On a stormy Thursday night, precisely at 11:45, a resonant clap of thunder reverberates through the air, jolting the vicinity. The bronze clock atop an ivory tower quivers, while lightning tears the sky asunder. Amidst this elemental chaos, rain heavily pours, drenching the verdant courtyard.
In the heart of this torrential tempest, a figure emerges, adorned in burnished crimson armor and wielding a massive, golden sword, its blade surrounded by a glowing, ethereal flame and crackling flecks of electricity. Pointing the weapon towards a figure in front of them, they dash forward with absolute speed, hoping to thrust it into their opponent's abdomen.
The intended target, a woman wearing a turquoise ball gown and wielding a pearl scepter in her left hand, dances around the flaming greatsword. She adroitly parries the strike with the grace of a seasoned swordmaster, holding her armored attacker at bay. A contest of equals unfolded in that moment, as both refused to waver during the standoff.
Annoyed by the impasse, The Woman gathers droplets from the downpour, weaving them into an orb of luminous black water. "Sphaeraqua!" she thunders, her voice fearsomely echoing as the pulsating, aquatic cannonball hurtles forth from her right hand. The mystical attack rockets into The Crimson Figure's chest, causing him to stagger, though he maintains his ground and retaliates swiftly.
"Hallowed Maul of Dominus!" he roars, unleashing a dragon-shaped torrent of crimson energy. The searing force crashes into the The Woman's busom, propelling her across the soaked and muddy courtyard. It was like she had been hit by a high-speed train with a battering ram attached. The tide was finally shifting, and with it came the breaking of balance between the combatants.
The Crimson Figure stands tall, peering over his downed adversary with an imposing figure that radiates justice and righteousness. He was poised to seal his triumph, swiftly claiming victory with this speech:
"Here and now, I shall bring an end to the wickedness and furtive machinations of The Striga, as it is the duty bestowed upon me as a Carmen Eriline! Years ago, I took an oath, and that oath was to protect Jedwimburgh from ALL malicious forces! We will not succumb to you, Caledonia, or your infernal master! You and your duplicity will never prevail, nor will The Under EVER rise again!" He raises his sword, readying himself to deliver a crushing blow, but is immediately shaken by a sonorous, bone-chilling howl blasting from a distance.
"Not so hasty, my little scarlet buttercup! I yearn for some bloodshed and merriment!" rasps a shadowy, demonic figure. "Prepare to behold my spectacle of carnage!"
Vaulting from the top of the ivory tower, The Shadowy Figure speedily descends with his thick and lengthy, stone-gray tongue billowing like smoke in the wind and rain. A earth-shattering impact follows as he alights, creating a crater. "It would appear that you need a real challenge, Macarius!"
"Tch! Ecferus… I should have expected your loathsome presence," he retorts.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"Ah, Macky-Boy, my familiar face isn't enough to please you?" Ecferus sneers.
"There's nothing familiar about the reprobate before me. The principled warrior I knew and admired is long gone, and he left behind a traitorous hound, so why should I rejoice at such a blasphemous sight?!" Macarius's sword begins to glow white-hot as the lightning galloping across the sky is funneled into the blade. Upon charging up, he dashes forward and slashes Ecferus. "AETHERIUS GLAIVE!"
Ecferus stands firm as the lightning collides and cascades over him, eventually getting absorbed into his very being. Macarius's blade shatters into a thousand effulgent shards upon contact with Ecferus's coarse, pitch-black fur, causing the latter to chuckle.
"It'll take more than that, my dear, sweet Macky!" He grabs Macarius by his armor, digging the claws of his left hand deep into the stalwart knight's chestplate, then forms a fist of dark energy with the other which he shoves into his gut, cracking the magical plating. Macarius collapses, laying crumpled on the ground and writhing in pain. "IT IS TIME TO CONCEDE!"
"I… will never… relent. I must… persist... if only… for Jedwimburgh," Macarius defiantly utters, blood oozing from beneath his helm. Refusing to yield, he continues to clutch the hilt of his obliterated sword tightly, as if he can still fight with it. This enervated and nerveless attempt at remaining self-willed falls flat, provoking riotous laughter from Ecferus and Caledonia.
"Admirable, yet futile, Macky-Boy, for this is where the hooves of Death's steed meet the humus," Ecferus begins, his hand entwined with Caledonia's. The two look lovingly into each other's eyes before turning their attention back to Macarius, looming over him like he did Caledonia not that long ago. "The Under will rise once more, brother, and Jedwimburgh will respectfully bow, forever and ever. Defiance is hopeless in the wake of such a hallowed force. It's a pity that the valor you cling to so tightly has you wrongly aligned."
"A wizard of your caliber is rare," Caledonia chimes in. "The Under yearns for you. Join us and become greater than you've ever been!"
"Never!" Macarius growls. His strength is starting to rekindle, crawling slowly from his elbow, to his fingertips. He shakily forms a fist and attempts to lift himself as he calls upon a mustard seed of courage. "The Striga are an abomi–"
Caledonia cuts him off with a swift kick to his helm, cracking it open. The strike leaves him dazed and he tumbles back in anguish, falling into a supine position while the fractured halves of his helmet collapse along with him.
"That's enough out of you," Caledonia sneers at the humiliated, would-be hero. "Ecferus, are you ready to do away with this foolish brother of yours? We need to send a message to all of Jedwimburgh."
Ecferus cracks his knuckles as a visibly sinister aura engulfs his brawny physique. "No qualms at all, my love. Let's get this over with."
As the clocktower chimes twice signaling midnight, the duo embrace, fusing rain and dark energy to erect a towering wall of an unholy nature. They send it flying high into the sky, dancing slowly during its ascent, only to make it plummet just as quickly. It falls on Macarius, immediately drowning him. As he dies, he remarks internally that the suffocating sensation is akin to sinking to the frigid bottom of the ocean with sarsen stones atop his chest.
Unable to break free, he succumbs to the water rapidly filling his lungs and withering his skin. At this point, the wall dissipates, leaving the emaciated husk of the former warrior in his now rusted and battered, crimson armor.
Ecferus shares a kiss with Caledonia, then kicks the waterlogged armor on the ground.
"Farewell, Macky-Boy. Say hello to mother for me."
🍬🍬🍬