Note: Sorry about splitting this battle into two parts, but it ran longer than I expected. But yeah, this is the conclusion of the battles. I decided to combine them as it'd separate the group and give the battles (at least with Bill and Ben) a more personal feeling. And I also plan on having a scuffle involving Isabella/Belladonna next chapter.
Also...wow. I am a freaking idiot. I didn't realize just how many mistakes that were in this thing. Vocabulary was never really my strong suit, yet thanks to Falchion1984 for pointing out so many issues. Honestly, guys, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll try to do better from now on, so please forgive me.
But it's not all bad. Falchion1984's also given me some ideas I could use in this, so there is a plus side. Again, so sorry for all the errors in vocabulary. You guys are saints for putting up with it.
Anyhow, here's the conclusion of the Bill and Ben + Zehnoa battle. Thank you for reading!
Bill and Ben and Zehnoa Part 2
"Eliza!" Kevin rushed up to catch her, a sizable wound in her gut bleeding freely.
Everyone else came forward, eyes locked onto the shapeshifter that had taken her form. It then surveyed the others looking upon it, its form then shifting and contorting; it looked as if it were composed of thick, black oil swirling around with no defined shape. Then, after a few moments, it 'grew' hair and a more masculine form with armor and a sword. Yet, its structure still held onto the inky blackness of its 'skin.' Duran looked at the creature that had taken his shape, and several other shapeshifters emerged from Zehnoa's mouth, all then transforming as well. Finally, the mimics of Kevin, Charlotte, and Angela came to be seen, each readying their weapons and rushing forward, ready to strike at their counterparts.
Bill dashed towards Hawkeye while Ben took on Riesz, the two ninjas immediately throwing shurikens in their directions. The violet-haired thief sent the projectiles away with his daggers, maneuvering to the side when Bill's sharpened instruments came slicing down at him. Riesz had spun her lance to banish the shurikens from her sight, Ben delivering a series of kicks in her direction, she in turn blocking them with her spear. It was considerably less weight on their shoulders dealing with them individually than combined, yet nonetheless, that far from meant that they could let their guard down. The two ninjas fought with just as much ferocity despite seemingly losing their more specialized abilities. Perhaps it had something to do with the fusing technique, yet whatever the case, the situation was the same: they had to be brought down.
"You may have gotten some new enhancements…." Bill said, continuing to strike at Hawkeye, keeping the other thief on the ropes with his continuous stabs and slices.
"But you'll need more than that to deal with the Mistress!" Ben added, Riesz rolling out of the way of an incoming dagger.
Then, Bill performed a spinning motion that took Hawkeye off-balance, slashing at his stomach, yet only so much as it tore through the skin, missing anything more profound. Ben had knelt and kicked, taking Riesz off her feet and to the ground. The ranger and rune maiden stood back to back with each other, the two ninjas circling them like wild cats that had just surrounded their hapless, injured prey.
"We will bring you to justice, murderer." Bill sneered, gazing at Hawkeye. "Don't worry, though. Mistress shall tell Jessica of your unfortunate passing."
"I DIDN'T KILL EAGLE!" Hawkeye roared, tears pricking at the edges of his eyes despite his attempts to keep them down.
"Then how did he die?" the ninja asked. Hawkeye remained silent.
"Though at least you managed to accomplish what you set out to do, murderer," Ben added, his attention centered on Riesz. "This poor excuse for a Queen couldn't even defend her kingdom." Riesz began shaking with fury. "Your father was easy to kill, and your brother easier to take."
"Be grateful that Mistress and his Dark Majesty have use for him; otherwise, he would've joined your father long ago," Bill added. "The blind fool never saw it coming."
"My father was the best warrior of Laurent next to Alma and my mother." Riesz snarled. "You and your 'Mistress' came in and probably didn't even engage him in a fair duel. You and the rest of our 'friends' are true cowards."
Hawkeye wished to protest yet kept his mouth shut. The true coward is that witch….
"We will bring you both to Mistress Belladonna," Bill said, raising his daggers, Ben following in his twin's footsteps.
"As in, bring your heads!"
