The doors looked intimidating to look at, even more than the usual amount that he felt when she is called to enter here. In the throne room, was where she was reminded of her future role: to be a leader of an entire kingdom. She often forgets those times as they were something she never really cared about, least, not until she gets her fulfillment in going on adventurers, just like her father had when she was young.
"Well, this is it. The bad guy behind everything is behind these doors." She would say quietly. Hesitating on opening the doors by bringing up a conversation.
The White Reaper nods. Not adding much to the conversation as he was more focused on checking on his gear and his health. Tightening his belt around his pants, checking his boots were on tight.
"My dad is back there too. It doesn't sound like fighting is happening inside, so hopefully, my dad managed to beat him and he is safe." She hopes. Trying to ignore how the silence seems suspect for something bad has occurred.
Taking a deep breath, she begins to reach for the handles and opens the door.
The throne room was empty. Something Yasuline had never seen before in her life. She always found it full of people discussing with one another on situations occurring in the kingdom and sometimes in other countries should it be important enough to report to her father. More of a meeting room for most of the leaders, both big and small of Lumines, to gather together and discuss the progression of Lumines. Something she was forced to attend past her fifteenth birthday, but her obvious disinterest postponed her required attendance until her eighteenth birthday. And again, to her twenty-first birthday. The second postponing was another gift from her father.
The fancy chandeliers hanging on the ceiling barely lit the room as they usually do. It was mostly the moonlight sipping through the windows that illuminated the room. It was how she could see two individuals. one of them was standing tall with their cloak shrouding their body completely. The other was on his knees. Head down, and his hands out, holding a crown.
"Dad!" Yasuline cried out when she recognized her father, she runs over to them with the White Reaper right behind her in case of something attacks her.
Her father had an empty look in his eyes, not even turning his head when she called out to him. But the other person did, and with a little turn, she could see one of his yellow eyes.
"Ah, the princess has arrived. And the legendary White Reaper at her side. If I had known you had a taste for killers, I would have supplied you a whole catalog of them of Hellfire's finest. Maybe then, we wouldn't have to get our hands dirty to be here."
She completely ignores what the stranger was saying as she tried again to call him out and get him to snap out of whatever trance he was in.
"Come on Dad, what's wrong? Can't you hear me?"
"As I mentioned before, your father isn't being himself. So much so, that I had to convince him to hand over his crown and let someone with a stable mind take the reins of the kingdom." The person commented. His tone was very condescending as he lightly tapped the metal of the crown with his nail. His nail was long and sharp. It was yellowish and has some lines on it that hinted that it never was cleaned properly.
"I bet you just made him like that."
"Hmm, maybe I did. What about it? There isn't much you can do to reverse what he is now."
"When in doubt, I always find that beating up something tends to make it work again."
"Hmph, you really are your father's daughter. Believing such a thing would work."
"Wouldn't hurt to try it. But it would be rude to start having my friend here take you on without even knowing your name."
He would smile, and it made her back shiver from just seeing it. He grips his hood that was covering his head and pulls it off.
The immediate thought was how ugly he looked, but it wasn't much to call it ugly. His hair was a mess, going in various directions, similar to the White Reaper's but even dirtier as she could definitely make out something in it that caused some of his hair to stick in such strange angles. His eyes looked even brighter yellow than the small glimpse she had earlier. She could make out her pupils were sharp and slim. His skin was burned around the neck and parts of his cheeks. And two fangs would stick out of his lips.
"Apologies, my name is Apophis. I am one of the leaders of Hellfire."
"A leader? So you were likely behind all the attacks that have been happening around here then. Even making those two assassins during my father's speech."
"Of course. It would be much easier if he was dead. During the chaos and depression, we would have slipped in and included ourselves among your ranks. But when that failed, twice, we had to go for a more straightforward method."
"Umm, does it have to do with all those hellfire members down in the labyrinth."
He would sigh and glare at her. "If you are aware of them, and are here, it must mean that you have gotten to them."
She would smirk and even buff up her chest as she answers him. "That's right."
"My, oh my, you two sure have been a burden on every single step of my plans. All this would surely enrage the average hellfire member. But not me."
He would tuck his hand into his cloak and pulls out a staff. It looked to be made out of bone, with the top piece a literal skull. Bleached white and then painted black.
The White Reaper responds to his actions by drawing out the knight sword he took.
"Always have a back-up plan for your plans. Expect the impossibilities and push your way through. That is how I managed to let our people survive the purge, and it will be how I bring us all back from the brink."
