Watched the Mario movie with my brother and cousins, and it was really good. I've never played the games and largely followed it through memes and online discourse, but it was still a fun movie with some funny moments, like Peach trying and somewhat succeeding to make Mario feel better after he takes hours to nearly complete the course, or most of the scenes with Bowser in them as gang-dang, Jack Black really brought the fire and chuckles with him. But that and other stuff did delay this by a day or two, who knew working on the foundations and course of a story could take up so much of one's free time? Anyway, please leave a review and follow.
Chapter 15: Witch and Warlock
The sounds of the battle continued to echo through the caves, and as one grew closer, they grew in intensity, and so did the yelling of the humans and the screeching, hissing and bellows of the beast they sought to kill. Lelouch didn't know how long it had been, as ever fatiguing body seemed to believe it had been an hour, but in his mind, he knew it couldn't have been more than 20 minutes since he tossed aside his contacts and let his geass add its crimson light to this crystal lit cavern. As he jumped back from one of the Afanc's sneak attacks with its tail, he thanked the fact all the water around at least washed away their sweat whenever they got splashed or thrown aside.
Regardless, taking the moment to observe the situation, he noted that while they had landed more blows, with more of the beast's blood entering the water, it only seemed to anger it rather than weaken it. A fact that couldn't be said about them as they started to tire. They needed a new plan and fast. 'Jeremiah!' He called out, drawing the man's attention if his gaze never left their foe.
'Your majesty?' Jeremiah asked, hoping he would have another one of his famous plans in the works.
'Draw its attention, C.C. with me!' He told the man as he rushed to where C.C. was, whispering something to her as she followed after him towards the Afanc. The beast seemed to have a grudge against him, or more accurately, his eyes and turned to face him instead of Jeremiah, an act it near instantly regretted as with a cry of "Feel the power of my loyalty", Jeremiah brought his battle axe down with as much force as he could summon forth. The large, thick steel blade dug deep into the beast's flesh, nearly hitting bone but still drawing a bellow of pain from the beast as its tail whipped around to try and kill the man for that, but he managed to evade the strike by the skin of his teeth.
This distraction allowed C.C., faster than Lelouch, to get close to its other flank. With its tail out of the way for the moment, and a level of skill that could only come from literal decades of practice and use, she thrust her blade into its side, right where its forelegs met its torso. Digging deep, she immediately twisted the blade as the beast roared in further pain, its leg buckling due to its injury as she pulled her blade free, its steel covered with a thick layer of dark red blood. With bestial rage in its eye, it twisted its head in C.C.'s direction but instead of seeing her, he saw the dual tips of a bronze spear.
Lelouch, with his gaze locked into the surprised eyes of the beast, held his spear tight and true as a yell of his own, he thrust it with as much force as he could. Instinct saved the beast from death, but not from harm as while it managed to flinch its head out of the way of a lethal dual impalement, one of the points of Lelouch's spear did hit home in the beast's right eye, the bronze slicing and borrowing through the white flesh with a sound that was best described as an orange popping. The moment the attack landed, and it lost vision in its right eye, the beast roared from the white-hot pain shooting through its head as Lelouch, with a grunt and a jerk, pulled his spear free, chipping its destroyed eyeball's socket on the way out, furthering the beast as the three retreated a little.
'We go for its tail next, then the other leg. We'll take this thing apart till it can't even stand, much less fight.' Lelouch told them, getting a nod from the two as they began to branch off once more, following a similar tactic which had gained them this progress but their prey wouldn't go down easy as it turned its pained, hate-filled gaze to them, both its ends glaring at them with hate that seemed far too much to be from a simple animal-this was a rage that came with fantasies of extracting revenge in the cruellest way possible.
The Afanc opened its massive jaws, but rather than steam being released, or another roar, they noticed something building up in the back of its mouth, a light that seemed to grow in intensity 'What is thi-' Jeremiah didn't have time to get an answer to his question, never mind finish it as before that could happen, the beast breathed out a massive stream of fire, hot enough that they could feel it from where they stood. They instinctively jumped to the sides to avoid its attack, but saw it was pointless as it wasn't targeting them but rather it was blasting the water directly in front of it, boiling it and causing it to instantly evaporate. Within moments, the stream grew to fill the cavern, masking the beast from their vision.