A high kick met Kevin's forearm; he, in turn, sent a kick to the shapeshifter's side. This managed to take it off balance somewhat, yet it quickly recovered, delivering a punch to the beastman's abdomen, knocking the air out of him, and causing him to stumble back. This allowed the shapeshifter to kick him in the side, bringing Kevin off his feet and to the floor. The black copy then threw its fist down, Kevin catching it, yet he was surprised by its strength, it continuing to push down, mere inches away from him.
Duran's sword clashed with his clone's, the creature able to match and copy the weapon perfectly. The gladiator slashed and hacked, yet his movements were almost always blocked by a copied shield or countered with the sword the shapeshifter had acquired.
Damn, thing's got a pattern down! the auburn-haired young man thought, pondering how he could exploit it.
Perhaps he could make use of his sword's more unique abilities. His blade was coated in surging electricity, striking the incoming shapeshifter's weapon. Yet, to his shock, the duplicate's sword also changed; it was engulfed in stone. The opposing elements clashed with each other, blowing them back.
What the hell?! Duran moaned, unable to speak at the moment. I thought Sylphid's element was effective against Gnome's! he thought back to when he combated the Darkshine Knight.
That knight was holding back when he fought you. Faerie replied. When two elements clash, the one dealing with it must be careful, as all his energy must be poured into the attack.
"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Duran said aloud, shifting to his sword being coated with an icy shield, his doppelganger then covering it with fire. "So why is it not working?!"
Your energies are equally matched! Faerie explained. You'd just be striking back against a brick wall at this point!
"Then what DO I do?!" Duran shouted, continuing to strike against his copy's moves.
At the moment, there's nothing that you can do! His mind's occupant answered. As of now, both of you are equal!
Another clash from opposing elements sent both the gladiator and copy flying back, Duran lifting himself off the ground, yet found the pointed edge of a black blade aiming right at his throat. "Eh, shit."
Angela wasn't having that successful of a time either, her doppelganger sending out spell after spell against her, leaving her barely enough time to counter with her own. Finally, "Holy Bolt!" she shouted, a white beam managing to blast the duplicated mysticist in the chest, sending the shapeshifter back. "Ha! Gotcha!"
The doppelganger knelt over, Angela aiming another spell at its head, yet it struck back with a cyclone, sending the other magic user off her feet and into the air. Then, diamond shards manifested and shot right at her, slashing and cutting through her flesh. She landed hard on the ground; the wind knocked out of her; she struggled to get up as her copy stood over her, the tip of the black wand aiming right at her head.
Charlotte had to multitask as her copy kept coming at her swinging its duplicated mace; all the while, the blonde original was trying to mend Eliza's stomach wound; it continued to bleed out. And if that wasn't enough, Eliza's duplicate was still trying to finish the original. Finally, the black mace hit the back of Charlotte's head, knocking her down on Eliza's still form; all the while, Eliza's copy was ready to bring down their spear on the wounded amazon.
"Howy Bowt!" Charlotte shouted, blasting the Eliza copy against the wall. She then leaped forward and bashed the shapeshifter over the head, the creature losing its shape and taking its initial form, shaking its head to try and bring itself out of its stupor. "Howy Bowt!" she blasted the creature again, this time, its body being engulfed in light until it seemingly 'popped,' exploding and leaving nothing behind but space.
"You know, you would make a great addition to the ranks," Bill told Hawkeye as the two exchanged blows. "Belladonna has been rather disappointed that you had to be executed."
"I'd rather be drawn and quartered than ever serve that disgusting witch." the ranger answered with a snarl.
This enraged Bill. "Don't you DARE speak of Mistress that way!" he pushed Hawkeye back and threw several shurikens in his direction. Unfortunately, these sharpened instruments lodged themselves into the wall, catching the ranger's clothing and pinning him against the brick.
Bill approached the immobilized thief, dagger in hand and ready to plunge into his throat. "Now, I avenge Eagle!" he shouted, raising the weapon and thrusting it down.
"Watch out!" the blonde turned to see that her counterpart wasn't done with her, Angela having gotten up and pushed her copy out of the way.
The duplicate Charlotte was struck with a barrage of diamonds, tearing through the shapeshifter's guise and forcing it to revert to its original form. Its single eye looked upon Angela, Charlotte, and the injured Eliza, its golden sphere shifting back and forth between the three. It seemed to begin shaking, its form then shaping and morphing, yet instead of taking one of their shapes, it was a large glob that seemed confused about what to do.
