The overwhelming pressure that Ignus exuded over the temple chamber seemed to fade for just a moment as he was left on his knees, attempting to overcome the surges of electricity that flowed through his body. His body contorted and convulsed as he struggled to pick himself up. The adventurers of Ral'Kacet looked on in awe at his resilience, but Rex only observed with a sly grin. His unfailing confidence surprisingly shone through as a beacon of hope.
Though it was only a matter of time until Terr'Ignus overcame the pain and stood with his glare dead set on the demiserpus who struck him. His piercing crimson eyes threatened to rip the adversary to shreds if they only could.
"Demiserpus. You have no purpose here. Leave." His voice croaked ominously as he made his demands to Rex.
Rex only laughed in response. "You can't be serious, right? I'm not gonna take a threat from you when I can easily kick your sorry ass." He shrugged playfully, entirely dismissing Ignus's attempt to intimidate him.
"You know not the cause you choose to die for. Your naivety will be your ultimate downfall, wretched snake." Ignus reeled his hands back as frost enveloped between his fingers. Several ice spikes formed in his grip. He then threw them like a storm of needles in Rex's direction.
Rex's fanged smirk did not waver as he chose not to dodge, but instead charged towards the impending attack. He dragged his copper blade, enveloped in a blinding white light, across the floor to create a burst of thunder that careened towards Ignus. The sudden wave of sound shattered the ice magic upon impact and then immediately threw Ignus off balance.
With the battle in his favor, Rex flooded his blade with more of his lightning magic before finally unleashing it in a bolt straight at Ignus. The bolt of lightning magic was swiftly halted in its tracks as Ignus raised a wall of earth to defend himself. Despite the dusk elf's attempts to close himself off to further attack, Rex had no intentions of playing his advantage defensively. He sprinted out towards the wall and ran up and over it with ease. Leaping over Ignus, Rex prepared a plunging strike while his sword erratically radiated sparks. Ignus reacted as quickly as he could, forming a shield of stone around his arm, raising it to intercept the demiserpus's sudden attack.
The interaction created a shockwave that shook the core of the chamber, washing the immediate area in a cloud of dust. Rex was sent skidding back on his hands and feet back to the other adventurers, out of the aftermath of the dust cloud.
Having reunited with Ral'Kacet, Rex used the moment of peace to finally address them. He politely nodded to Mair despite the confused glare that was shot from behind the protection of the golden halberd between them. Rex then offered his hand to Nessa to help her up off the ground. Nessa hesitated at first, but she decided to accept Rex's hand to stand next to him.
"Rex, I don't know how you followed us here, but you have to escape while you still can," Nessa tried to protest, but Rex kept his attention glued to the dissipating cloud of dust, "Ignus is an extreme threat, and won't hesitate to end the life of anyone that stands in his way."
"I pieced that much together," Rex calmly responded, "Eve overheard your conversation back at the guild. When she told me about it, I knew I had to do something. I was lucky enough to find this weird guy who let me in here." He turned back to face Nessa. "And besides, adventurers are supposed to help each other out or whatever, right?"
Nessa couldn't help but smile and playfully scoff at his response, but the more pressing matter drew her back into action.
"If you're willing to help us, then we need Mair to retreat to separate the halberd from Ignus, I'll fight with you to give him time to escape," Nessa explained.
"Not to sound ungrateful, but I think it'd be best if you went with your brother." Rex sighed as he reluctantly tried to dismiss Nessa.
"Don't be stupid, Rex. You can't just fight Ignus alone. He'll kill you." Nessa attempted to convince Rex, but his stubbornness prevented her from getting to him.
"I'll be as careful as I can. Just let me make this up to you," Rex admitted with surprising authenticity, "You said before that you don't forgive me, but maybe with this, I can change that." He flashed a smile unlike his usual smirk. "Besides, I'll have an easier time going all out if I don't have to watch where my lightning might hit."
Nessa turned to Fausm, who was left still struggling to stand after the wounds he sustained. "Just be careful not to hit him, please. Thank you for your help, Rex." Nessa motioned for Mair to start retreating, which he easily agreed to knowing his sister would be following him, "Please don't be too reckless," She told him just before following her brother out of the chamber.
