Gwen hit the ground. Running, she elegantly darted forward, taking out the first drinker in her sights. Her sais plummeted deep into its head, its life leaving almost instantly. She placed her hand to her ear, triggering her com piece. "One down," she said.
The room went into an uproar. The dragon thrashed about in the tight prison he was in, because even though the chains were broken the mountain walls still held him back. The Drinkers surrounding him were tired, but not out, and they turned to Gwen, ready to attack. The leader ran to the cage to get the boy.
"How did she fall without getting hurt?" Arthur asked, ready to jump down along side Gwen.
Lance pulled out four thumb tacks from a small case and handed them to Arthur. "Place those in the soles of your shoes. They'll make you a hundred and fifty pounds lighter. It's how she moves so quickly."
Arthur nodded and placed two tacks in each shoe, then stood up. He jumped off the cliff and gently glided down, sword in hand, his eye set dead on a drinker. Arthur brought his sword down on the Drinker's head but it moved so fast that Arthur had actually sliced its after image. He turned to see the Drinker behind him, panting. Arthur swung at him but he was too fast and dodged each attack.
Gwen pulled her sais out of a Drinker and looked to Arthur who was having trouble with his. She rolled her eyes and rushed to him, putting her both of her sais in his neck and crossing them, decapitating him. She looked to Arthur. "Do you even know how to fucking use that thing?" she asked impatiently. Before Arthur could respond she threw him a light blue crystal. "Break that and inhale the smoke," she commanded before continuing to attack another drinker.
Gwen turned to see a large blue orb of Magic coming her way, the Drinker casting it looked pleased, a large grin on his face. Gwen raised her sais and caught it, twirling it and then bringing it around in an arch, launching the spell back at the Drinker, returning his smile with a cocky smirk. He screamed as it knocked him back into the cave wall, crushing his body in the process.
Arthur looked at the crystal in his hand and threw it at the floor, it broke and a small puff of blue smoke surrounded him. He took a deep breath and felt the crystal's magic enter him, morph him, evolve him. His pupils became the size of pins and then expanded as far as it could, giving Arthur no iris. He could see everything, he could judge distance, he knew just how to wield his sword, just how to swing it. He saw a Drinker to his right and leaped at him, his mind focused. He had the upper hand; the Drinker was too focused on Gwen to dodge, to defend.
Arthur was ready to slice through him. His sword came fast but stopped short of the Drinkers neck. The Drinker quickly turned to face him, his face, he was a child, no older than twelve or thirteen. Arthur's mind went blank. This was a child, he thought, A kid. The Drinker noticed his presence and slowly turned, the blade resting against his shoulder. An evil smirk crossed his face and he lifted his hand, palm flat, a red orb began to grow, only inches from Arthur's chest.
Merlin and Lance were still perched on the cliff and Merlin watched in horror as Arthur just stood there.
"Good... bye," the Drinker chuckled. Arthur was paralyzed with fear and guilt.
A loud crack filled the air and the Drinker in front of Arthur fell to the ground, an arrow deep in his skull. Lance pulled his bow string back a second time and launched another arrow. The room filled with another crack as the arrow broke the sound barrier and the Drinker behind Gwen fell to his knees.
Meanwhile, Merlin held his hand out to the dragon. He opened his book and spoke a few words. The dragon turned around in surprise.
"Ah, young warlock," the dragon said. "It's such an honor to see you here." Merlin looked to him in shock, he knew he wasn't speaking English and he was amazed that he could understand him without ever having learned this language.
"Right," Merlin said. "We're trying to help you, to free you."
The dragon chuckled. "Such irony, considering you were the one that put me here."
Merlin gave him a confused stare—was he referring to his past life? He didn't have time to contemplate this. "I need you to be a weapon for us against the Purge," Merlin said.
"And why should I do that?" Kilgharrah asked.
"Because... I am your master?" Merlin responded coolly. He puffed out his chest and raised his head, looking down upon the dragon with superiority and power. The dragon tilted his head.
"If you get me out of here safely, I will do your bidding," the dragon responded, his voice was fierce but he remained calm, treating Merlin as if he was his king.
Perfect, Merlin thought to himself. Merlin was then distracted by the battle below. He was going to ask the dragon to help, but then he realized that his flame would burn all, friend or foe, so he sat back in horror as Gwen danced around the Drinkers and Arthur just stood there.
"Lance," Gwen said into her com, "Arthur is choking, can you get Morgana to pull him up to you?"
Lance relayed the message to Morgana, who turned to a page of her tome, closed her eyes, and summoned ropes off the edge of the cliff. They came alive and slithered to Arthur, gripping him and pulling him up with them.
Merlin felt useless, he was completely useless. He looked to Arthur who looked scared and guilty. Merlin turned his head to the battlefield. Most of the Drinker's were dead, the Dragon was still roaring and thrashing but it was getting him nowhere. Morgana stood to the ledge and she held her hands up, creating a Y with her body. The mountain shook and a large rock floated down from the ceiling. She held up one hand and the rock split into hundreds of shards. Morgana's eyes became white as she channeled them into the battle ground.
