Author's note

Word count

This chapter:1666

Total: 45072

NaNoWriMo target for the 27th: 45000

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“Rosedriah goes on the right, You’ll take the back, Imp. I’ll take the right - she won’t have a chance.” Melusina said. “Going down, hold tight”

Aitken felt gravity shift as he was forcibly pulled upwards, yet dragged down by the belt. The wind howled around his wings, and the ground got nearer a bit faster than he was comfortable with. The curve straightened, and Aitken detached the belt and levitated down towards the female paladin.

In the blink of an eye, the paladin was surrounded by Aitken, Melusina and Rosedriah.

The paladin calmly looked around, putting a hand on the still sheathed sword.

She turned to look at Aitken, and her expression changed.

“Akane? Akane, is that you?” Aitken said, with wide eyes from shock.

“You.” Her stare turned ice cold.

“Akane, I’m Aitken! I’m your brother.”

Her nose wrinkled and her eyes glared at Aitken. “Do not invoke his name, demon scum!” she yelled in a fury, as she unsheathed her sword.

“Akane, the church of light is spreading a plague, they killed our parents! You can’t stay here.”

“Hold your tongue! Ramiel would never do that. The time for words is over. Ramiel, In the name of the light, I’ll borrow your strength.” Her sword started glowing pure crystal white and she swung a heavy blow towards Aitken. He leapt backwards and grabbed a large rock with the still intact hand. “Akane! Don’t aid those who killed mother.”

She lashed out at Aitken again, yet this time Rosedriah and Melusina were prepared. Rosedriah jumped forwards, lashing at Akane, who noticed and dodged. Yet, Melusina was already on her broom.

Woosh! Like a railgun, she shot herself towards Akane, and turned in the last second. The end of the broom struck Akane in the face, knocking her over.

Almost instantly, Rosedriah turned her sword towards Akane. “Surrender.”

Akane glared, and kicked Rosedriah’s sword away, rolling a bit away, getting up.

With all the power she could muster, she yelled. “Witches here! Aid me!”

In the matter of mere seconds, the phrase “Witches are attacking in the garden!” spread throughout the entire area.

Aitken grit his teeth and looked at his severed fingers on the right hand. “Akane, last chance. Surrender or I’ll have to make you.”

Melusina flew by once more, but Akane wasn’t taken off guard, she managed to dodge.

Rosedriah stabbed her blade forwards, but Akane dodged backwards.

Metallic boots shook the ground as a small army of paladins and trainees rushed to Akane’s aid.

“Abort! We’re outmatched.” Melusina said as she missed the second time.

“We have to get her!” Aitken yelled back.

“It won’t work, they already know about it! Forget about it, we will find another way!”

“No.” Aitken slammed the rock into the stub around his fingers. Blood started pouring from the barely healed wounds. He quickly peeked behind him - the guards were naught but ten steps away. Rosedriah swung her sword at Akane, who dodged.

Aitken threw the rock with all his might towards where Akane’s head would be.

Thump!

Akane was struck in the back of her head, and staggered forwards.

In the meantime Melusina flew by, attaching the belt loosely around Akane.

Woosh! she flew by with mighty speed, dragging Akane behind her, grabbing Rosedriah on the way.

“No choice! Drop her off somewhere and return. Go!” Aitken howled as he pointed his bleeding hand at the paladins. “Flames of Damnation!”

Like a flamethrower, a huge jet of flames shot out of Aitken’s hand. The paladins backed off from the flames, hesitating. “Get the shields!” a strong male voice yelled, as a troop of paladins with huge full-body shields formed a defensive wall, moving forward.

Aitken backed off but kept shooting fire.

“Flank him!”

Aitken darted backwards as fast as he could while shooting fire, yet to no avail. The guards quickly surrounded him as they ran around him in the side he didn’t shoot fire at.

They circled around him, forming a defensive wall all the way around him, moving wherever he didn’t shoot. They approached rapidly. - 20 steps… 15 steps..

Aitken looked at his severed tail and grit his teeth. “This’ll hurt like hell.”

His left arm and tail converged on a single point.

Slam

Blood dripped from his tail.

“Fire!”

A jet from the tail sprung forth.

10 steps… “Grr More flames!”

The flames intensified, yet the paladins kept approaching. 7 steps.

They’ll reach me at 3 steps.. I’m going to die.

5…

Aitken leapt into the air, flapping his one and a half wing, shooting flames over the shields.

“Raise the shields, cut off his landing.”

Almost in an instant, shields with swords and spears raised between them replaced his safe spot on the ground.

He basked with his wings in sheer desperation while shooting jets of flames downwards - the floor was transformed to a row of deadly blades.

I can almost hold me up.. A bit more! More!

