Chapter 20.75: Escape

Hey, I'm not dead...and no one cares.  This blog will soon be reaching an expiration date, folks.  For those who've stuck with me, I thank you, but after this chapter, we only have one more left.  I might give a sneak peak for what I have planned in the future, but...eh, who cares but me?

Quick few updates before we get into the chapter.  I promised to update once a month, but I hate just saying, "Working on it, work gets in the way, it's taking time." which is literally all my January and February updates would have been.  I've been sick and working insane hours, balancing trying to edit videos for my game blog, creating personalized classes for my students in school, and Japanese and Chinese training has left me with only an hour or two...or sometimes three, per week to actually write.  So, life gets in the way.

This thing took a re-write, a second re-write, three edits, and I'm still not sure it's finished.  But, I'm proud of the result.  It mixes the bombastic with the subtle, adding in just the right bit of characterization and agency with my smaller cast compared to the power houses.

This chapter also marks the second to last before we do a major overhaul and start re-editing and revising the piece as a whole.  Probably starting with a name change of Daryl to Darl to make it more clear to readers her pronunciation.  Either way, next chapter, which will probably be out in mid to late April, will mark the end of book one of a planned trilogy.  Will it ever get released?  I dunno, but I copyrighted all this already, so I at least wanna try and get it published.

Anyway, I'm yammering, so without further ado, the finale of Agni's attack.

Chapter 20.75: Escape

Deminos and Melchom leapt down from the cloud of gold coins they were standing on and landed next to Yuka.  "Sorry we're late," Deminos smirked, though his jaw was clenched tight as he spied Vincent bereft of an arm, Feo whimpering in a corner, and the four girls battered, dirty, and barely able to move.

"Deminos...oh, thank the goddess," Daryl let out a sigh of relief and collapsed against Feo's furry haunch.

"D-Dem..." Yuka stammered, jumping up from the chair of golden coins that had caught her.  Her legs shook as she stumbled over to the thin, brown haired teen and she nearly toppled over.

"Hey!" Deminos exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.  Deminos's arms trembled as he struggled to keep the well muscled neeg from falling.  "Dammit, Yuka, you need to lose a few pounds..." he grunted, as beads of sweat formed on his head.

"Ugh...that's Deminos alright," Celine snorted, forcing herself up before putting Yuka's arm around her shoulder to steady her.  "Good to see you again...jackass."

"Dem?  Dem!" Mina exclaimed.  Jumping to her feet, she limped over to his side, threw her arms around his waist, and sobbed into his chest. "Dem, it's horrible!  Vincent's hurt...and Aeon...Aeon..." she gasped out as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Insolent child!" Agni's voice tore through their reunion as the hammer of golden coins that had laid him low melted into a puddle of gold at the lich's feet.

"Melchom, keep him off us!" Deminos barked at the tiny Goetian next to him before brushing past Mina and Yuka.

"Roger, sonny," Melchom retorted.  The melted gold on the floor swarmed around Melchom, wrapping him in a coat of gleaming, golden armor.  Coins flew out of Melchom's belt as he raised his hands into the air and formed two large fists of gold around Melchom's arms, which he clasped together and brought down on Agni as he advanced towards the others.

"How long do we need to hold out?" Vincent grunted, dragging himself over to Deminos while clutching at his charred stump.

Deminos's eyes widened for a quarter of a second before he raised them to meet the teythen's.  "Erm...not sure.  They're on their way, but we should try and put some distance between us and him," Deminos said, jerking his head in Agni's direction as the lich swatted at Melchom, who had formed a wall of gold between Agni and the others.

"Together then," Vincent said, leveling his left hand at the debris which covered the doorway out of the tower. 

"Right!" Deminos nodded and raised both hands towards the collapsed doorway, placing his bandaged hand behind the other and curling his fingers together around a single point.  Water began to pool in Deminos's left hand, swirling in the center of his palm.  Reeling back, Deminos threw his hand forward and a thin, powerful stream of water shot out of his palm, boring a hole through the debris that blocked their exit. Slowly, Deminos uncurled his fingers and spread them apart, forcing the stream of water to expand and push the debris away, forming a gap the others could climb through.  The rubble began to buckle, as if it were about to collapse again, but Vincent let out a grunt and the air around the opening flickered, keeping the rubble from moving.

"Get...the others...out!" the teythen panted, dropping to one knee.

"But-"

"Do it!" Vincent snarled at Deminos, barring his fangs, as the wall of gold that Melchom had created collapsed onto the floor, revealing the tiny Goetian bereft of his armor, but still haggardly flailing at Agni with elongated nails made of gold.

Deminos hesitated only for a moment before calling out to the girls.  "Mina, Celine, over here!"  The girls nodded at him and began staggering towards the newly created exit while Deminos ran over to Daryl.  "Come on, Daryl, we need to go!" he yelled, pulling at the limp girl.

"I can't move...just leave me..." she let out a weary groan.

"If I didn't leave you for Dragons, I ain't gonna leave you for a lich!" Deminos grunted.   Wrapping his arms around Daryl's waist, Deminos flexed his bandaged arm and, with some difficulty, managed to hoist her over his shoulder.  Though his legs looked as if they were about to buckle from the weight, Deminos held out a hand and dropped a few shimmering spheres of black and silver into the floor.  Half a dozen satyrs bearing a large stretcher between them climbed out of the ground through circles of silver and black.  "Get...Feo and...follow...me..." Deminos panted, limping over to where Yuka, Mina, and Celine were waiting.

"Come on...we have to-" Celine grunted, only to be cut off by the pained bleating of Deminos's satyrs.  Turning their heads, the four of them saw two waves of fire curl around the satyrs and incinerate them as well as lighting Feo's body on fire.  What remained of the satyrs' bodies dissolved into silver and black circles of light on the ground, while Feo rolled, trying to beat out the flames that licked up his furry legs.