"That's nice and all, but if you are going to hurt my dad or Lumines to do that, then I'll just have to stop you!" Yasuline cried out. Looking eager to fight as well as she holds her sword out in front of her. Both hands on the handle.
"I expect no less. I came prepared to handle the White Reaper. As for you." He would then hold his hand out and begins to wiggle his fingers in a strange manner. The king that was kneeling next to him would finally begin to move. Without moving his head up, he would stand and turn to face Yasuline and the White Reaper. He would reach to his waist and pulls out the decorative sword of the king and gets into a battle stance that Yasuline has only seen once in her life.
"Dad!" She cried out again, wishfully thinking that the spell was suddenly gone. But with no response again, he turns to Apophis, "Are you really going to make him fight me?"
"But of course. I'm not dumb enough to go for a two-to-one fight. Now then, let us begin your demise. And add a closing chapter to the legendary White Reaper tales."
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[Battle Initiated. Yasuline & The White Reaper Vs. Apophis & King Suko.]
[WARNING: High-Level enemies detected.]
[First Round. The White Reaper's Turn.]
The White Reaper would be the first to make his move. Dashing to Apophis, their two weapons clank against each other and using some force to push themselves further away from Yasuline and the King. Once at a great distance, he would pull back and holds the sword out firmly as it gives off a faint glow. The glow remains as he then turns his body a bit and swings the sword with a mightly force. Apophis reacted quickly and holds his staff up to block the attack, most of the force into the attack rippled through his staff and vibrated in his arms. He grits his teeth as his hands go numb from it all, but didn't take much damage from it.
[The White Reaper Uses Sword Skill: Power Slash. Attack Blocked. Turn Ends.]
"Good try, White Reaper. But it'll take more than a strong sword swing to bring me down. You're looking at one of the Gang's best sorcerers! Allow me to demonstrate!"
[Apophis' Turn.]
Apophis confidently holds his staff out. Letting the head end of it twirl in a circle of sorts while a glow on it began to appear and grow stronger. But a dark presence surrounded the glow as well.
"Behold the power of a true sorcerer! arrows of darkness, fly straight and without rivals to pierce the enemies swiftly to devour their hearts!"
At the end of his wording, the dark presence manifests itself in front of the face of the skull and shoots out like an arrow straight at the White Reaper.
Before it was shot out. The White Reaper would crouch down and brush his hand over the side of his boots. One blink later, and he was gone from Yasuline's sights.
the arrows pass the spot where he was and others also fire out of Apophis' staff but aimed at different locations. Colliding either on the wall or floor, the floor would crack hard and small bits of the environment would fly out from the impact. After scanning the entire room. She finally spotted him at a fair distance. A greenish glow fave him away to her inexperienced eyes.
[Uses Sorcerer Magic Skill: Dark Bullet. Shot 5 Times. Attack Misses. Turn Ends.]
"Speedy little thing. I'll make you my target practice. Meanwhile, I believe a little father/daughter time would occupy you."
On cue, her father would omit an inhuman groan. His body begins animating and then begins to move forward to Yasuline.
He starts to swing rather unfocused like as if he couldn't exactly see where she was. Still, Yasuline could tell that his attack was powerful, especially by the low sound of the wind being cut. She takes a few steps back, hesitant on what to do. Whenever she tries to turn away from him, he would simply shift his direction to her. Running away did nothing as she didn't check her surroundings and end up cornering herself. The low whirls continued and She starts to rethink her days when she listened or watched the training sessions Caliber would teach for the recruits. One of the lessons that popped up was about how you should always watch your opponent's movements.
She closes her eyes and opens them again, locking her sight at his blade swings. Back and forth, back and forth. It was almost in a rhythm. She would tap her finger against the handle of her blade with it. Then, instinctively, she imagines how much time it'll take till the blade swings on one side.
Taking the next step, she pushes her sword just at the key moment when her father. She pushes back against his strength to stop him from attack. The sudden block didn't sting her hands like they did whenever she would strike against a shield. But the force behind his sword was vastly superior. Taking Yasuline all her strength in both arms just to stop him.
[King Suko's Turn. Uses Slash Attack. Attack Blocked. Weapon proficiency increased for Yasuline. Turn Ends.]
She could feel her footing slipping until it hits the edge of the floor that connects to the wall. Her father would be pushing his weight against her. While he may have gotten some weight over the years of his retirement, he still was in his prime. Yasuline persisted to stop him.
[Yasuline's Turn. Skips Turn. Turn Ends. First Round Over.]
