On to the next chapter of Dormin's Curse.

I apologize if this chapter seems a bit awkward, however the design itself for the Colossus is a bit difficult to work with.

I own nothing but Lexus, Azgarot, the Colossi of Spirit and the Ghost of Erageo.

Chapter 8

Lupas, the Werewolf

He took a running leap, catching the fur-covered ankle of the mammoth before him. Sensing his presence, the great behemoth roared before swinging its leg in an attempt to dislodge him.

The warrior raised his sword - a familiar motion - and stabbed into the tendons of the brute's foot. With a roar it began to fall forward, and he encouraged it with another stab. His enemy fell to its knees, howling its displeasure.

Bending his knees, the warrior leaped again and grasped the ring of stone situated on the mammoth's waist, hauling himself upon a flat platform embedded into its spine. He crouched, breathing heavily as he waited for his strength to return.

Lexus opened her eyes, the dim light and misty air of the Forgotten Temple greeting her. She inhaled sharply as her hand went to her side, remembering the battle with Carnibel, then she paused. Thick bandages coated the wound.

Had Azgarot treated her? No, that was far too unlike the sealed deity. She immediately dismissed the idea from her mind, slowly moving into a sitting position against rolling waves of pain. She noticed Celosia's absence, and looked around. It was much darker now than when the pair had clashed with the bear Colossus; how long had she been out?

"About nine hours." came a familiar voice beside her. Lexus turned, blinking, to see Erageo standing beside her. His hands behind his back, he slowly rocked on his feet with a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "That's what you were thinking, right?

"You again?" the warrior girl asked. Erageo shrugged, extending a hand.

"I come when needed." the ghost replied. Lexus gripped his hand and he hauled her to her feet; she surpressed a yelp. "And indeed you needed me. For all of Their knowledge, your dear overseer Azgarot lacks the delicacy and patience to bandage a mortal wound."

"We believe We told thou to leave." Azgarot called to them, walking into view from another hallway. Celosia padded beside Them, his eyes on Erageo.

"Am I incorrect?" Erageo asked with a smile. "Clearly not, else you would have done it yourself."

"Learn thine place. Despite thine status as the reincarnation of the boy, thou art still a mere spirit." Azgarot almost spat at the ghost as They approached. "We have never allowed insects to pretend they are more than what they are. Thou art no different."

"For all of your talk, you do an impressively pathetic job of aiding warriors on their quests, don't you?" Erageo grinned. "A cryptic message and a 'now go', and you act like you've done your part. The Colossus God is everyone's responsibility."

"Thou dares to accuse Us of neglect to Our duties? As explained to the boy, We cannot interfere with the missions of mortals."

Lexus listened to the back and forth between the two, getting steadily more irritated. Despite her status as the key to destroying the Colossus God, these two had completely forgotten that she was there.

Enough. Both of you forget that there are more pressing matters at hand.

The trio turned, surprised, to Celosia. The boar was growling, angry red eyes locked onto Erageo.

You threaten the successful completion of our mission. Be gone, or I shall not hold back.

Erageo was silent for a moment, then he smiled and nodded. "So be it. But fear not, young Lexus, I will return. These two alone won't be enough to guide you to Origin's resting place."

The ghost of Erageo stepped back, smiling, then faded into the mist. Lexus sighed, crossing her arms and glancing at Azgarot. "You have some sort of problem with Erageo?"

"For a shade of the warrior, he is far too haughty." Azgarot replied. "We should have erased his soul long ago."

"That aside, Azgarot, I had something I wanted to talk to you about." the girl continued. The mortal Colossus glanced at her, Their blue eyes piercing her soul.

"...which is?" They asked simply.

"We understand." Azgarot said as Lexus finished her story. "In short, thou art plagued by memories that art not thine once more."

"Are these memories from my ancestor? The one that stole the sword?" Lexus asked, looking at the sword which lay on the stones that she had slept on mere moments ago. Azgarot glanced towards the weapon, Their eyes narrowing.

"Aye. The fallen warrior, slain by his kind, doth indeed be the reason for thine imaginings." They responded. "Thou described a black hand, seizing thee and pulling thee into darkness."

"That's right." Lexus nodded. She sat upon the feet of a great idol, in the shape of a tentacled monstrosity. Azgarot raised a hand to Their chin.

"And the visions of the warrior, slaying the beasts which walk thine homeland." the Colossus continued, pacing slowly. "It appears that thou art linked to the boy in both blood and spirit, thus bringing these visions hither."

"You told me that my mind can't handle two consciousnesses. Will his memories endanger the mission?"

"That, We cannot say. However, it is clear to Us that this requires great thought."

Lexus stood, taking the Ancient Sword from where it lay beside her.

"Well, thou art not to ponder it." Azgarot said with an air of finality. "The visions occur only in thine sleep; as long as thou art awake, thou art also safe."

Celosia padded into the hall from the outside, a bird in his mouth. He crunched it and swallowed, glancing at them.

