Chapter Twenty-Three: Strings of Wrath
In the Sanctuary the heroes returned to Jasper and Gabriel clapping at their victory.
"Well done! All of you should be very proud of what you've done," Jasper smiled.
"I agree, you've all come a long way, take a look at the map," Gabriel spoke as they watched the light on the kingdom Albion grow brilliantly, "your actions have given hope, the people believe, they are ready to fight back against the darkness."
"What do we do now?" Tali asked approaching the map table.
Meanwhile in Bowestone Castle Anna sat in the throne room with her allies standing around her going over their plans.
"Is everything all set?" Anna asked turning to Ben and Page.
"Sure are, our troops are ready for your orders," Ben spoke.
"Those Emberblaze Crystals are in place and ready to go, that really big one was heavy but we managed to get that baby in Sabine's destructive hands," Page spoke turning to the small old man.
"Aye and the catapult for it is ready to go and has been put on the largest warship we could get our hands on thanks to the lovely Kalin," Sabine spoke turning to Kalin who laughed lightly.
"The ships are ready to sail, all seems to be in order," Kalin spoke as Xander who was lying next to the throne head rose and got to his feet growling.
"Xander? What's wrong boy?" Anna asked feeling Percy jump from her shoulder and turn into a white Balverine that growled towards the doors to the throne room.
"Someone here! Someone dark like the Corruption...no what we are sensing is more dangerous!" Percy growled.
Turning to the doors Ben drew his sword in one hand and a pistol in another, "I thought Logan defeated the last agent?!"
"No I can sense it too," Garth spoke forming fire in his hands, "this is not one of those creatures."
"What is it then?" Page asked pointing her gun and standing before Anna ready to protect her queen.
"Come on show yourself ya bloody coward you won't lay a single finger on our queen! Right Boulder?" Sabine spoke seeing Boulder nod and stood ready to protect Anna.
The door then swung open by the bodies of two guards with their eyes missing being thrown against them and now laid before them, a black hooded figure entered the throne room moving his fingers in an odd way, "Hello friends, I've come to seek an audience with the Queen."
"Over my dead body!" Ben yelled pointing his gun and was about to fire but froze when he couldn't control or move his body, his finger refusing to put the trigger, "what the?!"
With a move of his hand, the figure made Ben's body spin and stiffen up straight as he cried out in pain feeling something digging into his flesh.
"You bastard!" Page yelled pointing her gun at the figure who darted across the throne room dodging and moving across the fighters his hands moving and creating invisible threads he used to subdue and capture every hero that he strung up in the air like puppets.
"Inferno!" Garth yelled launching the spell at the figure who slid under the attack and jumped forward, stringing up Garth into the air by his invisible threads.
"Let them go!" Percy roared charging at the figure who moved his hands creating a net to capture Percy who struggled against the threads that dug into his flesh when he tried to transform, "NGH! Anna Run!"
"Let's see," the figure spoke looking at his handy work then turned to Anna and Xander who pointed her pistol.
Charging at the enemy Xander pounced only to be captured similarly to Percy this distraction allowed Anna to fire a few bullets at the enemy who like a phantom dodged her shots and then threw his hands forward and strung up Anna who cried out and tried to break free.
"Let her go you bastard!" Ben yelled trying to get free but was silent when he felt the strings tighten around his throat.
"Get away from my daughter!" August yelled charging with a sword swing only to be disarmed effortlessly by the enemy and strung up and lifted off the floor.
"Shhhhhh, please don't waste your breathes, there will be time for that when you will be screaming in sweet agony later," the figure spoke moving his strings to make Anna float towards him and holding up a claw to her face.
"Don't touch her!" Page yelled as she felt her strings tighten too.
"Who are you?!" Anna growled seeing the red eyes behind the hood hidden behind an expressionless mask.
"I am the Vexator, Queen Anna, Hero of Strength," he spoke moving his hands and making his puppets float and stand in a line behind the throne with Anna in the center before the throne, "now then, let's start this royal hearing, so your highness, where are the Divinity Gems?"
"Don't know what you're talking about," Anna growled feeling the strings dig into her flesh and grunted in disgust when the figure held up a claw to her cheek.
"Don't lie, I know they're hidden in this castle, I would suggest you start singing my little canary before someone in this room suffering begins sooner than expected," the Vexator spoke digging his claw slightly into Anna's skin.
"Sorry, no clue what you mean," Anna glared winching slightly when he sliced his claw from her cheek to jaw drawing blood.
"Oh, the stubbornness of mortals, guess I'll have to force the truth out, let's start with Ben!" the Vexator spoke pulling his strings and bringing Ben forward.