'Fire breath? The report didn't say anything about fire breath!' C.C. yelled as the group quickly got back together, seeing that they were in a similar situation to the event that found them landing on this strange world as the Aflac kept up the fire breath, increasing the steam in the air and its density as their visibility started to decrease.
'Dammit, now of all times we went in with bad intelligence.' Jeremiah cursed, holding his axe close as he watched for any moment, ready to attack.
'Stay together, that blast was meant to throw up cover.' Lelouch added, his eyes jumping all over the place trying to detect the beast like it did the others, it was this fact that saved them as he noted something, a shift in the thankfully cooling stream around them which give him just enough time to yell a warning. That warning gave Jeremiah, the beast's target time to block an unexpectedly fast head tackle from the Afanc.
However, the power behind the attack was very much a threat as the monster used its bulk to its full potential, ramming into the man like a truck, his axe which he moved to block the attack buckled and snapped under the force of the attack as the massive snout of the beast made contact with his mid-section.
'What power-!' Jeremiah was stopped as the air knocked out of him, along with his lunch, the cyborg was sent flying to the crystal walls that surrounded them, breaking his human arm on impact. The man slumped down; half submerged in the water.
'Jeremiah!' Lelouch called out, worried both for Jeremiah and for them as with their strongest out of the fight, it was down to just the two of them.
'Focus!' C.C. yelled back, standing back-to-back with her warlock as they were still surrounded by the cooling steam and while that meant it wouldn't last, they knew the beast that created it would try something else. This proved to be right as the beast continued to attack from the mist, forcing the two to do nothing but evade its attack, with Lelouch calling out movement, one of those movements including the sound of the Afanc breathing out more fire, trying to keep its cover-up as long as it could which Lelouch relayed to C.C.
'You should have done more conditioning training with Jeremiah and Anya.' C.C. told him, though she was just as sweaty as he was, breathing heavily as the increasing amounts of steam in the air was making it hard to breathe, a fact that Lelouch wished to smack himself for not seeing sooner as no doubt this was part of the tactic the monster was using; limit their vision and continually attack them, forcing them to expend more energy evading it while also using up the oxygen in the place. They called out to Jeremiah a few more times but gave up when they didn't hear a response and prayed that it was merely unconscious, with neither landing any attacks, they were forced into a game of cat and mouse, one that they lost as C.C. tripped as she jumped back from one of its lunges, leaving herself open as the monster charged her, its jaws open and ready to devour her whole.
Seeing this, even in the poor visibility caused Lelouch's hollow gaze to widen, a fire that was long burned-out sparking within his crimson eyes as he saw what was about to happen, was reminded of what had happened-of to the friends of loved ones he had already lost. In his heart, beating in his winded chest, he could only think one thing: Never again.
With a burst of strength from his second wind, He moved without thinking.
C.C. cursed herself for losing her footing as she fell on her butt, looking up to see the japing jaws of the Afanc heading right towards her, she didn't have time to dodge and could only close her eyes and hope it would be quick. However, while she did hear the tearing of flesh and the crackling of bone breaking, it wasn't her own. Opening her eyes, they widened as her heart stopped at the sight that greeted her.
Her warlock, her friend…He had moved to stand in her defence, taking the hit that should have been hers without a sound even as she could see that his entire left arm was inside its closed jaws, blood leaking through its white teeth, and his brown and white clothing. His spear being used to keep himself propped up, even as the beast growled and tried to move forward, he remained steadfast even as his arm continued to be crushed. 'You…I won't you…take any more from me…' He managed to get out through his teeth, teeth that ground together as he used all he had to not scream out in agony. C.C. didn't have time to question him, to know why he did this as seemingly sick of his defiance, the Afanc bit off his arm, a cry of pain forcing its way through Lelouch's mouth as its tail came around and smacked him full force.
He instinctively held up his spear to block the attack, but it was poorly timed and handled which led to his wrist breaking from the awkward angle as he too was launched into the air, not a sound coming from him as she watched as he sailed some distance before landing with a splash in the water, unresponsive.