"What's it doing?" Charlotte asked.
"No clue," Angela answered. "But I'm not waiting for it to make up its mind!" she then pointed her wand out.
She became aware that her counterpart was behind her, ready to strike, yet a blow from Kevin's fist brought it down to the ground, looking at the beastman in confusion, then to his shapeshifter. It began to take Kevin's shape, yet the other 'Kevin' looked at it, eyes wide as it shifted between the real and the other fake. It then leaped onto the other, the two rolling around and clawing at each other as if they were two children arguing about who got to play the 'role' of the beastman's copy. Everyone was somewhat perplexed at their immaturity, yet nonetheless took the opportunity given to them. Angela and Charlotte cast Holy Bolt on both of them through their golden eyes. This caused the clones to shake rapidly and spasm before they seemingly 'melted,' becoming puddles of black goo before they sizzled and disappeared.
"What just...happened?" Kevin questioned, just as confused as everyone else.
Angela pondered what she had just seen, and something came to her. "What is it?" Charlotte asked.
"It's just a hunch, but…" she looked to see Duran still combating with his counterpart. "I think we've just found ourselves an easy fix!"
"You're not a Queen!" Ben taunted, clashing with Riesz. "You're not even a Princess, now that the kingdom is his Dark Majesty's!"
Riesz pushed back with her spear, jabbing it in the ninja's direction. "This kingdom will not remain under his control for long! Nor under the control of your Mistress!" she thrust forward, yet Ben maneuvered his body to the side, throwing a couple of shurikens that sliced at Riesz's upper arm and her thigh, the gashes allowing blood to trickle down her limbs.
She was then jumped, Ben pinning her down to the ground, a dagger aiming right at her forehead, ready to plunge into her skull. But, instead, she held her spear upward, the handle keeping the weapon from coming down.
"You know…" Ben spoke again. "Maybe your father went down so quickly because he trusted you to be able to take care of things. You ARE the captain of the guard, are you not?"
"You...you dare-"
"Then again, perhaps that's to be expected." the ninja continued. "From what I'm aware, your grandmother fell to General Olbox, and your mother gave herself up to him because she and her future husband, as well as your former captain, were too weak to stop him."
Riesz was trembling. "Bastard…"
"And now the same invasion has happened again. I suppose history is just doomed to repeat itself for you." Ben brought himself down further, dagger pointing mere inches away from her temple. "I'll send you to your parents so you can tell them of your failure. To them AND your brother."
Duran was blown back by his fiery sword being clashed with an icy one; he was about to get up again and charge forward. "Hold it there, tiger." he then felt a hand grasp his shoulder, seeing Angela. "We've figured something out about these guys."
"Like what?" Duran breathed heavily, feeling his energy begin to be sapped from him.
Listen to her. Faerie urged. You might not be able to maintain this form for much longer.
...fine. The gladiator looked at the mysticist. What have you discovered?
"Well, it turns out these guys aren't exactly good at taking forms-" Angela began, but Duran cut her off.
"What are you talking about? This bastard's been able to copy my moves perfectly!"
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Angela flicked the young man on the nose. "I'm not done yet!" she then pointed to the shapeshifter, surveying everyone in front of it. "As I was saying, these guys aren't good at taking the forms of multiple people at once. So," she then gestured to herself and Kevin, Charlotte having stayed back to help Eliza.
"Oh, now I see." Duran nodded. "Fine then." he raised his sword, his copy doing the same thing.
Yet the shapeshifter never got a moment to strike.
Kevin delivered a spin kick to its side, sending it down, its golden eye (even if it now took the appearance of 'eyes') centering on the beastman and beginning to change its shape.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Angela shouted, producing a Holy Bolt, striking it and sending it back, its eyes centering on the violet-haired mysticist.
