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Enjoy!
Chapter 21: Revolution
Archer blinked. He felt extremely nauseous and dizzy, like he was caught upside down in a whirlpool. Colors danced all around him as it felt as though his body was being struck by lightning. For several seconds, which to him felt like hours, all he could hear was a deep rushing in his ears as his sight slowly returned to him. It was a gradual process, like he was literally being pumped back to life.
He tried to remember where he was or what had happened. It was strange… It was like he had memories of recent events, but they were all blurry like he had experienced them while looking through a veil. Flashes went through his head… The faces of his friends… The clash of metal on metal… The sounds of horses galloping… The battle of Auradon City… But… He could not remember how it ended… How had he gotten out? What had happened?
Breathing in deeply and shaking his head some more, he tried to focus on what was happening now. He felt rain pouring down on him. His hair and clothes were already soaked, so he must have been outside for a while. He felt cold, yet also energized… His eyes still weren't working right, and all he saw were blotches of color… He tried to move his arms. He was holding onto a sword with one hand, he could feel its hilt… With his other hand, he was holding onto… Hair?
Then Archer felt something which was so obvious and undeniable that he had no idea how he hadn't noticed it before. Someone was kissing him… He felt her lips on his…
Archer began blinking as fast as he could, hoping his sight would return to normal. He leaned back, away from the kiss, and took several deep breaths through his mouth. He saw the vague shape of the face of the person who kissed him… He saw her blonde hair… He wasn't stupid… He knew who this was…
"CJ?" He muttered, his voice coarse, like he hadn't used it in months.
Through his half-blind eyes, Archer saw CJ smile brightly. It fueled him with happiness and elation. CJ was here, in front of him! He didn't need to know any more details, really… This was as good as things could be…
"Archer…" CJ spoke, her voice heavy with emotion. He felt her place one of her hands on his cheek and softly caress it. Archer placed his hand on hers.
"H-Hey…" Was all he was able to say, a dumb grin on his face as everything around him slowly became less and less blurry.
"Hey…" CJ repeated, and he heard her chuckle before choking up, like she was holding back tears.
Archer kept blinking, and his vision kept getting clearer. He was eventually able to distinguish specific features on CJ's face. Her golden-brown eyes… The playful smirk on her lips… Some wet strands of hair that hung all the way down to her cheeks… He couldn't help but admire her beauty again…
Then she suddenly let out a grunt of pain.
Archer's eyes widened, and he finally looked down. That's when he saw the sword that was sticking out of CJ's stomach. The sword he was holding!
"CJ!" Archer immediately yelled out in a panic as she began collapsing. He took her gently by her back, supporting her as helped to lower her to the ground. She was bleeding a lot. Archer immediately let go of the hilt of the sword and made sure CJ was as comfortable as possible before examining her.
"Ooohhh… Motherfucker… Ow, that hurts like a bitch…" CJ muttered, her eyes closed as she brought her trembling hands to her stomach wound.
"Shhh, don't talk…" Archer rambled, totally panicked. His hands, which looked oddly pale and very dirty, were shaking like crazy. He tried to put the pieces together of how this happened. He had been holding the sword that CJ was stabbed with… How!? Why!?
"You're back…" CJ mumbled, looking up at him like she couldn't believe he was actually here. Her eyes were shining, despite the obvious pain she was going through. She brought her hand up to touch his cheek again.
Archer only grew more panicked. "CJ! W-What… What happened? H-How?" He kept stammering. He placed his hands around CJ's wound, hoping to put pressure on it. He didn't want to try to pull the sword out of her yet, in fear it would only make things worse…
Rain was still pouring down on both of them, and it only served to make Archer feel more confused and disorientated. This was all too much… He still didn't know what had happened precisely, and he couldn't try to put the pieces back together until he was sure that CJ would make it. He tried to reach into his back pockets; he always carried some bandages around, only to discover that these weren't the clothes he was used to.
He looked down at his chest, expecting to see his traditional Camelot armor, and instead saw a dark steel breast plate covered with mud and soot. He examined his body more closely, and saw that both his arms were covered in dried blood and dirt. He looked to his left and right, overwhelmed by all this new information. He saw tall trees and a mossy forest floor. He and CJ found themselves at the edge of a clearing strewn with dead bodies, both of undead and Auradon soldiers. He only started panicking more. What was happening!?