"No promises," Rex whispered to himself as he shifted his attention back to the settling dust cloud.
Ignus's crimson eyes and glowing scar carved through the debris as he stared down the retreating siblings. A surge of dark aura raged around the body of Ignus, dispelling the dust surrounding him. The familiar claw of shadows formed in Ignus's grip just before he lashed it out to attack the siblings. The attempt to pursue them was cut short though as Rex swung his blade out at the dark claw, destroying the dark spell with a swift bolt of lightning.
Ignus's deathly gaze turned to Rex, deciding on his new target. The tendrils of dark magic ruptured out from his back as he prepared to eliminate the obstacle that stood in his path. With the dusk elf's attention all on him, Rex rushed out to engage with his blade at the ready. The copper blade dragged along the ground, loosing wild sparks that danced along Rex's path forward.
Rex finally closed in on Ignus with his blade clashing against the dark magic in an elaborate duel that played out at breakneck speeds. Every twist and turn of Rex's swordplay worked to carve out openings in Ignus's defenses while narrowly defending himself from the stabbing spines of the tendrils surrounding him. His acrobatic prowess gave the exact edge on Ignus that he needed, dodging everything that could be thrown at him with relative ease.
While Rex was able to easily defend himself from Ignus, he failed to secure the grip on his weapon, ending up disarmed as two of the tendrils batted it out of his hand to the other side of the chamber. Terr'Ignus once again attempted to impale Rex in one fluid motion, but the tendrils merely dug into the ground as Rex made a dodging retreat to distance himself from the killer.
With only a moment to spare, Rex quickly slipped something over his hand before extending it out towards his disarmed blade. With a metal glove secured over his palm, his hand vibrated for a few moments until his copper sword flew back into his grip. Rex confidently twirled the sword around as more electricity flowed into it.
Terr'Ignus looked on in annoyance at his opponent while his dark aura diminished. He walked forward slowly with little care for any threat Rex may pose to him. Taking this as a challenge, Rex immediately cast two sparks that streaked in Ignus's direction.
The spark bolts hit Ignus dead on and yet he did not appear phased by the magic that struck him. Electricity burned away at his cloak ever so slightly, revealing the stone armor that protected him.
"You're no match for me, demiserpus," Ignus calmly admitted as he walked forward, "Give up."
Once more, Rex surged his copper blade with electricity, holding it behind him in preparation. "I don't give up. You better figure that out quickly," Rex proudly remarked before throwing his sword straight out at Ignus.
Terr'Ignus sidestepped the impending attack with the little time he had to react. Though he soon found himself having to defend himself against Rex sprinting right towards him with his glove overcharged with lightning.
Ignus wrapped his hand in stone to catch the electrifying punch, but Rex's true plan unfolded just before him. While Ignus held back Rex, the sword he had thrown responded to Rex's magnetic magic to turn back towards Ignus. With no other escape, the sword cut straight through Ignus's form. His body fell into a dark smoke at Rex's feet while his sword flew back into his hand with ease.
The black mist reformed back into Ignus before Rex could have the time to realize what he was planning. He turned to the newly-formed Ignus but was immediately confronted by an ice spike aimed at his face. In the little time he had to dodge, Rex narrowly avoided the ice magic from hitting him dead on. Instead, the icicle scratched at the previously unseen barrier that Rex had surrounded himself in. Cracks formed in the dark green magic along Rex's face, threatening to remove his last line of defense if he were to suffer a direct hit.
Rex was washed in a momentary panic as he encased his metal glove with thunder magic. He punched the ground between himself and Ignus, creating a shockwave that emanated from his attack. The thunderwave sent them both skidding back to create distance for Rex to plan his final gambit.
With no time to spare, Rex held his sword up high and channeled as much mana as he could to end Ignus with one final spell. His lightning magic crackled and boomed with unyielding ferocity, but despite the threat he posed, Ignus stood his ground with no intention of dodging the impending destruction.
Rage swarmed through Rex's golden eyes as he whipped the blade of lightning down to his side. He used the last of his strength to aim the tip of the sword out towards Ignus, finally unleashing the beam of lightning that tore through the air like hot metal through flesh. The lightning destroyed each pillar that was in its path, covering the entire chamber in a wave of debris that the devastating attack left behind.
