Knoodlesguy
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Chapter 4. The Second Queen "A Soul Redeemer huh?" Gravelyn's smirk shows her concern, "Such a hefty title for some upstart to claim. Your power can never be that of a redeemer." "Allow me to show you then....this power I have been granted. Light, and darkness together." My confidence glows in my eyes, and I possess every reason to be now, "Allow me to show you what you studied in Necropolis history books your whole life." I rose my sword, until my body resembled the position of a clock during it's noon chime, sword perfectly vertical. A smoke-like cloud has begun to spiral from the blade, flowing from tip to hilt. Gravelyn immediately draws her sword and prepares to block. All chaos has been quieted, the battle now waits in hush for this one fateful encounter. Everything is on me. Everything rests on her corpse. "SHHHRMMM" Our movement's leave vacuums behind us. My blade impacts against the broadside of her sword, and her left leg flies high, reaching it's target against my cheek. Unblinkingly, my right arm releases grip to my sword to chop down on her shoulder armor like ancient martial artists once exhibited on wooden boards and bricks. Her shoulder armor shatters like clay pottery, and green energy surges from my hand the second our skin touches. She immediately back steps, before lunging back at me with a sword swing in retaliation. "CLLLIINNG" The sound of our swords impacting against each other creates a rhythm similar to aluminum chimes hanging high in a windy valley. Each clash, small sparks are lighting the darkness. Every spark is nothing more than super heated metal chips, one, if no both, of our swords may give out before our bloodlust subsides. Undead have begun to form a circle around me, and my allies who once vowed to fight by my side until the death have begun to falter. Cobal is slowly processing the information, Revain has no desire to heal a traitor like I, Lira watches us carefully, like learning either of our combat styles may benefit her in the near future, Zayne stares hopelessly at Amythis while she hollowly watches the empress, and Saul seems to have vanished. None would chose to save a wretch like me, i'm so half way. Neither a Highlord, nor an Overlord. In this battlefield I am merely one undead who has chosen to die rebelling for the second time. Maybe my place was ment to be her servant, to live and die like her puppet. Irene would still be alive, and maybe I would have been slain by now by Artix. My body seems to be fighting on its own while I watch and ponder. Occasionally I will feel a sting of pain, feel the warmth of fresh blood, before lunging back at her. Every attack she throws impacts me, yet only scratches me, while I take each blow to deliver one back to her. The grey smoke seems to have ran up my arm now, and flowing lightly over my body. The sword point that is emitting this aura is strangely black instead of grey. Perhaps the aura is densest where it flows, perhaps that could the focus point for my power. In my next attack, gravelyn prepares to block when I decide to test my new theory. The sword point passes easily through her sword, hacking directly into her shoulder. Did I just cut her sword in half!? As I pull the sword back I notice the darker aura didn't break her sword. It effortlessly passed through it. The look on her face shows the pain she's in, but even better, it shows the fear of what is to come. Her eyes stare widely into mine, shaking slightly. It's seems I have almost defeated her, with her sword arm damaged and her fears eating her from the inside out, there is no better opportunity for victory. A wild smile creeps onto my lips. "Prepare the scraps of your soul liche empress, your judgement is nigh." My presence looms menacingly over her pained stance, "This is the end. You will die, and I will return to dust." My sword's tip strikes fast and true, straight to her throat. A black shape stands between me and gravelyn, but my attack was to fast to slow. The sword pierced through a body before it reached Gravelyns throat. "Wha....why?" It's all I can do to mumble now " What an *cough* obedient servant you are. Amythis" Gravelyn coughs and gurgles from her own blood. "Lend me your strength my lady, I shall heal you and me both. Together we will smite him" Amythis asks, with her hand reaching to Gravelyn. Gravelyn agrees, and reaches to touch the young girls hand. The moment she touches Amythis, darkness blacker than tar and equally dense erupts. My body is knocked meters from both of the two. Apparently gravelyn was also hit with the wave. Whats happening? Weren't they allied? Maybe Amythis never betrayed us! She was only pretending to help gravelyn! It all makes sense. "What an amazing trick you pulled Amythis. I never ep-" Darkness from her gazes cuts the ground itself into a canyon before hitting me, stopping all faith I had in her " Do not dare approach me. I look to eradicate you. With my bare hands." Her voice is different somehow, familiar. "I didn't know you knew me before we met" I answer to her dangerous warning. "You don't know me, but I know you. It was because of you I lost everything. If It wasn't for you I could still be with mother!" She screams "What did you do wench!" Gravelyn snarls from the dirt she lay helplessly on. "I merely took your power. I control the ties of life and death. As a healer no one is closer to raw life force than I. When you offered me the spark of your power, I gripped it tightly, then reeled