CJ's eyes suddenly widened. "Archer! Look out!" She yelled.
Archer was only able to raise his eyebrows in surprise before he heard the sound of heavy footsteps running at him from behind. Without giving it another thought, he immediately rolled to his left, not a second before a sword slammed down on the exact place he had just been sitting. Archer grunted as he got to his feet as fast as he could, raising his arms protectively. He expected to see an undead soldier or a villain… But it was Ben… Just Ben…
"Ben…" Archer sighed, relieved.
But Ben didn't seem to hear him. His eyes were alight with hatred as he dragged his sword out of the muddy ground and swung it at him again. Archer was forced to make a spectacular jump backwards, falling right on his ass and letting out a grunt of pain and surprise, but did not have any time to recover as Ben flew at him again.
"Ben! No!" CJ screamed. She tried to move, but the pain of her stomach wound kept her from doing so.
Ben kept swinging at Archer, who had to try his absolute best to dodge his attempts. His body felt strangely stiff and tired, like he had spent weeks recuperating from some terrible injury. Ben was grunting and yelling with every swing, his eyes burning with anger and tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn't seem to realize what he was doing, and Archer wasn't even sure what was going on… Was Ben possessed or something? Was he not thinking straight?
"Ben! Stop!" Archer desperately tried to reason with Ben, who did not show any sign that he had even heard him.
Anyway, all Archer could do was continue to evade Ben for as long as he could. He didn't have a weapon to fight back. After about a minute, Archer's fatigue and the slippery forest floor caused him to trip and make a rough landing on the moss-covered ground. He groaned as he tried to crawl backwards as Ben once again stormed at him. He raised his sword, preparing to end it all.
"Ben! No! Please!" Archer cried out in desperation, shielding his head with his hands.
"Ben! He's back! Archer's back!" He heard CJ shriek in a panicked tone.
Everything was silent for a moment. Archer slowly lowered his arms and looked up. Ben was still standing over him, his sword raised as if preparing to strike it down upon him at a moment's notice. His eyes found Archer's… And something changed in his gaze… Archer didn't know for sure, but his eyes were the same astonishingly blue color that his friends and loved ones were used to seeing when they looked at him… Ben had seen them now too…
"A-Archer?" Ben panted, eyes wide.
"Yes… Yes, Ben… I-It's me…" Archer stammered in reply.
Ben slowly lowered his sword, but kept the blade pointed at Archer. He still seemed very angry, and very distraught. "Prove it…" He suddenly told Archer, his voice dripping with resentment.
Archer was a bit shocked by his tone, and was also still overwhelmed by confusion and worry for CJ's safety. "I-ehm… W-Wha-… H-How?" He stammered, breathing heavily.
"Ben, it's him! H-He's back…" CJ wailed from a little further back. Archer looked past Ben, and saw how CJ had apparently tried to crawl in their direction, still with a sword sticking out of her abdomen.
"Ben, she's hurt!" Archer snapped, trying to get to his feet, but Ben prevented this by pressing the tip of his blade against his chest.
"Y-You… D-Do you not know what you did?" Ben asked, his voice trembling.
"Ben, CJ needs help!" Archer retorted, not answering Ben's question, gesturing wildly at CJ. "Ben, please!"
Ben kept looking him with a tortured expression. His thoughts appeared to be flying around his head at lightning speed. Archer could practically see the gears in his brain turn. Archer was also not sure why Ben was so agitated with him, but, then again, he still wasn't completely sure what exactly was happening in general…
"What is the last thing you remember?" Ben then asked, breathing heavily.
"I, ehm… T-The, ehm…" Archer rambled, feeling his brain start to hurt. "T-The battle at Auradon City… A-And, ehm, we were on horses… And then, ehm, there was fighting… A-And I remember… I remember…" His voice died out a little as a few images flashed through his mind. "CJ… And Solomon… And then… Pain… A lot of pain… Darkness… Nothingness…" He went on, his voice growing softer as the reality of what had happened came to him. "D-Did I die?"
