Donovan gazed up at Charla and watched as she attempted to hold tears that welled in her eyes. Blood dripped from the wound on her shoulder and back, slowly drenching his face in her blood.
"Charla… H-how the heck did she find me!? Wasn't Zelak supposed to help her-" A faint shimmer caught his eyes, drawing it to the slave crest on Charla's chest. "Of course. The enslavement contract."
An intense bloodlust jolted Donovan from his thoughts. Alarmed, he grabbed Charla's wrist and pulled her down, dodging Lyra's blade as it stabbed the stone ground.
The succubus sneered and pulled her knife, and stabbed at Donovan. They clashed, with Donovan's pipe, barely holding the woman back. "Charla, get out of here!!"
On his order, Charla's moved as the two interlocked with a fierce determination. "
On command, half the dark puppets stopped their march and at once, turned their blank white gaze on Charla and Donovan. One by one, they turned and began their approach.
"Crap, this isn't Good!" Donovan thought. Unexpectedly, Lyra pulled her knife and grabbed Donovan by the strap of his armor and stabbed him again and again.
"D-Donovan!"
"S-stay away Charla!"
One stab after another, her blade pecked at his flesh, lacing the tip of her knife with blood. Mustering enough strength, Donovan caught her blade with his hand and pointed the end of his pipe at Lyra. Without hesitation, he shot a torrent of fire from his pipe, only for her to jump out of the way, barely dodging the attack.
"
Ignoring Lyra, Donovan forced himself to his feet and noticed the encroaching horde, shouted. "Get down!!" He whirled his pipe spewing fire into the horde of Zorbian puppets, and Charla ducked down with the guards following.
Not missing a beat, Donovan turned and blocked Lyra's knife again. The bloodied tip, inches from his eyes, dripped with his blood as Lyra slowly overpowered him. Her eyes locked on, and with a devilish smile.
"
"Charla, Stay out of this!" Donovan warned.
"Peh!" Annoyed, Lyra Tossed Charla off her. "Listen to your master! You had your chance join us. Now you both can die!"
Charla, with a growing determination, clawed at the ground and tossed herself back into the fray. their pink eyes flashed with an intensity, clashing gaze with gaze.
Both Lyra and Charla, winced feeling the invisible clash.
"
A surge of fire quickly spewed at the two, forcing them apart. Donovan, at the end of the very barrel, huffing and puffing with his hands shaking.
Charla quickly regrouped with Donovan. All the while, even more puppets began to flood the castle's gate, with the guards barely managing the puppets away from them. "This is stupidly bad. That succubus is even fast. Think Donovan! Think! There has to be something I can do."
Donovan glanced around and saw the ground littered with weapons and blood, along with the rising arms of the puppets.
"
Donovan jolted, shocked. His eyes peered back to Lyra and watched as she licked her knife more satisfied. She flashed her pink eyes, but met with the same Pink flash by Charla, clashing and disrupting her plans.
Lyra frown, and turned directly to Charla. ""
Charla glared more harshly at Lyra. "
"
Shortly after, the knife wilting from existence and manifested back into Lyra's hand. "
Donovan, aimed his pipe at Lyra. But to his shock, she kick it from his hands then tackled him. With Pure glee she pulled his helmet from his head and posed with her knife. "Peek-a-boo."
Lyra thrusted her knife at Donovan, but completely missed as Charla pushed into Lyra. In retaliation, Lyra pushed back, cut Charla on the cheek and kicked her to the ground. Annoyed, Lyra slowly back away into the growing crowd of puppets behind her.
The large horde came ever closer with their blade and club-shaped arms. Donovan regrouped with Charla and manifested a fireball in his palm.
"
"Crap!"
They charged at once, forcing him to shoot the horde of attacking monsters. A puppet struck him at once, banging hard on his armor. He blasted the head of the sludge monster full of fire, then glanced back at Charla and finally noticed the large cut on her back.
Momentarily stunned, Donovan gulped. He quickly glanced at the sword on the ground and kicked it to her. "Ch-Charla! Y-you have to defend yourself!"
Obeying, Donovan, Charla took the sword and fended off the first of the attacking puppets. All the while Donovan continued blasting one puppet after another with fireballs that only seemed to barely keep the horde at bay.
More rose from the ground and walls, slowly filling the entire walled-off area and tightening walls of. A sudden pain spiked, and Donovan fell to his knees, clutching his chest.
"So what will you do now, Donovan? Charla?"
Donovan's eyes widened in shock, hearing Lyra. "She can--..."
"You both can't fend off Zorbian's puppets forever…
Donovan clenched his teeth. "Tch! Like hell we'll die!"
"
Donovan reached for his pocket and pulled a green crystal from it. He stared at the crystal in stunned shock, unsure what was happening. The words Kalika once spoke of seeing colors within the white crystals echoed in his mind.
He clenched a crystal in his hand and glared back up into the horde of monsters. Channeling magic through the crystal, he conjured blades of wind and shot them at the monsters from around both him and Charla.
Lyra, within the crowd, raised a brow. "
"Charla! Stay close to me!" Donovan pulled another group of small piles of crystals and picked the bluest one among them. "I hope that book knew what it was talking about!"
Lyra spotted Donovan as he held two crystals in his hands and closed his eyes. "
"[STOP HIM!!]"
