Chapter 19: Unexpected

"Hello, Vald," the creature said coldly.
"Y-YOU!?" I choked.
"Hello, Vald," he repeated, amused.
"Attack him! Kill him!" I shouted. I drew my sword and slashed him across the chest with it. "Xyvaren, I should have known!" I shouted. I stabbed him through the chest and twisted my sword. He laughed and drew two molten hamaxes. "Ha! My those two twigs can't cut through my armor!" I shouted.
"Really? Let's find out," He replied. He brought the two blunt ends down on my sides, crushing my armor in.
"Can't- hgck! Can't breath..." I muttered as I fell on the ground. The wizard and Logrolf instantly charged forward.
"Implode," Xyvaren said mildly. The wizard's form was suddenly distorted.
"What the-" his form distorted more, before collapsing on itself in a shower of cloth, and blood. Undeterred, Logrolf kept charging, before stabbing Excalibur through Xyvaren.
"ARRGHH!" He screamed, before sticking a molten hamaxe in Logrolf's chest.
I struggled up.
"You- YOU MURDERER! DIE!" I shouted, struggling to my feet. I picked up Excalibur and held it in my right hand, while holding my sword in my left. I flew up and brought them both down on his head. He grabbed me by the leg and threw me into a wall. I dropped both my swords on the ground.
Xyvaren walked over, holding his molten hamaxes above his head. As he was about to bring them down on me, A sharp rock stabbed through the back of Xyvaren and came out the front, spraying blood all over me.

I took the chance to grab the swords I dropped, and stab them both through Xyvaren's gut. Xyvaren let out a bloodcurdling cry.
"Thanks Logrolf!" I shouted.
"Thank yous can wait. Toss me my sword!" He shouted. I threw him excalibur, which he stabbed through Xyvaren's leg. He ignored the wound, and charged directly at me, pulling Excalibur out of Logrolf's hand and breaking his wrist. I raised my sword in defense, but he cut straight through it, chopping the entire top half off.

At that point, several things happened.
1: An explosion of light shot from the broken stub of the blade.
2: Xyvaren fell onto the ground.
3: The cave began shaking, throwing me off my feet.
4: A flickering image of a crimson alter appeared in front of me, before suddenly disappearing.
5: Xyvaren began disintegrating, starting at his feet.I grabbed Logrolf and and began running towards the cave entrance. Suddenly, something gripped my ankle. I was pulled to the ground and hoisted up.

"I will not die!" A horrid voice (which strangely reminded me of a pickaxe tearing through through ore) shrieked.
"TO HELL WITH YOU!" I shouted, "I've killed you once already, now just stay down!"
"Die Vald, Die!" It screamed. It slammed me into the ground. I looked up at it with half closed eyes. It was a black mass of mist with no definite shape.

It descended on me. I was powerless. I was finally defeated.
After all this time, all this effort, I was sitting in a corner, battered and dying, with no weapon at all.
Through the cloud of darkness, I could very faintly see Logrolf swinging his Excalibur at it, to no effect.
I closed my eyes and braced myself.

Suddenly, I felt a cold touch against my chest, through my armor. I opened one eye. I saw a black tendril going through one side of me and out the other.
I screamed as I felt a horrible wrenching feeling in my stomach. I felt as though my very soul were disappearing.
Negative emotions clouded my mind, without any definite reason or source.

As quickly as it started, it was over. I opened my eyes completely.
What I saw was strange. I had never seen anything like it. A ray golden light was zipping through the cloud of darkness, causing it to let out shrieks of pain.
Within a few seconds, he half disintegrated body of Xyvaren flew out of the cloud, and the cloud dispersed. The ray of golden light struck the ground next to Xyvaren and formed into a human shape. They wore golden armor and carried a long golden sword.
I had never seen them before, yet they seemed familiar.

"Dryad?" I struggled out.
"Ah. A name I have not been called for a long time now. Or perhaps it has been only a few months? I know not," She said.
"I thought you were slain!" I shouted, "and that it was necessary!"
"I was. And I lied. I shall explain later, when I have a better bearing on what has been happening." she said. She turned her attention to Xyvaren. "I see you defeated Vald. Surprising, really. But it matters little now," She said.
"Fool. You terrible fool. I destroyed you. Leave, spirit," Xyvaren struggled out. How he was still alive, I didn't know. His bottom half was gone, and all that remained of it was a withered skeleton.
"I may be weakened, but I am still a match for you. Your power has fled," Dryad said calmly.
"I still have one crimson alter," Xyvaren choked.
"It is very close to shattering." Dryad said.
"Yes. And you will disappear with it!" Xyvaren shouted in a voice that was not his own. In front of him, a crimson alter which was covered in cracks appeared.
Instantly, Dryad rushed forward. She swung her sword at it, but it simply fazed through it.

"Vald! Only a player can destroy the alter! Destroy it!" Dryad shouted.
"If you destroy the alter, The spirit of light disappears with it," Xyvaren said, smirking.
"But he will disappear too! We shall be freed from the corruption forever!" Dryad shouted.
"But not before every living thing in the world is slain," Xyvaren said desperately.
"He lies!" The Dryad screamed.
"I... I- I don't know-" I started.

Suddenly, a hammer came flying towards me. I instinctively knocked it out of the air. It flew several feet before landing lightly on the crimson alter.
It shattered, and the room was filled with a blinding red light.