Chapter 9: Loyal Unto Death

For a moment, no one in the room could say a word, only stare in horrified shock at the monster that now stood where Vormav was. The twelve-foot creature had the humanoid body of an ogre and the head of a monstrous lion as well as being hideous beyond words. Upon seeing the creature, the duke turned pale and looked like he was going to faint for never in his life did he see such an abomination; God himself could not have created a monstrosity such as this and while Izlude was no coward, even he had to muster all his willpower to keep from fainting.

My God, Ramza was right! He thought Alma… I should have never brought her here! If Izlude had any more doubts about the Beoulve siblings' claims about the existence of Zodiac demons, they were gone now. The evidence was right before his eyes as well as the eyes of everyone else in the room. The other knights fared no better than the duke; they stood trembling in fear as if their feet were rooted to the ground, their sword arms shaking as they had difficulty pulling their swords from their scabbards. After all, no amount of knightly training had prepared them for this.

"Who…WHAT are you?!" Barrington squeaked as he pointed a shaking finger at the lionesque creature. The monster laughed. "You were saying the odds were against ME? How laughable!" Raising his arms, which were like bridge cables, the creature started reaching for the duke who could not move because he was paralyzed with fear. That was when Izlude knew he had to act; while he may have had no love for the cowardly man, he still did not wish to see anyone die at the hands of this abomination, even if it was the man who sired him. Withdrawing his sword from its scabbard, Izlude quickly lunged; fortunately, the knight blade was able to get in a surprise attack since the creature's back was turned to him.

The monster roared as it felt a sword sinking into its shoulder. Reaching behind, it tried to pry Izlude off its back but the knight blade held on fast. Turning to Barrington, he shouted "Run!" The duke wasted no time as he got up and ran out of the meeting room as fast as his legs could carry him. Upon seeing Izlude take action, the other knights finally recovered from their shock and managed to calm themselves enough to take our their own swords; by now, it was obvious no one here was fighting for the duke but for their very own lives.

One after another, the knights charged and tried to get a hit on the monster but all failed as none of them had Izlude's skills as a knight blade or any kind of special skills or training as they were little more than the duke's personal bodyguards. Izlude watched in horror as his father, or the creature who had been his father, swatted each and every knight aside as if they were mere flies. He cringed when he heard the sound of bones crunching as a knight was flung against the wall with such force that he was killed instantly. The smarter ones who realized they had no chance of winning, turned heel and ran when they decided that neither their honor (nor their salaries) was worth dying a horrible death at the hands of this abomination.

Izlude himself might have joined them if not for two things: Alma and Vormav himself. Even if it was an unrealistic hope, Izlude still had to try to reason with the creature to see if there was any trace of his father left in it. After ripping off the head of another knight, the monster managed to pry Izlude off his back and throw him against the wall; fortunately, Izlude was able to twist his body so that he hit one of the banners padding the wall instead of bare stone, the thickness of the fabric being enough to soften the blow so that the impact would not be fatal even if it was no less painful.

Knowing that he had little time, Izlude did his best to ignore the pain and forced himself to his feet, pointing his sword to the monster. By now, there were only three knights still standing who were brave enough to face the creature with him.

"Father…" Izlude began, trying to keep his voice calm "I don't know what has happened to you but you must cease this madness before it's too late! Please come to your senses and listen to me! I am Izlude, your son!"

To this, the monster laughed at a volume several times the octave of a normal human. "Nice try, boy! But your father is no more. He was so easy to manipulate after being grieved by the loss of his wife. It was so simple once that foolish priest handed Leo to him!"

"Bastard!" Izlude spat "Who are you?! What are you?! What have you done with my father?!"

The monster pulled back his lip in a horrid sneer that exposed his razor-sharp teeth. "Since you're going to die anyway, I may as well tell you: I am Hashmalum, the Regulator! Your father died long ago, his body is merely my vessel now!"

Upon hearing this, the young knight blade felt his final hopes dashed. He knew he could no longer hesitate to attack anymore and any aims he made now must be to kill because he finally knew, finally accepted, that the creature standing before him was no longer his father, but a demon with his face and form. For the first time in his life, Izlude felt true rage; not only did Hashmalum kill his father, but also defiled his body in the worst way imaginable, and that the knight blade could not forgive. His fear replaced by anger, Izlude raised his sword again, this time without hesitation or doubt, and charged forward.