"Too slow," Agni hissed, holding Melchom up by his head.  The Goetian's body was nigh unrecognizable, having been warped into a twisted mass of melted gold save for his head.  Both eyes were rolled back in his skull and a golden ichor flowed down his lips.  Agni's claws closed around Melchom's head, shattering it into gold coins.  The Goetian's remains collapsed on the ground and disappeared into an emerald and golden circle of light.

"No...no, not again!" Mina grunted, feeling her body about to collapse as she watched.

"Just run...!" Vincent snarled as the veins in his forehead popped out.  "Run!"

"Come on!" Deminos cried, grabbing Mina's hand as he stumbled towards the gap in the wall with Daryl still slung over his shoulder.  They rejoined Celine and Yuka, who were waiting for them by the exit, however before they could leave, Agni closed the gap between them in an instant and grabbed Deminos by the throat.

The girls watched in horror as Agni effortlessly lifted Deminos off the ground, his flaming nails digging into the teen's throat as he did so.  With what remained of his strength, Deminos tipped Daryl over his shoulder, into Mina and Celine's waiting arms.

"Dem..." Vincent hissed, letting his hand fall, closing the exit he and Deminos had made.  Twisting around, he leapt at Agni, the air around him distorting to carry the teythen forward, but the lich batted him aside with one hand, flinging him into a wall as Agni began to laugh.

"Pitiful wretch..." he chortled, his single eyeless socket falling on Deminos's bandaged arm.  "I remember you."  Flames sprang to life on Agni's fingertips and he touched them to Deminos's arm.  The bandages covering it ignited like a wad of greased rags and Deminos held in a cry of pain as his craggy, blackened flesh underneath was revealed, along with the shimmering white sigils that dotted his skin.  Narrowing his eyes, Deminos tried to bash through Agni's arm with his own, but the lich caught it in midair.  "You thought you could be powerful by taming a Goetian prince...fool...only the powerful are worthy of commanding a Goetian like Asomodeus.  The only reason you still draw breath is because Aeon took pity on you and saved your pathetic life."

"Shut your mouth!" Deminos screamed, "I may be a fool, but Aeon didn't save me because of pity!  You don't understand a damned-ack!" Deminos fell silent when Agni slapped him with the back of his skeletal hand, leaving several gashes along Deminos's cheek.  His body trembled and two rings fell from his cloak, skittering along the floor until they were next to Mina, Celine, and Yuka, who could only watch, transfixed by the display.

"Still as insolent as ever...you, Yuka!" Agni said, finally raising his eye socket to meet Yuka's eyes.  "If you care so little for the lives of your comrades, then how about their souls?" he smirked at her, "Come with me or I will unleash the Goetian within this boy and watch as he corrupts the rest of your friends."

Mina and Celine's eyes widened.  "You can't!  That would kill him!" Celine yelled.

"Hehe, death would be a blessing compared to the fate in store for this fool," Agni snickered, "So...what will it be?"

"Dem...I-" Yuka stammered, dropping to her knees.

"Yuka, just wait!  You'll all be saved, I promi-ack!" Deminos's body buckled as Agni ripped one of the glowing sigils from his arm. 

The lich's mouth began to move, however Mina could hear none of the words coming out of it.  It sounded more like a chorus of whispers, so thick and dense that they were like a mist that hung around them.  Deminos's arm seemed to hear Agni's words and pulsed with life before unleashing a horrible screech.  Agni pulled off a second sigil and the craggy black skin of Deminos's arm began to violently undulate.  Continuing his chanting, Agni reached for another sigil.

Bracing herself on the ground for support, Mina felt her fingers bump into the rings Deminos had dropped.  Looking down, she saw that they were the flint rings that Canak had given to Yuka.  "Yuka..." she whispered, scooping up the rings and handing them to her, "Do you have any more fireworks?"

"Firewo-!" Yuka stopped and her eyes widened. 

"Go on...we're not letting you go.  Besides..." Celine grunted, narrowing her eyes and wrapping her arms tightly around Daryl's unconscious body.

"We're all dead anyway...Agni won't spare us," Mina choked out, taking Celine's hand in her own and placing their combined fingers around Daryl's.

A few seconds passed, interrupted only by Deminos screaming as another two sigils were ripped from his arm.  Finally, Yuka nodded and slipped the rings onto her fingers.  Reaching into her shirt, she pulled out a metal ball with a fuse in it and held it up for Agni to see.

"Hmmm?" the lich stopped his chanting for a moment and looked up at Yuka.

"I've gotta deal fer ya, Agni," Yuka spat.  "Ya want what's in my head sa badly?  Then how about ya back off'r I'll take it with me through tha black gates!"  Flicking her fingers together, she created a shower of sparks and lit the fuse on the metal ball.

The lich smirked at her and clicked his fingers together.  A tiny blade of wind shot past Yuka, slicing the fuse from the metal ball.  "So you refuse to help me then," he said, reaching for the last of Deminos's sigils.

"No!  STOP!!!" Mina cried. 

Suddenly, Agni's hand seemed to slow.  Mina felt her breathing almost come to a halt and watched as the others froze in place.  The air around them seemed to fill with colors, as brilliant and dazzling as a rainbow, taking on the silhouette of a man.  The colors dissipated in an instant to reveal Aeon with his palms placed against the side of Agni's head.  His armor was scorched all over, his body was cracked in numerous places, and his frostbitten, blue skin was chipped and broken, but his emerald eyes burned with an intensity that belied his haggard form.

