The spear descended at the same time my body shot up. The blade skimmed past my neck drawing blood, only for me to grasp it with my hand. Elroy tried to pull back but I denied him. A knife reached my free hand and swung as I lurched forwards. He panicked, letting his spear fall in retreat. My knife only found air. I refused not to draw his blood. With his own spear I stabbed forward turning the blade. The crunch of metal on metal and the shattering of armour. In the end my strength wasn't enough to seal the deal. Blood poured down his chest but the spear remained stuck, held by the armour that saved his life.
He jumped back and wrenched the spear free, groaning in pain, "You!"
"General!" one of the nearby Knights went to assist him but he was pushed back. Several more pointed their weapons towards me.
"Enough! He's mine," he cursed under his breath and drank a potion from his belt.
My eyes didn't leave his. Blood freely dripped from my hand and neck. At this rate I'd collapse due to blood loss but I could care less. The anger that had welled inside me had only dissipated a little, replaced by frustration instead.
"I'll make sure you suffer before you die," the General declared and pointed his spear at me. His own blood matted the end.
With those words a powerful roar exploded from the Magicians Guild drawing all our eyes towards it. A vicious smile split my lips at the sight of it. From behind the besieged and broken wall knights and soldiers charged out breaking the lines of the Empire and causing disarray. They wore the Kingdom's banners. Taylor had made it inside, she really was the best when it came down to it.
"What?" General Elroy stared at the sudden army with wide eyes.
"When you pick a fight with us, you pick a fight with many others," I laughed.
"Impossible! The Kingdom doesn't have access to the Guild," he turned to me.
"Correction, they 'didn't'," I continued to smile. We had sent a message to the Kingdom to prepare and Taylor passed on the access circuits to the Archmage. Although the transportation had its limits, it was enough to break out from desperation.
The General began to laugh manically, "You've done so much in such short time… but now I'm getting annoyed."
"Only now? I was annoyed from the start."
"I know the limits Rain Axel of Axel. Even with the Kingdom, you're outnumbered and with the Hero at our side you'll be crushed."
"Then why are you so anxious?" I pointed at his sweating expression.
He ground his teeth, "You Knights take care of the Kingdom's reinforcement. You three stay and everyone else kill the ones in the forest and get me my Hero back."
"But General you'll-," a gilded knight spoke up.
"I'll join you once I kill this whelp. Now go!" he commanded. Apart from three of the gilded knights the rest departed immediately and I had no intention to stop them. Really I couldn't stop them. Ronalt and Earnest would have more trouble but I doubt they were as wounded as I was, they'd be fine… maybe. In fact I'd rather that the other three go as well.
"You might regret that choice," I entered a broken stance, knife pointed towards the General. "I'm actually pretty good at killing people."
"No one interfere," his eyes turned towards me with scorn. He didn't have much reason to hate me other than me being a royal pain. I on the other hand had every reason to stare at him the same and I did so with twice the intensity. For everything that he had done to me as Caius and Rain, even as Jane, I'd break him, but for now… I ran.
My sudden movement surprised him as I legged it to the cover of the forest. With no soldiers blocking my path it was a free sprint. I wasn't stupid. If I faced him head on I'd die in an instant like I was now. In the end, all I was doing was stalling for time. He hesitated unsure what I was doing before cursing and chasing after me. It brought me enough time to reach the tree line and as he caught up and stabbed his spear, the blade caught a branch veering off target. I cut back with my knife, scratching at his armour. He stabbed again, nicking my side as I retreated. With just a knife, I couldn't pierce his armour.
It became a game of cat and mouse as I folded my way through the trees turning at odd angles and jumping off the wooden limbs. The movements confused him. Combined with Taylor's technique he could barely keep track of me as the scratches against him piled up. For all his knightly training, a place like this was where I thrived. That's not to say I didn't have my own struggles. At this point I was running on fumes. The only reason I could still move was from desperation.
Finally I landed a clean blow as his sword swung millimetres from my scalp. He groaned and coughed as the knife dug into the space between the metal plates protecting his side. I jumped back discarding the knife just in time to avoid his retaliation. The knights that had followed us almost drew their swords but the General shook his head.
"Goddess be damned!" he swore and pulled the knife free.
"It would be easier if you just die," I replied with a tired huff.
"Unlike you, I can keep going so keep your mouth shut," he drew out another potion and drank it. That really wasn't fair… I know I had done the same but I already ran out. I would kill for a breather, well that was my intention. "You know what, I've had enough." A swirl of mana pooled around him as he pointed a crystal towards me.
Not good. I ran towards the nearest cover as spears red like fresh blood pierced the ground I had just been. The tree I used as cover vibrated and without warning a spear shot through its trunk. There was no time to react and as the crimson spike pierced my chest it spread. Instead of shooting through it carried me backwards, slamming me against another tree. I coughed blood but didn't die. The spear was keeping me alive, closing the wound.
"This is what happens when I get serious," General Elroy moved into full sight, smiling as a declaration of victory.
"Screw you," I groaned unable to free myself.
"Don't worry Rain Axel of Axel, I'll make sure to keep you alive long enough to witness the horrors of the Empire. In fact I might have the Hero kill you. I heard you two had a good relationship."
"Could you be less evil?" Despite the spear through my chest talking only hurt a little.
"I'm not evil Rain. It's justified," he stood in front of me now. "The Empire will take over the world and only then will there be true peace. Once that happens I'll be able to retire as a true Hero."