Its shape began to change, yet it was then that Duran swung his sword down, stabbing the shapeshifter in the chest. He made contact with something, the creature shrieking in pain. It lifted itself quickly yet found that instead of attacks, the three merely surrounded it, ready to attack if need be, yet it was becoming clear that perhaps it wouldn't have to come to that. The shapeshifter's form began to dissolve and spasm, its 'eyes' looking upon all three. It was unsure what to do: it couldn't be all of them! Not all at once! Its head began twisting, its neck becoming wound as if it were a coiled spring. Its limbs were following in the same fashion, everyone wincing as while there were no sounds, their minds were plagued by the 'what ifs' of bones and joints being uncomfortably misshapen and malformed. It began to shake and spasm wildly until finally, it appeared to expand and grow in size. Everyone backed up, and with a loud POP, the shapeshifter exploded like a balloon, inky blots of goo splattering over the three and on the floor.
"Aw, sick!" Angela groaned. She then touched a bit that caught onto her hair. "Ew...my hair…."
Duran was mentally kicking himself for not bringing up his shield; he had inky, black patches all over him, while Kevin had a massive splotch on his face. Some had gotten into his mouth, a bubble being blown until that too burst and covered the beastman with even more goop.
"...it tastes like taffy," Kevin observed, earning looks from Duran and Angela. "Well, it does!"
Zehnoa couldn't see, yet it sensed that the shapeshifters it had brought forth had all been defeated. This wasn't good; these mortals were proving to be far more challenging to deal with than previously thought. Yet it couldn't fail. Belladonna had summoned it for the Dark Majesty himself; it couldn't afford to fail!
"Hold up," Angela said, green eyes on the door's gaping mouth. "Something's going on here."
From between Zehnoa's teeth seeped a dark, inky substance that suddenly lifted off the floor, several golden eyes appearing from within the formed tentacle, or was it some sort of 'tongue'? It then whipped right in the three's direction.
"WATCH OUT!" Duran shouted, pushing Angela and Kevin out of the way, unfortunately not having any time to get away.
The tentacle/tongue suddenly sprouted hundreds of arms, seeing that the extremity was composed of several shapeshifters that promptly grabbed the gladiator. The mass of creatures retreated back into Zehnoa's mouth, dragging Duran into the darkened space. Angela, Kevin, and Charlotte (Eliza's wound nearly healed) rushed after him, yet nothing could've been done. The wild-haired young man was sucked into the darkness beyond Zehnoa's maw, Angela jumping forward and meeting what felt like a solid wall, whatever space rested beyond completely closed off her.
That did it. Her body grew hot, and rage consumed her, leaving her blind to everything else. Riesz lifted her knee and struck Ben square in the gut. He released a pained grunt, this allowing the rune maiden to get him off of her and let her get to her feet. She spun her spear around and charged forward, blocking the incoming shurikens thrown in her direction. Ben was taken aback. True, she had fought to the best of her ability before, yet now, it seemed that any restraints or guidelines she had were thrown out the window, nothing left but blinding fury and a desire to kill. She dove forward, Ben maneuvering out of the way by mere inches, yet it was clear she was far from done. Riesz didn't let up, continuing to stab and thrust her weapon in the ninja's direction, he in turn throwing more shurikens in her direction. One sliced the flesh on her cheek, yet she just kept coming, the sharpened end on her lance nearly cutting the side of his face. Finally, she thrust her weapon at his throat, Ben catching it with his daggers, the two clashing their sharpened weapons together, clanging ringing through the air.
"Duran!" Faerie cried out, exiting her host. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah." The gladiator got up and shook his head, having essentially been dropped into this lightless, darkened hole. "The hell IS this place anyway?" He looked up to see a beam of light from above, assuming that was where he had been pulled in through. Were they 'inside' Zehnoa?
Faerie looked around, surveying the pitch-black area with her eyes, glowing to provide herself and her host with light better. "I sense some form of life nearby," she said. "It's…" she paused, trying to pinpoint where she felt the source coming from. "This way!"
Duran dashed forward with little else to go off of, following Faerie. Yet, despite himself, he found himself lagging. It wasn't as if he were unable to run; everything just looked the same around here. The same black, textureless void surrounded them from all angles. While he trusted Faerie, it seemed she was continuing to lead him further and further into the darkness, the light from the opening above growing more and more distant.
"Where are you even going?" Duran questioned.
"Honestly...I don't know." Faerie answered. "But...but there IS something here! I can feel it!" Just then, after what seemed like an eternity of running, both she and her host saw something in the distance and heard something. A repetitive thumping like a drum...or a heart beating. "There it is!"