"Hands off my comrades!" Aeon yelled, as a colossal serpent of ice burst out of his palms, launching Agni off Deminos and trapping the lich in its mouth before crashing through the fortress's stone wall.  The serpent surged forward, cracking through Agni's bones as it tried to devour him.  Even after slamming into the wall of the valley and forming a large crater, it continued pressing against Agni, trying to swallow him whole.  Stepping forward, Aeon crossed his arms before curling his fingers into a fist.  The snake wound itself around Agni’s body, filling the crater and freezing it into a solid block of ice.

Aeon took a deep breath and the cracks in his skin began to fade away, while the chipped parts of him slowly reformed.  He turned his head to Yuka and exhaled slightly, taking the metal ball from her limp grasp and freezing it solid as she watched, wide eyed.  A smile crossed his face and he placed a hand on Yuka's head, rubbing her shaved skin before turning to Deminos, who had fallen to the ground.

Deminos let out a scream and clutched his arm as the black crags began to move, slithering up to his neck.

"Oh goddess...no..." Mina squealed, crawling over to Deminos's side.

Kneeling down next to him, Aeon pressed his hand against Deminos's blackened skin and it stopped moving, mere centimeters from the cuts in Deminos's face.

Opening his mouth, Aeon began to chant.  The words were heavy, like Agni's had been and Mina felt as if their weight would almost smother her.  She had to force herself to take a breath when Aeon took his finger, which began to glow bright white, and dragged it up and down Deminos's arm in a spiral pattern.  Crystalline chains rose out of the trail of white light that he left on Deminos's skin and squeezed down on the arm.  Deminos let out another scream while the skin of his arm rose up, wailing and undulating as the chains pressed against it, slowly forcing the black crags down below Deminos's neck.

"Aeon..." Yuka stammered, joining Deminos on the ground and helping him to sit up.

"That'll hold it for now, but I need to reapply the seals," Aeon panted, holding his hand up to his forehead.  "Goddess knows, it may have spread..."

"Good...to...see you...made it..." Vincent croaked from his spot embedded in the wall.  Though blood was flowing down his lips and his face had gained several new wrinkles and lines, he was smiling.

Raising one hand, Aeon swept it over Feo's charred body and ice covered the burns on the griffon's flesh.  "Unfortunately, it's not over yet," he grunted, cloth and bone forming around his body as he spoke.  "Stay back, all of you," he murmured, his skeletal form covering his human one as he spoke.

Laying Daryl on the ground, Mina and Celine peeked around Aeon's back.  A sea of fire burst out of the crater Agni had been thrown into, melting through the ice that had trapped him.  However, the fire began to change color and took on a solid form.  The crimson flames turned a shade of deep blue as they twisted into a massive creature with six segmented legs, each little more than a giant scythe blade, and a large tail formed over its body with a giant stinger at the end.  The creature rose up, like a small mountain and the ground underneath it gave way, melting into a puddle of molten rock as it took its first step forward.  The flames turned completely black as a single eye of blue flames formed in the center of the creature's elongated head.  It paused only to let out a roar that shook the foundations of the fortress before charging towards Aeon and the otheres.

Reeling back, Aeon flung his hands forward as fast as he could, each time sending spears of ice and waves of frost straight at the creature, but it did little to slow it down.  The creature's scythe-like legs sliced and burned through everything that approached it.  Finally, as the monster drew near, Aeon pressed both hands against the ground and giant crystals of ice rose from the stone in front of them, extending out and forming a forest of glittering frost between all of them and the monstrosity.

Without a hint of hesitation, the monster's segmented legs crashed through the first crystal, slicing through it like a sharp knife through a haunch of aurox meat.  The crystals around the beadt slowly began to melt as it sawed and cut its way up to Aeon, who remained fixed to the ground, keeping the barrier in place.  After several long seconds, the creature sliced through the last crystal and loomed over him. 

Even from her spot on the ground, Mina could feel the heat radiating off the creature.  It felt to her as if her skin might melt off her bones at any moment.  Her breathes grew shorter as each second passed.  Without warning, she felt a pressure on her hand and saw that Daryl had woken up and was clutching both her and Celine's hands while also holding her chest, gasping for breath.  Celine, Yuka, and Deminos seemed similarly unable to breathe.  Out of the corner of her eye, Mina saw something bright shine overhead for an instant, before vanishing, however her attention was drawn back to the monster when the stone of the fortress began bubble and melt as it stood over them.

Agni's torso, wreathed in black flames, sprouted from the beast's malformed head.  "To the Goetian hells with the girl!  If she is so loyal to you, then you can all burn together!"  The elongated head of the creature Agni had created opened its mouth to reveal row upon row of razor sharp teeth, which it bared at Aeon.  The creature's head shot forward, its neck extending as it did so.

Mina felt the air forced from her lungs as the beast of black flames stopped mere inches from Aeon.  Underneath them, a circle of black and purple light had formed and runes were being inscribed in them with each passing second.  From the edge of the circle, a thin film of purple light formed a dome around them, stopping just in front of where Aeon was on the ground.  The monster's teeth were trapped in the film, unable to penetrate it to devour Aeon.

Raising himself up off the ground, Aeon floated into the air and glanced behind him.  Mina followed his gaze and saw a picture of a beast's elongated head with two horns in the back forming in the center of purple and black circle.  Folding his hands behind his back, Aeon looked up at Agni.  "It would seem that your time is up."

Next to Mina, a creature slowly rose out of the ground until she hovered in midair, almost level with Aeon.  It appeared to be a human woman covered in downy black fur, with an elongated snout and two curved horns jutting out of her head with a purple flame burning between them. The only scrap of clothing she wore was a dirty loincloth around her waist, held in place by a buckle that bore the sigil of a serpent with three mouths upon it.  The woman sat cross legged in midair, supported by a pair of feathery, black wings, and looked over at Agni with eyes that resembled hot coals.

"Baphomet?!" Blue flames belched forth from the single eye socket of Agni's creature and it pulled back slowly, edging away from the barrier around Aeon and the others.  "No...damnation, they cannot be here!"