As Hashmalum raised his hands with their razor-sharp talons to strike at Izlude again, both of them were surprised at the new knight who suddenly jumped onto the monster's back and slammed his sword into the back of his skull. Upon closer inspection, the young knight blade realized that it was his subordinate, Sir Justin Timbel, who had heard the commotion in the meeting room on his way to Alma's chambers and rushed in to aid his commander; the other knights were so pre-occupied with the battle that none of them noticed his arrival. It was also fortunate that Hashmalum himself failed to notice as well until it was too late.

"Justin!" Izlude cried as he quickly rushed to his friend's aid. Even with additional help, the creature still a force to be reckoned with as he roared and swung around wildly in an attempt to get Justin off his back as he did with Izlude earlier.

"M-my l-lord!" Justin cried as he tried to plunge his sword deeper into Hashmalum's skull in an attempt to make a fatal blow but it was a futile effort; by now, it was clear to everyone in the room that no ordinary attack would kill this monster. The only chance they had would be to sever his head but that was far too risky for Justin and while Izlude cared for the safety and well-being of his friend, he also needed him alive to get Alma out of the castle as soon as possible for who knows how many more creatures like Hashmalum could be roaming the grounds? If they were anything like him, who killed just for the pleasure of killing, they would not stop until they slaughtered every living being in the castle.

As he rushed to join in on the attack, Izlude demanded "Justin! What are you doing here? You should have been out of the castle with Lady Alma by now!"

"F-forgive m-me, sir! B-but I h-heard y-you s-scream a-and f-fi-gured you n-need-ed m-my help!"

Izlude smiled bitterly. "Very brave, my friend, but foolish! Helping me is not your priority now; I need you to take Lady Alma and get as far away from here as you can!"

Before Justin can protest further, Hashmalum reached back, grabbed him, and prepared to slam him against the wall with fatal impact, but Izlude was faster and brought his sword down with all his strength, severing the creature's arm at the shoulder. Hashmalum roared with pain as Justin fell to the ground with his severed arm and hand wrapped around the knight's waist. Acting quickly, Izlude managed to free his friend from the limb's death-like grip. When Justin was finally freed, Izlude quickly gave him back his sword and urged him to leave before the monster could recover enough to attack again.

"Go!" Izlude ordered. "I will take care of him; you are to take Lady Alma and get the hell out of this castle as soon as possible!"

"B-but sir!" the young knight protested but Izlude did not give him a chance to argue.

"Sir Justin Timbel, this is an order from your commanding officer! NOW GO!"

Knowing that he could not change Izlude's mind, Justin finally, even if reluctantly, acknowledged defeat for while he and Izlude may be friends, the knight blade was still his superior whose orders must be obeyed without question no matter what the circumstance.

"Y-yes, m-my lord!… a-as you c-command!" he cried, fighting back tears as he turned and ran out of the room, leaving his commander and friend to his fate.

After Justin was gone, Izlude turned to Hashmalum. By now, it was just the two of them as the duke's knights were all either dead or ran away. The monster sneered at the retreating Justin before finally acknowledging the young knight blade before him. "You are a fool, boy" he growled "He won't escape me and neither will your woman; I will find them and tear them both to pieces after I send you to hell!"

Izlude gritted his teeth "Not while I live, you bastard!" he spat. Alma was right; he should not have come. But it no longer mattered. As a knight blade, he had always known that he would likely die in battle one day and he knew this was a battle that he had little, if any chance of winning. And while he may have realized his mistake too late, he would not let his friend or his love suffer for it; he would buy Justin and Alma time to escape, buy it with his life if need be.

Raising his sword again, Izlude silently prayed that his father would forgive him for what he was about to do. If he was going to die, then he would do everything he can to take this demon with him.

"For you, father…" he whispered before charging.