C.C. for the first time in centuries…didn't know what to do. She had lost people before, she had lost everyone, either to war, sickness or just the ravages of time. she had thought she had grown numb, she had forced herself to grow numb, to save herself from that pain of loss. And in time, she stopped forming connections at all, interacting with the world one would do the actors in a play, never believing they were who they said they were, and that they were all merely playing a part in a bigger scheme, in some grand plot and in time, they would complete it and step off the stage. But not she. She was the ever-present narrator, one that could break the 4th wall, yes and if she wished, interact with the characters, but forever existing in a realm that was hers and hers alone.
Her mind told her that this wasn't something new, that she had lost plenty of contractors before, even the more promising ones and how, in time, she would move on from this event. But Lelouch…Lelouch was different. He was the first real connection she had forged in centuries, the first person she saw as her equal, someone she wasn't embarrassed or ashamed of that had seen her at her weakest after she sealed her memories. He was flawed, he made mistakes, and he was far from the image of a noble knight…but she didn't care. He was the first person to thank her in centuries, the first to cherish her as a friend, and the first to respect her and her wishes. The first that made her laugh and make her feel happy.
He was someone she could trust with all her secrets.
He was something she could love. Someone that she did love, with all her heart.
But there he was, laying there, his arm gone, his life's blood pouring out of him as he approached the doors of death all while Jeremiah rushed to his side, his arm limp…her heart screamed out in agony, ice shoot through her veins, leaving her cold and numb. The afranc had a different reaction, croaking and guggling in what could be its version of a laugh of triumph at taking out the one with those baleful eyes, eyes that every cell of it being told it must be destroyed. C.C.'s gaze moved back to it slowly, watching and once she realized that it was limping over to the two to finish them off, an inferno burst to life in her chest as the feeling of ice that was once within her spread out around her, cooling the steam and water around her as her code begun to glow, faintly but visible.
Not giving it any more time, she rushed the beast, the water on her blade chilling as it began to freeze, more water joining it, increasing the width and length of her blade. Her code's glow increased in brightness; her eyes were set only on her target. She crashed into it like a banshee's cry, her blade thrusting deep into its side, far deeper than before as her blade, once just a short sword was now closer to a longsword thanks to its icy augmentation. She worked her muscles to their limits to deliver as much force as she could muster as her blade of steel and ice pieced an organ. The Afanc, with a near deafening cry of pain, turned to finish her off first out of annoyance, its tail shooting out right for her, its anaconda's head open to bite down on her but she wasn't having it.
She dodged the attack, bending her back to the point where it nearly snapped as she grabbed onto the tail which carried her into the air above the beast where she let go of it and in one quick motion, sliced the head clean off its anaconda tail, the severed head falling into the water as the beast gave out its loudest roar of pain at the loss of its appendage. Twisting in the air, she landed with the grace of a cat, her eyes that of an enraged lioness on the hunt as she observed her prey. Her code continued to shine but dimmed as she embraced this fury, this energy coursing through her body from the mark branded into her flesh. She reached out a hand, following the same steps she did when she first tried magic, only now as she didn't imagine a small snowball, in her mind she envisioned icicles, wickedly sharp and as large as garden tools.
Her spell came to pass as the remaining stream around them immediately cooled, and it along with streams of water flew out from the water and into the air above the surprised and injured beast, where they forced into a dozen icicles, each the length of her arm and with points as sharp as her blade. With a snarl, she brought her hand down, sending the weapons of ice down on the Afanc which responded with its fire breath which managed to melt most of it, but a few managed to get through and slammed down on its thick hide where they managed to pierce if only a little. Its ire focused entirely on her, the two rushed each other, the beast breathing out even more fire while C.C. crafted more ice to use.
With Lelouch, he's fighting to remain conscious, he felt light-headed and cold, the throbbing that was once present where his arm was chomped off had faded, but so too did the rest of his feeling in his body. He knew Jeremiah was kneeling next to him, but he couldn't hear anything over his slowing heartbeat. He knew that C.C. had done something, but he couldn't see through his clouding vision, having to rely instead on a gut feeling as he felt a shift in the air. As he lay there, dying he found that he wasn't angry, he wasn't upset…he was content.
He had chosen to face his death with dignity and grace when he killed his first man during Britannia's invasion of Japan, after all, he knew that life was precious, that it should be defended and that one shouldn't take up arms if they were unwilling to fall by arms. But he also knew that the theory was rarely the same as practical, which brought a small smile to his ever-paling face as he recalled how Suzaku and Cornelia made him quite aware of how battles can shift in a moment.