As if in response to Agni's cries, a gigantic tree sprouted behind him, it's thick roots spreading out and wrapping around the scythe-like legs of his creature.  Though the monster's flames tore away at the bark of the tree, the thick roots bound the creature and held it still as a tidal wave surged forth from the far end of the Keval mountains and crashed down on Agni.  A tornado touched down on top of the water, blowing it away and snuffing out the creature of black flames that Agni had created while simultaneously pinning the fiery lich to the ground.

Though they were obscured by heavy cloaks, Mina managed to make out three figures floating around Agni as the wind continued drilling him into the ground.  One wore a cloak of light, forest green and appeared to support himself with a cane, while another appeared to be little more than a fluttering piece of dark green cloth in the air.  The final figure was garbed in dark blue and had the form of a woman, however save for a few strands of damp blue hair, nothing else could be seen through the cloak.

Mina's mouth hung agape at the sight of Agni being so easily tossed about by the three cloaked figures.  Celine and Daryl were equally awestruck, however Deminos had begun to laugh manically while Yuka let out a sigh of relief.

"It's over..." Vincent smirked from his spot embedded in the wall.

A scream burst free from Agni and flames shot up all around him, forming a gigantic pillar, blasting through the tornado of wind which had drilled him into the ground.  Rising up to join the others, Aeon held out his hands and a spear of ice shot forward, while the woman in dark blue used her hand to chop at the air, sending a powerful, concentrated stream of water at Agni, which sliced through the rock of the mountains as it drew nearer to him.

Agni raised his fist and lava burst free from the ground in a great geyser, shielding him from the blade of water, while he spat a beam of concentrated flames out of his mouth at Aeon, dissolving his spear of ice.  From above, a pillar of wind dropped down around Agni and began to siphon the flames off him.  Mina watched, wide eyed, as the air was slowly drawn out of the twister, smothering the flames and reducing Agni to just his skeletal body.

The pillar of wind dissipated as a silver streak shot across the ground.  The streak of light transformed into a gigantic, silver furred apocra as it drew near to Agni and it raked him across the back with its claws.  The creature's size rivaled Echidna's, but even though lava spurted forth from Agni's bones to form a massive three pronged claw, the silver furred apocra darted out of the way, circling around Agni with such speed that it looked as if the lich were trapped in a circle of light.

"Damn you all!" Agni shrieked, rising out of the ground in a pillar of lava, which formed armor around him and gave him two gigantic scythe blades at the end of each hand.  He slashed at the beast, however a tiny woman with fiery red hair, garbed in a cloak of black and gold, appeared at the beast's side.  A massive blade, dull red in color, shot out of her arm and clanged against Agni's scythe, easily holding it at bay.  The lich tried to attack with his free blade, however the silver furred apocra leapt forward, burying its fangs in Agni's neck.  Tearing the armor off with glowing white teeth, it ripped Agni's elongated head from his body, revealing the head of a charred, ashen skinned man underneath it.

Flames burst forth from Agni, forcing the apocra to leap back, however the tiny woman raised her hand and the air distorted, dragging Agni into the ground, where a spear of tree root shot up and impaled him.

"Don't stop until he's down!" The woman with the red hair called out, as Agni tore himself free of the spear and flew over the ruined valley, trying to put some distance between himself and his attackers.

Agni had not flown far before a man in a cloak of blood-red stepped out of a swarm of furry, black winged creatures.  The figure held his hands out to either side and Agni's body mimicked him, however when the man's arms reached out as far as they would go, Agni's arms continued moving, ripping free of his body.

The man in the red cloak clasped his hands together and brought them down on the air.  Above Agni, the air distorted and he was slammed down into the dirt, as if the man had hit him.

Though his body lay ruined on the ground, Agni still tried to rise however, out of the sky, Mina saw an immense, serpentine creature bearing a set of mottled black and white wings shoot down towards Agni.  Riding on the head of the creature was a naked, muscular man, clothed only in a helmet of iron and wielding a black lance.  The man leapt from his winged steed and stabbed Agni through his human head, impaling him as the serpent coiled itself around the lich.

"Wh-who...who are they?" Daryl whispered.

"The Telnumbran Elder Council," Vincent grunted as he pulled himself out of the wall.  He took a moment to collect his severed arm from the ground and joined Deminos and the four girls.  "On his own, Aeon might lose to Agni, so we made arrangements in case Agni came back to Gesthal."

"By Seran...they took him down like it was nothing!" Celine exclaimed, cracking a grin.  "Heh...bastard deserves a taste of his on medicine!"

"It ain't over yet," Yuka snorted.  "S'long as his body's still kickin'r his soul anchor's safe, he'll keep comin back."

"I wouldn't worry," Deminos smirked, casting his eyes behind him.

The girls glanced at the melted entrance to the fortress and saw that the debris had been thrust aside.  Through the entrance, a man garbed in a hooded purple robe with an eye emblazoned on the hem walked through.  His steps were slow, and with each one he took he clacked the ground with a staff as tall as he was.  The staff clattered, as it was covered in rings which adorned what looked like a Dragon's claw curled around a purple gemstone at the tip.

Without turning to face them, the man pulled back his hood to reveal a face that looked no older than Yuka, but with smooth white skin and shoulder length purple hair.  His eyes were bound by a bandana bearing the symbol of an eye and he passed by Mina and the others without so much as a word, though the Goetian protecting them bowed her head to the man.

"I don't believe it..." Mina whispered, her eyes widening.  "It's...it's him...!"

"Huh?" Deminos raised an eyebrow, "Mina, do you know Master Dezolis?"