It was little more than a singular beam coming out of the ground, yet it was clear that something was there. Kneeling, Duran reached and put his fingers in the hole, the 'ground' surprisingly soft and elastic. Then, peeling it back, he and Faerie saw what could only be described as some pulsing, beating 'organ,' resembling an enlarged heart trapped and hidden underneath a black covering. Duran grimaced while Faerie felt sick even looking at it.
"What is that thing?" Duran asked; he felt somewhat queasy even looking at the thing.
"I think this might be the 'heart' of this creature." Although Faerie theorized though, she wasn't too sure. Until a short time ago, she hadn't even been aware these beings could take such shapes and have such oddities. If a simple entity could take this shape, Goddess only knew what the Benevodons looked like.
The gladiator then drew out his sword. "Do you think this will kill it?"
"It's worth a try." his winged occupant said.
With that, Duran lifted his sword and was ready to plunge it down, yet felt his arms seized by a multitude of hands that manifested from the darkened space below, several golden eyes blinking with their bodies rising out of the blackness, all transforming into duplicates of him.
Meanwhile, Hawkeye found himself at the mercy of Bill, the ninja ready to end his life in one fell swoop. The ranger was pinned to the wall, unable to move. The older twin ninjas raised his dagger and thrust forward...only to stop mere inches away from piercing through the young man's skull.
Hawkeye observed his friend, noticing how Bill's hand began trembling, his grip on the dagger lessening more and more. "...Bill?" Hawkeye breathed out, all the while trying to free himself. He then realized what was happening. "Bill, yes! Yes, Bill! Fight it!" Bill stabbed forward, though he hit the wall, close to Hawkeye's ear, yet it still missed. The ranger couldn't help but shake the feeling that being off-target was intentional. "Bill...Bill, c'mon…"
From underneath his mask, the ninja bit his lip until it bled. He then put his head on the trapped young man's chest. "It...it hurts." Bill moaned. "It hurts so much…."
Hawkeye struggled to even look at his friend, knowing that behind that mask lay a pair of tortured eyes. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry." he managed to free his arm and reached up to hold Bill's head against his chest. He was perhaps too careless, and in any other situation, he wouldn't have even thought of doing such a thing, yet such things were thrown to the side at the sight of his friend's apparent struggle. 'Damn that witch…' he inwardly cursed.
"Mistress…" Bill's voice strained as if he didn't want to say the title. "Mistress wants more than the sword…" he stammered. "Her master...Dark Majesty...he...wants to release the Benevodons."
The shapeshifters emerged from the blackness, charging at Duran with their duplicated swords. Duran prepared himself, leaping out of the way and slashing at the incoming copies, cutting through and splitting them in two. Yet still, he knew he couldn't hold them off forever. He had to get to that 'heart' and deal with it. A small group of shapeshifters piled onto him in an attempt to weigh him down; he, in turn, performed a spin slash to throw all of them off.
"Hurry!" Faerie urged, gesturing to where the "heart" was located. She flew down at the hole, and an aura of light surrounded her, the darkened covering seeming to retreat from it and open up more. "Go on! Stab it!"
The gladiator nodded, raising his sword, only to have several hands grab him, halting his movements. "N-No! Damn you!" Duran cursed. "Get off!" he shook and yanked his arms this way in an attempt to dislodge the shapeshifters, yet it seemed that they were insistent on keeping him in that position.
He continued to thrust downward, albeit at a far slower pace due to the amount of force being used to hold him back. Slowly and steadily, his blade drew closer and closer to the beating organ, the shadowy shapes, in turn, increasing their efforts to hold him back. Faerie kept on emitting a strong glow, yet after some time of fighting and expelling energy, the two were beginning to feel worn down.
"Just...a little bit...more…" Duran strained, yet it seemed that the closer he got, the more the shapeshifters fought against him. And not just that, even more of them joined to try and stop him. "How...gah! Are you holding up?!" he asked his winged companion while trying to bring his sword down through the open she created, which was getting smaller and smaller.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!" Faerie cried out, a burning sensation coursing throughout her body, her muscles feeling heated, and the pain was only increasing. "You've got to hurry!"