Ben's look softened immediately. He lowered his sword and collapsed to his knees. He seemed overwhelmed. It didn't appear as though he was planning on saying or doing anything, so Archer slowly got back to his feet and headed over to CJ.
"CJ… You need to stay still…" He spoke, his hands trembling as he once again examined the wound in her stomach. She was losing too much blood!
"Argh… T-This hurts… Getting stabbed sucks…" She groaned, though he could still hear her chuckle slightly.
Archer grabbed one of CJ's hands in his own and squeezed it reassuringly. He tried to convince her, and himself for that matter, that she would be okay…
"Ben! Ben!" Two voices called out from behind Archer at that moment. Two voices he immediately recognized.
"Aden!? Royce!?" Archer looked back, and indeed saw his two friends close in on his position.
Once they were close enough, he could see their jaws drop the moment they laid eyes on him.
"Archer!? Is that you? W-What the hell!?" Royce snapped, cautiously getting closer. He kept an arrow knocked on his bow.
"Please help! CJ is hurt!" Archer shouted in a pleading way, still clutching her hand.
The two got closer, and Archer saw how they looked at him in a suspicious, almost fearful fashion. Royce still tightly held onto his arrow, and Aden too kept a knife at the ready.
"P-Please…" Archer begged. He wasn't sure why his friends were acting this way, but, at the moment he had more drastic issues on his mind than trying to explain his situation to them. "Please!" He repeated.
"I- W-We…" Aden stammered, before his gaze hardened. "We'll help… Royce, find something we can use to drag her back to the infirmary… Archer, I have some bandages, but we need to clean the wound first…"
Archer nodded, and they got to work. Royce quickly used some loose branches to fashion some sort of primitive sled. Aden helped Archer to first, carefully, pull the sword out of CJ's abdomen, during which she shouted and cursed loud enough for the entire forest to hear, before they cleaned the wound and wrapped her up. CJ had gone a little pale, but she kept acting tough. Ben had moved from his kneeling position, but kept his distance. He still kept looking at Archer like he was some uninvited stranger. Both Aden and Royce occasionally addressed Ben with questions or remarks, but he would not answer. After a while, they apparently decided to just let him be…
"Alright, let's get her back…" Aden eventually muttered when CJ was sufficiently bandaged up.
"B-Back where?" Archer asked, suddenly realizing he didn't know. "W-Where are we, Aden?"
Aden looked a little uneasy. "In battle… Our encampment is down south, but we're on the verge of being overrun…"
"By whom? W-What is happening?" Archer looked around, feeling dizzy as he tried to comprehend the severity of the situation.
"Archer, buddy, listen to me…" Royce suddenly spoke up as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've been away for a while, so it's probably logical to be a bit confused… However, we are fighting for our lives here, so could you maybe just skip the questions for now, do as we say and just help us fighting off undead assholes, hmm?"
Archer's eyes kept widening as Royce kept speaking. When he was done, he had a million more questions. However, he realized that Royce was likely far more up-to-date on their current situation. Archer nodded, and Royce smiled.
"Good boy." Royce smirked as he ruffled Archer's hair. "Now… What's the best way-" He began, before their conversation was rudely interrupted by an enormous, bright flash of light and an accompanying banging sound.
Something crashed through the branches above their heads and made a rough landing barely 30 feet away from them, making dust and dirt fly up. Aden, Royce and Ben all covered their heads, while Archer dove on top of CJ to keep her from harm. When the fust settled, they heard someone groan loudly.
"Lance!" Royce called out, his eyes widening as he quickly ran towards the crashed projectile. Squinting a little, Archer saw that it was indeed Lancelot; his best friend, who had fallen from the sky!
"Lance!" Archer shouted, forgetting about everything else for a moment as he hurried over and knelt down beside his downed companion. His worry for his best friend eclipsed all the questions he had about what was happening all around him.
Lancelot looked terrible. There were scorch marks and shallow cuts over almost his entire body. Parts of his cloak were smoldering. His staff was broken in two. He furthermore only seemed to be clinging to consciousness by the skin of his teeth.
"A-Archer…" Lancelot croaked in a surprised tone, his voice soft and coarse. He looked up at Archer through half-closed eyes and coughed a little.