"I..." Mina stammered, unable to take her eyes of the man as he walked over to the hole Agni had burned in the wall and stepped into thin air.  Instead of falling, a golden litter rose out of a circle of white and gold in the air.  The man took a seat in the litter and six figures, garbed in golden armor and bearing metal wings to match, carried him down to Agni.  Taking a deep breath, Mina said, "He saved me after...after Agni killed my parents."

"I thought Bishop Charas was the one who brought you to Gesthal," Daryl murmured, sitting up slightly to get a better view of what was going on.

"He did.  He found me and tried to fight off Agni, but..." Mina faltered and shook her head, "If The Blind Sage hadn't intervened, we'd have all died."

Turning her head towards the hole in the wall, Mina and the others watched as Dezolis dismounted from his golden litter.  Aeon and the other six figures who had fought with Agni floated down to the ground around him, forming a circle.  Pulling off his blindfold, Dezolis reached out and grabbed Agni's human head and twisted it so that it was looking in his direction.

"You will tell us the location of your army and any collaborators in your schemes," Dezolis's voice boomed out.  Though it had an unearthly, almost ethereal calm and gentleness to it, the force behind his voice brooked no refusals.

"I...I..." Agni gurgled, his body twitching under the black lance.  Light seemed to radiate out of Dezolis's eye sockets as he stared at Agni.  "Looking for...revive legacy of..." his words were hesitant and the lich seemed visibly shaken by Dezolis's presence.

The ground underneath them shook and Mina would have fallen on her face if Celine hadn't caught her.  "What was that?!" Celine barked.

Before anyone could respond, the ground underneath Agni turned bright red.  "Everyone, fall back!" Dezolis yelled as a plume of lava shot out of the ground, engulfing Dezolis and his six armored litter bearers.  Aeon and the others darted backwards, putting some distance between themselves and Agni as the lava continued expanding outwards.

Agni's body was carried upwards on the stream of lava, the black lance still piercing his chest.  However before he could make a move, teeth sprang out of the molten rock all around him and bit down on the lich, swallowing him, lance and all.  The plume of lava died down to reveal a Dragon so massive that its body nearly filled the entirety of the Keval mountain range.  However, when the lava had fully dissipated, it was revealed that only the top half the Dragon's body was visible.  Six leathery wings stretch out from the creature's back, blocking out the very sky above them, each adorned with scales that glimmered like crimson rubies.  Four gigantic arms, each as massive as one of the Keval mountains, were visible above the surface, with scythe-like talons jutting out of each scaly finger.  Four eyes of blazing red and black burned in a head that dwarfed the fortress Mina and the others hid in, while a set of razor sharp teeth curved into a grin.

The Dragon opened his mouth and Agni, in his skeletal form, skittered forward on his tongue.  He tossed the black lance which had impaled him to the ground and let out a laugh.  "You almost had me," he said.  "Pity."

Out of the lava, which still bubbled around the Dragon's body, a sphere of purple light rose up.  The light from the sphere slowly faded away to reveal Dezolis, unfazed by the attack, floating in midair.

"Take them both!" Dezolis ordered.  He leaned forward and a giant arrow of light, twice his size, burst out of his face.  The arrow slammed into one of the Dragon's shoulders and exploded, causing it to wince slightly.

"Wretched insects," The Dragon snorted, turning to face Dezolis.  Agni skittered out of the Dragon's mouth as lava welled up within it.

Aeon and the woman in the dark blue cloak darted over to Dezolis's side.  The Dragon breathed forth a small ocean of lava at Dezolis, however Aeon and the woman in blue raised their hands.  "Marina," Aeon called out.

"I know!" the woman responded.  Moving in front of Aeon, the woman cupped her hands together while Aeon put his on either side of her.  Reeling back, the woman in blue thrust her hands forward, shooting out a massive stream of water that looked like a beam.  Aeon's body began to glow and the beam of water expanded in size, even as ice caked around it.  The beam of water and ice crashed against the Dragon's lava breath and an explosion ripped through the valley.

The walls of the fortress cracked and shattered from the force of the attack, however the rubble bounced off the purple bubble surrounding Mina and the others.  The woman with the bestial face let out a bleat and the bubble extended to protect Feo as the rest of the fortress collapsed around them.

While the rubble rolled off the barrier harmlessly, the explosion had kicked up a screen of mist in front of them.  Squinting in an effort to see through it, Mina could make out the Dragon's body, which radiated bright red, however everything else was obscured by the mist.  The most she could discern was a silver streak racing up the Dragon's arm, followed on the opposite side by a crimson wheel.

"Volvaggion, it's time to pull back!" Agni's voice echoed over the battle.

The Dragon batted at the silver streak and Mina saw the giant, silver furred apocra slam through the wall of the fortress and skid to a halt next to the edge of the purple barrier around them.  Without a word to any of them, he leapt out through the hole in the wall to return to the battle.

All around them, the sounds earth cracking, wind whirling, and blades on scales rang out.  Even with the mist distorting their view, Mina could see the Dragon buckling under the fury of these continued attacks.  Suddenly a light brighter than the sun began to radiate from within the mist.  A great gale burst forth from this light to reveal that Dezolis had a mystic circle underneath him.  Reaching up to his face, he jammed a finger into his eye socket and the circle expanded.  In the center of the circle was a shining star adorning the tip of an arrow, while all around it halos of light expanded outwards.  A figure garbed in radiant white armor, with a golden bow in her hands burst forth from Dezolis's eye.  Though no taller than Dezolis, she spread a pair of massive, emerald wings and flew above him.  Drawing back on her bowstring, she shot forth an arrow of light, equal in size to the Dragon.

Holding all four arms up to his face, the Dragon took the arrow full on, but the ground behind him cracked as he was pushed backwards.  The scales on the Dragon's arms smoldered as the winged figure pulled back a second time on her bowstring.

Curling his wings around him, the Dragon dove into the ground as the second arrow was loosed.  A plume of lava followed after the Dragon's departure, however the arrow curved around and shot straight into the lava, creating an explosion that cracked the ground all through the Keval mountains.

