Perball VS Clardusa
Chapter 4
The guards' names were Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, and Iota. One by one, they fell at the hands of the gorgon. Alpha was turned to stone after getting distracted by a sound with his arrows and now stolen; Gamma was shot in the knee, Delta and Epsilon made out and got double killed, and Zeta said there was no such thing as a gorgon until he bumped into one, Eta went mad due to the losses and killed Theta all of them were turned to stone.
[Perball sniffs the blood and hears the events happening. Each warrior taking their last breath except one dying]
Iota: [coughing up blood] My lord... Come here.
[Perball followed the coughing sound]
Iota: Y-Yes... You're getting closer.
[Perball bends down, walking toward the trooper, feeling his feet]
Perball: I'm touching you.?
Iota: Yes. You got me. [coughing]
Perball reached for his shoulder.
Perball: [ears flopped downward] Are you alright?
[The combatant coughing up blood]
Iota: [panting] No... My time is over, my lord...[pants]...kill the gorgon...avenge us... [coughs and sighs for the final time]
[Perball looked down and touched his face, feeling his eyes. He closed them and put the head down to the ground]
Perball: [sighs]
[He rosed from the warrior's corpse until he heard slithering and hissing sounds. Perball rosed his eyebrows and drew his sword and shield, using his nose to smell and ears to detect the sounds. He moved left and right, twisting his body]
?: [heard in the room] It's a pity I had to exterminate my guests. And only one remains.
Perball: [growls] Show yourself!
[The being laughs]
?: Hm-hm-hm. So direct. Is a simple hello not enough?
Perball- [sighs] My last soldier...
? - Well, I guess it's just you and me.
[The gorgon slitters towards him]
Perball: [hissed] You've slain enough warriors, gorgon! Your reign has come to an end!
? : [rolls eyes] Did I perceive that as a threat? [right hand on chest, slithering around him] I had used the metal of many men who had said that to make arrangements to my liking, and these fine statues became part of my collection, making the temple glorious.
Perball: [narrowed eyes] I will not hesitate to end your life, beast.
? : [hand down] Funny! Countless tried, and they all became stone. [taps on one] Such excellent craftsmanship, huh?
[Perball clenches his fists into tight balls then the mood changes as Beta shows up]
Beta- Hey, sir, I'm here to help you fight Clardusa, The Gorgon Queen. (Turns to see the gorgon in the shadows)
Clarduda - Hisses like a snake.
(Beta screams as he drops his weapon and takes the helm of invisibility, then runs away from the temple.
Perball: [yells] Hey! I needed that!
Clardusa: [hands on hips] Hmm. I guess you have Nothing left but your sword and shield. [smiles] It's a shame I have to end you.
[Clardusa did the gaze as Perball covered himself with his weapons]
[Nothing happens, and Clardusa shifts her eyebrows downward]
Clardusa: What? [She tries again]
[Nothing happens again, and Perball pulls back the weapons]
Perball: [tilted his head] It appears your gaze doesn't work.
Clardusa: What?! [hissed] No! Impossible! My stare can turn a warrior into stone! How are you not facing my petrifaction?!
Perball: [shrugs] I don't know. [Suddenly, Heracole came into his mind] [thinking] Wait. The goddess! Did she know this would happen?
Clardusa: [grunts] Ugh! Well, I guess I do this the old-fashioned way.
[Clardusa hissed and lunged at Perball, and he blocked the attack with his shield]
Clardusa then moves back and fires some arrows at Perball.
[Perball screams as arrows shot threw his hand, losing his grip as blood spills. Clardusa grabs it]
Clardusa: I think you dropped something, mister.
Perball: Hand over my blade, gorgon!
The two fight as Clardusa swings at him, causing Perball to back away until they reach a room filled with lit torches. She swags the blade to his shield, defending himself from the attacking gorgon. She hisses, looking furious as she sees her reflection in the mirror.
[Perball heard the sword fall as she backed away and tried to adjust his eyes, seeing where it landed. He placed his hand on the floor until he touched the handle. He grasped it instantly]
Perball: Yes! I reclaimed my sword. Now, where were we?
[Clardusa screamed, and Perball swung his head to where the shout came from]
Perball: This is it, monster.
Clardusa: Back away from me! Get that reflection out of my face!
Perball: Reflection? [he turned to the shield] Perfect! [he shoved his guard-forward, and Clardusa covered her eyes, hissing] Yes...gaze upon your reflection
Clardusa: [screamed] Get that thing away from me! [hissed]
Perball: I will drop it until you accept defeat.
[Perball roamed closer to her, and Clardusa got her back on a wall]
Perball: [draws a sword to her face] I won't ask a second time, gorgon.
[Perball maintained his grip, not weakening even the slightest. His sword then came swinging towards her neck]
Clardusa: [wails] NOOO! SPARE ME!
[Perball froze as he was about to slice her neck]
Perball: Why should I?