Gwen danced around the shards, her body fluid like water and she tumbled, flipped, glided, and twisted around the rocks, her shoes barely ever touching the ground. She watched around her and Morgana took out most of the Drinkers. Only the ones that could create a force field survived.
"Stop, or the boy dies!"
Gwen stopped moving and Morgana stopped channeling her spell. The remainder of the rocks fell to the ground; their collision was the only sound in the room aside from Gwen's panting. They all turned to the leader, who had the boy from the cage in his hands, a knife at his throat. He backed up towards the exit and the three remaining Drinker's followed. Gwen held up a sais at him and Morgana floated down beside her, tome in hand, ready. The boy squirmed and cried in his hands, fear and pain consuming his face.
"Let him go!" Gwen commanded.
The leader chuckled. "You think you have the right to command me?" he asked mockingly. "You're the one at the disadvantage here, my sweet. Your... morals hold you back."
Gwen raised her hand to her ear. "Lance," she said, "you need to take the shot."
"I don't think I can hit him from here."
"You need to do it anyway!"
"I can't—"
"Do it, Lance!"
Another loud crack filled the air, followed by an ominous silence. Gwen watched in horror as the leader looked cross eyed at the arrow that was suspended in mid air, the tip barely in his forehead, a small stream of blood flowing how his face. He waved his hand and the arrow removed itself and turned in the exact opposite direction to came from.
"Silly boy," he said.
Merlin turned in horror and saw Lance grunt. The arrow protruding from his chest, Lance fell forward and off the cliff, falling, falling, falling, until he hit the ground with a soft thud. Gwen and Morgana turned to him in horror, before turning back to the—
"Where'd he go?" Morgana asked. The leader and the Drinkers had disappeared.
A loud voice echoed through the room, "Time to die in your tomb, kiddies!"
The walls of the mountain began to shake and rumble, rocks fell from the ceiling. The dragon roared and screamed and as the top of the mountain collapsed. He crawled up and out, flying away into the distance, roaring as he went.
Gwen ran to Lance. Arthur and Merlin used the ropes Morgana made to shimmy down the side of the wall, meeting Gwen at the bottom. Morgana held up her hands and created another green bubble, in it was the calm outside. Gwen picked Lance up and pulled him into the bubble, the rest of them followed just as the mountain came down.
Gwen placed Lance on the cold ground. Blood trickled from his mouth and the wound in his chest, staining his shirt dark red. Morgana crouched next to her and held out her hand, a white aura emitted from it and it poured into the wound. Gwen looked up to her, hope in her eyes.
Morgana pulled her hand back and looked to Gwen, helplessness filled her face. "I'm sorry Gwen," she said. "I don't... I'm not strong enough to heal this wound."
"No!" Gwen screamed. "No! Don't you say that! Don't you say that!" She looked down at her Lance and put her hand on the side of his face. Lance looked up at her, trying to talk, but only little gasps of blood and air came out. "No, no, no baby. Don't try to speak, save your breath," Gwen said, and she turned to Merlin. "You. You do something. Save him like you saved Arthur!"
Merlin ran to sit down by Lance. He placed his hand over the wound and tried his best, but he couldn't summon the power again. Gwen looked at him impatiently. "Well? WELL?" she screamed.
Merlin couldn't meet her gaze. Tears rolled down his face. "I... It won't work," Merlin said. Gwen's face cringed at the sounds of those words. She felt a tug on her shirt.
"Its... alright.." Lance whispered weakly. He lifted his hand and took off his wedding band, and reaching for hers, he placed it in her palm, and then closed her fingers.
"No no no no no!" Gwen cried. Tears dropped from her cheeks down to her chin and then onto Lance. "You're not going to die."
Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana couldn't help but cry with her. The moment was so powerful. Arthur knelt next to Merlin and Merlin turned to him, burying his face into Arthur's chest. Morgana brought the sleeve of her dress to her face, wiping the tears away, feeling guilty that she couldn't help, that Gwen was so hurt, that she was worthless right now.
Lance smiled at her, his teeth stained red with blood. "It's... cliché... but always know..." Lance coughed and groaned in pain, his head was light and his body was cold. He could feel himself falling, falling into the darkness. His lifted his hand and placed it on Gwen's cheek. Beautiful Gwen, wonderful Gwen, amazing Gwen. He knew it was his time, he knew this was the way he was to go, the way he was to depart into the afterlife. He brushed a tear along her face. "Know..."
The stars blinked as they joined Gwen in her tears, watching as Lance gently slipped from this world, and joined the kingdom of the many valiant heroes that gave their lives for the greater good.
Always know, Guinevere, that I will watch over you until the end of time.