Dong,

Dong,

Dong,

The bell atop the tower tolls elegantly as the evening sets in,

With each strike reverberating within the walls of the cathedral.

Smash!

Crash!

Thud!

Along with the bell comes the sound of destruction,

Lyra, Karina and I make our way through the cathedral enroute to find Apollo,

Darius and Pinoki head for Zinnia,

The sound of his sword crashing down echoes loudly within the walls as well.

…….

“So, what else can you do now besides annoyingly speak into people’s ears?” Lyra asks Karina,

“I don’t know yet, I think I can control waves now, that’s how I’m able to send my voice far,”

“That sound boring,” Lyra yawns,

“Then go make your snowmen little girl!” Karina retorts,

“Don’t treat me like a child!” Lyra starts

“Can we please stay focused here?”

“Shut up Kage!” Both girl’s snap

“You look like burn toast!” Lyra insults,

“His head looks like pie crust,” Karina adds jokingly,

…….

“I’ll push you both down these stairs!” I say turning to the girl behind me

“Ooo, look who has threats,” Karina chirps,

“I like that,”

“How about I freeze you so bad you wish the fire killed you !” Lyra aggresses

“How about….

Nah I’ll stay quiet,”

“What were you going to say?” Lyra demands

“Nothing,”

“Shhh!” Karina warns,

“I hear something,”

Spak!

Spak!

We approach a rusted metal door, the sound of a whip cracking can be heard from behind it,

Karina makes a signal for us to remain still,

She edges silently to the door turning it open,

“It’s Apollo!” she whispers,

Lyra begins to concentrate, preparing her magic,

Karina raises her hand counting down the moment for Lyra to attack,

One,

Two,

Three!

Karina swings the door wide open,

“Snowstorm blast!”

The forceful snow fires at a figure holding a whip, the cold wind from the blast now engulfing the room as they crash at the back, in a heap

“Apollo!” Lyra and Karina sputter at the depressing sight

His hands tied hanging him from the ceiling,

Whip marks tattoo his skin, his body battered and bloodily

“Lyra?” He smiles weakly,

“People are coming,” I warn hearing the sound of footsteps from below the stairs,

Karina swiftly cut the rope releasing the young man,

“Thanks,” he groans stretching,

“My wonderful Aunt ordered me to be whipped at all times,”

“Are you sure you’re, okay?” Karina probes,

“You don’t have to act all tough Apollo,”

“I’m fine,”

Crack!

A whip sparks from behind him,

“The figure Lyra blasted getting back up,

“Cheap shot little girl,”

“Tori!?” Karina says surprisedly

As she does the group of people reach up to the room,

Their faces indeed very familiar to Karina,

The people who were once part of a group dubbed the ‘sewer rats.’

“This has to be lie!” Karina croaks dumbfoundedly

“I thought you all-”

“-We dedicated ourselves former leader,” Tori declares

“Back then, in the fire the King, he gave us a choice,

Die for a meaningless cause or ‘repent’ and dedicate to ‘God’

The ones who refused, burned, and well,

Here we are now,

But we don’t have to fight former leader,

Dedi-”

Crash!

Apollo tackles the girl into a wall

“We never did get our fair fight,”

“Uraahhh!”

The former ‘sewer rats’ charge at us

“Cover me!” Lyra yells

Forming the bow in my hand I fire an arrow; the shot generates a wind blast,

(Glad I decided to take these from the armoury)

Karina reluctantly springs into action against them,

“Lightning hammer fist!” Apollo smashes down on Tori she wraps her whip around his neck sending a charge through his body,

“Lighting element vs lightning element,

I like it,” he smiles

Jerking back his neck he lifts the whip and girl in tow, slamming her down till she releases her grip,

“Thunderclap!” he hits,

“Whip lash!” she strikes,

“Knee strike!” he attacks,

“Static surge!” she zaps,

“Lightning God fist!”

Smash!

Tori’s body crashes through the ground to the floor below,

…….

“Snowstorm!”

Lyra’s magic engulfs the attackers in a huge pile of snow, Karina then seamlessly bashes the top of their heads, before they can get up,

The foes lay unconscious on the floor, blood pouring from their skulls.

……

“I need a nap.” Apollo sighs

“I slept for a week”

“Lucky you,”

THUD!!

A massive clash reverberates through the entire cathedral,

We all look at each other thinking the same thing,

“Darius!”

****

“Huff! huff! huff!” Darius pants after sprinting up the central tower stairs while fighting off a multitude of guards.

