**********************************************
Nourtuck, The Desolate Chambers: The Heart of Nourtuck, Time: 2:00 PM
**********************************************
The Gray Phoenix guards charged at them, but the prisoners, inspired by the chance for freedom, joined forces with our heroes. The mighty minotaurs and saxum people used their strength to forcefully push through the guards.
"Please help them out!" Maxwell shouted as he released the magical cuffs on the elves, enabling them to use their magic. Vines sprouted, grabbing the guards and swinging them wildly.
James leaped into the fray, showcasing his powerful move, "Eye of the Sun!" With a swing of his halberd, he sent the red-colored guards flying, breaking their formation.
"Haha yeah!" James cheered, but the relentless onslaught continued as more guards kept appearing.
A Gray Phoenix thief attempted to stab James in the back, prompting Mianne's urgent warning. "James! Look out!" Mianne spotted a rogue guard scaling the wall, preparing to ambush James from above.
"Barrière angélique," Mianne quickly invoked, creating a white angelic shield surrounding James. The rogue guard caught off guard, struggled to pull out his knife from the barriers that now enclosed James.
"Thank you, Mianne!" James expressed his gratitude, swinging his halberd at the rogue guard and sending him flying into the walls.
The unexpected sight startled some guards who were enjoying a peaceful meal, their heads popping out of the wall in amazement.
"Call of Lightning!" Ezra shot a barrage of electric arrows into the sky, casting them down on the unlucky guards.
"Gotcha!" Ace shielded himself and skillfully bashed five guards away, sending them flying. A heavy guard tried to ambush Ace from behind, but he swiftly turned around, slashing the guard with his swords.
"Judgement!" Ace raised his sword, invoking a white sigil above and below the heavy guard, striking them down with a beam of light.
The guards kept coming relentlessly, like an unending horde. They fought back fiercely, but the situation was becoming overwhelming. A bomb maniac from the Gray Phoenix attempted to throw a bomb at Ace, but he deftly deflected it back, causing an explosion around them.
"An opening! You guys go ahead! Just keep going to the bridge and take him down!" Maxwell yelled out.
"Right! Guys, let's move!" James shouted as he stomped a guard onto the floor, Ezra was lifted by James, and they began to escape.
"No, you won't!" Vink tried to stop them, but a minotaur prisoner grabbed him by the legs and slammed him into the ground.
James and the group managed to escape the prison room, frantically running and slashing through any guards trying to stop them.
"Where are we even going?" Mianne asked as they hurriedly made their way through the building.
"Maxwell said the throne should be north of this building. Quick, the windows!" James yelled out, leaving Ace and Ezra bewildered.
"Wha- HEY!" Ace was lifted by James and thrown into the window, shattering it, and everyone else leaped out, escaping through the windows.
Meanwhile, back with Vink, his fury intensified as he viciously attacked the minotaur, stabbing it in the eyes and breaking its leg.
"MAGE! SEND ME TO THE BRIDGE NOW!" he ordered, determined to pursue our heroes.
**********************************************
Nourtuck, The Desolate Chamber: The Ravine Bridge, Time: 2:20 PM
**********************************************
The Lucky Inquisitors sprinted away in a hurry, recognizing their inability to take on the pursuing horde. They reached the bridge split between two ravines. Ace, attempting to catch his breath, acknowledged the reprieve.
"We're almost near the throne room! We just need to cross this bridge!" Mianne declared, nearly out of breath from the relentless running. James clenched his fist, eager to confront the false ruler.
Ezra, however, couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. "Something is off..."
The bridges started shaking, hinting at the impending emergence of something colossal.
"Woah! Woah! What's happening?!" Mianne exclaimed in panic as a giant purple snake suddenly appeared.
The snake had a massive horn on its head covered by red-like cloth armor, 70 sharp teeth, and sharp scales covering its skin. The snake's gaze fell upon our heroes, its mouth agape in excitement and hunger.
A mysterious voice echoed, accompanied by the figure appearing atop the snake's horns.
"You know, I don't quite get you lot breaking into our territory and saying how you wanted to beat our ruler," the figure stated as he looked down on them.
"My name's Vink, the head of the West of The Gray Phoenix guard, Sir Koras's right-hand man. This is my pet snake, Sinky," Vink greeted them, bowing. "But, unfortunately, you won't ever get to Sir Koras, our great ruler. This is where I stand my ground and make sure all of you die right here!" Vink declared, brandishing his crimson-colored spear menacingly.