Are we ready to depart?

"I'm ready. Azgarot?" Lexus asked, seeking direction from the God.

"Thy next foe is...surrounded by towers that scrape the heavens...its shape is of man and beast...its eyes see all..."

"It sounds like Valus." Lexus murmured. Celosia padded to them and Lexus mounted the Colossus, then rode out of the Forgotten Temple. Azgarot watched them go, then felt a presence at Their backs. They turned quickly, Their black sword appearing from the mist and falling into Their hand.

"...it is thee..."

"Towers that scrape the heavens...that's what he said, right?" Lexus asked, lifting the sword. It glowed as the sunlight hit it, then a beacon flared from the blade and pointed West. Celosia noticed this, altering his course to take them down a hill.

To still resort to such cryptic messages, Dormin certainly hasn't changed.

Lexus was silent for a moment, then looked at her companion. "Hey, Celosia...what was the warrior like?"

There was a pause between the two. Far above, a hawk called to its kin as it sailed through the air. Then Celosia grunted.

Sluggish and awkward in his movements. It was clear to us from the start that the boy had no experience with a sword.

"What? But Azgarot said that I had the blood of a warrior - his blood! That's why I'm skilled with a sword!"

Your swordcraft is not hereditary. The boy's skill lay in finding our weaknesses, our deepest fears, and cracking open our shells. He was a master of slaying beasts. But he was no swordsman.

Celosia's tone was dark. Lexus had never heard him speak this way; she supposed that speaking of the person who killed him would have such an effect on Celosia.

And for what purpose did he blindly follow Dormin's orders? Unlatching his shackles, one by one? For that girl?

This was the first that Lexus had ever heard of a girl. She lay a hand on Celosia's back.

Make no mistake, maiden; you were not the only one to hesitate before accepting our partnership. Letting the kin of that child ride upon me felt like it would taint my back. But I bowed my head and allowed it, because of the greater purpose that we three share. You, I, and Dormin.

They were at the bottom of the hill now. The heavy impact of Celosia's feet tore grass from the earth as they neared a tunnel.

Although They are not aware of it, this time Dormin is just as much a pawn as any of us. This is no longer Their game, it is Origin's. And while I am loathe to admit it, I doubt our chances of success.

Darkness overtook the pair as they entered the tunnel, emerging after a few moments into the rays of the setting sun. Lexus watched it for a moment, remembering her home where the sun did not set. She wondered what night looked like.

There.

The girl glanced up, seeing a figure over the next rise. It was tall and cylindrical; a tower.

As the two moved up, they found themselves in front of an ancient castle which had long since fallen to ruin. A wall lay toppled into the moat, and one of the towers looked dangerously close to breaking. Moss covered the bricks and flagstones of the structure.

The drawbridge was smashed to pieces, and while Lexus thought she could get across, she would be the only one; once more, Celosia would have to stay out of the fight.

Be careful, maiden.

"I will." the swordswoman replied, dismounting and patting Celosia's head before moving forward. She took a running leap, flying through the air and hitting hard on the other side of the moat. She winced as pain lanced through the wound in her side, then she slowly stood and entered the courtyard.

A pair of storage sheds lay to her left, and to her right was an archway. Stones had fallen in front of it, but she climbed over them into the hall. Unable to see, Lexus felt her way up the stairs until she found a window.

She had passed by the main part of the castle, and another courtyard, this one much larger, was before her. A mass of rubble sat squarely in the center.

Moving slowly, Lexus descended another staircase and stepped out into the courtyard. She looked around; four towers encircled the courtyard, which was devoid of objects apart from the rubble pile.

Where is the Colossus? Lexus thought to herself, moving forward while tightly gripping the Ancient's Sword.

A moan caused her to freeze, then she whirled towards the large pile of rubble. The stones and bricks slowly shifted as something underneath moved; with a roar, a great shape exploded from the pile.

It was tall; it would only come up to Valus' shoulder, but Lexus thought that was still large enough to be terrifying. It had stone claws which were caked in some kind of residue, and piercing blue eyes that it shared with all of its kind.

Furthermore, it was a werewolf.

"Fuck..." Lexus whispered, finding that she was only a dozen or so meters away from the mammoth. She stepped back slowly, hands shaking. The Colossus had stone feet and the lower half of its torso was made of rock-hard skin. Fur covered its legs and arms.

What art thou doing? Lupas is not one to be feared.

"It's right next to me...right next to me..." the girl stammered, continuing to back away. She reached the wall and simply stared at Lupas.

The beast itself was sniffing the air, looking around the courtyard. It saw Lexus, and their eyes locked. Its pupils burned red for an instant. Then it turned and began walking away from her.

Lexus blinked. Apart from Cancer, Lupas was the first Colossus to downright ignore her. "H-Hey...aren't you going to fight?" she called.

As We said, Lupas shalt not fight thou. It is a passive guardian of this castle.

"Really?"