"Holy shit…" Archer exclaimed, eyes wide with panic. The more he looked Lance over, the worse he seemed. "W-What happened?"
"He was fighting with… With…" Royce stammered as he put his fingers to Lancelot's throat to take his pulse. He then looked up at something behind Archer, and his gaze darkened. "With him…" Royce finished as he reached for his bow and knocked an arrow again.
Archer looked back, and his heart sank. Solomon came strutting into the clearing, looking as tall, dark and menacing as ever. He was panting slightly, and smoke was emanating from practically every inch of his body. The edges of his coat were smoldering a little, just like Lancelot's cloak. He had a large, bleeding cut on his chin and one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut. Nevertheless, it was as if he was more alive than ever. He was panting slightly, but nonetheless gave off an aura of victory.
Then Archer's heart made a weird jump when he noticed the object following closely behind Solomon. The Black Cauldron! Green smoke was drifting from the cauldron, its contents bubbling and sizzling. It was floating in the air, as if suspended by invisible ropes, right at Solomon's side.
The villain exhaled loudly and graciously waved his hand over the cauldron. Archer saw his eyes light up in the faintest green for a second, before his injuries seemed to heal on the spot. Solomon let out a content sigh and looked at his hands for a second.
"Pfew… Nothing compares to that…" He snickered as he strutted further into the clearing.
"You!" Ben roared as he jumped up before sprinting at Solomon, his sword raised high.
Solomon scoffed and made an almost effortless gesture with his hand, after which Ben was blown off his socks and flew several dozen feet through the air until he disappeared from view.
"So primitive…" Solomon sneered as he took in the rest of the scene before him. "Hey there, CJ…" He snickered, seeing his former associate laying on the ground with bandages covering her stomach. Aden was protectively standing over her, a blade in both his hands.
"Y-You prick…" CJ groaned and coughed as she tried to sit up straight, only to fall back down with a cry of pain.
"I'll deal with you later…" Solomon hissed, pointing a finger in her direction. "First… Let's get rid of 'wizard boy', shall we?" He grinned, turning to Lancelot, who had gone unresponsive.
Solomon arrogantly smirked as he looked at the downed magic user, before his dark eyes scanned over Royce, who kept a drawn arrow aimed at him, and finally rested on Archer.
Archer stared back confidently, feeling hatred, fear and adrenaline pump through his veins as he slowly stood up. He was unarmed, and could thus not do much more than simply glare at his enemy and ball his fists. Solomon seemed confused for a second, frowning slightly, before his eyes widened.
"You… You? How…" He muttered, examining Archer more closely. It was like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had exuded an air of pure malicious control up to this point, so seeing him so brought about really did away with his aura of invincibility. Solomon kept looking straight at Archer, his thoughts seemingly running at top speed. He then raised a hand and seemingly tried to perform a spell of sorts.
Archer felt a strange, twisty feeling in his heart, as if someone was pulling on it from inside his chest. It hurt, but he wouldn't show that to Solomon. "Surprised to see me?" Archer snapped, trembling slightly, but taking a step in Solomon's direction nonetheless.
Solomon's eyes widened even more, and he looked genuinely scared for a moment. Then his expression turned into a furious grimace, and he gnashed his teeth. "You should have stayed dead…" He growled, reaching behind his back and pulling out his two daggers.
Royce chose that moment to fire an arrow, but Solomon effortlessly parried it.
"I'm kinda glad, not gonna lie…" Solomon went on, continuing to advance on Archer and focusing solely on him. "Finishing you off myself… It feels better… More rewarding…"
"Get Lance and CJ out of here…" Archer hissed at Royce, as Solomon came closer.
"Archer! You can't be serious!" Royce snapped.
"Do it! Get them to safety!" Archer retorted, before he too took a step in Solomon's direction. He took a deep breath, and took a moment to stretch his still somewhat numb-feeling fingers. It didn't feel like he was fully cured, or restored, or whatever, but he had no choice… He had to try to keep Solomon at bay to allow his friends as much time as possible to escape…
"You look like a corpse, Archer boy…" Solomon scoffed. "You wanna take me on without your fancy sword? Well, this'll be quick…"
"Who said anything about my sword?" Archer retorted, trying to sound a little cocky. He reached into thin air and said a quick, desperate prayer in his head… Nothing…
Solomon smirked condescendingly.
