Phantom entered the bedroom from the balcony. He was shocked to see his elf friend in the room. They froze in a moment of awkwardness.
"You just..." Mercedes wasn't sure of what to say.
"I..." Phantom was tongue-tied.
"...straight into the bedroom?..."
"..oh...this is a bedroom?...I...didn't...know...that."
"hah...Empress's bedroom?" Mercedes stared at Phantom.
"Woah...Cygnus sleeps here?" Phantom tried to sound surprised.
"..."
"I noticed something strange was happening and was worried about Cygnus. I'm glad I found the place where she would most likely be...oh...she's not here..."
"That's right. Your letter. I thought there was a banquet and then...how did I end up here?" The elf asked while pointing a bowgun at Phantom.
"How would I know that!?" Phantom raised his hands.
"What's going on!?" Mercedes pointed both her bowguns at Phantom.
"I don't know! I'm innocent!" The thief raised his hands higher.
"BFHAHAHA!" Mercedes burst into laughter. "A thief..saying...he's innocent.."
"ha..ha..ha.." Phantom forced a fake laugh.
"Wait! This is no time to be fooling around." Mercedes pointed her bowguns again at Phantom.
"That's right! We should be looking for Cygnus!" Phantom raised his hands again.
They left the room and entered the hallway. Hilla was seen coming from the stairs at the end of the hallway.
"How about a change of pace?" Hilla aimed her staff at them and fired a black magic bolt.
The bolt hit Mercedes. She was blown away to the other end of the hallway, and out the window.
"Mercedes!" Phantom exclaimed.
"I don't think you have the luxury to worry about others." Hilla fired another bolt.
Phantom dived back into the bedroom. The attack destroyed the door. As Phantom got back on his feet, there was an explosion which blew him to the balcony. The blast blew a big hole in the walls, floor and ceiling, revealing the room across the hallway. Hilla levitated into the bedroom.
"So you're behind all this?" Phantom leaned against the balcony railings for support.
"Yes and no. It depends on how you see it."
"What?"
"I'm gonna give you a chance to take out your weapon..."
Phantom jumped off the balcony and disappeared into the forest.
"Tsk...quick at running away I see."
Mercedes fell out of the window of the five storey palace. The trees slowed her descent as she fell into the thick forest and landed on the ground with minor injuries. She stood up, rubbing her hip in pain. If she had casted a water barrier only a split second later, she would have suffered more serious injuries. Looking back at the palace, she saw a white figure jumped off the fifth storey and into the forest. Hilla then flew down slowly after it.
"That must be Phantom." Mercedes thought for moment before deciding her next course of action.
She needed to look for Cygnus. Mercedes made her way back into the palace. At the entrance, there were two guards. They sat at the door steps, staring at the ground. One of them was chanting. The other suddenly stood up. This made the elf jump back.
"It's me." Phantom took off his helmet and discarded his disguise.
"You scared me."
"Listen. I have managed to fool Hilla for the moment. She will soon find out. I need you to look for Cygnus while I distract her. Cygnus is not in the palace."
"You two are not going...anywhere." The voice came from inside the palace as the doors flung open.
"Irena?"
"Yes! You are not going anywhere either~" Oz hugged Irena from behind and placed her head on Irena's shoulder.
"Oz...it's hot...get off me..."
"Irena so cold~ but I don't dislike that about you~" Oz rubbed their cheeks together.
Irena face turned red as she tried to resist Oz touching all over her body. Phantom's eyes glowed with magic, as he tried to get a better view in the night.
"Phantom!" Mercedes was annoyed.
Phantom's delighted face became serious and his eyes stopped glowing. He turned to Mercedes.
"They, are not the real Irena and Oz."
"Huh?"
"There is something different about them. I can't quite make out...I mean...make it out. Something strange is going on. I have this feeling of dejavu since I landed on this island. It's like I have been chasing Cygnus for a long time...wait, I didn't mean it that way..."
"You..." Mercedes looked even more annoyed.
"Okay, okay...just go look for..."
Phantom and Mercedes leapt on to the field in front of the palace, as a magic bolt landed at where they were. Hilla came floating down from above the palace.
"How rude of you to leave me like that. Oz! Irena!"
"Roger!" Oz replied and fired fireballs at the heroes.
The heroes dodged the fireballs, leaping back further into the fields. Hilla and the two knights moved nearer, stepping on to the fields as well. Phantom and Mercedes looked at each other and nodded. They started running in opposite directions.
"Not so fast. Oz." Hilla signalled Oz.
Oz raised her wand and casted a spell. Walls of flames rose around the field, trapping the heroes together with Hilla and the two knights. The ten storey high walls unclosed them in an area about a size of a football field. Phantom threw a card at the flame wall to test its strength. It vaporized before it could reach the wall's surface.
"This is bad, real bad." Phantom turned back towards the three.
"Two vs three huh? I don't know why the knights are working with Hilla. But if what you said is true, they aren't the real knights, then, I don't need to hold back." Mercedes armed her bowguns, ready for the fight.
Hilla and Oz were both ready, in a fighting stance. Irena however, was still a bit traumatized from Oz violating her body earlier.
"Aren't you going to take out your weapon?" Hilla asked Phantom.
"Make me." Phantom replied.
