Chapter 13

Encounter

The walls shook with frightening force across the area as the prince and Jamal raced for the closest exit. The prince took a quick glance of the Dahaka as Jamal swung himself from the pole to another platform. The prince's heart rate quickened as he met eyes with the hideous being. The Dahaka pulled itself to its full height, now standing at one end of the platform while the prince stared at it with growing fear.

I cannot fight it now, it would be futile! The Dahaka roared and the sound that had been created from the vibrations shook the platform with impending force. The prince staggered a few steps, and he felt the platform slowing breaking off from its position.

He turned his head toward the now advancing Dahaka and ducked at the very last moment for the Dahaka had thrown one of its tendrils towards his head. Debris flew around as the tendril collided with a wall and soon it was stuck.

Reacting on instinct, the prince took his dagger out and sliced the Dahaka's tendril off. The Dahake roared in agony, stepping back a few steps as its severed tendril returned to its side.

Taking no option to stay back and fight the invincible foe, the prince jumped off from the platform and reached out for the pole that was hanging from the now crumbling walls. The prince grabbed the pole with the precision of a skilled acrobat and swung himself in a somersault type action onto the platform that Jamal was on. He landed right next to Jamal and took a look back at the Dahaka.

The last platform they were once on was collapsing with bits and pieces of it falling toward the ground. The Dahaka smashed the wall in frustration with its hands and roared. The platform now groaned under the weight of the Dahaka.

"Should we run?" asked Jamal, dagger in his left hand and sword in his right. He was ready to fight the monstrous beast.

"Do we have a choice?" said the prince, grabbing Jamal's shoulder. They both ran through a corridor, both sides of the wall free for running. They heard a sudden crash behind them and a few angered roars from the Dahaka as it brought upon its onslaught before the two men. It was getting closer. They quickened their pace while dodging the many blows from the Dahaka.

The prince turned to his left as he felt a sudden burst of air behind him as did Jamal when a tendril almost grabbed his left leg. Sweat flew off their foreheads as they rushed passed the air like horses escaping a raging storm. They both encountered holes with spikes underneath it while running from the raging Dahaka and an idea came to Jamal.

Jamal jumped over the hole with ease and while in mid-air, threw one of his daggers at the Dahaka. The dagger caught the Dahaka in the middle of its chest but it bounced off like a ball.

Jamal landed on the other side of the floor and stared disbelievingly at the sight. The prince sped passed him, and pulled Jamal away from his rooted position as a fleet of debris thrown by the Dahaka flew towards their direction. The debris crashed into the left wall of the passage, barely missing Jamal and the prince as they raced off to the other side, panting and sweating alternately.

The passage soon came to an end and what lay in front of the prince and Jamal was a vast abyss of darkness beneath. In front of the passage was a rope. The rope looked old, as if it had not been used for weeks, but the material that it was made up of still looked formidable. The prince and Jamal threw themselves toward the rope.

And then, out of nowhere, shadows enshrouded them from above. The Dahaka flew above them like a hunter finally finding its prey, and with own swoop from its enormous hands, it grabbed the prince. Jamal was unwanted by the Dahaka and so, the beast kicked Jamal and Jamal went flying into the wall of the platform in front of them. He crashed into the wall with sickening force and went limp as he fell to the ground, head first.

"No!" roared the prince. He reached for The Dagger of Time and stabbed the Dahaka's large black fingers with every feeling of hatred, anguish and remorse embedded into his attack. The blade of the dagger struck the Dahaka, and for a fleeting moment, the prince felt a renewed sense of hope as the blade dug into the Dahaka's flesh.

But his hope was short lived for the dagger had not cut into the flesh of the Dahaka as it had once done with the Dahaka's tendrils and instead, it rebounded from the Dahaka's skin as if it were no more that a stick. The Dahaka placed itself onto platform beside to the now limp Jamal and gazed at his captive, the Prince of Persia.