Archer took a deep breath, and tried again. He reached into thin air, making grabbing motions with his hand… Nothing… Archer grew a little flustered, exhaling through his mouth… He closed his eyes and hoped to the best of his ability… He reached into thin air again…
And when he completed his reaching motion and brought his hand to his front again, he was tightly holding onto the hilt of Excalibur! The sword shone brightly, even in the murky light of the rain cloud-covered sky…
Solomon's eyes widened again. He obviously had not expected this.
Archer breathed a little heavily as took a few seconds to simply readjust to the feeling of the sword in his hand. It was like reconnecting with a long-lost friend after several years apart… The sensation was strange, yet familiar, and very warm… Archer twirled the blade in his hand and performed a few practice swings. His form was a little off, but it felt as though the blade itself was also pleased to once again be held in the familiar hands of its owner…
Archer took a stance and raised the sword, trying to regain some of his composure. He was once again ready to give it his all to protect the people he loved.
"Archer!" CJ called out from the edge of the clearing.
He looked back. Royce and Aden had already begun carrying their wounded compatriots away. Lancelot appeared to be unconscious. CJ, opposed to that, stared at Archer with unrivaled intensity.
"Kick his fucking ass!" She shouted, her eyes gleaming.
Archer gave a soft, meaningful nod as he watched Aden drag CJ away, hopefully to safety. Royce followed suit, though a little more hesitantly, the unconscious and very injured Lancelot draped over his shoulders. Archer watched them run off before turning back to Solomon, who had followed their exchange and now sighed in exasperation.
"Talking… Talking… Talking… I'm on a schedule here!" He snapped.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Archer inquired, taking a step in his enemy's direction.
Solomon acted like pondering that question for a moment. "Hmm… Good point…" He shrugged, before abruptly storming in Archer's direction, slashing his daggers around.
Archer was caught slightly off guard by his intensity, and was pushed back as he blocked these strikes with Excalibur. The blade rang, and Archer could feel the hilt tremble in his hands from the force of Solomon's blows, but this did not throw him off. No, this felt familiar… He was in his element again…
Thinking quickly, Archer planted his feet and retorted with a few slashes of his own. Solomon made a show of dodging his attempts, laughing maniacally. Their fight continued like this, with Archer trying his best to push his enemy back, growing more accustomed to his weapon every second. This was like a dance. A highly dangerous one with massive consequences, but a dance nonetheless.
Still, while Archer felt his confidence increase, he still could not pose a sufficient threat to Solomon yet. Parts of his body still felt numb and stiff, and his shaggy, mismatched armor did not fit him right. He was slower than he previously was, and Solomon apparently did not have to give it his all to stay in the fight.
"What's wrong, Archer boy? Feeling a little out of it?" Solomon sneered, parrying another one of Archer's attempts before kicking him in the chest and making him stumble.
"Just warming up…" Archer panted. His thoughts were racing. He realized he needed to try something else if he genuinely wished to pose a threat to his enemy.
That something else arrived in the form of Ben, who came running from the shadowy edges of the clearing and stormed straight at Solomon. He was covered from head to toe in dirt and mud. A cut on the side of his head was bleeding profusely and he had a bloodthirsty grimace on his face. He yelled out loudly as he approached the fighting duo of Archer and Solomon, his ornate sword raised high.
Solomon had just enough time to look up and widen his eyes in surprise when Ben plowed into him, pushing him off his feet. Solomon let out a loud grunt as he fell to the ground and rolled backwards before athletically jumping back up.
"Two against one, eh?" He snarled, blowing a strand of his black hair out of his face. "Fine by me…"
Archer and Ben shared a look and nodded.
"You are done!" Ben snapped, gripping onto the hilt of his sword with both hands.
Archer wordlessly raised Excalibur again.
"I will parade both your heads on sticks once your precious kingdom has fallen…" Solomon threatened, twirling his daggers as he approached his two opponents. "Along with Mal's, of course… And CJ's…"
Both Ben and Archer stormed at their adversary, their blades flashing. The two of them were experienced swordsmen, and Solomon finally showed signs of effort as he fought back. Ben and Archer implemented all their S.A.S. tactics as they circled Solomon and lashed out with quick and precise strikes. It was a battle for the ages, complete with rain still pouring down on them and the entire scene occasionally being illuminated by flashes of lightning.