As the lightning bolt subsided, Rex dropped his sword, smoking and heated from its extended use as a conductor. He took a deep breath of solace in the hope that Ignus did not survive his last resort. Yet as the dust began to settle, he couldn't find a trace of Ignus left in the chamber. As he scanned the area, a tremor in the ground rumbled below Rex. A hand suddenly erupted out from the ground and grabbed onto Rex's ankle, much to his shock and dismay.
The ground beneath Rex shattered as Ignus lunged himself out of the earth, staring into Rex's eyes like a predator would look upon its prey. Ignus used the shattered remnants of the earth he erupted out of and launched the pointed stones out at Rex's body at blinding speed. Rex tried to defend himself with his arms outstretched, but the volley of stones pelted against the barrier of his body. The barrier shattered away with the remainder of the stones digging themselves into him. Rex tumbled and crashed to the wall from the excessive force his broken barrier put on his body.
Terr'Ignus stepped back onto solid ground, breathing heavily from the excessive amount of mana he's used in such a short amount of time. He took one last look at Rex with a black mist forming around his feet.
"I've wasted enough time with you. A new future awaits." With his parting words, Ignus faded into a cloud of smoke that swiftly shifted in the direction of Nessa and Mair.
"Damn it..." Rex hissed as he tried to pick himself up, but the wounds he suffered from kept him down.
Rex remained powerless to do anything. Fausm found himself in the same position, watching Ignus leave without any ability to intervene. Every ounce of him was telling him to follow after, but his body ached from the dark magic ailing him. All he had was hope that they could pull through and escape in time. With no other options, Fausm retrieved his old emblem from beneath his armor and clicked at the device within it. Though the reinforcements would be too late, he could at least try to ensure the rescue of his allies before he finally passed out.
Closing in on the portal that Revilis created, Nessa and Mair hurried through one of the vast and open halls of the abandoned temple. The exit was close, only over a flight of stairs that led to the spot where Revilis's portal opened.
Mair couldn't help but feel himself slow down as they neared on their escape. He wanted to ask his sister if there was any way to help the others, but one look at the distressed expression painted across her face told him that she knew there was no other way. Hesitant to bring up anything else on the matter, he picked up his pace to follow after Nessa.
The exit to the hall was just in sight, but a great quake shook the temple. A portion of the ceiling collapsed upon the exit, blocking off the only way Nessa and Mair knew how to get out. They unanimously turned back and looked at what they feared might have caused the quake. Walking in from the entrance of the hall, Terr'Ignus glared down at the siblings with murderous intent. With no intention of taking him on, Nessa quickly scanned the hall and found an alternate exit to the hall on her left.
"Mair! Down there, I'll be right behind you!" She pointed out the new escape as she flipped her tome open. Before following after her brother, she released a trio of mana bolts at Ignus. Nessa grimaced at the sight of the tinge of crimson permeating the violet of her magic, a sure sign of her mana reaching its limits. The sparks of mana honed in on Ignus, only to be interrupted as he raised a pillar of stone to defend himself.
Having distracted Ignus briefly, Nessa bolted after Mair to find that the narrow hallway they ran into was blocked by debris with a gap only near the ceiling. Mair sheathed the halberd where he usually kept his pike, and began to climb the debris to make it over the gap. After receiving a quick lift up from his sister, Mair made it over the obstruction and offered a hand out to his sister. Though as he reached out, Nessa's attention was fixed behind them. Ignus wasn't to be seen yet, but it was only a matter of time until he caught up.
Nessa froze up as she tried to make the right decision. Wright told her not to make unnecessary sacrifices. Despite those warnings, there was no other solution she could rely upon.
"Mair," Nessa spoke quietly, afraid to finish the thought she wanted to express, "Go on ahead, you can use the halberd to open another exit. I'll hold off Ignus." Nessa concluded by leading her hand to her chest and tearing it away to draw out her blood magic aura. She couldn't bear to look at her brother after what she told him, and so she kept her focus on the hallway entrance.
"What!?" Mair protested with his hand still offered to her, "You can't face him alone, Nessa! Just please listen to me-"
"I'm not going to tell you again," Nessa interrupted with tears welling up in her eyes, "Go. Please." She wanted to look at her beloved brother one last time, but she knew she would falter in her decision if she did. So she remained turned away to save him.