“Zinnia!” He bellows,

“Keep it down!” Pinoki scolds, “you already made quite a ruckus on our way up,”

“I can’t help it, I have to find her,

I can’t lose anyone else,”

“Nor can I, so keep it down!”

The two approach the top of the tower, there they meet glowing gem jutting out through the centre,

“The diamond,” Pinoki observes, “so this is where it connects,”

Behind the gem, an open door, inside, three figures, two speak,

“This girl is impossible” a feminine voice complains

“It has been days and her mind still hasn’t broken, my illusions make it impossible to discern fiction and reality, unless someone is constantly in her ear telling her, there is no way she would know,”

“At this rate it will take months to break all of the ones chosen by Murdoc,” a male voice replies,

“Looks like Karina’s constant talking to Zinnia is working,” Pinoki whispers

“Darius?”

He turns to his side, but the young man is already gone,

“Oh, for fu-”

“Heeyaahh!” He smashes his sword down hard disrupting the two,

“Darius?” Zinnia blinks dazedly, “finally you’ve come!”

“Pinoki get her!”

“Steam Blast!”

“Explosive fist!”

The couple let out a flurry of magic blocking Pinoki and Darius,

“Not so fast!”

“My what a surprise!” former queen, Patricia coos

“Now we don’t have to waste time trying to find you Pinoki,”

“Well, if it isn’t my number one rival for the title of most deceitful,

The queen herself,

Now I don’t have to waste time trying to expose you when I can kill you now and get rid of my competition,” Pinoki bluffs

“A little bit of bravery from you? now I have really seen it all”

“Steam-

Urgghh”

With one swing of his sword Darius slices the woman in half,

“First time we fought I wasn’t tyring no to kill you,

The chains are off this time!”

“YOUUUU!!”

Flint’s face boils over in immense rage,

“YOUUUU!!

Pfpt…...”

He stutters and stammers, his moth foaming in anger

“God! This one cannot be forgiven, give me permission to murder him where he stands!

Explosion!”

Boom!

Explosion!

Boom!

Explosion!

Boom!

Explosion!

Boom!

Irate now Flint bombardes Darius with explosions,

Blocking with his great sword, Darius pushes forward,

“Cleaving Blow!”

Vwash!

“Aghh!” The king just barley dodges half of his right foot gets cut from only the breeze of the impact along with a huge chunk of the towers wall, a fearsome drop looms below,

Thorough the commotion Pinoki takes Zinnia’s hand,

“Come one, I have to get you out of here!”

“What about Darius?”

“He can handle himself clearly…

Never mind,

Its already over.”

THUD!!

****

“That sounded really loud,” Lyra remarks, “I hope that was Darius doing the attacking,”

“Of course, it is,” Apollo scoffs, “Darius isn’t one to lose.”

……

“Is that the diamond?” I ask as we arrive at the top of the central tower,

“It is,” Karina replies,

Apollo is already running towards the room at the back,

……

……

“Was there any other way?” He asks a sweaty Darius,

“No, there wasn’t,” Darius breathes,

The queens severed corpse bleeds out on the floor,

The elegant white gown worn by the king-turned head priest, now lay plastered to the floor dyed in blood,

I can’t even tell where his body is only his parts remain scattered about,

Darius pummelled him into a stain…

“Goodbye and good riddance,” Lyra deadpans at the gruesome sight

“I’m sorry Apollo,” Darius debates,

“I know you don’t believe in killing your enemies, but it had to be done

I wield the magic of swords,

Essentially all I wield is death,

A sword isn’t a real sword unless it brings death upon on its enemies,”

“But it can spare life as well,” Apollo argues,

“Let’s all leave first,” Pinoki interjects,

“We can argue when were safe,”

“Not a chance~” a voice sings, a figure appearing from the shadows,

“Murdoc!”

“A sword is an instrument for savage unholy creatures such as yourselves,

I wield the real bringer of death. Magic,

An orchestra of both life and death

Earth Spire!”

“Darius!” Zinnia screams

Spikes protrude from the ground stabbing into Darius

“Augh!” Darius coughs spitting up blood,

He throws his great sword to Apollo as Murdoc grabs him by his neck,

“Ta…take….it…my… requie-”

The six of us all rush forward at Murdoc, but its already too late,

He throws his body out the hole in the wall,

A….

A buzzing sound rings loudly in my ear I can barely hear the screams of Zinnia,

The shouts from Apollo,

Everyone yelling,

It’s as if everything is moving slowly…...

Splat!

Darius’ body hits the ground below.