Sparks flew into the air whenever blades clashed, and all three combatants continuously let out loud grunts and yells and groans. Archer possessed the most powerful weapon. Ben was the most ferocious and energetic. Solomon was the most adept.
Even when the odds were stacked against him numbers-wise, he still had some tricks up his sleeve. When he managed to block one of Archer's strikes, he mumbled a quick spell that blasted a gust of smoke into his body and sent him flying. Ben jumped over Archer and started hacking at Solomon again, who began sending streaks of black smoke that burned through everything they encountered in his direction.
Ben had to try his absolute best to dodge these streaks, which only grazed him slightly but did cause small pieces of his armor to singe a little. He once again stormed at Solomon, and their blades clashed. Archer, groaning in pain from the previous hit, joined in again, Excalibur shining brightly as he brought it down on Solomon's daggers. Ben struck from the side, making Solomon had to parry that blow with a grunt. Archer saw an opening and lashed out with Excalibur again, cutting Solomon's side. He cried out in pain, but was quickly shut up again when Ben rushed in bashed him right in the chest, sending him flying.
Solomon landed on his back, right in front of the Black Cauldron, and coughed a little as scrambled back upright. His dark eyes were wide and he was obviously slightly panicked.
"Not bad…" He murmured, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
Archer and Ben both advanced, still with their swords raised. Neither said a word. This was not the time to talk, but a time for actions.
But, as the two took another offensive stance, Solomon suddenly raised one hand and began hovering it over the cauldron again.
"No!" Both Archer and Ben shouted as they rushed at him, but they were too late. Solomon used the cauldron's magic to heal his wounds, every bruise and drop of blood disappearing from his form. "Much better…" He smirked.
He effortlessly parried both Ben and Archer's hits before going on the offensive. The cauldron's magic had given him a boost and increased the speed of his movements and strength of his blows. Ben and Archer were hopelessly outmatched, even with both putting in all their effort. Archer tried to perform magical attacks with Excalibur, but Solomon was so fast that he could not find the time.
Archer was the first to fall, with Solomon performing a lightning-fast combination of strikes before kicking him in the stomach and slamming the hilt of one of his daggers against his temple, making his eyes roll in his skull as he plummeted to the ground, groaning in pain.
Solomon then advanced on Ben, whose arms had grown stiff. A few slashes with his daggers sufficed for Solomon to disarm his opponent; Ben's ornate sword clattering to the wet forest floor.
Ben panted and staggered slightly as Solomon came closer, holding a blade to his throat. "Any last words, 'king' of Auradon?" He hissed, his tone mocking.
Ben's eyes were filled with rage and his trembling fists were clenched as he faced off against the enemy who had outmatched him. The rain was still pouring down. He didn't say a word; he apparently wouldn't give Solomon the satisfaction.
"Very well…" Solomon shrugged. He raised a dagger above his head, preparing to perform a fatal strike.
Archer was groaning in pain as he tried his best to scramble back to his feet, but his legs were shaking and the hit to the head he had received was still making him feel woozy. So woozy, in fact, that he failed to notice that the rain had momentarily stopped falling. A large shadow was suddenly looming over the entire clearing.
Solomon had also not noticed; his back was turned. But Ben did see. He looked up, his eyes widening, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
Solomon frowned, his curiosity piqued, and looked back. His eyes widened too as an enormous dragon came rushing down from up high, blocking out the rain. The dragon roared as she dove down, opening her maw.
Ben hastily jumped out of the way, picking up his sword as he ducked for cover. Archer too rolled backwards as the dragon unleashed a stream of blazingly hot fire, which scorched the earth as she flew over the clearing. Solomon had tried in vain to conjure up the spell he had used in the past to combat Mal in her dragon form, but he was too late.
He late out a shrill shriek as the flames consumed him, setting everything in an almost fifty foot radius around him ablaze. The dragon flapped its wings as it hovered over the clearing, fire continuing to stream from its maw. Its large, fang-like teeth were bared, and its green eyes shone like glowing emeralds.
