I was nearly deafened by Xur's sudden screech. His jagged sharp teeth were exposed, mouth opened wide enough for his pointed tongue to be seen as it flicked angrily. The black pupils of his fiery amber eyes narrowed even more and based on the way they focused in on me, I had a feeling I was the first target. When he leaped at me, I didn't have time to move and was instantly tackled to the floor by his overwhelming weight. Seven feet of beast was not easy to battle against and I just barely prevented him from biting into my face by keeping my hands around his neck.
His teeth snapped shut forcefully when Odis shoved him off and kicked his face. While the gargoyle attempted to recover from the sudden blow, we all exchanged frantic looks.
"I still need more time!" Galendale cried as he gathered his books and the coin.
"Do you have somewhere safe that you can hide while we handle this?" Kade asked. The wizard didn't take much time to say yes. Before I knew it, we were all rushing out the door, Galendale going his separate way when we reached the stairs. I didn't pay attention to where he went but I hoped it was somewhere no one... or nothing... would ever think to look.
Odis led the rest of us out of the castle and into more chaos. The crowd we'd left behind was scattered, screeching, and battling gargoyles who returned the noise much louder. Blood already coated the grass and dead bodies were tossed about. From what I could see they were mainly gargoyles'.
Mainly.
It pained me to see some of our own dead and I wished them by best regards, but I had to make sure their deaths weren't meaningless. I was going to show these people and creatures that fighting this war was worth their time, effort, and lives.
Even if it cost me my own.
"This isn't going to be easy," Maeve mumbled.
"You're telling me," Kade groaned, nearly collapsing to his knees. He placed a hand on his side and instantly snatched it back hissing. I lifted his shirt to see that the pasty black spot from before had grown larger and spread further across his middle section. Our eyes widened and he winced. "Shit..."
"Is that the sickness?" Odis asked in a panic. I nodded slowly, unable to take my eyes away from the sight. Particles oozed like mist from the wound, proving my theory of it literally sizzling against his skin. "You can't handle this, boy," Odis added, meeting Kade's eyes and frowning. He then glanced out at the war zone and closed his amber eyes. "Bella, get him somewhere safe. This will break him."
"Shut up!" Kade growled, suddenly yelling with pain. "I can handle this! And don't call me 'boy'!"
"Watch who you're raising your voice at! I'm just trying to look out for you!" Odis shouted back. His voice had grown rough... animalistic. I think things were getting to him too.
The two of them locked eyes and snarled like they had suddenly become enemies. I'd started to worry until Maeve resolved the argument herself. "Stop it you two! Look at this: you're turning against each other. You're best friends for crying out loud! Cut it out!" The men stopped their conflict right away and glanced away in shame. Not to take sides but this probably had to do with Kade's temper that worsens when he's injured.
"I can do this," he insisted more calmly. "Trust me. I don't want to give up when the fight's barely started." Odis gazed at him doubtfully... but he didn't disagree. He didn't say anything at all, actually. I knew what he was thinking, though. We all did. I was worried about Kade too but with his stubbornness, there was no way anyone was going to stop him.
A wendigo suddenly flew past us and hit the wall of the castle. It scrambled to its feet and clumsy stood with its lanky height. Based on the way it landed, the creature had obviously been thrown by something, and based on the way it screeched with fury... it was obviously in a fight with that something too.
We all glanced to our right to see a wounded gargoyle faltering towards it. It didn't take time to notice us, but it never even had the chance to because the wendigo tackled it and shredded into its chest almost instantaneously. Krishna ran over out of nowhere, coated in blood and carrying a lengthy blade that I never noticed she had before. "Nice one!" she cheered as the wendigo crept off its victim. She then eyed us and lost the smile that had once been so bright. When I say us... I actually mean Kade.
"I can see there's not much optimism over here, either," she sighed, adjusting her eyepatch.
"Either?" I questioned sadly. The lady nodded and looked back out at the fighting.