When the shaking finally subsided, Mina saw that the battle was over and the Dragon was nowhere to be seen. 

"Amazing..." Daryl whispered, her hand pressed over her beating heart.  "The pictures...the songs...she's just as I imagined!"

"What are you going on about, Daryl?" Celine muttered.

"That man...he's summoned one of the four Knights of Metron.  Lady Gabriel..."

"Yeah..." Mina nodded, "He...he's got quite a few Metronians under his command."

"Phew..." floating down to meet them was the tiny woman with the fiery red hair.  When she touched down on the ground, Mina saw that she was very short, perhaps no more than four feet in height.  A gown of black and gold covered her svelte figure and stopped just below the ankle, revealing a pair of heavy boots on her feet.  Her face bore no signs of age and her hair was bright red, braided into a set of loops on either side of her head.  She looked like a girl Mina's age.  "Glad that's over," the woman said.

"Austa," Vincent smiled, despite the dirt and blood which caked his face and flecked the snow white bandana around his hair.

The tiny woman turned, her face pale as the moon with a childish grin adorning it.  "Vincent," the woman named Austa floated into the air so that she was the same height as Vincent and wrapped her arms around his neck.  "My brave knight...you seem to have gotten a little banged up."

"I'm not your knight yet, my lady," Vincent chuckled, his eyes falling to the severed arm he held in his free hand.  "I still have a ways to go."

Austa puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.  "You're always saying that!  When are you finally going to join me?!" she wrinkled her nose and whined.  "Either way, let me take care of that for you."

Vinecnt held up his severed arm and Austa took hold of it.  Holding her finger out, Austa bit it and blood swirled forward in a spiral, like a dull red cloth.  It wrapped itself around Vincent's charred stump and seeped into it, eating away at the blackened remnant of his arm until it turned a fleshy color and began to pulse.  Vincent winced as she did this, but stood and bore with it.  The ribbon of blood twirled in the air until it wrapped around the smoldering end of Vincent's severed arm as well.  When both parts had been coated, Austa jammed the two stumps together.  A grimace crossed Vincent's face and he tried to keep himself from grunting as Austa twisted it in its socket, trying to connect the flesh and bone to the exact right spot.  When she was satisfied, the ribbon of blood from Austa's finger wrapped itself around Vincent's newly attached arm, tying itself together with a big, red bow.

Vincent flexed his arm experimentally and ran his hand over it.  "Thank you, Austa.  It feels like brand new."

"Hehe, another thousand years and you'll be able to do that by yourself," Austa giggled.

"Ummmmm..." Daryl raised a hand and opened her mouth, but nothing else came out.

"You gonna introduce us, Vincent?" Celine snorted.

"Oh, forgive me!" Austa turned around and did a curtsey in midair.  "I am Empress Austarine, sovereign ruler of the kingdom of Ahri," the tiny woman said with the utmost politeness, "But you can call me Austa," she giggled before turning back to Vincent.

"Austa...Austarine?!" Daryl squealed.  "Goddess...she's one of the most ancient creatures in Serano!"

"...Really?" Celine cocked an eye at the girl who was rubbing Vincent's head and the bandana he wore as if he were a pet.  "She...doesn't look it."

"Thank you!  I try to take care of myself," Austarine laughed before turning to Vincent's arm and fussing over the bow.

"Heh," Mina let out a chuckle, "My memory's a bit hazy, but...she seems to be the same as back then," she sighed.

"Austa," Mina and the others raised their heads as Dezolis floated down to the ground with Aeon in tow, his head bowed in deference.

"What happened, Dezy?  Did you find him?" Austa muttered.

"No," Dezolis shook his head.  "Xalken's eyes lost track of Agni amidst the lava currents under Telnumbra.  I have arranged for Velkun to return to Umbra and send out the proper missives.  The entire council is needed to discuss our next move."

"What about the Keval mountains?" Mina said, groaning as she rose to her feet.  "Will you leave them as they are?" she stared into the man's face.  Without his blindfold, she could see into the man's eyeless sockets, each glittering with the tiniest hint of light.

Turning away from her to address Austa, Dezolis went on.  "Aeon will see to the town while Rowen, Marina, and Xalken will ensure the valley is rebuilt.  You and I will handle the fortress, Austa."

"Vardoul?" Vincent narrowed his eyes.

"He departed as soon as the battle was over," Aeon replied.

"Tch, typical," Yuka spat.

"Enough," Dezolis said.  Though gentle, his voice held a subtle power to it, drawing everyone's attention to him.  "You should see to your wounded, Aeon," he nodded to Mina and the others at last.

Floating forward, Aeon brushed past Mina and the others, offering them only a curt nod of acknowledgement, and knelt down next to Deminos.  His fingers began to blaze with white light and he inscribed a few runes onto Deminos's craggy black arm.  The teenage conjurer bore with it, even though his face was a mask of pain.

"I do not have the time for a full seal, Dem, but this will contain Asmodeus for a little while," Aeon muttered, "Once my business with the council is settled, I shall reapply the full seal."

"Ugh...th-thanks," Deminos grunted, rubbing his arm.

"You did well tonight," Aeon nodded at him, clasping the young man on the shoulder before floating over to the broken form of Feo.  The lich carefully ran hands over the griffon's wounded body, engrossed in seeing to the creature's health.

While Aeon saw to Feo, Yuka helped Deminos up, pulled a roll of bandages out of the pouch on her belt, and began to re-wrap his blackened arm.  "Hey, Dem..." she whispered, keeping her eyes glued to the ground, "Ya saved my butt tonight, ya know?  Alla ours...err...thanks."

"Well, someone had to, right?" Deminos laughed before grunting when Yuka snorted and tightened the bandages around his arm.