"Has anyone ever called you narcissistic? Because you are."
He chuckled coldly, "I'll enjoy breaking your will."
"Trust me, I've already been broken." I returned his victorious glare with one of my own. "There's just one thing. You know what's the biggest difference between you and me right now?"
"The hole in your chest?" he smirked thinking I was bluffing.
"No, I'm not alone."
He had time to frown and that was all. Caius' fist ploughed into his face, cracking it and causing the General to grind into the dirt before being stopped by the roots of the forest. The knights beside him tried to draw their weapons but it was too late as three dark beams broke through their armour killing them instantly. To the General's commendation he got up quickly and faced Caius pointing the crystal his way. Like it had done for me, an onslaught of red spears shot towards him. They were stopped by a barrier, vibrating fiercely trying to pierce Caius as they had for me.
Caius simply stared at him, "So you were a catalyst user."
General Elroy grimaced and raised another crystal releasing a beam of light. It travelled almost instantly but like the spears they failed to reach Caius. The beam scattered against Caius' barrier burning the earth and forest. A sizzle sounded by my ear.
"Hey watch it!" I yelled to Caius.
He regarded me with indifference and held out his hand towards General Elroy, "I've been waiting for this." With a crushing gesture the air around the General compressed. He was forced to his knees and began to struggle to breath. All the while Caius stared at him with cold dead eyes, "You don't deserve a clean death."
"W-wait," the General coughed. The pressure lessened. "Y-you can't kill me. As soon as I die so will Rain. Without my spell there is nothing keeping him alive." He looked at Caius triumphant.
"He's lying…," I looked at him bluntly. This type of magic was based off time. There was no longer a connection to the General.
"I know," Caius smiled evilly. As it was for the both of us, seeing the General in this position brought a dark joy to our hearts. "General Elroy of the Empire, do you know who I am, who we are?"
His eyes widened in realisation as Caius let his disguise fall, "You're a demon."
"Not any demon, but a demon whose life you stole. You killed our mother, enslaved my village and have done so to thousands of others! Today I'll have my vengeance." A dark spear formed in his hands pointing at the General's eye.
His glance switched to me in panic and confusion. For him half of what Caius said was crazy, after all I was human. I could see his mind ticking, wondering where his plans had gone wrong. Was it when he went after me alone, or was it before that? Was it his arrogance, his desire for power? Who could tell what truly launched himself down this path but one thing was clear, like the many people he had made suffer, he was now unequivocally desperate.
In a moment of assurance he suddenly smiled, "You can't kill me!" Victory once more painted his expression. "My heart is linked to the artefact. If I die the Hero will go berserk! You need me alive."
"Do we?" Caius faced me with a smug smile that drained the life from General Elroy.
I looked to the sky. The sun had set and dusk had taken over. "Nope."
"Wait!" the General screamed one last time. Caius' dark spear pierced his eye. It wasn't an instant death. It was the worst death I or he had ever created. A spell made to one day grant our vengeance. Beheading him would have been a mercy. It was a magic to cause pain. To feel your heart burst, your skin peel, your body on fire, for the very blood inside you to boil. In the world it lasted a second. However in his mind entrapped by the spell it would last hours. His brain forcefully heightened to superhuman proportions, to feel every millisecond as a minute. A magic no sane person would use. Unable to move, only to feel. The second passed. The General died before he hit the ground. Not from the wound to his head but the collapse of his mind in its entirety.
Caius looked to the sky, a tear rolled down his cheek, "It is done mother."
"Yeah…," an emptiness rippled through my own heart. The need for a decades' long vengeance was gone. I had a life outside of it now. My memories as Rain and as Jane. For Caius his entire purpose had been to one day destroy the humans, to ultimately take his revenge. For him right now… even I couldn't know what he felt.
"I suppose I should let you down," Caius breathed out and stepped towards me.
"Hold on!" I stopped him. As much pain and discomfort I was in, right now I was okay. "I'll really die once I fall down so you better have a good plan."
"Priest girl are you ready?" he looked to the nearby bush.
Marley popped out, her body was shining ready to cast, "I'm ready!"
"Good," with absurd casualness Caius wrenched the spear free, taking much of me with it.
My eyes blanked from the sudden lurch as I felt my body immediately begin to fail. The sensation only lasted a moment. Marley's light descended upon me wrapping me in an incredible warmth. It felt similar to the Goddess' light. She really was gifted. My wounds quickly began to fade with even the gaping hole I once called a chest being repaired. For something so serious it surprised even me that it only took a minute.
Marley collapsed with the fading light, "I'm beat." Her skin was deathly pale.
I managed to stand, "Are you alright?" Though my body was healed she couldn't do much for my lack of energy.
"I'm tapped out," she shivered. "Don't get hurt anymore."
"That's a lot to ask…," I smiled at the girl and rubbed her head gently. "Thank you Marley, you saved me again."
"You bet I did," her eyes began to sink and finally closed. She was asleep. Her calm expression a small respite to what would come.
Caius gripped my shoulder almost forcing me to face him, "Rain… you did well to bring him here. Thank you."
"I wanted it as much as you did…." At the end I remembered more than I desired to. I heaved a deep sigh and shook it off, "Ardent won't be able to hold out any longer. I'll get Marley somewhere safe."
"As promised I will continue to help you," he nodded grimly. "This is the true beginning."
"Stage five," I clenched my fist. It was time to face Lara for real.