"Yes, more and more gargoyles keep coming. We're getting outnumbered, not to mention losing numbers." She stared at the ground, seeming to ponder something to herself. "With the way things are going, it doesn't seem like events are going to turn out in our favor."
I closed my eyes and tangled my fingers in my hair, stressing profoundly over the news. "This wasn't how this was supposed to go," I whispered.
"Oh, no, no, this is exactly how this was supposed to go," a familiar but unwanted voice added to the conversation. Salazar stepped out from behind us and motioned toward the chaos. "Look at this. Take a good look at it, Bella." Ignoring everybody else he grabbed my chin firmly and held it still so I had no choice but to look ahead with him. I winced as I watched my own become beat down by his gargoyles. "You had diversity... but I had quantity. Just because you had a few creatures that could do cool tricks didn't mean that they could take down the numerous gargoyles I had on standby. My minions are trained... well-equipped predators. And if I give them an order, they know that the consequences of failure are fatal. So they either die out here or by my hands down there." He pointed at the ground which obviously meant Hell. "And what happens to them up here is paradise to what I would do in Hell. They are gonna fight till their stone hearts give out because they know I am watching. I mean, come on! Who would what to disappoint a king as powerful as I?"
"You're no king, Salazar," Odis growled. "You're just a puny prince who's trying to be just like his weak father who, news flash, is still locked away in the pits of his own kingdom." The demon's eyes began to burn with a furious red as he glared at the man.
"Don't you dare speak of my father in such a way! Wait till he comes back! Just wait!" he boomed. "Until that time comes, I will take his place and spread havoc like he wishes." Kade shoved Salazar away just as he finished speaking and hid me behind him.
"I'm getting really tired of your shit, you know," he hissed. The demon raised his arms in the air as if to say "so what" and chuckled bitterly.
"Then do something about it," he challenged. The two locked gazes just as Kade advanced forward to attack. I quickly grabbed his arm and tugged him back, earning me a harsh, questioning glare.
"You're too weak right now," I muttered. "He'll kill you." He snatched his arm away in protest, hesitating for a moment when my eyes pleaded for him to back down. It took longer than I wanted, but he finally stepped away and groaned at how he gave in.
"I won't fight you, Salazar. You're not worth my time," he uttered. His eyes stayed focused on the ground which led to him not being able to see Salazar's incoming punch. He took the blow right to the jaw and stumbled into me.
"How about now?" the demon questioned with an evil smirk. I gripped Kade's shoulders and touched my hand to his bruise while he winced in pain. I could tell the urge to swing back was growing stronger with every passing second but he thankfully refrained.
"No... something so childish won't work on me," he spat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the wendigo and Krishna creeping forward, as if unsure of what to do. I motioned for them to go fight with the others. Salazar was going to be our problem, not theirs. I was scared of what he'd do to them and I wasn't going to wait and find out. To my relief, they obeyed the order and disappeared into battle.
"You're such a disappointment," Salazar groaned, punching Kade again. I yelled at him to stop just as Odis grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and socked him right in the nose. When the demon wavered back, Odis kicked his knee with full force and sent him stumbling to the ground.
"You think I'm just gonna let you beat up my best friend like that? Hmph, you've got something comin'," he barked.
"'Best friend'? Ha! So pathetic," Salazar snickered as he wiped the blood trickling from his nose. "Just because you feel sorry for him doesn't mean you have to be his best buddy." Odis disregarded him and kneed him in the face, right in his eye which immediately began to bruise. He was about to speak his next comment but Salazar suddenly struck back, nailing him to the ground and pummeling his face rapidly. Maeve rushed to him before I could and shifted behind him. She put her arm around his neck in a headlock position, covered his eyes with her other hand, closed her own eyes, and began to murmur some low chant into his ear. Salazar paused for a moment, becoming lost in some kind of trance it seemed, and then suddenly cried out and grabbed Maeve by her head. The witch was flipped over him and her back smacked the ground hard enough to break some bones. Her eyes flutter for a second, her body stiff and frozen. A weak and bloody-faced Odis lied next to her, barely able to keep his own eyes open.