The dragon continued to rain fire down on Solomon for what seemed like an entire minute before it finally relented. The ground and the trees that surrounded Solomon had also been lit ablaze by the dragon fire, and the entire scene was illuminated in flickering, orange light because of it as large flames reached into the sky.
The dragon descended, its wings flapping, as whisps of purple smoke clouded the enormous beast from sight until Mal emerged on the ground. She took a second to find her footing before sighing loudly and falling to her knees.
Archer slowly got back to his feet, groaning loudly. Rain was pouring down again, and a constant hissing filled the air as the fire was slowly being put out. Mal's eyes met his, and he saw a shocked expression appear on her face. Archer stumbled in her direction, Excalibur scraping over the wet forest floor. He tried to yell something, a greeting or an exclamation of gratitude, but couldn't find the energy.
Ben emerged from the other side of the blazing fire, the dirt covering his face almost managing to hide his elated expression. He ran towards Mal, who let out a cry of joy before they met in a tight embrace. Archer couldn't hear the specific words they whispered to each other as he slowly approached them, but he could imagine some of the things they were saying.
Mal turned to him. She looked terrible; her body was covered in mud, blood and bruises, and her clothes were torn at several places. Her green eyes sparkled nonetheless. "Y-You… You're alive…" She said in a disbelieving tone.
Archer nodded, pressing a hand to his painful side. "I-I guess… Thanks to CJ…"
Mal gave a soft chuckle, before turning towards the flames she had conjured while in her dragon form. "I-Is that enough, you think? Is it done? Is he finished?"
Neither Ben or Archer answered as all three of them stared at the exact spot where Solomon had been consumed by dragon fire. The flames slowly died down as rain continued to fall out of the sky, making gusts of steam and smoke rise up into the air.
A shape emerged out of the dying flames. Mal gasped. Ben growled. Archer groaned.
Solomon was still alive, somehow. His left side was charred and smoldering. Parts of his skin had been burned to a crisp. Half his hair was gone. His left arm had cracks in the skin, as if the limb was made of charcoal. One of his eyes had seemingly molten out of its socket. Nevertheless, he was alive and walking, clutching a dagger in his remaining right hand as he stumbled in the direction of the cauldron, which was still floating several dozen feet to the right of both parties.
"We can't let him get to the cauldron!" Archer warned.
"He will heal!" Ben hastily explained to Mal as he unsheathed his sword again and ran for Solomon.
Mal got the idea and, together with Archer, ran for the cauldron. "What do we do?" She panted as she also took out her sword, wet strands of purple hair dancing around her head.
"We need to destroy it! It's our only chance!" Archer replied, sprinting beside her.
Ben let out a roar as he took on Solomon again, metal clanging as sword met dagger. Mal and Archer reached the cauldron and began hammering it with blows of their respective weapons. But nothing happened. Their hits just bounced off the sturdy and seemingly indestructible metal of the cauldron, which continued to float a few inches off the ground while a menacing, green aura emanated from it. Even Excalibur could not produce as much as a dent on the cauldron's surface. Mal raised her hands and performed several fiery spells, which similarly did nothing to harm the cauldron. Its magic was powerful…
"It's not working!" Mal panted, seeming desperate.
Behind her, Ben was still locked in combat with the nearly incapacitated Solomon, who, despite his severe injuries, continued to be a nuisance. Even with only one functioning arm and an almost unrecognizably burned body, he kept defiantly blocking Ben's blows as he tried to advance on the cauldron.
Archer couldn't think straight. They were so close… The cauldron was right here… Solomon was almost done for… This was it, right? This was their chance… They were gonna win, right? He just kept hammering the rim of the cauldron with Excalibur, feeling the sword vibrate in his hands, but still with no effect.
Mal stood back for a second, smoke emanating from her trembling hands, her eyes wide from stress. She kept looking back and forth between Ben and the cauldron, obviously debating to herself on whether she should continue to try and destroy the cauldron or aid her beloved. She turned to Archer. "The cauldron was originally destroyed when someone sacrificed themself to it, right?"
Archer pulled up an eyebrow. "We're not in the business of sacrificing people, Mal…"
"What if it's our only chance?" She replied in a pleading tone.