Clardusa: [sobbing] P-P-Please! [groans] S-Spare me! No longer will I take a life!
[Perball narrowed his eyes]
[Clardusa's life flash before her eyes, from her time as the priestess, serving Anithena, getting noticed by Poseiwin, violated by him, cursed by the goddess, learning her powers, spending her time alone, and slaying others throughout time until now]
Perball: [shakes head] I'm not trusting you mindlessly since you're the one responsible for the deaths of my team. I need more than just your word.
Clardusa: [sniffs] Y-yes. But I'm willing to accept defeat.
Perball: What? [withdrawn weapons and walks toward the creature as he hears the cries]
Clardusa cried even more as she saw Perball getting closer to her.
[She slitters back]
Clardusa: [crying and bubbling] Just hurry up and kill me! That's what you came here to do.
Perball tilted his head and drew closer to the gorgon. Clardusa's sobbing slowed as the warrior bent downward.
Clardusa: [sobbing] Don't you get it?! I'm ugly!
Perball's ears flopped down, and she lifted one of her eyebrows. The gorgon sighed and grabbed his hands, shoving them onto her face.
Clardusa: [narrowed eyes] See?! Don't you get it now?
He felt her cheeks, and they were warm. He bent his fingers over her face, feeling how soft it was, and wiped away her tears.
Clardusa: [eyebrows risen] What? You're...wiping my eyes?
Perball: Yes.
Clardusa [snake hair hissed in confusion] I don't understand. I'm ugly! How are you not repulsed?
Perball: Because why be revolted by your beauty? I never "saw" a gorgon this close and vulnerable.
[Clardusa frozen and blushed]
Clardusa: B-Beauty?
[Perball bends on his knees, and Clardusa looks at him]
Clardusa: I don't get it. Why haven't you turned to stone yet? Everybody else who sees me ends up dying.
Perball: [scratches headed] My experience with Heracole was more beneficial than I assumed. Otherwise, I wouldn't glimpse your defenselessness and magnificence.
[Clardusa blushed]
Clardusa: Magnificence? [noticed Perballs pupils are jaded] [narrowed eyes] Wait. You cannot see?
Perball: [sighs] Yes... I went too far as telling the cold truth to Heracole about her beauty.
Clardusa: [scratches chin] What did you say?
Perball: All I said was her beauty fades eventually. [ears flopped down] And then I mentioned that's one of the reasons Rizeus didn't satisfy her. [shakes his head] She was not happy.
Clardusa slowly falls in love with the warrior as her heartbeat as she starts singing in her thoughts.
I thought I'd never know
That warm and loving glow
Though I might wish with all my might
No face as hideous as my face
Was ever meant for Heaven's light
But suddenly, this angel smiled at me
And touched my face without a trace of fright
I dare to dream that he
Might even care for me
And as I hear the bells tonight
My cold dark temple seems so bright
I swear it must be Heaven's Light
Perball: Since the battle has ended, I wonder what to do next. The events that have transpired have led me to this point. As I look upon you, ready to be defeated, I choose to spare you instead.
Perball noticed the gorgon didn't respond.
Perball: [tilted his head] Excuse me, gorg-uh, ma'am?
[Clardusa came back to reality]
Clardusa: [blushed harder] Oh! Oh, yes! Uh... Now that you have spared me, what should we do next?
Perball: [shrugs] I couldn't return home without completing my quest - I had to bring your head with me. Without it, I wouldn't be able to go back. Without my sandals, I am unable to fly either. Therefore, I cannot reach my destination.
Clardusa: [raises an eyebrow] Did the gods send you here? [starting hissing] Or was it Anithena?
Perball: [sweat drops as he reaches for his items in case] Initially, my mother, the Queen, proposed an opportunity, and I accepted it to show my value. Thus, she sent me here. [moved his hands] During the journey, I received my items from the gods, grabbed a map to this temple, slain the grey sisters, and defeated Rolibos with assistance. One of my warriors left, and Heracole blinded me.
[Clardusa went quiet]
Clardusa: All this? Because you felt the need to demonstrate your value to your mother?
Perball: [looking down] Yes... And according to my friend, I did it out of pride.
Clardusa: [narrowed eyes] Doing it out of arrogance - that rings a bell.
Meanwhile, Back on the island.
[Beta pants intensively, running to the Queen]
Queen: [tilted her head] What's this? Is a warrior coming back to me?
Beta: Your majesty! [panting] I've come back with news!
Queen: What happened?
Beta: [yells] Perball and all the other men perished! The monster has executed them!
[Queen frozen for a second and look down]
Queen: [ears flopped downward] My son is...dead?
Beta: [sighs] Yes! I was fortunate to make it through the period of the gorgon's rule unscathed.
Queen- How tragic(she looks somber, then turns around cheering and dancing with everyone except for Beta.
Beta- [looking around] Umm. I was anticipating a much more somber aftermath. I guess not.
He starts dancing with everyone else but is still confused about what is happening.