all of it in. You are no longer owner of these undead. I am. I, Amythis Cartel! Daughter of Irene Cartel!" My heart! I can't stop it! My whole world is spinning around me. Everything I once knew is so wrong. I have only been a cog in deaths cycle. I was so blind on my revenge against Gravelyn I never considered, maybe I was slightly to blame. It never occurred to me that I wasn't the only one suffering. This whole time I thought that this quest was for me, but now I understand. Amythis was prepared to use Gravelyn and this entire attack as a set up for her revenge. All for me only though!? "Your free to claim vengeance against me, and Gravelyn. Both of us are to blame." I drop to my knees and hang my head over for execution, "Take you hatred upon me. Let us be done with this vile business." "With pleasure" She walks up to me, pouring darkness from her entire body. My sword, once embedded into her abdomen now hangs over my head. Dejavu. I stood over Gravelyn just before the fight, just like that. Nobody will take this punishment for me sadly. My life has been miserable, and in the end, I feel so bittersweet about the entire thing. These last 30 years have been nothing but a waste. It's time to say good bye to the only friend I had. "Cobal. I'm sorry at the end you had to see the real me. Please always remember Archie Lane. Not Archedge Van Solomon." I notice him staring blankly at my execution, "Cobal? I understand if you ha-" "Shut up already!" Cobals face burns bright red, tears flowing down his eyes, "It's not that easy! You can't suddenly apologize and die! I don't know who you are yet! DO I cry over my best friend or carry on over the death of another overlord! I'm not letting you go that EASY!" Gold rage cuts the air at Amythis's core, blowing her backwards. "Saul! Now" Cobal raced to grab me and continue to escape, with me on his shoulders, "Incinerate her! burn this entire area! She is undead now!" Somewhere in my heart, I remember Gravelyn. I can't live any longer like I am alive for only me. Besides, I'm not sure if Gravelyn dies I die to. If I must live to repent, then so will she. I kick my knee into Cobals back until his grip loosens I can already see Saul preparing a small sun above us, as he stands at the castle top. I use all the power left in me to take Gravelyn by the hand, and sweep her into my arms. We haven't times to admit how much we hate touching each other, so both of us silently agree with a nod to never acknowledge this romantic scene straight from one of Shakesword's plays. "Come on Cobal!" What! What are you doing!" Cobal is screaming frantically, almost comically, "That's our ENEMY! Gravelyn the EVIL!!!" "If she dies I may die to....Besides If I must make amends for my sins, she isn't getting the easy way out either." "Alteon my have my head along with your for this!" "Then lets not tel-" I look back to see the giant sphere of raw light sink deep into the earth, leaving an ever growing crater behind us, "On second thought lets discuss this later" "Your first wise decision in 30 years" Gravelyn mumbles. Before I can consider throwing her back, The light from the mini-nuke begins to close in on us, so we run faster. Eventually the blast stops expanding, before fading away. All the Highlords begin to draw closer to see the remains of Amythis, as if there could possibly be such a thing. Two silhouettes stand in the center somehow. Zayne! Amythis's brother stands over her, his body burned severely from the massive blast. As he falls quietly to his feet, I here him mumble something to his sister, barely audible. I still heard it. "I don't care if you weren't my real sister, I never did. Your all I have left," His charred arm reaches to touch her leg, while he lay defenselessly on his back, "I Love you sister." I could feel it in the air. We all can. A powerful life force has just vanished. Amythis stands over her brothers body, looking into the faded eyes of her savior. Immediately Saul lands near her. His nonchalant attitude has yet to fade, even in this morbid scene. "Oops. I should try again. I forgot about your brother interfering." He smiles childishly, then raises his hands over his head, preparing for another light burst, "There's nobody left now to save" you." I only saw her arm twitch. That's all Saul did either. For all his power, his body was still mortal, and his reflexes were immature. My sword pierced straight through. I look away, but the haunting image remains. A young child, no older than the children still in school, a corpse still standing. The sword piercing his skull was holding him up. Saul had no business in this field of battle. Now he rests here. I pray a silent prayer for the boy, afraid to look back, when Gravelyn interrupts. "You can either set me down or start running. I don't plan to die just yet." "She is right." I can tell Cobal hates admitting this, "We must move. Otherwise Saul's sacrifice is all for naught." I nod and we begin to move. The The highlords, One undead and one powerless liche woman. The sun has begun to rise, and after some distance away I see Amythis hasn't sent a pursuit force. She knows eventually we will be back. We have to be. The darkness within her is to deep to leave in control of an army. Very soon Swordhaven will fall under her hand if we do not act fast. My redemption will have to wait. There are innocents to save, and I cannot leave them undefended. It's as Cobal said. I must live now, so we can understand who I am.
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