The ground underneath them rumbled and outside, Mina heard what sounded like an earthquake.  Rushing over to the window, with Celine helping Daryl over to her side, Mina and her friends saw the ground below them moving.  The small mountain path, with all its twists and turns rose out of the lava left by Agni, mirroring what it once had been, while giant crags burst forth from the ground, climbing higher and higher until they were equal in height to the mountains the girls remembered.  Individual rocks and hills sprouted from these mountains and snow fell onto the tallest of them, mirroring the high peaks from their memories.  The three of them stood dumbfounded as they watched the Keval mountain range being restored.

Behind her, Mina heard the sound of metal scraping against stone, however she could not take her eyes away from the reformation happening in front of her.  Her view was obstructed, however, when a creature bearing spindly arms and legs swung itself in front of her and clung to the from of the shattered wall.  The being was covered in a dull bronze armor, though it was pressed so tightly to the creature Mina thought for a moment that the armor was its skin, and had two bulky mouths, one near its arms and one near its legs.  The mouth near the legs seemed to be chewing something, while the mouth by the arms spat out stone that mirrored the undestroyed bricks and mortar of what remained of the fortress.  The two different masonries blended into one another so that even as she watched, Mina was soon unable to tell where the old masonry ended and the new masonry began.

"What in the Goetian hells...?" she heard Celine whisper next to her.

"They're Metronians who specialize in restoration.  I believe they are called...Tektoniel?" Daryl mumbled, her face alight with awe at the glistening bronze body, as another crawled over them and began repairing the shattered windows.

"Good eye," Dezolis muttered, appearing behind them.  Mina took a quick glance at the man who was looking straight ahead rather than looking down in their direction.  Behind him, Austa was still conversing with Vincent, though countless debris from the fortress hung over her head, which she was feeding into more of the spindly creatures Daryl had called Tektoniel.  "These craftsmen will restore this fortress before the morn.  I am curious, however.  You are very well informed.  Do you wish to form a bond with the Metronians yourself, young lady?"

"I..." Daryl's eyes fell and she could not speak.

"Your body has an aura of uncertainty about it," Dezolis said, finally turning his eyeless face towards Daryl's.  "Understandable.  However, the fear you feel is the ephemeral dread of change.  Seek strength from your companions and those around you and use it to find your own path.  When you are ready, the oath will be waiting for you."

"What if I never feel ready?" Daryl squeaked.

"You will," Dezolis nodded, "However, do not rush.  Take time to decide what you desire.  The choice to make an oath is one that only you can make."

Daryl was silent for a moment and Celine patted her shoulder.  "Hey, princess?  You okay?"

"I...yeah, I think so," Daryl let out a sigh and smiled at Dezolis, whose blind face showed no recognition of her gesture.

When her friends had finished, Mina swallowed a lump in her throat and turned around.  She reached out to touch the hem of Dezolis's robe, however he spoke up before she could.  "What is it, child?"

Mina suppressed a squeak, though her eyes widened slightly and she slowly gathered her words.  "You...ummm...master Dezolis...do you remember me?"

For the first time since she'd seen him, Mina saw Dezolis's face twitch and he turned towards her.  The young man stroked his chin and hummed to himself.  "Your aura is...unfamiliar to me..."

"Eight years ago, master," Aeon called out, rising from his spot on the ground where he had been treating Feo.  "In Shakur, you saved a group of priests and a young girl from Agni."

Recognition dawned on Dezolis's face and he knelt down so that his eyeless sockets were looking into Mina's eyes.  "Curious..." he murmured, touching her face with his hands.  Mina shivered slightly at the clamminess of his fingers, but bore with it, as he poked and prodded her forehead and cheeks.  "Yes...this face, I remember...though it has matured.  Mi...Minava?"

"Yes, sir," Mina bowed her head, "I...wanted to say thank you...for saving me again."

Dezolis hung his head and sighed.  "No, young lady...I do not deserve your thanks.  I promised you justice...however it is eight years later and Agni still roams free.  I should have slain him that very night, however..."

"It's...it's alright," Mina said, putting her hands around Dezolis's.  "I still want him to pay for what he's done, but...I understand.  You did what was necessary for peace," she added, turning her eyes towards Aeon.  "Bishop Charas told me that much when I was a little girl...though, I didn't understand what he meant back then."

A few seconds passed and Dezolis managed a smile.  Placing a hand on Mina's head, he rose back to his feet.  "Your aura is far stronger than the little girl who was cradled in the Bishop's arms.  You have grown much in these eight years."

"Th-thank you," Mina blushed and looked down at the ground.

"So, what comes next?" Celine's voice drew them all back to reality.  "What's gonna happen to Agni?  To Gesthal?  Or to us, for that matter...?"

"Agni will be hunted down," Aeon replied, nodding to Mina.  "He is no longer shielded by the council, so both he and his army will be made to pay for their crimes."

"As for Gesthal, the damage will be repaired, as if it never happened," Dezolis said.  "This battle must forever remain a secret, lest hostilities break out again.  As for you three...you must also keep this a secret.  I will need to seal your memories of this night," Dezolis raised his staff and purple light began to flow out of it.  Mina's eyes widened and she took a step back, joining Daryl and Celine, as they watched runes and letters flying out of the jewel at the top of Dezolis's staff.

"Master, you can't!" Deminos called out, "We'd all be dead if not for them!  They helped save this place, you-"

"I must do what is necessary to maintain the peace," Dezolis said.  "I am sorry."

Though her heart was pounding in her chest, Mina swallowed hard and nodded.  Squinting her eyes shut, she held on to Celine and Daryl and waited for the world around her to turn black.  However, seconds ticked by and nothing happened.  Then, she heard a voice.

"They are apprentices of mine, master.  You need not do this.  I will take responsibility for them."