“Shoot him!”

Aitken saw a handful of guards scatter out, drawing bows and throwing spears.

Aitken basked with all his might, and the spears and arrows came flying through the air.

Time slowed down as Aitken let out a loud, primal, demonic howl. The flames extinguished and the arrows were three-quarters of the way to skewering him, striking in but a second. Additionally, Aitken’s feet went inside the range for the longest pikes to stab him, and they lowered, about to impale him from the bottom up.

The air rippled around a broom and a rider that flew by with incredible haste, snatching Aitken’s tail in the process.

A cracking sound resounded as Aitken was forcibly accelerated by the tail, narrowly escaping the arrows.

“AAAHH!!” A howl of sheer pain was let out from Aitken, as the bones in his tail disconnected, pulling him in the flesh of the tail itself.

Melusina shot by, flying directly to the hideout.

She landed, and put Aitken down.

“GAH! My tail!” Aitken looked back at his limb tail.

“I had to do it.” Melusina said. “Only way to save you. We’ll patch it up inside, come along.”

They went inside, and Akane was tied up in the very chair Rosedriah had been pushed into, semi-gagged with a piece of cloth around her mouth.

Aitken looked at Akane with worry.

“Aitken, Violet will get you patched up.”

Aitken lifted an eyebrow. “Violet?”

“That’s me.” Rosedriah said, as she grabbed a stick and some loose cloth, and started tying it around Aitken’s tail.

“You’re in pretty bad shape, sure you can do this?” Melusina said.

“No, but that’s not an option.” Aitken said as his face twisted in pain.

“Maura, you done?”

Maura nodded and held a stack of papers up. “The notes are all here, now we just need a fly-by and a trap to spring.”

“MMmfgg Mffhhh” Akane said, glaring at Melusina.

“Let’s get everything ready for the final showdown.” Melusina said. “I’ll inform Glinda and move the girl. Maura, you’re with me this time, I’ll take the two others after moving the hostage and the two demons outside the walls. Just try’n get him fixed up as well as you can in the meantime.”

Melusina and Maura put a strap around the chains binding Akane, and slowly dragged her outside. “Taking off, hold tight.”

Woosh

Rosedriah wrapped a bandage around Aitken’s still bleeding tail.

“You’re pretty battered… I kind of wish it didn’t have to come to that all the time.”

Aitken shrugged with a slight smile. “Gotta do what you gotta do.”

“Yeah. It’s just…” She sighed, silencing herself.

“You know, Aitken… sometimes I wish you weren’t a demon.”

Aitken pulled his lips into a crooked, but less-than-happy smile.

“I would have wanted that too.” he said. “But we gotta play the cards we’re dealt, as father always said.”

Rosedriah sighed. “Yes, let’s focus on the upcoming battle instead. We will take it from there when we’re done.”

Aitken nodded a few times. “Let’s.”

“Let’s get this bandage on your hand… Oh, and there’s a blade laying around here somewhere you can use - seeing how you went in completely unarmed the last time.” She searched a few places and found a longsword, it wasn’t anything spectacular but it looked sturdy.

“This’ll be your weapon, for our one last fight.” She said.

Aitken nodded, and put the sword in the sheath, attaching it to his right side.

“You know, Rose… For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I smacked you in the face the day we met.” Aitken said.

“Don’t be, Things turned out okay between us regardless… perhaps it may have been for the better.” Rosedriah responded.

Aitken felt a lump in his throat. “Look, whatever you do out there, Rose… Promise me you won’t die.”

Rosedriah opened her eyes in surprise, then she smiled. It wasn’t the kinda smile you’d give a stranger - it was a smile directly from the heart. “Yeah… You too, Aitken. Don’t die.”

They gazed into each other's eyes for a while, before Rosedriah broke the eye contact. “What about your sister?”

Aitken sighed. “I’ll talk some sense into her after all this is over. Let’s just focus on surviving this first.”

Rosedriah nodded slowly. “Okay… I guess we’re ready… Let’s head outside, she will be here any moment.”

They walked outside, and looked up in the sky.

“This It’s so tranquil right now…But It’ll soon be raining fire and death… The final battle is near…” Rosedriah said.

The winds picked up and after a moment, Melusina arrived on her broom. “Ready?”

They both nodded.

“Then hop on.”

“That actually works without a strap?” Aitken asked.

Melusina grinned. “Sorry, but I couldn’t resist having you dangling behind. The magic pushes those who sit on the broom forwards, not just the broom. The pull is rather neglectable because of this. That’s how I could pull you by the tail without falling off - my arm was propelled by my magic.”

Aitken sighed. “You’re quite the scumbag, leaving me dangling there.”

“You’re welcome.”

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Thanks for reading!