▌│█║▌║▌║Chapter 25║▌║▌║█│▌

I started to take gravely deliberate steps in front of me toward the front line that was steadily being pushed back. “If I’m going to die here, I’m going to do everything in my power to take some of those things out with me!” I told myself in my mind.

Before I could reach the lines with most of the monsters, I heard a loud screeeech shoot through the air. A chill went down my spine as I remembered the sound from Fairy Forest the griffin made. I looked into the night sky, and instead of griffins, I saw a flock of Pegasus being rode by…People?

They were in an arrow formation, and the group of people dive bombed toward us. Are they friendly with us? One of them had a chariot. They landed in the middle of the circle we created. There was five total that landed in the circle, and the person that lead the troop threw something up in the air.

I watched as it flew into the night sky, and it exploded into a colorful dark purple. The explosion rained down from the sky, and it seemed like the whole battle stopped. The noise and yelling of everyone and the sound of clanging turned to silence. A purple barrier from the explosion formed around out circle. The golems and Nessy’s family hammered against the barrier to try and break it to no avail.

Garen, Sasha, and Char carrying John waded back onto the mainland to the Pegasus troop. As Jimmy, Tsar, Khar and Jerry were walking by me, they looked at me holding the sword and one of the asked out of spite, “When were you going to use that eh?”

I looked down in shame. I couldn’t really blame them for being mad at me. I did nothing the entire time to help.

Garen seemed to be having a conversation with the leader of the troop, and I walked towards them to try and hear it.

“We heard about the griffin attack earlier, and we travelled here as fast as we could. Hurry up and get on Garen, each of us can carry two people, but we brought a stronger one to carry one more. We need to hurry and leave, that magic barrier provided by the gods won’t last much longer.” The leader of the Pegasus troop told Garen.

Garen didn’t move from his position however, and he frantically waved his hands as he told him, “No, that won’t be enough. We have two extra people here with us. They accidently came here with us when we went and got John. We can’t just leave them behind. They are my responsibility!”

“Your one and only responsibility is to Zeus and his family!” The leader barked back at him, “I don’t care who stays behind but two people will have to stay behind if that’s the case. I will not stop this mission just because you made a mistake in the amount of people you brought here! Now get the child on here, that is an order!”

One by one starting with Char with John on his back began to climb onto the backs of the multiple Pegasus. When it got to be the final one, to the person who was riding it delight, Giselle hurriedly climbed on the back of it leaving Sasha and I on the ground. I expected to be left behind, so I didn’t protest me being left behind but to my surprise, Sasha didn’t protest it at all either.

I walked up to her and asked, “You aren’t going to tell her to get off?”

Without looking away from the golems bashing against the magical barrier, she told me solemnly, “I’d feel disgusted with myself if I just left someone to die.”

After she said this, Garen got down from the leader’s Pegasus and nodded to Sasha. “What are you doing?”

This sentiment was echoed by the leader when he exclaimed, “What are you doing Garen? Get back on here! That is an order!”

Garen looked gravely back at the leader and told him, “Because he is also my responsibility. I think you can take care of John and the others right? If I have a death wish then that is on me.”

The leader let out a puff of air as he brushed Garen off saying, “Hmph, as you wish. Everyone, get ready to fly out!”

I grabbed both Garen and Sasha’s arms and exclaimed, “You guys don’t have to do this for me! I’m just a nobody! If I die it means nothing! You guys still have things to do!”

Sasha jerked her arm out of my grasp and angrily looked at the golems still while Garen turned and put his hand on his shoulder and comforted me saying, “It’s fine Cody. This is what we want. Now I do expect you to use that sword of yours this time though hehe.”

I walked toward Char and John’s Pegasus, and as I did the rider on it told me, “Watch yourself kid. Wouldn’t want you to die from me before you even have a chance to defend yourself. That’s far enough.”

I stopped my advance toward them, and aimed my words toward Char when I said, “Please take care of my brother for me…Please?”

All I got was a solemn nod from him, and that was enough for me. I turned solemnly back toward the wave of golems that had now began to climb on top of each other to lay themselves on the barrier. When the barrier falls, there will be a wall of golems in it’s place.

I turned my back from the troop of Pegasus and joined Sasha and Garen to form a defensive triangle. I didn’t watch them fly off. I only heard a hyaahand a crack of a whip, and after the flapping of wings, the barrier disappeared.

The wall of golems descended upon us, and Nessy’s family moved toward us. They didn’t seem to calm down now that John was gone. In fact, they seemed even angrier.

I gripped my sword tighter preparing for the impact of the fight. Then suddenly, my surroundings went black.

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