"Listen to me Nessa!" Mair's voice cracked as he began to tear up, "You don't have to do everything alone!" Nessa froze up at her brother's words, she took a single glance back at him to see him still determined to bring her with. "I know that through our whole life that you wanted to protect me, but I wanted to become an adventurer to protect you. I wanted to show you the same kindness and love that you showed me my whole life. Now that I'm finally here, I'm begging you to at the very least let us protect each other. You don't need to fight alone while I'm here." As tears fell down Mair's face, one hit his extended arm and flowed down to his trembling wrist.
Nessa reached out and finally took Mair's hand. "I'm sorry. I should've realized how stupid I was being. I love you Mair." She looked up at him with her own tears rolling down her face.
"It's alright, usually I'm the stupid one anyways. I love you too sis." Mair lifted her up and over, and they both scaled down to the other end of the barricaded hallway. They heard from the other side of the rubble that Ignus had finally turned the corner. With no time left to spare, they continued down the hallway towards a distant light that they hoped would be some sort of solace.
The sounds of the rubble shifting from Ignus's magic permeated through the hallway as they grew closer and closer to the source of light. Soon this new light washed over them, and their eyes were forced to adjust to the new environment. Their vision eventually returned to observe the unreal beauty in the space they found themselves in. The two siblings stood on a bridge that connected the walls of a massive chasm that led not to an abyss but instead led to a magnificent and stunning source of light. Veins of crystals ran up the walls from the gorgeous light beneath them, creating a web of dazzling gems that climbed up the chasm walls. Nessa and Mair instinctively slowed down at the sight of the chasm and its bizarre features.
"What is this place?" Mair questioned as they stepped further along the bridge, but with one step, he felt a soft footing beneath him.
"Look out!" Nessa grabbed Mair's hand and pulled him away as a section of the bridge collapsed into the blinding light below. The suspending beams connected to the chasm walls, luckily keeping the bridge stable, but they were now cornered with no further escape.
"This is the culmination of everything the surface dwellers brought here." Ignus stepped onto the bridge and answered Mair's question himself. "This is the false sun. Look upon it now, because it will be the last thing you see. Once I get rid of you pests, the false sun and all of its connections will disappear forever." Terr'Ignus concluded with dark magic swirling at the edge of his staff, shaping into the form of a spearpoint.
Mair hesitantly drew the halberd off his back and stepped forward to oppose Ignus for the final time. He felt his knees get weak and his confidence faltering in the face of the maniac before him. Doubts and concerns over Fausm invaded Mair's thoughts. In his eyes, there was no way he could win. A firm and familiar hand gripped his shoulder, instantly erasing the dread he felt as he turned to see his sister smiling at him.
"We can do this, Mair." A crimson aura flared around Nessa's arm as she reassured her brother. "We can do this together." They gave each other one last nod of understanding before rushing out at Ignus together.
Ignus flinched at the surprising confidence of the two siblings, but he would not let this unwarranted arrogance get to him whatsoever. He stabbed his dark magic spear out towards Mair, only for him to clash against it with the halberd. Light and darkness raged against each other as the two dusk elves put their all into overcoming their opponent. Though the stalemate would not last long. Nessa fired a beam of crimson magic at Ignus's shoulder, knocking him off balance and causing him to reel back.
Terr'Ignus wildly swung the magic weapon between them in retaliation, forcing the siblings to split up in order to dodge. He tried to lash out at Nessa. However with the twisting of her blood magic, she forced him down onto one knee before he could actually approach her. Mair used Ignus's fallen state to his advantage, attempting to strike at him while he was under the influence of Nessa's magic. The halberd cut right through Ignus's body, though he turned to a black mist and reformed a few meters back to the base of the bridge.
Stumbling back after the swift reformation, Ignus's hand instinctively moved over between his collarbone and shoulder, wincing in pain as he did. He pulled his hand away and saw the blood that stained it. Despite his attempt to dodge the halberd attack, the magic of the artifact weapon still carved through his mist form, leaving a gash down and over his chest. Even with the agonizing burning pain that the halberd left on his body, Ignus managed to push forward.