"I'm trying!" Duran answered through gritted teeth. "These damn things...just won't...let up-ulp!"
Faerie's blue eyes widened in horror. The tip of the gladiator's blade came down, yet it missed the mark by mere inches, the tip of his sword hanging just a little bit above the heart. "Duran?" She received no answer. "Duran! Duran, answer me-" the blonde, winged woman got no further, her words lost in a gasp at what she saw.
Hawkeye's amber eyes widened. "He wants to what?" had he just heard that, right?
"And...and not just that," Bill said. "He...he wants to release Hell...onto the world." he gripped Hawkeye's arm tightly, all the while Hawkeye was beginning to shake the shurikens loose. "Literal Hell. Not just Mavolia. Demons...taken over the fortress...a man with red eyes also there. Reason so many women...have gone missing."
Hawkeye thought back to the man with Isabella in Flamekhan's room, the shadow he saw when that woman, Sarafina, was gathering water from an oasis, and how he wished to prey on Jessica. "Tell me, is Flamekhan...and Jessica. Are they…?"
"Alive," Bill answered, his whole form now beginning to tremble. "At least...they were, last time I was aware. But...don't know how long...that'll last." he then began tearing the shurikens out of the wall, freeing Hawkeye. "You...you've got to stop her," Bill begged. "And...and not just her. There...there are others. Others want to-"
"GUAHH!"
A piercing cry drew Bill and Hawkeye's attention; both were shocked at the sight before them.
Duran knelt over the ever-shrinking opening, stabbing multiple swords in his back. They hadn't run through him, yet the sharpened ends of the blades had pierced his flesh, and given that they had gotten this far, Faerie knew that nothing was stopping the shapeshifters from pressing them down further and further until they ran him through all at once.
"Come on…" Faerie urged. She hated to put such pressure on her host, yet he was so close! "Just a little bit more! Please!"
Duran released little more than a pained groan, trying his damndest to keep any cry or yell of agony down his throat. He continued to press his sword downward, yet still, it barely moved, the hands holding him and swords digging into his back slowing his pace. Faerie knew that it would probably do little good, yet she grabbed the portion of the sword that had made its way into the opening and began to pull down on the blade. Her weight did little to move it, yet she was left with little other option right now. She didn't feel any strain on her spirit, so her host wasn't dead, yet he would be if this continued for much longer. She pulled the blade down, the tip meeting and eventually going through the first layer of the 'heart.' A near-deafening roar rang out through the darkened void. Zehnoa was undoubtedly aware of what they were doing and now would stop at nothing to put a stop to them.
"Just a little more!" Faerie begged. "Please! Just a little more will kill it!"
Duran growled, pressing down; this only encouraged the shapeshifters to press down further into his back. Then, to his horror, he felt a barrage of agonizing sensations meeting his back: from icy chills to searing burns and surging electricity, all assaulting him at once. He could contain it no more, his vocals releasing bellowing shouts as his entire world was that of pain now. Faerie felt his life being threatened. If this continued, he wasn't going to last much longer. And even if he just fell unconscious, the shapeshifters would have nothing holding them back from killing him outright. Yet what could she do?! She wasn't strong enough to push this sword down! Their link didn't allow her to do much, save for communicating with him telepathically, reading his mind, and...wait a minute. They were linked. They were separate, yet one. And if the Elements and the Stone could transfer and connect with his life energy, then perhaps…
It was worth a shot. After all, it was the only one that they both had.
Flying upward, still glowing, Faerie placed her hands on that of her host and closed her eyes. Duran? Duran!? Can you hear me?! she telepathically asked him, concentrating as hard as she could. It was then that she heard a response. It was jumbled and far from organized, yet she nonetheless received it.
GAH! W-What?! What is it?! Duran mentally hollered, the swords continuing to work on him.
I know it's hard, but you've got to relax. she told him.
Relax?! How the hell am I supposed to-
Well, not so much relax, but focus! Faerie corrected herself. She then took a deep breath. Feel my energy flow into you. She said calmly. Mine is the only voice you hear. My voice is the only thing that matters.
Duran was about to retort on what good would concentrating on that do, yet it was then that, despite the pain, he felt something pouring into him, and it wasn't just the swords' enhanced abilities. There was some 'force' being transferred to him; he saw that, despite the pain of the blades, his energy wasn't being quickly sapped away from him. Faerie was giving him strength.