"Don't tell this prick anything, Anna!" Ben growled glaring at the Vexator who approached and slashed his claws across Ben's chest ripping the fabric and cutting the skin a bit making the man wince.
"No, leave him alone!" Anna yelled trying to get free.
"Last warning, where are the gems?" the Vexator spoke holding his claws to Ben's belly.
"I don't know where they are!" Anna spoke truthfully as the man began to stab his claws into Ben's stomach making the man start to cry out.
"GAAAAH! FUCK! DON'T GIVE THIS ARSEHOLE SHIT!" Ben cried out trying to break free from his binds.
"BEN! SHE TELLING THE TRUTH YOU BASTARD!" Page yelled trying to also get free.
"I suspect that could be true, but this is much more fun," The Vexator spoke removing his blood-soaked claws then motioned and pulled Page towards him, "let us see how joyous your screams of agony are."
High above Ginjer glared pulling out scissors before silently dropping down landing on the Vexator's back and began to stab the scissors into his back, "TAKE THIS YOU TWAT!"
"Little rat!" The Vexator growled reaching behind and grabbing Ginjer by the neck and holding her forward the gnome still trying to stab his arm with the scissors, "Out of my sight!"
Throwing Ginjer the gnome hit the wall hard being knocked out when she landed on the ground with a thud.
"I'll take pleasure in wringing that pest neck after I'm done with you my dear lady," the Vexator spoke returning his attention to Page.
"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Anna screamed he screams echoing through the halls of the palace and in the present reaching Gabriel.
In the Sanctuary Gabriel gasped with visions before him hearing Anna scream and the horrors the Vexator is doing to her allies, turning to Logan, he pointed to the map.
"HURRY! Get to Bowerstone Castle now! The Vexator attacking Anna and her allies!" Gabriel warned looking at the table, 'How did I not sense this attack sooner?! Hopefully, it's not too late.'
"Shit!" Logan yelled rushing to the map table and teleporting with the others close behind in a beam of light that took them to the stairs into Bowerstone castle where the rain began to pour down hard on them and Page's screams echoed through the castle.
"Hurry!" Saker yelled running up the stairs with the others pushing through the doors and running down the halls where Logan and Saker kicked open the doors to the throne room to see a very bloodied Ben and Page floating and Anna grunting and squirming against her bind as the Vexator stood before Kalin holding a clawed finger to her chest.
"Oh god!" Tali gasped covering her at the sight of what tortures Ben and Page went through.
"Ah, the new pawns have come," the Vexator spoke pulling his claw away from Kalin and turning to face the heroes.
"You're the Vexator," Logan growled pulling out his sword and narrowing his eyes at the enemy.
"Smaller than I expected," Saker spoke getting into a fighting stance with Tali and Echo drawing their weapons.
"That's just his disguise form, Saker," Tali warned watching the man slowly approach the center of the throne room.
"Be careful! Bloody bastard has the whole bloody place strung up!" Sabine warned gasping when the strings on his neck silenced him.
Looking at Ben and Page Logan could sense they were still alive but he needed to hurry so he could heal their injuries, "do not let the bastard get a chance! Saker, now!"
Throwing several bombs towards the Vexator the masked figure used his strings to slice off the lit fuses then flew towards Echo who stabbed her staff forward at the enemy who dodge and spun using strings to tie then spin her around slamming her into Saker then threw them across the room.
"Stay over there with the rest of the expendables," he spoke turning to Tali, "give me that gem girl!"
"Over my dead body! Firework!" Tali yelled snapping her finger towards the figure who flinched back.
"Slow Time Maxima!" Logan spoke casting the spell then charged at the enemy swinging his blade down only to have the Vexator catch his blade mid-swing, "what?!"
"That spell doesn't work on me boy," the Vexator smirked tilting his head towards Logan, using his free hand to stab into Logan's gut then threw him across the room rolling and landing before Anna.
Time then resumed for Tali who looked on in horror watching the figure turn his attention to her, "last of the Samarkand royal blood, you have very pretty eyes."
"Oh no you don't!" Saker yelled rushing towards the Vexator who dodged all his punches then used his stringer to bind Saker's hands together then kicked Saker in the face sending him flying and smashing against a stone wall cracking it on impact.
With vision blurred Logan could hear muffled shouting, focusing it began to get clear and he could hear it was Anna, "Logan! Logan get up! Help her!"
Grunting Logan turned to see Tali swing her katana at the enemy, the Vexator toying with her by dodging her swings then disarmed her before grabbing her by the throat then held her off the ground.
Scratching at the Vexator's arm Tali kicked his chest, wincing, it felt like she kicked a stone wall, Gabriel was right the Vexator was on a whole other level compared to the agents they had been fighting.
"Get the hell off!" Tali gasped feeling the hand around her throat tighten.
