'Locking Up the Sun' by Poets of the Fall is a good song for this chapter.
He had become used to pain throughout this whole ordeal. He had felt pain before; crashing his bike into telephone poles as a child, and then there was the whole taser incident with his brothers...
He faded in and out of reality, out and in blackness and Gwen's twisted sneer.
Suddenly weightless, then all the weight in the world on his shoulders. A lovely daze, then jolting fierceness inside him. The world inverted as Gwen released him, dropping him to the ground with a cracking sound. Duncan laid motionless.
Gwen settled back down on her feet, folding back her wings."There. Now can we continue this?"She asked.
West stayed silent for a moment, staring at Duncan's lifeless self."...You know he's not dead."
She laughed."Don't kid with me, West."
"I'm not. I don't know why, it's either bravery or stupidity that keeps him going."
As West finished, Duncan's hand twitched. A pulse of life still beated inside him."You okay, Duncan-boy?"The Terror Mask asked as Duncan rose back up, shaking off the dull pain inside."Just a little beat up...that's all."He replied. Gwen stared at him, dumbfounded."I am the Queen..."She said, walking towards him."Whatever I say is law..."She was only a few feet away."And I say I want you dead! Why won't you comply?"
She spread her wings, tackling Duncan at rocket speed. They crashed through the hallowed walls of the mansion, escaping outside."Tsk. We must wait for our Queen to return..."West sounded annoyed.
Their battleground now in the forest, Gwen shoved him against a tree, anger embodied in her appearance. Rapid energy tendrils shot out, her spiderweb dress seemed more razored and spiked."Why won't you DIE?"She screamed in his face.
"I love you too much."Duncan replied. He could hear inside his head the Mask make a gagging noise.
She seemed caught off guard, and her grip loosened. Duncan looked her in the eyes, and could see the old Gwen still inside them. He gently pushed her away to regain himself. She became aggressive seconds later. She shoved her palm into his stomach, sending springs of pain into his torso. She pushed him this time, sending him crashing through the air, to violently hit a tree yards away. Several branches fell off and on top off him.
"I'm beginning to think our deal won't be completed."The Mask said.
"What?"Duncan stood up, pushing the branches off of him, dusting bark off his clothes.
"Remember? You can't take me off until West is gone, and Gwen is safe in your arms. And from the looks of it...she'd rather tear off your arms let alone be held in them."
Duncan looked onto the approaching Gwen, his eyes settling on the black crown resting on her head."It's that friggin' crown. If I could just get rid of it..."
"Try this."The Mask took control of him. Duncan looked at his hands to see more tiny bone spikes pop out all over his palm and fingers."For gripping action."
Gwen held out her hand in a wide sweep, a blast of energy sent out at him, making smoke and debris rise up in a fogged cloud. Duncan jumped out at Gwen from the fog, unaffected by the attack, and with all his might latched onto the crown. Arcs of black electricity shot through him the moment he touched it, but no release. A yell filled the air. It built up, becoming louder and louder until it filled Duncan, filled Gwen, the entire forest with his anger.
This damned crown had to be destroyed, he thought.
He ripped it off, crushing it into a scrap between his hands.
A shockwave of power expanded out. Duncan was blown back, Gwen's body convulsing and twitching like before, but in the opposite effect. The wings disentegrated, her elegant dress shifted and transformed back to her normal, if still Gothic attire. The dark energy that sprang up from her dissapeared. Gwen collasped to the ground as the shockwave died.
Duncan stood up once more, walking towards her on unsteady feet. He knelt down, lifting up her head, her eyes closed."Gwen...Gwen..."He shook her gently."C'mon...please."The shaking became faster."C'mon...y-you can't be dead! YOU CAN'T!"
She laid still.
Doctor West's ancient voice echoed through the forest. It was filled with rage."OUR QUEEN!"
A shout of anguish rose up from the dead."YOU TOOK HER FROM US! WE WERE GOING TO ASCEND, TO CONQUER!"
With a stiffled cry, Duncan laid her gently back down, placing her hands atop each other on her torso."Peace."He muttered, turning to the Mansion. A full moon illuminated above the estate, granting it eeriness.
"We don't her...we don't need her..."West continued to speak."I will go against the voices! I will ascend! I will become a God!"He was frantic, the screeching sound of a madman. Another cry from the dead. Suddenly the moon turned blood red, setting the mood for the final battle.
Inside the Mansion, Doctor West, in his true spectral form, stood in the center of the circle, the vial of blood in his hand. He raised it to his mouth, drinking it all in one gulp."I SHALL ASCEND."He stated, holding up his hands heavenwards. He simply vanished.
A massive earthquake. The twisted mansion changed, becoming the image of madness.
The Mansion rose into the air, underneath it was a legion of the undead. They carried the mansion upon their rotting shoulders, granting it the ability to move. Flesh merged with wood as the front of the home took on the shape of a human face, conforming to the face of Doctor West. Desecrated arms sprouted out the sides, each arm rotten green in fleshtone and the size of a bus, swinging wildly, knocking down tree's around it and flinging earth.
At the very top of the mansion, the headless body of Doctor West dangled from the spire, chains of blood and ooze covering him."I have ascended...I am now one with the dead, one with my Mansion!"His ancient voice continued.
Duncan stared up defiantly at the unholy colossus."We can't let that...thing reach the town."The Mask sounded disgusted.
"Which is why I'm going to kill it here."He replied."You here that West? "