That smile turned into a weak chuckle as he thought about his situation. Here he was, an exiled prince who had somehow managed to burn just about every bridge he had with anyone he ever loved but instead of dying by firing squad, or Britannia's favourite for traitors, being drawn and quartered, he was here, in another world, wet to the bone, missing an arm and bleeding out after fighting an honest to God monster. It seemed that like with actions like Zero, his death would be just as unexpected and crazy. But…he was content, oddly enough. If he could die trying to save at least one person he cared for, then he can go to Hell with a smile on his face.
'Is that what you wish for in your heart? Do you truly wish to lay down and perish among these waters?' His eyes widened, a little life coming to them as he looked around before he realized that he felt…fine. His arm was once more attached as if he never lost it. He was dry, wearing warm, comfortable clothing that looked like a variation of the style of his Zero costume, only much looser and sans the mask. He reached for his chest and felt his heart beating steadily and strongly, the grip of death absent. Looking around, he saw that he was back in the hills, with the black rams all around him but added to their seemingly unending numbers were just as many owls, with feathers just as blue, and eyes just as crimson as the one he had met not too long ago.
'What?' He asked him before he turned around to see who had spoken. Waiting for him, were the two titans he had already met. The woman with the jar, the wife, sat on the horse she had with her the first time they had met, riding with him a grace that he just knew no mortal could match as she and the beast seemed to connect on a level far outside their means, almost as if they were the same. Her husband, the first of the two he had met wasn't riding on a horse but rather in a magnificent chariot made of bronze and gold that was pulled by two mighty war horses, their frames built for power and endurance, like as if one of them could pull the chariot at breakneck speeds from dawn to dusk without rest.
'Are you truly ready to join my host?' The husband spoke, following up on his wife's question to him while both were still shrouded in mist and shadow, he could feel the weight of their gazes on him as he tried to figure out what they meant.
'Host?' Did he mean the animals around them? Was this some kind of afterlife and these the inhabitants? Did humans who perished become one of the two? If that was the case, why had he been seeing them for months?
'Are you willing to leave the people who follow? The friends you still have? The woman you love?' The wife asked him, her voice just as strong as her husband, forcing him to answer.
'But I do-' She raised a hand, her vase held secured in the other as she seemingly did not need reins on her horse. The animal was as free as any of them.
'Spare me the lies, to approach our domains is a time for honesty.' She told him, confirming that this was some sort of afterlife, or at the very least, close to it. Regardless of that fact, he couldn't voice the truth that she sought, as he had mulled over it for months, and still hadn't found an answer that he could accept, one that he felt was right as whenever he thought about C.C., he would also think about what he learned that day, and his heart was a squeeze. He knew he still cared for her, why else would he move to save her as he would have any other person she cherished, but love?
He was afraid of the answer.
Seeing his emotional turmoil, the woman had her horse move her closer, her husband remaining in his spot, his gaze never leaving Lelouch's form. As she got closer to him, the rams closest to him nudged him forward to meet her, and once close enough, the very earth itself seemed to shift, lifting him closer to her as she lay her hand, far larger than his own, onto his chest where she seemed to reach through his…form, he wasn't sure if what he was now counted as flesh and bone, and to his heart as her touch calm down the raging storm within, but only slightly.
'She has hurt you, given you a deep wound on your heart…but you still love her. Your heart bleeds, it's far from pure but,' She seemed to smile at him, her hand leaving his chest as she felt where it had been, looking up at her in lost confusion, hoping for an answer. 'It still beats strong with emotion, with love for what and whom you cherish.' He sucked in his breath, looking down as bit his lip.
'And right now, your witch needs your aide, she needs her warlock to stand by her side once more.' Her husband spoke up, reminding him of the fact he was needed. That he should be by her side, like they had promised one another but he let out a breath that seemed to carry only some of his troubles, looking at himself before he turned back to him, a sad smile on his face.
'How…how can I even do that? What makes me so special?' He was on his way to Hell, wasn't he? What could he do from here, what could be protected when all he was good for was destruction? At his question, the titan pointed to him, and at the same time, he felt a strange sensation coming from his stomach, permeating through him, reaching into his blood, muscles and bones, working its way up his body till it reached his eyes and head where it seemed to shift in presence.