Kade growled, finally lifting his eyes away from the ground to see the chaos. He was furious, bubbling with a rage so strong I could feel it radiating from him. Salazar smirked as he rose to his feet. "That good enough for you?" he urged. Kade hesitated, only clenching his fists and sliding a foot forward. He was about to go off and I knew I wasn't going to be able to stop him this time.
"If that doesn't, then maybe this will." I didn't have enough time to react when Salazar stepped forward and slammed his fist into my cheek. The blow was so powerful that I fell to my knees hissing and groaning with anger. The instant my knees hit the ground, Kade's expression went from angry to full animalistic rage.
"Oh, now you've asked for it!" he boomed, obviously forgetting about his injuries as he began throwing rock hard punches as Salazar. But the demon clearly knew who he was going up against. He put up his defense well enough for Kade to become frustrated with every blocked punch. Since I couldn't do anything about him, I turned my attention to Odis and Maeve who were slowly but surely recovering.
Odis sat up and massaged his head for only a second. He proved his priorities by leaning over Maeve and stroking the hair out of her face. "Maeve," he whispered gently. "Come on... get up." Her eyes were closed but they gradually opened to the sound of his voice. Her body started to relax as deep breaths entered her lungs and her fingers twitched. The two of us helped her sit up when she showed sure signs of stability.
"I'm okay," she groaned. "Just a little stunned, that's all."
"Maeve, are you sure? The way you landed could've broken your back!" I mentioned. She smiled weakly, shaking her head.
"Nah... I'm not that breakable." Her eyes then drifted to the fight going on between Kade and Salazar and the smile disappeared. "That isn't going to end well. We have to stop them." She rushed forward but was cut off by a couple of gargoyles that settled in front of us. They stared and stood challengingly, obviously determined to keep us and Kade separated. Another one landed in between them and he stood a few feet taller, identifiable just by his size and more frightening appearance.
"Well... we meet again," Xur hissed. He and his team stepped forward just as Odis stepped in front of Maeve and me. His body started to shift and morph until it had taken the form of a beastly wolf. He then bared his teeth and let out a low, guttural growl, warning our opponents.
Though I felt safer, it didn't mean we were in the clear. Three gargoyles stood ahead of us and one of them had pure hatred coursing through his body. I was sure Xur wasn't going to let us get away so easily this time. But I wasn't going to stumble under his attacks so easily, either. I planned to test the limits of my abilities in this fight and not let Odis and Maeve do all the heavy lifting.
It was about time I figured out exactly what a goddess could do.
I summoned the sensation I got whenever my abilities began to come into play. My skin tingled, my body felt light. I received a sudden adrenaline rush just as one of Xur's buddies approached me. The other went for Maeve and Xur himself went for Odis.
I watched my opponent intently as we sort of distanced ourselves from the others. We began a small rotation, daring the other to make the first move. I couldn't really focus in on his eyes or try to override the systems of his body. I wasn't sure why but I couldn't gather concentration from that distance, not with all the chaos going on around me. His brown eyes were squinted, probably another disadvantage for me. Maybe there was a way for me to use my abilities without having to gaze directly into his pupils.
Without having much time to react, I was suddenly tackled to the ground. But the attack wasn't as shocking as Xur's. This gargoyle wasn't as heavy, wasn't as strong. He couldn't keep up with my constant squirming and eventually, the tides turned. I kneed him in the ribcage and shoved him with my right shoulder, instantly knocking him to the ground. He wasn't as coordinated as Xur which made this fight a little easier for a "beginner" like me. While he was stunned, for only the few seconds I had, I began to dwell on things I knew I could do already. My mind shot to the event of me absorbing Kade's madness. I not only did that but I was able to read his memories and thoughts at that time, though there wasn't much to read.
It was worth another try.