SSSSSS

Alma was startled when the peaceful quiet of her chambers was shattered by a piercing scream. She had just finished packing what few belongings she had into a small leather handbag Izlude had bought for her, including the holy stone she received from Ramza, and was waiting for Justin to arrive when she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden scream. She became frightened when she heard even more yelling and screaming soon after the first and wondered what could possibly be going on outside. Was the castle under attack? If Ramza and his companions had indeed stormed the castle, it looked like she would not need Justin to take her outside after all but even so, she still could not leave until he arrived and unlocked her door.

As if in answer to her thoughts, Alma heard a click on the other side as her door was unlocked and opened with Justin staggering into her room, his armor bent and his torso and waist bleeding from multiple wounds.

"Sir Justin! What happened!?" Alma cried as she rushed to her friend's side. His wounds were unlike any she had ever seen before, resembling those inflicted by an animal's claws more than any she had seen inflicted by swords.

"T-the c-cas-tle is u-under a-attack! W-we must f-flee!" he answered as he clutched his abdomen in pain.

"Is it my brother?" Alma pressed.

Justin shook his head "N-no! I-it's a m-mon-ster!"

The young noblewoman was shocked. She had questions but supposed they would have to wait.

"Nevermind, just hold still; I need to treat those wounds as soon as possible!" Alma attempted to make her friend sit still so that she could treat him but the knight refused.

"N-no, my l-lady! T-there's no t-time! W-we m-must l-leave t-this place at o-once!"

Alma wanted to argue but seeing the expression on her friend's face made her realize the gravity of the situation they were in. "Very well" she said as she took Justin's arm and draped it over her shoulders. She didn't want to waste time arguing so she gave into the knight's pleas, hoping that they would be able to get out of the castle quickly and that he would allow her to treat his wounds once they were safe.

After what felt like an eternity of wandering, the two companions made it about halfway through the castle when Justin's legs gave out and he fell to his knees, grimacing in pain. When Alma managed to pry his arm away from his midsection, she discovered to her horror that the wounds he received from Hashmalum when the monster grabbed him by the waist was far more serious then she thought and was furious that Justin had kept it from her out of fear that they would lose precious time treating him.

"Sir Justin! How could you keep this from me?! Why did you not let me treat you sooner?!" she demanded with tears in her eyes.

Instead of answering right away, the young knight finally collapsed onto his back from pain and exhaustion; it was obvious by now that he had lost a lot of blood and simply could not go on. Looking at Alma with tired eyes, he answered weakly "F-forg-ive m-me my l-lady. I p-pro-mised S-sir I-Iz-lude t-that I w-would p-pro-tect y-you first. Y-you m-must go o-on w-with-out m-me, I-I will o-only s-slow you d-down…"

"No, please don't say that!" she pleaded, her voice breaking "You can make it, just hold on a little longer!"

But the dying knight shook his head. His loyalty to Izlude and Alma may have been unwavering but his physical body was already at its limit; he could no longer even move his limbs, let alone lead her out of the castle. He knew that his wounds were fatal and that nothing could save him now but he could not bear the thought of his dear friend dying at the hands of the creature that was once his commander's father.

"I-I am s-sorry b-but its t-too l-late for m-me... The l-lib-brary... N-near t-the s-south wall... T-there is a-a s-sec-ret p-passage t-there... I-it is t-the o-only ch-chance you h-have. N-now g-go, my l-lady, p-please…"

The knight could say no more as he slowly closed his eyes and went limp in Alma's arms. It was all she could do from bursting into tears but she knew that Justin was right; there was a deadly monster on the loose and every moment she stayed here, she was in danger. Kneeling before the body of the deceased knight, Alma said a quick prayer for her loyal friend.

A friend who was loyal unto death.

A/N: Ok, now I am nearing the end of my fic. Since my specialty is writing romance/drama/suspense, I am not very good at writing action/battle scenes and I hope my readers will find my version of the fight between Izlude and Hashmalum satisfying. I drew inspiration from 'Desires For Peace: The Wishes of Izlude' by Unknownforce and 'Gilded Jade' by Mintaka for the fight scene with one of the differences being the interference of Sir Justin Timbel, my OC ;) Anyway, stick around for the next chapter; I can't wait to finish this fic so I can get started on the sequel! ;)