~Alright, this is the final chapter, so I hope anyone who has been reading this is enjoying it.~
Morning came all too soon for Doyle as that was when he decided that it was time for the final attack but he would need to tell the others. He wasn't afraid of the I-told-you-so's from Vern; what Doyle feared was the others being worried. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about the consequences if one or more if them don't return alive. Cally woke up first.
"Is there anything you need me to do?" Cally asked softly, she didn't know what was on Doyle's mind, but it was clear that something was, anyone could see that.
"Just wait until the others wake up; I'll need to talk to them about it to." Doyle replied, not looking at her.
"Alright." Cally replied, she knew that something was wrong, but she didn't want to press Doyle for answers. Lance woke up shortly after.
"Are we waiting for Sleeping Beauty to wake up before we make a plan?" Lance joked as he noticed Cally and Doyle waiting for him and Vern to wake up.
"Something like that." Doyle replied. Lance noticed the worried look on Doyle's face and wondered if he still didn't know what do to about them running out of supplies. The wind blew harshly against the glass and the kids jumped. Vern woke up.
"So, what's the plan, we hide and wait for him to finish us off? Vern asked cynically. Doyle took a breath before replying. He knew that once he told the others his plan, there was no going back.
"No, Vern you were right when you brought up the fact that we can't just wait here. We have to fight." He replied slowly. Cally and Lance gasped and Vern gave a satisfied smile.
"So, how do we go about this attack." Vern replied, clearly enjoying it.
"We need to find a powerful spell and use it to attack, Cally and Lance, since you two are not practitioners, you can set this trap." Doyle instructed, giving written instructions to Lance.
"Then let's do this." Vern said, hoping that there wasn't going to be any more discussion.
"One more thing," Doyle said slowly. "If it comes down to it, I'll be the one to sacrifice myself, none of you guys should have to." Doyle instructed.
"What? Doyle, it can't come to that!" Cally shrieked.
"It may not, but I just wanted to put that plan in there just in case." Doyle replied. Vern muttered something under his breath about this being a matter of pride.
"This has nothing to do with pride, Vern." Doyle corrected, he took a breath before continuing, "All of you have more potential than I ever did; I want you three to be able to fulfill it." Even Vern was touched by Doyle's words (Though he'd never show it of course.)
"We won't let it come to that, Doyle," Lance stated, "We're all going to make it out of here."
"How sweet," The Puppet Master taunted as he entered Gamerz Cave, "my only question is how do you plan to do that?"
Doyle, Cally, Lance and Vern glared at The Puppet Master, their fear now replaced with anger.
"Oppugnare." Doyle muttered which sent a beam of energy to hit the Puppet Master.
"How dare you." He growled.
"Oppugnare." Vern muttered right after, sending another energy beam. The Puppet Master recoiled in pain and took a step back, he tripped backwards over the piece of rope that was hanging there and fell into the pile of shelving that Cally and Lance placed.
"You think you're so clever, don't you?" The Puppet Master growled. "Ignis impetusque!" Thunder roared though the shop destroying everything in sight.
"Salutem!" Doyle yelled in response, forming a protective circle around him and the teens.
"How long do you think your little shield will last?" The Puppet Master taunted. Doyle glared at the Puppet Master as if to appear defiant, however Doyle knew that the Puppet Master was right.
"Cavea." The Puppet Master announced. A force-field blocked them in the protective circle. "Ignis." Fire shot up the store walls. Doyle and the kids were trying so hard to break out if the circle but there faces were turning red from the heat. Doyle knew they wouldn't be able to last much longer.
"You're going to pay for this!" Vern coughed.
"How? You four can't do anything to stop me." The Puppet Master taunted. The flames danced around him but never made contact, clearly he was immune to the spell. Lance looked at Cally, he tried his best to protect her against the madness of the comic, but it wasn't enough. He punched the force field in frustration. Cally looked concerned at Lance and closed her eyes, she had to think of some way out. Doyle looked regretful, he never wanted them to get hurt, but he couldn't stop it. Vern looked angrily at the Puppet Master, but regretted the role is anger played at all this. If he was never so obsessed with the comic, this never would have happened.
"Aguas!" A voice commanded. A rush of water extinguished the fire, however, it did little to fix the store. They all looked at the figure who was coming out of the mirror. Cally instantly recognized him.
"Omen." She breathed out in relief.
"You sure took your time." Vern said sarcastically.
"I seemed to manage better than you." Omen replied; this silenced Vern.
"Can you help us?" Cally asked. Omen nodded.
"Dispraesaepibus." He said and the force field fell apart.
"It looks like we have the power of three on our side now." Omen smiled. Doyle nodded and lined up in front of Cally and Lance
"Oppungare!" The trio yelled in unison. A large beam hit the Puppet Master. He fell backwards in pain.
"If we do a banishment spell, he'll try to bring us down with him." Doyle explained, "We need to do one then get out of here." Omen, Vern, Cally and Lance nodded in agreement. Cally and Lance got ready to open the door for a quick escape and Omen, Vern and Doyle stood directly in front of the Puppet Master.
"Reverternur foram qua venisity!" They shouted in unison.
"Descrendit erit fatiscit." The Puppet Master said as he was fading. The whole store began to shake.
"Guys, we have to leave now!" Lance yelled to Vern, Doyle and Omen while holding the door open. Cally was making sure the exit was clear. The trio hurried across the shaking floor, fear apparent on their face. They finally managed to escape the store.
As the store was vanishing into the comic world The Puppet Master laughed at the mess that was left of Gamerz Cave. Though he lost the battle, he's in possession of Doyle's store- and all the secrets it holds. Both the store and The Puppet Master vanished, leaving only the copy of Dark Oracle.
"Is everyone alright?" Doyle asked near the vacant lot that once was the store.
"Yeah, but we're really sorry about your store." Cally replied.
"The important thing is that everyone is safe." Doyle replied, though he was worried.
"All your magic books were there, now The Puppet Master has them." Vern reminded.
"I know, that's what worries me." Doyle admitted.
"Don't worry, the five of us can handle whatever he throws at us." Omen reassured, holding Cally's hand, "What do you guys say?"
"I'm in." Lance agreed.
"So am I," Cally agreed, "I surely don't want him coming back anytime soon."
"I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm in to." Vern agreed. "You're not as much of a coward than I thought, Doyle, and... I'd like to learn magic from you again." Doyle nodded.
"You proved that though you still have much to learn, you're mature enough to handle it so I'll take your back as a student." He said to Vern. "I'll do everything in my power to fight him from coming back to." He added, addressing the group.
"Wait, there's an abandoned building Cally and I used to play in as kids; you could start your business there!" Lance suggested.
"Yeah, I saw it on the market while I was doing a school project. It's not going for too much." Cally added.
"I'll look into it, now it's late so you kids should head home. Omen, you can stay with me if you want." Doyle agreed. In the dark night, Cally and Lance headed to their house, Vern went the other way to his and Doyle and Omen walked a different way. There was no way of knowing what the future would bring, but they'd face it as a team, none of them would face anything alone, that gave them strength.
~Alright, that was the end of the story, hope it wasn't too long.~