"En garde!" Vink exclaimed as Sinky roared and charged at the first target, Ace. Ace swiftly raised his shield to fend off the oncoming beast, but the impact nearly sent him over the bridge.
"Ssssssss..." Sinky relentlessly attempted to bump into Ace twice more, aiming to knock him off the bridge and devour him.
James intervened, leaping in front of the attack and glowing with a radiant light.
"Pathway of the Sun!" James declared, successfully blinding the giant snake. Sinky, in pain from the radiant light, blindly thrashed around in an attempt to regain its sight. Vink, trying to calm the snake, fell off and landed on the bridge.
"You may hurt me, but hurting my snake is going too far!" Vink exclaimed, dashing toward James and challenging him to a duel.
"Come at me then!" he taunted.
Vink clashed weapons with James, managing to knock James's weapon out of his hand.
"You might be a skilled spearman, but I have more experience than you," Vink boasted, stabbing James in the gut. James grunted in pain but stepped on his halberd, causing it to flip upward for him to grab it. He then slashed Vink across the arms, forcing Vink to pull out his spear.
"Nice hit, I underestimated you," Vink praised, looking at his wound. "But can you handle this?" Vink yelled, spinning his spear faster and faster.
"Great Spear Boomerang!" he declared, throwing the spear at Jame, who skillfully dodged it. Jame rushed toward Vink, attempting to slash him now that he was weaponless. However, Vink expertly blocked James's attacks with his hands.
"You think I don't know martial arts?!" Vink taunted with a smirk.
As the spears returned toward Vink, it seemed he would be impaled. But James managed to duck at the last moment, leaving Vink astonished. The spear impaled Vink instead, causing him to grunt in pain as he tried to pull it out.
"Let me help you with that!" James said, preparing his halberd for an attack.
"Eye of the Sun!" James yelled as he swung his halberd at the spear, driving it even deeper into Vink.
With a scream of agony, Vink was sent flying into a nearby wall, his body landing on the rocks. As he attempted to get up, his body betrayed him, leaving him unable to continue the fight.
"This damn snake is annoying!" Ace grunted, shielding against another attack from Sinky.
"My arrows can't get through its scales!" Ezra exclaimed as he attempted to shoot down the snake, but all his arrows bounced off harmlessly.
"We need something to penetrate its defenses!" Mianne stated as she quickly healed Ace.
The snake opened its mouth wide, poised to devour Ace whole. However, Ezra seized the opportunity and shot an arrow into its mouth, causing the serpent to roar in pain and recoil, glaring at the heroes.
"Oh, I get it now," Ace said, finally understanding how to defeat the beast.
"Yeah, we have to hit the inside of its mouth," Ezra explained, attempting to bait the snake into opening its mouth again.
"I've got an idea! What if you imbued your elemental arrow and someone baits it to open its mouth?" Mianne suggested. Ezra's arrow started to glow in an orange flare, and Ace, taunting the snake, provoked it to open its mouth wide.
"OI, YOU SERPENT! COME GET SOME, YOU DAMN COIL!" Ace yelled angrily, making the snake very agitated as it rushed to devour him.
Just in time, Ezra stepped in front of Ace and shot the arrow into the snake's mouth, causing it to ignite inside. The serpent roared in pain as it collapsed into a ravine.
"Well, that takes care of them," Mianne stated with relief, happy not to deal with the serpent again. Jame walked over to the rest of the group, having finished his fight.
"We did it, team!" Jame cheered, glad everyone was well and okay.
"Let me patch you up, Jamie," Mianne said as she healed her beloved.
"Thank you, Mianne," James said, smiling happily.
At the end of the bridge, they finally arrived at the throne room door.
"Well, we're finally here. The gate to the throne room," Ace examined the gates, finding no strings attached or traps.
"This is where we could either return or never return. Are you sure we are up for this?" Ace turned to James, whose eyes were fired up with sheer determination.
"Yes! I am sure that we will make it through." James was ready.
Ezra decided to enlighten his friends with a poem, "You might be stopped by the mountain, but you can't ever fail in the storm." Mianne and James clapped for him, not fully grasping the meaning.
"Well, let's give it our best shot. I just want you to know that you guys have been amazing friends to me." Ace stated.
"Well, Ace, thanks for staying alive this long," Ezra said as he patted his shoulder.
"Ace, you're truly a great friend. Thank you for protecting everyone with your shield!" Mianne said, smiling warmly.
Ace put his hand on the gates, but James overlapped with his as well. "Well, Ace, let's go! Let's make a difference in the world!" James declared, causing Ace to slightly smile.
"Alright, Captain. Let's take him down!"
**********************************************