'Tali! No! Body get up! Get up!' Logan ordered trying to get his body to move, forced to watch as the Vexator held a claw toward Tali's eye.
Feeling a Will connection Logan blinked to find himself in the black room from before, only now Adam was so much closer now.
The guild seal then formed between them with an image of the winged light form Adam used before.
'Logan,' Adam's voice spoke looking up from his chains 'you can use it too, the power that lies dormant inside you, feel it light feel its strength!'
'I feel it!' Logan thought his eyes glowing from blue to white, he then slowly stood up getting the Vexator's attention who watched the Will markings on Logan's body glow bright and become white, along with his hair, then Logan cried out, "RAHHH!"
Sending a wave of wind, the Vexator then dropped Tali to shield himself but was unable to when he was sent smashing into a wall.
Coughing Tali looked up to watch Logan hold his hands out to his sides, transparent wings with will markings then emerged from behind his back spreading feathers across the throne room and a halo above his head, all Tali could do was speak a single word, "beautiful."
Charging towards the Vexator like he just used Slow Time Logan grab the masked figure by the throat smashing him through a pillar, then with a spin mid-air he came down kicking the enemy in the gut and sending him smashing through the wall and into the gardens where Logan flew out and came down stabbing his sword downward.
Dodging the Vexator saw Logan had vanished, not sensing he had appeared behind him till Logan swiftly kicked him in the side the force of the impact sending him smashing through the castle gates and rolling across the road.
Coming in for another attack the Vexator dodged the punch seeing an impact crater forming in the street from Logan's attack, panting and growling, the mask he wore cracked from the attack, making him cover the crack with his hand, "dammit! This form won't last, and this is no place for my true form to make its debut on the stage, listen closely Hero, we shall do battle in Samarkand. I look forward to it!"
Vanishing into the darkness the Vexator retreated allowing Logan to slowly stand up straight and with no reaction he flew up and back into the castle.
Entering the throne room with a swing of his sword he sliced the threads that held up all of Adam's allies dropping them to the ground.
Gasping Anna quickly crawled towards Ben and Page, "Ben! Page! Open your eyes!"
Floating over without a word Logan held out both his hands over the two casting a duo heal spell that healed the two before Anna's eyes.
"About bloody time," Sabine coughed seeing Saker helping Echo off the ground and watching Tali approach Logan who was still silent and seemed to be in a trance of some sort.
Once fully healed Page gasped and bolted up looking over to Ben whose eyes remained closed, "Ben! Ben wake up!"
Hearing him mumble she leaned down to hear him better, "This is the part where a true love kiss wakes the sleeping prince."
Narrowing her eyes Page punched Ben hard in the shoulder making the man sit up and wince, "There your bloody kiss!"
"OW! I was joking!" Ben complained rubbing his shoulder before being pulled into a hug by Page.
"Hobbe knocking moron," Ginjer spoke approaching not expecting to be pulled into the hug by Ben, "HEY GET OFF ME! UNHAND ME YOU BLOODY PRICKS!"
"Shut up and accept my thanks you stubborn thing," Ben chuckled watching the gnome squirm.
"Thank goodness," Anna sighed in relief seeing Logan turn to her and with the healing spell drew a finger across her cut and healed it, "Thank you, Logan."
Silently Logan turned and floated towards Tali where he then powered down, landing on his feet and almost fell over but Tali caught him before he passed out, "I got you!"
"Is he ok?" Echo asked rushing over while Saker helped others to their feet.
"Yeah, I think so," Tali spoke sitting on the ground allowing Logan's head to rest on her lap, "was that the form I heard King Adam use to defeat the Crawler?"
"No," Anna spoke approaching, "what we saw was...different, much different from how Adam looked."
"Because it was different," Gabriel spoke appearing in the room in a beam of light, "the bond the two brothers had created a new form, I suspect the brother will be able to use that form too when the time comes, is everyone ok?"
"Oh yeah bloody brilliant! I just love being strung up like a bloody fucking puppet!" Sabine spat smacking Saker's hand away and allowed Boulder to help him up.
"Ngh my head," Logan groaned looking up and gasping before he sat up, "TALI!"
Looking around he saw everyone was safe then turned to Tali letting out a sigh in relief, "Oh thank goodness, how did you get free?"
Confused Tali blinked, "Uh Logan you stopped the Vexator you used like a new super version of that angel form your brother used."
"I did?" Logan asked confused, "I didn't think that was possible."
"Thanks to your effort you unlocked something very powerful, are you all ready?" Gabriel asked turning to Anna who nodded and picked up her hammer.
"We are, everyone, we are going to war!" Anna declared before turning to Logan, "Come with me, we gotta find the gems."
A.N. The Final showdown with the Vexator is fast approaching.