Nessa's crimson aura raged as she tried to manipulate Ignus once more, but a quick swipe of his hand loosened the stone of the bridge that Nessa stood on. It crumbled at the edge, catching Nessa off balance and nearly taking her with it to the sun below. She narrowly grabbed the new edge of the bridge, though her tome slipped from her grasp and fell open at Ignus's feet. He stepped onto the tome, crumbling the pages beneath his boot as he glared down Mair.
"Nessa!" Mair screamed in fear as he tried to rush to help her, but he was quickly interrupted as Ignus intercepted his path with his staff outstretched.
"You'll join her soon enough." Ignus growled as he approached Mair with his dark spear at the ready. The two dusk elves began to duel with unyielding vigor and determination. Every jab and swipe collided in a display of black and golden sparks as Mair found himself pushed back with every interaction of their blades. His guard slipped further and further as the spear sliced at his side and arms, yet no direct hit was able to be landed.
Ice magic swirled in the free hand of Ignus as he prepared to end it all. He motioned downwards as a layer of frost covered the ground beneath Mair in a thin coat of ice. With no stable footing, Mair slipped onto his back with the halberd falling out of his hands. Ignus stood over Mair with a sinister and twisted grin etched onto his face. He raised the spear over Mair, ready to finish him once and for all and complete his goal.
Nessa looked on in horror as she was left dangling off the ledge with no way to save her brother. Her tome was far out of her reach and she could barely lift herself up back onto the bridge. Even as her grip slowly gave out, Nessa only had one goal in mind. She propped herself up over the edge as best she could. Nessa let go one of her hands and reached it out to Ignus. Her balance began to waver, but it didn't matter to her. Blood magic crackled at the edge of her hand as Nessa desperately tried to recall one of her spells from memory.
Nessa continued to try and cast, unbeknownst to Ignus, who stood mere moments away from impaling Mair upon his spear.
"Goodbye, interloper," Ignus snarled before finally driving his spear down. Though he attempted to strike down, his wrists would not move. His entire body felt paralyzed as his muscles refused to move. Breathing became difficult and Ignus's eyes drifted as much as they could to Nessa, still hanging on for dear life while constricting him with her blood magic. She could feel her veins sting and ache as she used every ounce of herself to hold Ignus down.
Mair took notice that Ignus was forced into motionlessness. Without hesitation, he took the halberd one final time and stabbed out like it was second nature. Mair didn't look at what he had done, but he felt the sinking weight of the blade digging into flesh. He slowly looked up to see the Solferre Halberd dug deep within Ignus's abdomen.
"H-How?" Ignus questioned as he stumbled back like a drunkard, "This wasn't supposed to…" All his life he knew his cause to be just. Ignus believed that he would always succeed, for failure was not something he could envision. He was favored by fate, wasn't he? To Ignus, it all seemed unreal. There had to be an explanation for this failure, and he just didn't see it.
With the deed done, Mair rushed to help his sister. He lifted her back onto solid ground before sharing in a grateful embrace over neither of them ending up harmed.
"This isn't over," Ignus whispered to himself with the revelation of his fate dawning on him. It all made sense to him now. The fates were cruel, but he knew that sacrifice was his destiny. "This isn't over!" he repeated, this time for the siblings to hear, "Death will not stop my purpose. I will fulfill my destiny, even if death must take me from the future I fought for." Ignus concluded by gripping onto the weapon that impaled him. A blinding silver light shined out from the artifact, spewing bolts of corrupted energy and emitting vicious shockwaves that shook the chasm down to its core. Each bolt that fled the weapon hit the crystals lining the walls, creating a chain reaction that ultimately led down to infecting the sun below.
The ritual had begun, and Ignus was willing to die with its completion. Nessa and Mair looked on in terror as everything they tried to prevent was unfolding right before them. Mair fought through the shockwaves that kept him back and took hold of the shaft of the halberd. He desperately tried to pull it out and away from Ignus. Despite all of his attempts, Ignus kept a cold dead grip on the artifact that could not be broken.