'Because you have drunk from the rivers that flow through my domain, in doing so, you have signed a contract with me.' Lelouch realized what he meant, what he had done the first time he arrived in this plane of existence. That feeling he had then when he drank from the otherworldly river returned.
'As for the other question, it is because we have judged you to be worth it. Because you in your hardships and trials remained true where others would have faltered or been corrupted. That is why you are our champion.' The titan told him as from the feeling, pieces within his mind started to fall into place, not just on what was happening to him, but who he was standing before and with an answer in mind, he couldn't help but laugh at how he didn't put it together sooner. Regardless, he bowed low to them, his eyes hidden from view.
'Forgive me, my lord. It seems that I won't be heading down to your house just yet. There is still much for me to do in the realm of the living.'
'Never seek death, never fear death. Cherish life, but never be afraid to take life.' The woman smiled as she told him such a confusing-sounding statement, but he received its message well enough. He turned to the river again, once, he feared it in its size and current, but now he was no longer afraid. He knew where it was, what he was. He approached it, the two Gods following after him, same as the hundreds of animals present, one of the rams came close to him, same as an owl which landed on his shoulder. As he reached its edge, he looked at his hands, still stained with the blood of his sins, but with his new clarity, he didn't see them like the shackles they once more, for like any scar on the body, there were merely scars on the body, they would fade with time, yes-but never disappear.
He walked in, one foot followed by the other as the water level slowly increased as he went. 'Return to the world of the living, our chosen champion and remember, whenever you're in need, all you must do is remember.' The titan told him, a smile seems to bleed into his word as Lelouch turned to face him, giving him one in return as the ram and owl with him shifted, merging into him as the water flowed past them, calming him, nurturing him. As he left the plane, he saw across the water, an angel watching him. Cloaked in white and with a soft smile that always seemed to match her chartreuse eyes as her orange hair danced in the breeze. He was confused, only for a moment, before he returned her smile.
And with that assurance from his first real love, he was gone, falling into the river.
'Your majesty, stay with me!' As in the other realm, he was woken up by a voice calling out to him, only this time it was Jeremiah. It took him time to reorientate himself to the situation, partly due to the fact it was jarring to find himself back in a dying, damaged body. Not too far from them, he saw that the stream had finally cleared away, as the Afanc focused its attention on C.C., the steam now replaced with chunks of ice shattered around the two. His witch battled the monster's strength and fire with her speed and ice. Both seemingly even as while it certainly had more injuries on it, with shards of ice still in some wounds, C.C. was much more exhausting as she seemed to be slowing down.
'Jeremiah…help me up.' Jeremiah seemed relieved that he finally responded, if not extremely concerned that he was about to do something incredibly foolish, nevertheless, the man did as he was asked as he aided Lelouch back up to his shaky feet. Looking himself over, he let a rueful smile as he wondered when he had forgotten himself once more, and how shameful he has allowed himself to be. But he wasn't going to let that happen again as he willed his spear, which had reverted into its bracelet form, back into shape, the weapon taking on its new form. Closing his eyes, he felt around his soul for a moment, before he felt it, the sensation from the other side, from the river, from the contract he had made, from the gifts given to him.
Echoing in his mind, he heard it, his patron God's voice asking. 'What he is, who he is' He let out a chuckle, one that sounded similar to the sinister laughs of his Zero glory days, even that wording only amused him more as here he was, seeing such times as if they were decades ago. But through that chuckle, he took in a deep breath, finding a little of the energy that he had lacked for months returning to him, restarting his fire because he had found his truth.
'I am a king who deals in evil, fought with angels and dances with a witch. He who does evil to commit good.' Jeremiah's concern for him rose as he answered a question that only he could hear, but as he spoke, he felt his body's wounds lessen as he got a 2nd wind of sorts. Enough that he didn't need Jeremiah to help him stand as he slowly moved towards the fight, neither combatants noticing him as his spear's tip began to glow a brilliant crimson, matched by the glow leaking out from under his eyelids. 'I am he who commits the evil to defeat evil, he who destroys to make way for creation.' His spear point burst into flames, finally catching the animal and C.C.'s attention, both were caught off guard by the fact he was standing but he paid them no mind as he prepared to give them another shock as he ignored his broken wrist to move the weapon as that its burning head pressed against the stump where his arm was, cauterising the wound closed with him barely flinching.