Mayhap passive puts it too simply...the guardian wolf shalt not strike without provokation.

Hesitantly, Lexus began to move towards Lupas. The lumbering giant regarded her quietly as she moved, but did not attack. Its eyes remained blue and calm.

"So until I attack it, I won't receive damage?" Lexus questioned.

Aye, thou art correct.

Slowly removing her pistol from its holster, Lexus continued to advance as her eyes scanned the Werewolf Colossus' body for weaknesses. A glowing sigil beckoned to her from its left hand, it had some form of injury on its right, and both of its legs had a slight yellow hue to them.

Seeing the tinge of yellow on its limbs, Lexus remembered her fight with Carnibel. Lupas began moving across the courtyard as she raised the gun.

A gunshot cracked the air, and Lupas wailed before stumbling. Her bullet sank into its thigh, causing it to trip. The Colossus braced itself with its claws and snarled, its eyes flashing red and surging with anger.

Lexus saw the glowing sigil that signified a weak spot on the Colossus' body; it burned from Lupas' left claw. She began to sprint, holstering the pistol and drawing the Ancient Sword as Lupas began flexing the muscles in its leg. It would soon stand up again.

She took a running leap, landing with the sword point-down on the back of the Colossus' claw. It howled and staggered to its feet, shaking the wounded claw. Lexus gripped Lupas' fur tightly as it took a step forward, jostling her.

Lupas swung its arm, and Lexus felt her grip weaken as it did so. She wrenched the blade free of the Colossus' flesh, then impaled it up to the hilt. The werewolf Colossus wailed as the girl twisted the weapon around.

Lupas bowed its head, then began to lope towards the opposite end of the courtyard. The human swordswoman bounced on its hand as it did so, steeling herself. She yanked the Ancient Sword out, a wave of black blood pouring from the wound and slickening Lupas' fur.

The werewolf howled again, turning sharply and swinging its arm again. Lexus lost her hold and was sent flying, colliding with the stone floor of the courtyard. The Ancient Sword skittered across the cobblestones before coming to a halt near the entrance.

Blood flew from the girl's mouth as she came down, and she coughed feebly before curling up and clutching her sides. Her head throbbed and it felt like she had twisted her ankle.

Up, maiden! Lupas shalt not hold back on an injured foe!

Unable to summon the necessary energy to respond, Lexus began crawling across the courtyard towards the sword. Lupas moved forward, the ground quaking with each step. Its eyes burned red from anger and pain as it raised a claw.

Lexus flinched, staring up at the Colossus. Suddenly, a sensation seized her; her body grew warm and her eyes sharpened. The pain in her limbs faded to a dull throb as her arm moved on its own to the pistol's holster.

CRACK

YUUUUUUUU

Lupas staggered, its claw lifting to the eye which had been pierced by Lexus' bullet. The Colossus turned aside, snarling and howling feebly as Lexus began to heave herself up.

Interesting. Aye, remarkable.

"Azga...rot...?" Lexus panted as she began moving towards the entrance, backing slowly while keeping her gun on Lupas.

The god said nothing more until she reached the archway. Yanking the sword from the ground, she hid inside the stairwell just as Lupas turned back around.

Thou doth currently share the same state of mind that did afflict the boy during his trials. His warrior senses allowed him momentary advantages over the Colossi during bleak situations. But 'tis strange; the boy gained this power only after accepting the blood and spirit of multiple stone giants. Presently, thou art different.

Lexus listened to Lupas' indignant cries, deep in thought. The warrior felt like this too, once?

Pistol and sword in hand, Lexus felt the affects of her warrior's blood fading as the pain returned. She clenched her teeth as she thought of her options. Without the necessary circumstances, her 'condition' would not present itself. And she would have trouble moving freely with her current injuries.

"I hate Colossi..." she mumbled, peering out from behind the wall to see Lupas quite nearby, sniffing the walls. The sun had set by now, and Lexus was forced to squint to make out the Colossus' shape.

She slowly stood, bracing herself on the stone wall beside her. Lexus staggered out into the courtyard, firing the pistol at Lupas. It roared as the bullet sank into its already-injured leg, and it planted a hand on the ground to steady itself. Lexus made her way to it, stumbling over herself a few times before flopping into its hand. She dropped her pistol, gripping the fur of the werewolf Colossus as she drove her blade into its hand.

It howled, jerking backward and lifting its claw to snarl at her. Staggering into a crouch, Lexus launched herself onto Lupas' head and grabbed ahold of the fur on its crown. Putting all of her remaining strength into the action, she drove the Ancient Sword deep into Lupas' skull.

It seized up and howled at the moon now rising over the horizon, staggering back before tripping and falling. Lexus hit the ground again, rolling to a stop as Lupas rasped. It became still, and just before Lexus lost consciousness she saw a white light emerge from the blood-stained fur on its head.

I tried to make this as long as possible. The next chapter will not feature a Colossus, and if it does then it will be at the very end. We need to give Lexus time to heal.