Circles of light glowed on the ground. The elf and thief instinctively stepped out of them before pillars of light emerged from the circles, vaporizing the grass within it. Hilla and Oz started firing their magic attacks at heroes. Mercedes fired back while dodging. Phantom only dodged. The elf's spray of arrows got stuck on a magic barrier around Hilla. The arrows turned around and went back to its source. The heroes' paths converged. The mass amount of projectiles caused an explosion at the spot. Phantom emerged from the cloud of dust with a two-handed sword, charging straight at Hilla. Two streams of arrows followed beside him, aiming for the knights beside Hilla, causing them to moved away from each other. As Phantom got close, an explosion erupted outwards from Hilla. Phantom materialised a shield as he was blown backwards. Mercedes moved up beside him where he landed.
"Nice try." Hilla spoke as both parties halted their attacks.
A sword came spinning down on top of Hilla. It got stuck on her barrier before disappearing. Hilla did not flinch.
"Another nice try I suppose."
Another two weapons came spinning down, one on each of the knights. An axe struck the flame witch while a mace landed on the archer's head. Both fell to the ground. Hilla, in shock, turned back to look.
"I think that was a pretty good try." Phantom spoke confidently.
Hilla was furious. Oz slowly stood back up, placing her hand on her wounded shoulder.
"Oz, fall back and maintain the wall." Hilla instructed.
Mercedes fired at the retreating mage but was too late. The mage quickly disappeared into the wall of flames. Hilla raised her staff and chanted a spell. After a short moment, her skeleton army emerged from the ground, surrounding the heroes. There were about two hundred of them. They marched slowly towards the heroes. Mercedes mowed them down with her barrage of arrows. They fell to the ground into pieces, only to reanimate a short moment later. Mercedes continued her barrage. Phantom joined in the assault with a polearm, sweeping down the horde. Hilla added on to the heroes plight. Lightning strikes rained on them. Hilla laughed as the heroes struggled with the undying army while dodging her lightning attacks. Their struggle continued for a few minutes. They tried to push the skeletons into the wall of flames. But Hilla would replenish her forces easily by summoning more skeletons. Phantom tried to charge at Hilla several times, only to be blown back by her explosive defence. He had also changed his weapon several times: sword, polearm, dagger, gun and crossbow. The heroes suffered multiple wounds during their struggle.
The ground shook. Irena woke up behind Hilla. For a while, she stared blankly at the chaos in front of her. Her thirst for revenge grew as she realises her assailant. She pointed her bow at Phantom.
"ARRRRGH!" Irena let out a continuous barrage of homing arrows.
The arrows ploughed through the horde. Phantom ran, stepping on top of the heads and shoulders of the undying horde as the serpent of homing arrows chased him. The serpent had helped to devoured the army.
"Stop!" Hilla ordered the archer.
Her order could not reach pass the archer's rage. Phantom took advantage of this and charged at Hilla with a spear. Mercedes decided to charge in as well. The elf used Rising Rush: rushing forwards and launching enemies into the air. The elf continued her advance from the air. Phantom's spear made contact with Hilla's barrier, triggering her explosive defence. A green star glowed under his feet. The swarm of arrows disappeared into the explosion. Hilla emerged from the explosion, still standing. The swarm of arrows had not reached her. The ground shook violently for a moment before settling down. Blood trickled from Hilla's mouth. Several arrows had pierced her back. Mercedes stood behind her. The witch fell to the ground. Mercedes looked around for Phantom. He was holding Irena from behind with a dagger held against her neck. Cries of a large beast could be heard in the distance. The wall of flames dispersed. Oz fell to her knees, losing her will to fight.
They returned to the witch's garden. Phantom was seated at the table while Mercedes was standing a few steps beside him. Hilla was missing. Cygnus looked a little upset. She was eating cake at the table like a broken-hearted girl stuffing herself to make herself feel better.
"You." Cygnus pointed at Mercedes. "You have overstayed your welcome. Begone."
Cygnus waved her hand. Mercedes fell into a hole that opened up under her.
"Ahhhh!" As she fell, the elf looked at Phantom who just glanced back at her. The hole closed up moments after it swallowed the elf.
"What will happen to her?" Phantom asked.
"I kicked her out."
"..."
"Oops. I'm supposed to say 'she will die'."
"I know you can't kill anyone."
"Oh? What makes you say so?"
"Because I'm still alive."
"How can you be so sure? Maybe. You are already dead."
"You can't fool me anymore."
"Oh? What a bold statement."
Whenever Phantom had returned to the witch's garden, he had made it a habit to first, try to attack the witch. This time, he could reach her. This time, he could hit her once, before time rewinded back for him.
"Where's Hilla?" Phantom asked.
"She had matters to attend to."
"To attend her funeral?"
"She's NOT dead."
Phantom could read her emotions like an open book. She was clearly upset about Hilla's defeat.
She has definitely grown weaker.
Did Hilla's defeat weaken her?
What will happen to Mercedes?
Kicked out? Of this dimension?
I don't even know if this dimension is real.
This could even be just a dream.
Maybe. I am already dead?
"Can I have some cake too?" Phantom asked.
"If you can reach me."
Phantom let out a chuckle. He placed his hands under the table, out of sight from the witch. He materialised a dagger and pricked his finger. There was blood. And it hurt.
"If you can reach me."
Phantom looked at his hands under the table. The dagger and his wound was gone.
Author's notes:
I think I ended up taking as much time thinking about future chapters as to writing this chapter.
To be continued-
(27 DEC 2014)