And then it burped. It was identical to the sound of thunder.
With the breaking of her sword, the Queen too broke. Blackened petals fell from her in the millions and she fell from the sky with them, landing hard against the floor.
She was no longer armoured in pink petals, nor was she as large as a goddess. She was reduced to a human size, with a human's weak flesh and pale skin.
"My lady!" The girls called out in panic.
"Run…" She said weakly. "All of you, flee this place... Please forgive me. What a terrible monster I have created," she struggled as hard as she could just to make it to her feet, her legs trembling from the effort.
The girls could not stand it. They left the gargoyles to entertain themselves and they leapt from the bridge to help their Queen.
"I'm fine," she told them, brushing off their hands as they tried to steady her. "Flee with the humans," she begged, "there's nothing more for you to do here."
They quietly stood their ground. They did not say a single word, they only stood by her side with their weapons held firmly, making it clear that they would not be going anywhere.
The Queen shook her head weakly in exasperation. "…Thank you," she said simply. She then turned to Ermos and Pash. "Go," she said, attempting to put power in her voice. Pash didn't want to go. He didn't want to run away and leave them, no matter how scared he was. He was grateful when he saw that his master did not budge either.
"Fools…" she murmured. "Brave fools. There is nothing a human can offer to this fight. There is nothing even I can offer."
The gargoyles hung back. They did not flit forth in immediate pursuit of their prey. They flapped their wings lazily in the sky, cackling confidently, knowing that they could freely torture their prey before they killed it.
The mass of the overgrown mouth slithered along the length of the bridge like a slug, slow and certain, determined to enjoy its kills.
They could do nothing but wait for it. The Queen summoned a blade to keep her hand company and she stood beside her servants, as weak as any human, meeting her unfortunate fate head-on.
Before it reached the end of the bridge, the mass of black sludge paused a moment. It closed its world-ending mouth and it began a gurgling movement below the sloppy surface of its oily skin.
Puddles of sticky black fell from the main body onto the bridge in dollops as the way was cleared for a new protrusion to arise from its skin.
The scalp of a head poked its way from beneath the surface like an alien birth. It wrestled until it could push its face firmly into the outside world. A horrendous face, as black as death, fanged like a demon, red eyes bulging with malice, and yet human in size.
A long tongue slithered out from its mouth. "Thorne… I finally get to remove you from my side," it hissed.
"He went straight for the obvious pun…" Ermos muttered, "so that's what pure evil looks like."
That head seemed to absorb the black sludge around him. The mountain that it had built up slowly began to reduce in size, but none of the menace that hung in the air went with it.
As the thick liquid cleared, the demon's true form was gradually revealed. First, a well-muscled shoulder, then a rippling bicep, a strong chest, ten square abdominals muscles, thick legs and a pair of bat-like wings, all of them a dark matt black.
When the process was complete, it cracked its neck with a satisfied smile. Over ten feet tall it stood, imitating a human form.
"I see," the Queen said, shaking her head at some horrific understanding. "You were once human. A Teacher."
With a dramatic finger and a long nail, it pointed at her. "Bingo," it said, smacking its lips together. "I am the last of the Teachers. The best of them. I played for the end game. I bonded my body with the bridge, knowing that in time, all the power in the world would be mine. They laughed at me for it, the others did, but who is laughing now?"
With a casual leap, it stood itself right in front of them.
"Oh, cool, you wanted to meet a Teacher, didn't you Pash?" Ermos said, slapping his shoulder as if to congratulate him.
"No… I didn't," Pash barely had the heart to correct him. He spoke his reply in a whisper, for fear of attracting the demon's attention. But it was too late. It was already looking towards them.
"How quaint. A thousand years later, and there are still chevalar wandering around, staking their lives on something as flimsy as honour," he looked at them for a few long moments, evaluating them with his terrible red eyes. "…Foolishness has dulled your fear. You cannot comprehend my power, just as you can not comprehend the true magnitude of a million. Stand before me, if you still regard yourself as brave, and allow me to demonstrate the difference between us."
"Okay," Ermos agreed with hesitation.
"Wait-" The Queen of Flowers attempted to protest, but with a click of the Teacher's fingers, she was frozen in place, unable to move against some invisible restraints. Her servants were no better. Complete and overwhelming power.
"Wait your turn," the Teacher tutted. "Draw your sword chevalar. You will be first to fall victim to my ultimate form, consider it an honour."
Ermos drew his blade slow and deliberate. Pash's heartbeat like a drum against his ribcage. He had always held absolute faith in his master's strength, but this... they had never faced anything as powerful as this.
"Strike wherever you want, it will not wound me," the Teacher taunted. "In this form, my only weakness is a single atom thick. Even I do not know where it is. I am the very definition of invincible. I am what you would call a god. I am-"
"Found it," Ermos interrupted.
"Eh?"
With a deceptive quickness, his master slashed at the Teacher's heel. His movements were so ordinary that they might have been performed by a child, but they contained within them an incredible power.
Alarm flashed across the Teacher's face – he seemed to realize that it was no bluff. He did his very best to dodge the blow, but Ermos was too quick. He managed to nick the very top of his heel, ever so slightly, the most superficial of cuts, but it proved fatal.
With a suddenness that was almost unfair, the Teacher was reduced to a cloud of dust, unable to even swear that he would get his vengeance.
With the Teacher went his magic. The ruined bridge cracked and fragmented. Chunks of rubble fell into the depths of the moat, splashing up fountains. The gargoyles that had been so animated just a moment before fell into rigidity. They fell from the sky and shattered against the ground like clay pots.
The restraints were removed from the Queen and her servants.
"What..?" She whispered.
"What..?" The girls said.
"What?" Ermos turned to them oblivious.
"How..? How can a human defeat such a monster with such ease?" The Queen asked, shock written all over her pale face.
"Luck, I suppose?" Came the mild response. Pash smiled when he heard it, feeling a wave of relief. It was the same thing he always said when he was asked for the secret to his strength.