Sullivan in his Sludge pup form caught him before his head could bash open.
The monster hybrid propped open a liquid eye and signed sadly. "A mild concussion….just put him in a coma why don't you…" He slithered around. "I got him. Now let's leave."
'Without Oriane?!" Shulia asked, incredulous.
"Yes, without her. This is her fight. Our interference will only be fuel to the fire. The Inquisitor can be pushed so far till he bares his fangs and kills us all."
"But leaving her is the same thing as that!"
Sylvester quietly mumblebed, "You sure are trying your best to stay compared to Claudina…"
"Not now, brat!" Shulia turned. "Sullivan, you can leave with that other brat on your back but I won't. If that Inquisitor bares his fangs then I will also bare mine."
Shulia and Sullivan were in a staring competition with neither side refusing to give the other any inch.
Finally Sullivan dropped his eye. It went back into being a part of his body. "...Do whatever you want. I am not the master of your Fate."
He turned to leave the cave. Just as he was about to enter the exit he paused. "...But know this; by joining that fight you are setting yourself up for destruction. Let Oriane alone deal with the Inquisitor. It's time the young fledgling walks her own path."
With that Sullivan along with Anatole disappeared in the dark.
Oriane's head buzzed. After being thrown inside the cave walls she had crash landed inside the temple. She also thought that she heard Shulia and Sylvester.
She shook her head. "No, no, no that can't be right. I am sure Sullivan evacuated them." She brushed her fingers on her side
"...I think I broke my hip bone…"
The walls rumbled. Steadily she got back on her feet. The Inquisitor crawled out from the gaping hole and snarled. "Still alive I see."
She strode through the ruined temple, her sword drawn. He poised himself like a snake fangs ready and filled with poison.
Her blood ran cold. Regardless, her grip on her sword, ready for the fight of her life.
The spider monster lunged at her with lightning speed, his claws slashing through the air. Oriane deftly dodged the attack, swinging her sword at the monster's legs. The Inquisitor hissed in fury, but was quick to retaliate, spitting venom at the saintess.
Oriane managed to dodge the venom, but the Inquisitor didn't give her a moment's respite. He lunged at her once again, his claws raking across her body. Oraine let out a small gasp and charged at him, her sword flashing in the dim light.
The battle was fierce and grueling, with neither side giving an inch. Oriane managed to land a few blows on the Inquisitor, but he seemed unfazed, almost as if he was toying with her.
The Inquisitor, however, was not without his own weapons. His fangs dripped with venom, and his claws were razor-sharp. He lunged at Oriane once again, his claws slashing through the air. Oriane deftly dodged the attack, but the Inquisitor's claws grazed her arm, leaving a deep gash.
Oriane gritted her teeth and fought through the pain, her sword striking the monster's legs and underbelly.
An arrow pierced through her stomach.
Blood splatter through her mouth. "Keuk!"
The Inquisitor grinned manically. "Did you think my venom and claws are my only weapon?"
Oriane's eyes trembled and she glanced down. It wasn't a wooden or iron arrow. Rather one made from her own shadows.
"It took a while for all the candles to burn but it worked well didn't it?"
That's when she noticed the wicks of the torches were burning low. The structure of the underground temple created gangly shadows around them.
"Is this my death bed?"
"Glad you seem to have some sort of awareness."
She gazed at him, blood pouring out from her mouth. "Did this make Senior happy?"
"Happy?" the Inquisitor spat out. "Nothing you do can make me happy, not even your death. The only thing that can make me happy is Lord Uranus accepting me as his Saint again."
Gasping for breath she tried to scrunch out the arrow. "Don't bother. I have complete control over the shadows. Without my permission they cannot be moved."
"...It doesn't hurt to try…" she said while yanking to pry it out. She gave up. The more she was moving the more she was losing blood. "Death by blood loss is painful."
"It's a death more than you deserve."
Oriane picked up some small voices other than the Inquisitor's. And it was coming from the crumbling hole.
Shulia and Sylvester coughed out in the dust as they climbed out from the hole.
Oriane hoped the Inquisitor didn't see them but no such luck for he turned his venomous stare at them.
"Miserable, miserable miscreants." He raised his pincers up high and was about to ambush them when something pulled at him. He turned with an angry hiss.
Despite the arrow still lodged in her stomach Oriane was putting up a tremendous fight.
The Inquisitor tried shaking her off but in retaliation she pulled out Anatole's dagger -which she had swiped before- and impaled his leg.
"I won't let you," she gasped out. " I won't let you hurt my friends anymore."
"Tsk! The nuisance is still moving."
He raised his pointer finger and slashed it through the air.
Scores of shadow swords and arrows hailed up like a malevolent wave. All of them came crashing down at `Oriane. Her screams were silenced by the sounds of sharp knives cutting open flesh and tearing away the bones.
"ORIANE!" Shulia moved too late. Sylvester saw red. "You bastard!"
"Oh the rage…rage of losing a friend. Despair of an unjust death…" The inquisitor smirked. "For your rage and despair makes Lord Ri'sh all the stronger."
He moved in a flash. However the moment he was near he was sent flying back from Shulia's reinforced punch.
The Inquisitor's hand shot up to his throbbing head. "That bitc-'' THWACK!
Shulia had already been standing in front of him and gave a clean uppercut to his face. She was muttering something.
"...h…r…"
The Inquisitor was seeing stars. "W-what did you say…?"
"...turn her…." Her face was half hidden by the dark.
"What?"
She lifted her head up, angry tears glimmering on her lashes. "Return Oriane to us!"
She started to pummel him with fists. "Give her back! Back! Back, back, back! Give Oriane back to us!"
"Shulia!" Sylvester grabbed her and pulled her back.
"Let me go, Sylvester! Until I kill him I won't be satiated!"
"Stop! Oriane's fine! She's alive!"
She stopped resisting. "...what?"
Sylvester nodded quickly. "She's barely alive. We need to heal her."
Together they left the Inquisitor and to Oriane. Her breaths were coming in shallow pants and her body was torn.
"O-Oraine!" She knelt beside her. "Hold on, I am going to start healing you now. Sylvester, give me some water to clean to open wounds first."
Oriane stirred. Her eyes widened and rasped out, "...be…hind…you…"
"What? Behind me?" She looked over her shoulder and let out a cry.
Sylvester was laying face down under fool of blood."...R-run…" he choked out. The Inquisitor smirked. "I was caught off guard before but not anymo-" Shulia jumped at him, hooked her arm under his head and used the falling momentum to take him down with her.
As she scrambled off to her feet, she lifted Sylvester in one arm and Oriane on to the other.
"Don't you worry. M' gonna get both of ya outta here."
Oriane shifted her hands and tried to say something.
"No it's not your fault. We were just careless. We were so high off of our victory that we forgot the enemy is still alive. Hah! This is why the second rule of sainthood is to be and remain humble at all times."
"You too, Sylvester. Stop moving. Take a nap."
"You…rowdy…bitch!" The Inquisitor stood up on trembling spider legs. He spat out the blood formed in his mouth.
She turned with a glare. "Stay down, brat. I am not as strong as Claudian but I sure as hell can take you on single handedly. And besides I don't wanna hurt you more than I already did."
"Hah! Both your concern and cockiness are sickening!"
"Yeah yeah. I know, my concern for others always gets me in trouble," Shulia replied sadly. She set down the injured saints. Instead of her sword she raised her fists. Green magic circles orbited around her clenched fists. Shackle-like chains formed on her wrist.
Her red eyes glowed in the dim light.
"...Though my concern has always been genuine.