'What are you-' She asked him but he cut her off
'C.C.! Forgive me, I forgot that a king must always lead. I forgot that a warlock must always aid his witch.' He told her, his still sizzling stump throwing the scent of burnt pork in the air. While she was confused, concerned and unsure of what to make of this, the Afanc wasn't. The beast, tired and gravely injured as it was roared out in indignation that he had managed to get up to challenge it as it charged him. C.C. rose a hand to summon more ice to defend him but she wasn't able to create something strong enough. In her panic, she screamed at Lelouch to move, not stand there with his eyes closed.
Lelouch stood, unafraid and unwilling to yield to a monster. With a silent command, a portal appeared in front of him, surprising the beast which tried to slow itself down lest it goes through, but that wasn't what occurred as from it, a massive metallic arm shot out and punched the monster square in the face, stunning it as it was knocked back. As it shook the vision back into its working eye, more of the summons made its way through the portal, a familiar shape.
Its body wasn't the same as they recalled, its metallic, unnatural body racked with cracks and scotch marks, paint burnt or scrapped off and looking like it was collected from an old forgotten battlefield and only held together by magic but this didn't matter to C.C. and Jeremiah as they recognised what had been summoned, how could they not when it was once the backbone to Britannian knightmare tactics: The Sunderland.
With the knightmare through and an equally worn and battered lance in hand, the portal closed as Lelouch stood in front of his metallic summons. 'When a king commands, his legions move. And a king is never without his legions.' With his words, he opened his eyes at last, revealing that they no longer housed the old symbol of geass, but something bolder, stronger, brighter. If the geass of old was that of a raven, his eyes now had the image of a great owl. At that same moment, the bronze that made up his weapon shifted its form once more, feeding off the power coming from his body, a portion of it split off from the shaft and travelled up his arm, neck and head till it split and settled on the sides of his head
Lelouch breathed out as if finally breathing easy for the first time in years, obvious to the stunned looks on his compatriots' faces as they just witnessed him summon forth a long-defeated Sunderland from the Underworld, but his bracelet evolved once more and now seemingly placed two bronze ram horns upon his head, so well made and fitting that they seemed to grow right out of his skull. With his eyes on the Afanc, he gave the order. 'Attack.' He need not say more as the Sunderland charged the beast, its lance ready to impale it as it narrowly dodged the assault, creating a situation for the first time it was their opponent on the defensive as the Sunderland summon may have been held together by magic, but it was just a construct. A construct that was fresh to the fight and it started to press the beast, forcing it on the defensive.
Lelouch felt C.C.'s presence next to him, the woman looking at him with eyes that made it clear they would be having words after this, but that she was smiling as well. A smile he hadn't ever seen from her as his heart skipped a beat at seeing it, the sheer emotions she managed to reveal with that simple thing that others wouldn't note but not him, not when he knew her story and how rare such a pure thing was.
'You said that a warlock fights with his witch? Then let us finish this together.' He returned her smile, not caring that it looked like any other corpse that would have been on the battleground his Sunderland would have been destroyed on. With a smirk, he raised his spear, knowing that he was making a dark jock about his missing limb, she smacked his side but still, kept on the smile as she grasped the weapon, letting her power flow into it and through it towards the Sunderland. Said Sunderland was being bathed in fire from the Afanc, which started to cause its cracks to grow as its form heated up but with the addition of C.C.'s powers, frost started to form across its body, filling in those cracks and altering its shape.
'Unison ritual summons: Winter's Knight.' The Witch and Warlock said as one, as they did, the nearly upgraded Sunderland broke through the fire, its body now glistening with blues and whites, even if they too appeared to be battered and worn. Its eyes, once empty glowed like diamonds as it charged the beast, which tried to move back but found its back against the wall. Giving no quarter, the Sunderland stabbed its ice-coated lance into the ground, creating massive spikes of ice to shoot out from the ground and water like a trail of geysers towards the beast, hitting him as it roared and screeched as it was impaled by 8 different spikes, lifting its body off the ground where its body twitched for a bit, a whine was let out, before silence.
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