"Let's see what you've got in there," I mumbled as I touched my fingers to the creatures head. He froze and so did I. I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head as numerous details and information swarmed my mind. I didn't receive any decent memories or thoughts, but I did receive some sort of layout. A layout of the gargoyle's body.
I wondered if this was how my abilities worked, adjusting to whatever my intentions were. So for Kade, I was trying to relax him so I received an understanding of his past and pain, therefore allowing me to absorb it. In this situation, however, I was trying to defeat an opponent so my abilities were giving me a layout of weak spots mainly. I could see them in my head and I instantly had a knowledge of what would happen if I struck them.
That's when I knew this would be a piece of cake.
I rushed away from the gargoyle as he recovered and prepared to attack again. I was ready this time, though. I knew exactly how to defeat him.
Weak joint on left wing. Snap it. Strike pressure point on neck as gargoyle writhes in pain. Simple.
As he flew at me, I did just as planned, enduring the loud, painful screech that he released when his wing broke and fell limp. I didn't hesitate to strike the pressure point on his neck, which sent him into a paralysis. To my right, I heard a nearby screech of a wendigo who'd just finished tearing into a gargoyle. I whistled sharply to gain its attention, eventually recognizing it as Scar. He approached quickly, waiting for an order. I pointed to the stiff gargoyle with a hidden smirk.
"Dig in."
As the wendigo shredded into its victim without a moment of delay, I watched as Maeve finished off her opponent. I don't know what she did but from what I could see the gargoyle's face was burning off because of some sort of acid. I approached cautiously as she swept her hair out of her face with satisfaction.
"Improving your skills, I see," she praised. I rubbed my temples and groaned.
"Not without a few setbacks."
Waving it off, she pointed at Odis who seemed to be at a stalemate with Xur. They traded blows left and right, weakening the other just as equally. When we started to close in on him, Xur jumped back and actually flashed signs of panic. "Even if you kill me," he hissed, "you still have to deal with them." He pointed his bony finger at a swarm of dozens of gargoyles flying in from the east. They landed into the battle and began their job at mowing down our side.
Unfair.
"Oh yeah? Well, what about them?" A sudden voice contributed to the conversation. This was a voice I'd never thought I'd hear again, one I nearly gasped with surprise at. To my left, a bright light gradually faded from existence and in its place stood Lord Farlen and his magnificence. He was pointing to something out in the distance, to a field I'd paid no attention to. A bright light, a larger one, big enough to fit a skyscraper through, was distracting everyone and everything from the battle. Through it came dozens among dozens of people running. They carried shields, wore armor, and began swinging at the gargoyles that infested the land. Using common sense, it was safe to assume they were elves.
The fighting continued only for a moment when an enormous screech, one deep and menacing, bellowed from the light... portal, actually. We all watched intently as an enormous black beast exited and took to the skies.
Rahul, the dragon.
They'd come. All of them. They'd come to help us. Wow, word traveled fast amongst supernaturals.
"You don't mind if I keep your dragon, do ya?" Farlen snickered. "He's pretty cool."
Rahul began to attack the newcomers, scorching them and the land they stood on. The gargoyles shrieked with fright but they did not flee.
I turned to give Xur a dominant look, to show him he and his buddies had officially lost. But he didn't look troubled, not even the least bit frightened. He was staring at Farlen with the evilest smirk he could give.
"Oh... what about them?" he chuckled, pointing up at a red and black opening that ripped through the sky. More and more gargoyles swarmed through it and took their positions in the battle. Not so bad, I first thought, until I heard a familiar, hair-raising sound. Two, actually.
The first was the cry of a dragon. That of an enormous red one the sailed through the portal and began to fight with Rahul. The fact that they had another dragon on standby was impressive yet horrifying at the same time. Who knew what other kinds of monstrous beasts they had lined up?
The second noise was an overlapping growl, then several barks and howls. My eyes widened in terror as Salazar's three-headed dog creature, the Cerberus, jumped through the portal and right into the middle of our defenses.
Shit was about to go down.
________________________________________
Indeed it was.