"Well now prince, I expected better from you," said the Dahaka, in a voice that resembled the man that the prince had loathed ever since. "A chase like that and still the Dahaka suffered the defeat to you? I find it hard to believe." The Dahaka laughed maliciously. A memory flashed in his troubled mind, and a picture of the dagger telling him of the Dahaka's true nature. The vizier managed to combine himself with the Dahaka that had pursued him with the Sands of Time he required from killing Kaileena. The words echoed throughout his mind like a beacon. His sense of hopelessness was soon washed away as a tide of anger took over him.

"You," muttered the prince, grinding his teeth forcefully. His hands now shook uncontrollably as every particle in his body registered to one action, which was ripping the vizier's heart out. The mask of the Dahaka's face dissolved slowly, revealing the features of a man in his older days.

The vizier gazed down upon the prince, grinning as his yellow teeth filled the prince's sight. His body was that of the Dahaka, but his face was not. He looked absurd, even for a man with his kind of power.

"I see that you are not shocked to see me here, standing here before you," said the vizier. He tightened his grip on the prince and the prince felt the air rush out of him. He panted, clearly tired and moved his head towards the vizier.

"A sight so hideous that I am accustomed to shall not surprise me as you should think," replied the prince through gritted teeth. The vizier's eyes turned from gleeful victor, into raged anger. The prince was happy that he had enraged the old man.

"I've had enough of your impudence, and once I have dealt with you, you would wish death more than ever in your godforsaken life." A maniacal laughed escaped the vizier's lips which sent shivers down the prince's sweaty skin.

Think! There must be a way to escape this position! Another voice entered his mind in a sudden which startled the prince. It was the Dagger.

Unfortunately prince, there is none. I have used up most of my time energy while cutting the Dahaka's tendrils and I fear that I do not have enough to even give the Dahaka a scratch.

All sense of hope off escaped from the princeas the vizier turned his head toward the prince. The prince could only hope for the worst of what was to happen to himself and Jamal.

"And now, I-" The vizier roared in pain as a dagger struck him on the arm that held the prince in his grip. He released the prince and the prince dropped from the vizier's tight grip, thankful for the air that had entered his lungs. Blood trickled down from where the dagger had struck.

And the prince heard Jamal shouting.

"Attack him now prince!" he roared, limping on his front foot while holding onto the wall for support. Jamal had apparently thrown a dagger at the vizier while the vizier was distracted.

The prince took no time in wasting his opportunity and sliced the vizier's now vulnerable body. Another howl of pain echoed across the walls as the vizier turned and twisted while trying to locate the prince. His eyes flashed with angers as he and the prince made eye contact.

The prince went under between the vizier's legs and slashed a tendril off. The tendril fell off from the vizier' back and blood gushed out from the wound. The prince manoeuvred himself around and under the vizier as the vizier thrashed around like a raging bull. He stabbed the vizier's left leg and the vizier halted in his rampage, yelping as he bent down. The prince took the opportunity and grabbed one of the tendrils. He pulled himself up until he reached the vizier's neck and the vizier turned his bloodshot eyes to the prince. There was no more anger or the ruthlessness that the vizier had possessed once before in the eyes of the vizier. All that was left was fear.

"What are you doing!" he roared. The prince held the Dagger of Time upright with his hand and said:

"Saving my nation from the likes of you," and with that, he plunged the dagger down into the vizier's neck. The dagger met with the vizier's flesh and a ray of light erupted from the dagger. The prince flew back from the force but he managed to land before his body slammed with the ground. His knees buckled as exhaustion took over him.

The vizier' body was soon covered by vast amount of sands that twirled around him in a spiral. The light danced around the vizier and wrapped him in a bundle of glowing sand. There was an explosion and the prince and Jamal flew back from the force. The knocked their heads on a wall and went unconscious.

The vizier had disappeared and all that was left was a crumbling area of debris and two unconscious men on a platform.

To be continued…

Author's Note: Sorry if they are any mistakes, my keyboard isn't working very well nowadays. Well, then, enjoy the story and I would like to thank all your reviews. I don't care how much I get but I'm definitely going to finish this fanfic! Till then, rock on!!!