"No! No! There has to be a way… Every type of magic has a, ehm, failsafe… A limit… Some way to defeat it, right? A counterweight…" Archer rambled.
Mal nodded, a certain look of clarity appearing on her face. "Alright… Yes… Every type of magic can be overloaded with energy… I-In theory, at least… But… But the cauldron is so powerful… We don't have the strength to combat it…"
Archer panted. "There must be something… Something we can do… Together…"
"Together…" Mal muttered, her eyes widening. "Archer, what if we combine our strength?"
"What?" Archer stammered.
"Your blade… Excalibur…" Mal began to explain. "It's a magical relic… I can charge it…"
"Charge it?" Archer inquired, feeling the panic begin to gnaw at him more and more.
"Like a battery… Or a bomb…" Mal went on, shrugging a little. "I blast it with my magic, and you unleash it on the cauldron… It might be enough…"
"And could it possibly blow us all to smithereens?" Archer retorted.
Mal stayed silent for a second. "Possibly…"
Archer groaned, looking back at Ben, who was still keeping Solomon at bay. Their cries of anguish and effort clearly audible. He looked down at the blade in his hand. The blade he knew so very well. The blade that he had been able to count on through thick and thin. The blade that could help to save everything and everyone. The blade that could very well cause his own destruction.
Rather than fear for his own life, he feared for the life of the sword. Being charged with raw magical energy and following that up with a collision with a dangerous relic like the cauldron would most certainly destroy the blade. Was this the end of Excalibur?
There wasn't much time to ponder these questions, as Solomon had seemingly found the energy to unleash some magical attacks on Ben, pushing him back. It was now or never.
"Do it!" Archer confidently stated, holding out his sword.
Mal took a deep breath before raising her hands. Shimmering, glittery orbs emanated from her hands and floated over to Excalibur before being absorbed by the blade. It started glowing, slowly at first, but the steel soon began to shine like a beacon. The sword trembled in Archer's hands, like an unruly, untamed animal. Archer wasn't sure, but it sure felt as though the weapon knew exactly what was happening.
Archer saw how Mal's hands started to shake. She let out a few grunts. He didn't dare to imagine how strenuous this exercise was for her. Sparks began flying off of Excalibur, the hilt growing hot inside Archer's grip. The weapon was crackling with magical energy. It was as if he was holding a ticking time bomb in his hands.
Thunder suddenly cracked, and someone uttered a cry of pain. Archer was just about able to look back and see Ben get flung to the ground, an enormous, bloody and smoldering gash covering his chest. He let out several agonizing groans of pain as Solomon stepped over his downed body, the latter's remaining eye fixated on the cauldron.
"Ben! No!" Mal cried out, immediately lowering her hands and turning to Solomon.
"Woah!" Archer gasped as Mal's magical grip on Excalibur was released, and he was suddenly left to try and control it all on his own. The blade bucked and snapped, like a bull he needed to tame. It took all of Archer's strength to keep a hold of the sword as bright red and blue sparks began jumping off the steel.
Mal tried to run for the now critically injured Ben, but Solomon was in her way. She raised her sword with a shrill shriek, only to have Solomon use what had to be the last remnants of his strength to push her away with a blast of magic.
Archer watched with a panic as Solomon finally reached the cauldron. He dropped his dagger and knelt by the magical relic, panting heavily. He raised his remaining hand and hovered it over the cauldron's side. His remaining eye glowed a faint green again and Archer could see his most pressing injuries starting to get healed on the spot.
"Archer! Now!" Mal screamed from further back.
Archer's mind was racing. Excalibur was still struggling and seemingly trying to wrench itself from his grip. Archer breathed in deeply, focusing and feeling his eyes burn bright blue.
"Arrrggghhh!" He roared as he stormed at the cauldron, raising Excalibur high above his head. Solomon saw him coming, but was too late. His injuries weren't completely healed yet. He raised a hand, shouting something. Archer didn't listen. He felt the wind rushing in his ears. He felt the rain continuing to pour down on him. What a moment…
He brought down Excalibur onto the cauldron with tremendous force. There was a crack, and then a spark. Nothing happened for a second, as Archer stood there, panting.
Then a flash.
Then a bang.
Then total darkness.