Opening one eye, Mina saw Aeon's skeletal fingers wrapped around Dezolis's wrist.  Though neither showed any signs of emotion, she could feel a strange chill in the air emanating from each of them.  Then, Dezolis smirked and lowered his staff.

"Very well.  If they are your comrades, then that is good enough."  Turning away from Aeon, Dezolis put his hand on the shoulder of the black furred Goetian who was still hovering in the center of the room.  With a nod, she disappeared into a circle of black and purple which formed in the floor.  "It will be dawn in a few hours, Aeon.  Recall your forces and see that the villagers are taken care of."

            "Of course, sir," Aeon put his hand in front of his chest and bowed.

            "I think one of Agni's scouts damaged the inn in Gesthal," Vincent chimed in, looking over his shoulder, "We'll need to get that repaired before morning as well."

            "Then I shall leave you to that while Austa and I finish repairs here," Dezolis nodded.  "When all is well, join us in Umbra to discuss our next move."

            "Yes, master," Aeon said. 

            Floating over to Feo, Aeon held up his hand with the palm facing down and gently swirled it around in a circle.  A whirlwind formed underneath the griffon, lifting it a few feet into the air.  It followed Aeon as he turned and headed for the door.

            "We are leaving.  Vincent, Deminos, Yuka, Mina, Celine, Daryl," he said, "Follow me."  Though Mina and her friends hesitated slightly, Vincent smiled and bowed to Austarine before following Aeon and Feo through the gap Dezolis had made in the fortress's wall.  Deminos and Yuka followed after him, holding hands.

            "Aeon," the lich and those following after him stopped and turned back to face Dezolis, who was directing the metal figures in setting up the benches and weapons inside the fortress.  "Agni sent me a missive before this battle took place.  It contained a different account than yours as to what happened to Canak's foundry." 

            Yuka suppressed a gasp and Demino's bandages creaked as he balled his hand into a fist.  Mina felt Celine's grip on her hand tighten as her heart thrummed in her chest.  Her eyes widened and she turned towards Aeon, however neither he nor Vincent seemed concerned.

            "I imagine it did," Aeon said.

            "It is regrettable you had to make a choice like that.  However, that is why I sent you, rather than Vardoul or Xalken," Dezolis added.

            "I understand, master," Aeon said before leading the others outside. 

            They slowly made their way down the mountain path, which had remained in tact in spite of the battle.  Yuka and Deminos seemed unwilling to speak and instead just stayed close during the climb down.  As they neared the bottom, Mina swallowed hard and opened her mouth, however a roar overhead interrupted her.

            "Papa!" The skeleton of a small Dragon, no bigger than a few houses, winged its way towards the ground with Nerise on top.  The black haired girl jumped down and ran over to Aeon, jumping onto his rib cage and clinging to him tightly.  "You're okay!  I was so worried!" Nerise yelled, rubbing her face against his bones.  "Is Kina..."

            "She requires rest, but she will be fine," Aeon said, stroking Nerise's hair.  "You did a good job keeping Agni's forces from entering Gesthal, Neri.  I am proud of you."

            "Hmmm..." Nerise hummed, "Once you two started fighting, they started to run...I didn't have to do much."  Climbing down from Aeon, Nerise looked behind him.  "Hey!  What are you doing here?  You should be asleep!"

            "We know...believe me, we know," Daryl let out a yawn before heading over to Nerise and slumping over her in a hug.

            Nerise hugged her back as Celine and Mina joined them in a hug.  "It's...been a long night," Celine shook her head.

            "You know there's a hole in your tavern, right?"  In front of them, Gadius rose out of the ground, the dirt moving aside to let him pass.  His body was soaked with sweat and he was panting as he approached them.  "That was not my fault, I want to point out.  I kept the fire off the village."

            "Gadius, Neri, Dem, I want you all to get some rest.  I will see to the inn," Aeon said.  "If that is alright with you, Minava," Aeon said, looking at the emerald haired girl behind him.

            "Aeon...about what's happened-"

            "I am sorry, but now is not the time," Aeon cut her off.  "Return to Acacia in two days time and you will find me waiting."  Turning to Yuka, he put a hand on her shoulder.  "As for you, Yuka, I am sorry to involve you with this after you departed my service, but you have once again made me very proud."

            "Jus...shuddup, ya idjit," Yuka growled and looked away from him.

            Unconcerned, Aeon turned back to Gesthal and continued floating forward while Gadius and Nerise headed into the forest on the outskirts of town.  Deminos stayed alongside Yuka and Mina saw him put a hand on her shoulder for support.  Vincent increased his pace to catch up with Aeon. 

            "Are you well enough to keep watch while I am away?" Aeon muttered.

            "Well or not, someone has to.  I'll get more blood when I have time," Vincent replied, his voice just loud enough for Mina to hear.  "Even if the danger has passed for now, we can't just leave.  Agni came here for a reason all those months ago...whether for that or for Yuka, he could be back."

            "I intend to tell the council as much," Aeon said as they arrived in front of Kano's tavern.  The hole the garm had made in the wall was still there, however several apocra were righting the tables and chairs while one of the lamia carried Kano into the back.  No sooner had they passed through the hole than a buzzing reached Mina's ear.  A soft, almost imperceptible lullaby that robbed her already haggard body of what energy she had left.

            "Well, we made it," Celine sighed, collapsing into a chair and resting her head on the table..  "Ugh...I think that singing is back..."

            Daryl joined her, laying her head down next to Celine's and nodding off almost immediately.  Mina nearly fell asleep where she stood, however Deminos and Yuka caught her and deposited her next to her two friends.  Before closing her eyes, Mina saw Aeon raise his hands and the debris surrounding the broken wall slowly began to patch the hole.  Using the last of her energy to scoot next to Celine, Mina listened to the singing and let the embrace of sleep take her.