light sealed all of the battle wounds he had received, including the gash in the back that Estelle had given him.
"The Blastia..." Flynn said to Yuri and Judith, who were barely conscious.
"Rita said it was dangerous..." Flynn muttered.
"We could override it..." Judith said weakly.
Flynn closed his eyes in determination. He quieted his mind, silencing all of the noise on the battlefield.
"Yuri..." Flynn whispered to his friend.
"W-what?" Yuri groaned.
"Tell everyone I was honored to fight alongside them."
"Flynn, no!" Yuri shouted, reaching out to try and stop him.
Flynn gripped his sword in his right hand and his shield in his left, dramatically sprinting towards their enemy.
He ran past Karol, Repede, and Patty, and then past Rita and Estelle.
Their heads all turned to watch Flynn's courageous act.
"Try some of this!" Flynn shouted at Dorik, ramming his shield into Dorik's body.
Dorik's cheek was injured, broke the blow, he began to heal himself.
Flynn took a shot at his arm while Dorik cast, maiming the Blastia and shattering it even further.
A shot of electricity flew through Flynn's body, causing him unbearable pain.
Flynn fought through it, attacking his Blastia once again. This time, it did not survive Flynn's shot.
The Blastia exploded with a brief, red glow, followed by particles of green Aer shimmering down like snow.
Flynn and Dorik had both been slapped against structures, Dorik against the wall, and Flynn against a gear.
"Flynn!" Estelle shouted. The party ran over to him.
All eight of them looked over his body.
Rita placed her hand on his wrist to feel for a pulse.
"His heart is weakening..." She said.
Yuri pushed her aside, tears welling within his eyes.
"Damnit, Flynn!" He shouted.
Yuri began performing chest compressions, putting his full strength into every thrust.
Tears streamed down his face. He began to push harder.
The rest of the party watched in sadness.
Yuri slapped Flynn across the face, "Damnit!"
Flynn jolted awake, gasping for air as he sat up.
Everyone smiled and gathered around him.
"Flynn, thank god," Yuri said.
"God, my head..." Flynn said.
Estelle looked over him, examining his body for injuries, "He's fine for now, but he needs first aid."
Rita looked at Estelle, "He's not the only one. We could all use treatment, some more than others."
Dorik groaned in the corner, still alive.
Yuri, Estelle, and Repede sat near Flynn, and Rita had her hand on Estelle's back for comfort.
The rest of the party walked over to Dorik, who was struggling to sit up.
Patty pointed her musket at his temple, "I'd stay down if I were you, lad."
Dorik looked at them, and his face cracked, "You don't understand..."
"We don't have to," Judith told him, "You tried to kill us, and you're aiding an evil mastermind. Whatever reason you have, whatever reward you're getting, it isn't worth it."
Dorik laid back and groaned, "I am sorry..."
Karol took his swords away from him, "We don't care."
•••
Hisca and Chastel flew across the world.
"Where do you think Sodia is?" Chastel asked her sister.
"Where was Flynn? I'm sure she wasn't far behind him."
The twins frowned in deep thought before reaching a conclusion.
"Aurnion!" They said in unison.
"Uh... Ba'ul?" Chastel asked
"Can you take us to Aurnion?" Hisca asked.
Ba'ul spoke in his language, which to them was just a roar.
"Hopefully, that means yes..." Chastel said.
•••
Yuri and Judith lifted Flynn up, helping him walk.
"Come on, buddy, we have a long way to go."
Flynn tried to speak, but it came out as jumbled words.
"Just hang in there."
Waiting for them on the floor below was an unpleasant sight that they were not prepared for.
"My- f-friends..." Dorik grunted and tried to sit up, "You have come to my aid..."
Standing before them, were the Loli Twins, each equipped with a perfectly crafted Blastia.
"Yes, Dorik," Gauche told him.
Droite ran over to Dorik and put her hand on his chest.
"Hey!" Karol shouted, running toward her.
The party was in no state to fight them at all.
Droite healed Dorik's wounds and shot her weapon at Karol, a chain launcher.
The chains pressed squeezed his arms and legs to his body.
"No..." Estelle said.
Gauche and Droite said nothing, their expressions similar to Dorik's monotonous appearance.
Gauche shot a chain at Rita.
"Hey!" Rita shouted, "Let me go!"
Estelle ran over to try and untie Rita, but it was no use.
"Please..." Estelle pleaded, "Don't do this..." She cried.
Gauche and Droite's faces were nearly sympathetic.
"It's not personal..." Droite told her before snapping a chain on her as well.
Patty ran down the stairs before being chained.
"You'll regret this!" Patty shouted.
"Why?" Raven asked, "You two can't possibly think that an army of the dead is a good idea..."
Gauche looked down in shame as she shot a chain at Raven, his body collapsed to the floor alongside the others.
"I saw you..." Estelle cried, "I saw you two donating to the orphanage... you're good people don't do this..."
The twins captured the rest of the party, who didn't put up much of a fight.
"We're sorry..." Droite told them as they bunched them together.
"Go to hell..." Yuri muttered to them.
Dorik and the Loli Twins dragged their chained bodies to the broken hole in the tower, where a flying ship was waiting for them.
They loaded them onto the ship, and it ascended high into the sky, toward the top of the tower.
"So... we lost?" Judith asked weakly.
"It certainly looks like it..." Karol said.
Flynn, Estelle, and Raven had already passed out, and the rest of the party soon followed.
The last one left was Patty, who drifted off into an unconscious state slowly.
"Seipher..." She whispered to herself.
Dorik pulled out a communication disk for him and the twins.
"Yes, Dorik?" A distorted voice answered.
"My lord," Dorik opened, "Brave Vesperia has been successfully taken care of, we are on our way to the top of the tower as we speak."
"Excellent. I see your friends were of some use?"
"The decision to give them Blastia was a wise one, my lord."
"The mage, Mordio, her usefulness has come to an end now that I have deciphered the formula for creating Blastia."
Dorik bowed his head, "So your plan is finally coming to motion?"
A voice through the hologram could be heard whispering.
"Dorik, I was not informed that two female Knights had escaped with the dragon."
Dorik and the twins gasped slightly.
"I didn't think it was important, forgive me..." Dorik pleaded.
"I warned you about this, Dorik. Maybe your reward shouldn't come...intact..." The voice spoke, menacingly.
"Please, my lord, it will not happen again!"
The twins tried to contain their emotions.
"No more mistakes, Captain."
"Yes, sir..." Dorik said, submissively.
The hologram ended, and a single teardrop fell down Dorik's face.
"I thank you for your service, orphans," Dorik stated formally.
The twins looked at each other, their eyes shining from the repressed tears.