Nessa tried to pick herself up and fight against the wild shockwaves that erupted throughout the chasm. She had to help her brother take the halberd from Ignus. That was the only solution she could think of. Hoping it would work, she pushed herself against the pure force keeping her back until she finally clamped her hands over Mair's to aid him. Despite making it to him, she felt like something wasn't right. Deep in her very blood, she felt this wouldn't work before she even attempted. Her mind tried to fight these thoughts of doubt, but her body pushed her forward with the true solution.
Nessa's blood raged on and on, pushing her closer to Ignus, until eventually, she gave in to its will. The force that led her forward pushed right through the shockwaves as she instinctively clasped her hands over the exposed blade of the halberd.
She grimaced and cried out in pain as the artifact cut through her palms, singeing her blood with the light magic that flowed through the blade. Even with the overwhelming pain coursing through her body, she remained stalwart and let her blood magic act on its own.
"Mair!" Nessa cried out as the extreme pain coursed through her, "I need you to use as much of the halberd's magic as you can!"
"What!?" Mair questioned as if Nessa had gone mad, "Isn't that what Ignus wants?"
"You have to trust me, Mair!" Nessa looked back at her brother with purpose and determination clear in her eyes. Mair put all of his trust in his sister and did as he was told, managing to activate the scripts in order to fulfill Nessa's plan.
The light that surged out from the artifact coursed underneath Nessa's skin. Her veins shone with the halberd's power as she bore the excruciating feeling that it all caused her. Despite all the pain, Nessa's plan unfolded just as she wanted.
Ignus looked on in confusion at Nessa's attempts to stop him. He watched in bewilderment as the bolts that left the halberd slowed until only the blinding light and shockwaves remained. Fear and terror overcame Ignus as he hesitantly looked down at his aching arm. He looked at his veins and arteries beneath his skin, glowing as the light of the halberd coursed through his blood.
"No…" Ignus panicked and yet he couldn't find the strength to push Nessa away as his body was overtaken by the light. "Stop! You don't understand what you're doing! If you stop, I'll ensure that you will be treated as royalty in the new world. Just withdraw your magic!" His voice wavered and fluctuated with fear as the light slowly crawled up through the veins in his neck.
Nessa did not entertain his attempt to plead after everything he had done to torment her and her friends. She remained grasping the halberd, with no intentions of letting Ignus go.
Ignus looked upon Nessa's determined and unflinching gaze with a cold realization and broken pride. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Ignus not only felt fear, but he felt regret. When he looked upon Nessa he did not see an adventurer who protested against his pure hearted ideals. He saw only the grimace of his lost mother, disapproving of all his twisted and cruel actions.
The light in his blood finally reached its limit as it gathered at the epicenter of his bright white scar. Overwhelmed with pain, Ignus released a final scream as his eyes lost all color and faded into a blinding white that enveloped the entire chasm in a wave of light. At the very end of his life, Ignus only felt doubt. Doubt of his purpose and his ideals.
The sudden flash of light dissipated until only the shining sun below was left to light up the chasm. Nessa and Mair found themselves laying on the ground just within the exit to the hall that led to the bridge. They stirred from their momentary daze and looked out at the bridge behind them. Ignus was nowhere to be seen, and the bridge was mere moments away from collapsing.
"What happened?" Nessa questioned and rubbed at her forehead in confusion. She looked at her side and noticed that in the chaos that unfolded, her tome fell back at her side.
"I'm not sure, but whatever you did, it worked. I think Ignus is gone." Mair answered as he looked out at the nearly broken down bridge. Sitting at the edge, the halberd remained, but its blade was shattered beyond repair. Before either of them could decide whether to retrieve it or not, the last of the supports gave out and the bridge crumbled to the false sun out of sight.
Both Nessa and Mair stood in silence for a few moments, processing the events that just played out before them. They were both responsible in some way for Ignus's death. It felt wrong to take a life like that, but they both knew they did the right thing. The moment of silence was soon interrupted as a realization dawned on Nessa.
"We actually did it." A smile formed on Nessa's face as they both stood up. "We saved Vy'Es Dela'Ramar." She rushed to her brother and gave him a celebratory hug.
"It does feel kinda unreal." Mair laughed off the situation now left in their past. "But I'm just so glad you're safe."
"I'm glad you're safe too, Mair," Nessa softly admitted, pulling away from the hug to look at her brother. "Come on. Let's go home."