Maybe he could work with this.
Tightening his grip on his father's sword, he continued to thrust down, the blade sinking deeper into Zehnoa's heart. The shapeshifters continued to stab down with more force, yet Faerie only poured more energy into her host; he, in turn, continued to press down further and harder. Until finally…
A roar of agony tore through the area, grabbing everyone's attention. The world that lay inside the demonic doorway's maw, despite the blackness, seemed to begin twisting and spinning, the shapeshifters being jostled off their feet. The swords dissipated, leaving Duran's back finally free, yet that wasn't any cause to celebrate. The heart began to disintegrate into an unappetizing mush of red before it was nothing but a gaping hole. A hole that seemed to have a slight breeze coming from it. Then, a powerful suction emerged, dragging Duran and Faerie through the hole. The gladiator stabbed into the side of the 'wall' and held on for dear life, a swirling void of nothingness below him.
A portal! Faerie said. A portal straight to Mavolia No, wait! It goes deeper than that...right to Hell!
So, that was how all the Imps, cursed swords, and these shapeshifters got here, Duran thought. Well, good riddance! They could all go back to where they came from!
Wait! Faerie cried out. Do you hear that?
Indeed, he did. Looking up, Duran heard dozens of shrieking voices and protests that they didn't 'want to go back' coming from above him. He gripped his sword tighter, suspected that the vortex below would take in some deliveries.
Above, everyone looked to see that the barrier Zehnoa had created to keep them in the room was broken down by an incoming collection of Imps and cursed swords, along with some possessed suits of copper armor. All were caught up in the vortex pouring out from the doorway and dragged down into the void through the opening. Duran tried to swing out of the way as the swarm of otherworldly creatures was cast down into the portal below, sucked down kicking and screaming (and in the Imps' case, swearing every word in the book). And while he was more than happy to have the little bastards return to where they belonged along with everything else, his position at the moment meant he could very well be sucked in with them.
Riesz had plunged her spear into Ben's gut, the end entirely enveloped by his stomach as she pushed him to the ground, ready to plunge it in deeper.
"BEN!" Bill shouted, immediately going over to the two, daggers unsheathed and ready to strike.
"Wait! No!" Hawkeye called out, going after the ninja.
Riesz had forced Ben to the ground and withdrew her spear, the spearhead coated in his blood. She slammed her foot down on his chest to keep him from getting up and lifted her spear over her head, ready to plunge it down. She was interrupted by a dagger being slashed in her direction, she blocked it just in time, yet Bill wasn't letting up, continuing to push back against her to keep her away from his brother. She jabbed and stabbed forward when she got the chance, spearhead and dagger clashing against each other.
"Riesz! Wait!" Hawkeye pleaded, holding her back from attacking further.
"What are you doing?!" the rune maiden shouted. "Let go of me!"
Bill held onto his weapons, yet the ninja found his mind racing as he looked at his brother's aggressor and his brother himself. Some of his consciousness broke through, yet that far from meant that his Mistress' hold was entirely gone. His gaze kept going back to Riesz and Hawkeye, then to his brother, who clutched at his stab wound. He lunged forward yet was readily dealt with both the rune maiden and ranger, who had let the former go as it was clear Bill wasn't going to stop. Yet, to their surprise, he wasn't putting his all into it, as if he were allowing them to get hits on him. Soon enough, Bill was sent to the ground, Riesz about to charge forward, yet Hawkeye once again held back, allowing the ninja to go to his fallen brother.
Bill took the other ninja in his arms and looked at the two younger people. The young Queen, the Queen whose father they had slain, and his friend. His friend, who was an enemy. An enemy of the…
"You…" Bill stammered, clutching his head with one hand while holding his brother in his other. "Just you wait!" he then shouted. "Mistress Belladonna will have her way with you!"
He then threw down pellets erupted in clouds of thickened, dark smoke, catching Hawkeye and Riesz unawares. They immediately began coughing, trying to expel the offending vapor from their throats while swatting away to get the smoke out of the way. Riesz rushed forward, spear in hand, yet as she slashed forward, she found she met nothing. The smoke eventually cleared, revealing no one there.