Lyra's eyes widened at once. She shot her knife at Donovan, aiming for the head. Unexpectedly, Charla managed to smack the blade away.
"Make it round. Layer them up. And compress them both down as much as possible!"
Another puppet, with an even larger arm, swung at Donovan, only for it to immediately bounce away.
A visible crack manifested on Donovan's side, floating in mid-air. The crack soon healed, becoming invisible.
Charla was left in awe as she watched puppet after puppet run straight into an invisible wall and attack one after another, with each crack healed soon after. However, as she turned to Donovan, she saw him run down his nose and tears of blood running down his face. His face strained as if being drained. Despite this, he remained absolutely determined.
"Heh… That's another point for that book." Donovan joked. He coughed up blood, worrying Charla. She approached. Still unable to touch him, she could only watch on as blood ran down his face. "D…Donovan?"
Lyra's knife stabbed the barrier in front of Donovan. She snarled and stabbed at the barrier again and again, along with the puppets.
"Charla." Donovan weakly called. "I can keep this barrier up so that as soon as I release it, you have to get as far away from here as you can. And if I can find a way to get to Kalika, do it and stop her from whatever they're planning on doing. That's my last order to you."
Donovan weakly pulled out the black parchment from another of his pockets.
"
"So that's it…Huh?" Donovan Grimaced and steadied a glare at Lyra. "Even if this plan doesn't work, as long as there's an ounce of hope, I'll take it over this crap. I refuse to let you or your evil god trick Kalika for this ridiculous plan!"
Donovan planted his hands on the contract.
BOOM
Hundreds of the puppets flew in the air behind Lyra. Suddenly, a wave of spikes erupted from the ground, piercing the arms of Zorbian's puppets, both big and small.
The Guards, once on the brink of death, looked up at the huge figure in utter shock. "
A giant ball of fire manifested in the massive demon's hand, and he glared squarely at "Lyra, half surprised. "Lyra… I'm surprised. "
"Bjorn…" Lyra snarled. "I was hoping you'd be a little slower. But evidently that doesn't seem to be the case…"
Donovan could only look on, stunned to see Bjorn standing before them. "Th…Thank God." A wave of relief washed over this. The barrier around him shattered at once, with a mist slowly falling over him.
Lyra, sensing his newfound vulnerability, swished her knife at him and clashed blades with Charla. A torrent of fire blasts from behind, forcing her away as the hordes surrounding Donovan and Charla were cleansed.
Before they knew it, Bjorn already taken to their side, with a club resting on his shoulder. "
The surviving Guards immediately regroup with Bjorn and prepare their magic elements in hand.
"
""
"Bjorn," Donovan called. He stumbled to his feet, trying to stay strong. "Th-they're planning on using Kalika for their god. The succubus said as much before you came."
"Is that so?"
"It is! And she's in the castle right now. Whatever it is, they're doing it's not going to be long. We have to get into the castle now!"
Lyra glared at Donovan, then at Bjorn.
"So what's your plan now?" Bjorn asked, glancing back at Donovan.
"I-I'll try to hold her off while you and-"
"You fool! Do you really think Kalika will actually listen to me? As we speak, she's likely turning her backs on us and our contract. Luckily for you since your still alive, that means she isn't fully on board with whatever plan they have for her. So there's still a chance."
"Th-then what are we supposed to do then!?"
"Isn't it obvious!? you need to stop Kalika before she can fully commit to their whims. You're the only one she's ever willing to reason with."
"So my life is in my own hands?"
"Exactly."
"BJORN! CATCH!" From above, Zelak threw a bag from atop the earth wall. Bjorn caught it and passed it to Donovan and Charla.
Donovan turned his sights to Zelak, Surprised to see him. "Zelak too?"
Lyre scowled at the sight of Zelak, who quickly departed the scene.
Charla opened the bag, revealing a horde of green vials.
"Use those and get out of here," Bjorn said. "I'll keep Lyra preoccupied.
The guards around nodded and moved to grab a share of the vials, drinking them.
Determined, Donovan followed suit, with Charla being the last to drink.
"
Soon, even more hands rose from the walls and ground around everyone.
With a stern expression, Bjorn raised his hands and conjured a spike. It spun faster and faster and grew in size. Matching the gate itself.
"Yes." The spike blasted into the gate, tearing it to pieces. "Now Go!"
Donovan grabbed the contract and the bag of vials, then nodded at Bjorn. Prepared, he turned and rushed into the castle "C'mon Charla!"
On command, Charla with the guards, followed, entering the castle with healed bodies and renewed purpose.
In a last-ditch effort, Lyra threw her knife at Donovan's back, only to be met with a wall of earth, conjured by Bjorn.
"
"
Lyra scoffed. "
""
"
********
"
The seven elders and Cyrus looked at the end of the hall knowingly. From the very end, black lines branched out, practically outlining a hidden entry.
"
Undeterred, the elders slowly took out small flat stone slates. They turned to the walls with a Biltrix facing the very end and pressed the pieces into the wall. From there, the door slid down, revealing a hall entrenched in black. Oozing an ominous aura
The elders looked at the scene in shock. Undeterred, Kalika stepped up, taking the lead into the new corridor. "
"
Listening to the seven moved on, entering one by one, deeper and closer than ever to the core ahead.