"Angela!" Kevin shouted, about to reach for her, yet Charlotte slipped, having to seize her wrist and pull her back quickly.
The suction blew the small girl off her feet, Kevin having to take her and Eliza and huddle together in the corner of the room. "Whewe's she going?!" Charlotte questioned; she and Kevin were helpless as they watched the mysticist have to crawl on the ground to avoid the incoming whirlwind filled with creatures and enchanted objects.
Finally reaching the edge of Zehnoa's mouth, the violet-haired Princess knelt over and saw a swirling, dark void that had opened below, Duran hanging for life and slowly losing the battle. Angela held up her wand and cast Holy Bolt at the incoming whirlwind of otherworldly denizens, the whirlwind dipping back to avoid Lumina's light and allowing some space between it and the hanging gladiator.
What could she do? A few options came to mind, yet she had little idea whether it'd even do any good. Yet it was either that or simply letting Duran be cast into wherever this vortex went.
"Can you get up!?" she shouted, Duran, looking up and seeing her above him. He tried to hoist himself up yet found that the vortex suction simply wouldn't let him get much traction. "C'mon!" Angela shouted, practically begging at this point. "I can't help you unless you climb up!"
"O-Ok!" Duran strained, holding onto his sword, and, with a few swings, managed to get himself back onto 'solid' ground. However, this relief wasn't to last, as he felt the vortex's unstoppable pull try and draw him back in again.
"Ok! Now, don't move!" Angela swung her wand, pointing it at the gladiator's feet, a cyclone manifesting from underneath him. "Uh...try to keep to the middle!" with that, she lifted her wand upward, the cyclone moving with it.
Duran adjusted as he felt lifted off the 'ground' and propelled upward. Granted, this was a struggle he had up, and at the last second, he fell out of the cyclone, about to plunge towards the ground, had a gloved hand not caught his own. Angela pulled him up while ducking down to avoid the still incoming swarm. Soon, Duran was back out of Zehnoa's void, though that far from meant any of them were safe.
"Wait…" Charlotte then said. "What's it doing?"
Indeed, Zehnoa was beginning to act strangely, as if it were in a reasonable degree of pain, loud moans and roars coming from it. Soon, everyone felt a rumbling that shook the entire room. "Get back!" Duran shouted, rolling to a corner of the room far away from the doorway, Angela following suit.
The gladiator unconsciously held the mysticist close to his chest, everyone bracing for whatever was coming next. Finally, after what they all assumed to be forever, the whirlwind sucking in all the otherworldly creatures stopped, the last of them being swallowed by Zehnoa's maw. Then, the doorway began to roar and shriek, nearly deafening everyone. The rumbling and shaking increased, the entire citadel feeling as if it would collapse off the mountain it was situated on. Then, the void inside Zehnoa seemingly caught fire, smoke billowing out from inside before, with a thundering quake, the doorway split at the seams, a massive explosion tearing through its foundation, sending pieces of itself and brick flying back, nearly hitting the two groups huddled together in the corners.
Yet when the smoke died down, everyone saw that Zehnoa was no more, the doorway having collapsed and fallen apart, chunks of its top half lying on the ground, a gaping hole in the wall created; Hawkeye and Riesz saw on the other side.
"H-Hey! Hey, wait!" the rune maiden called out, Hawkeye rushing up the stairway that had been opened from Zehnoa's destruction. "Damn!" Riesz hissed, everyone somewhat surprised at her curse.
"Riesz, what happened?" Duran asked, yet then took a moment to look at her appearance.
"You look...different," Angela observed.
"But...it's still pwetty." Charlotte added.
Riesz seemed unresponsive to any of their words; blue eyes centered on where Hawkeye had run off. Then, she took off after him. "Hey, wait!" Duran called out. "Where does she think she's going?"
'I sense a strong source of energy nearby.' Faerie alerted her host. 'Be careful.'
Before Duran could ask anything, he saw Riesz run off after Hawkeye, disappearing up the stairs.
Note: Again, thanks to Falchion1984 for pointing out the errors and suggesting some things to implement into this thing. So sorry for having to put up with my errors and vocabulary flubs. I'm an idiot.
Thank you all for reviewing, and I hope to see you soon!