While still on the move, the White Reaper would dart his eyes over to where Yasuline was, as he attempts to run to her aid, Apophis steps into his vision. Looking eager for him to drift his attention off of him to sneak an attack on him while he was distracted.
[Second Round Begins. The White Reaper's Turn.]
As he runs toward Yasuline, Apophis would smirk, already planning what kind of skill he would use on his opponent. Then, precisely at the moment where he crosses him, at the hell of his step, he would turn his direction at him. His sword pointed straight forward and horizontal with a glow, he does one last step before the sword guides him straight across the gap between and then some. Apophis barely had a fraction of a second to respond to his change and holds his staff up as fast as he could to deflect any attack he uses on him. The White Reaper would find him just behind Apophis. Even giving off a dramatic twirl of his sword as he could sense Apophis now reacting to the blow on his body.
[White Reaper Uses Sword Skill: Sonic Blade. Block Broken. Critical Hit. Turn Ends.]
He could feel his mouth filling up with blood. Instead of spilling it out, he simply swallows it all. The aftertaste of iron was annoying, but that was just what he needed to fuel his annoyance and make his mindset think how he wants it to.
[Apophis' Turn.]
He could feel the wound that the attack has left him. But it'll take more than a hole through his body to stop him. Not when he was so close to claiming one of the more powerful forces in Atlas in the name of the demones. Focusing on his staff, the energy around it starts to build up. Concentrating on it rather than the pain, he activates one of his spell skills and points it to the center of the room.
"I'll get even with you for this. But first, I should do something about your speed."
A tiny orb would appear at the top of the skull ornament and then hovers right at the center. It quickly expands and begins to suck in the air all around it, the force of the suction increased more and more as it was enduring. The White Reaper could it beginning to pull him toward it. He tries to withstand it by piercing the ground with his sword to pin himself, but eventually, it was too strong and he flies right to it. Like a strong grip, it would keep him in the air, vulnerable and defenseless.
"that's much better. Now I promise to make this one hurt, just for you." Apophis would say with a sadistic smirk as he waves his staff once again, this time, giving off a red glow. With a final twirl at him, fire spews out of the mouth of the skill and spirals right toward the White Reaper.
As it shot at him, the blots in his pans would begin to animate much more quickly than normal until the glow from them overcame the lighting from the blue flames and as he thrusts his upper body forward, he would have enough momentum to move himself to the ground, once his feet were planted, he would disappear from the spot near the black hole. The helix hellfire would collide with the black hole and form a spiral of flame that soon turns into a micro fire tornado before dispersing, leave the ground in that spot scorched.
"Blasted monster." Apophis would curse.
[Apophis Uses Sorcerer Skill: Black Hole. Bonus Action. Uses Skill Series: Underworld Union, Assault Skill: Helix Hellfire. Attack Misses. Turn Ends.]
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, King Suko would continue to push his daughter against the wall. the blade nearing her neck as she was losing strength and feel of her arms. She could feel the sweat on her body making it hard for her to keep her grip on her sword as she constantly has to adjust it now and then as it slips from how wet it was. Her eyes were fixated into looking at his dead eyes. No sense of realization or recognition from the one she looks up to. The light of the fire tornado finally breaks her gaze and she looks over to how her partner was doing. Before she would return to stare at her opponent, she would notice the rather large gap under his sword. She takes a deep breath as she focuses on pushing all of her remaining strength to try to push his sword back to then lower her head under it and rolls out of the way.
The King's blade would slam against the wall and he slowly turns to face Yasuline who was slowly picking herself off the ground. Her arms shaking from all the drained strength from just pushing him back.
"Once all this is over, I am so going to force Caliber to put me in the training class."
[King Suko's Turn.]
"Useless Puppet. Can't even handle a simple girl. Use one of your skills!" Apophis would yell out, his composure noticeably disappearing and in its place was a raging magic-caster. Constantly firing some projectile whenever he spots the White Reaper in his sights. The White Reaper would simply dodge it.
With the command from the puppet master, king Suko would begin to hold his decorative sword up into the air. A radiant and beautiful glow begins to envelop the blade. Yasuline instantly recognized what he was doing and tried to run as far away as she could from him. It was a powerful skill that could take down hordes upon hordes of enemies in the way of the king.
The glow continued to glow and soon, many other lines of the same glow would fill the air around them. Within the glow was silhouettes of his sword. Before, the moment she saw them, she treasured that time. As she saw just how powerful her father was. And exactly how he could protect everyone. Now, she felt nearly hopeless. She desperately hoped that they would all miss, even knowing that it was impossible.
The silhouetted blades would slowly shift and point right at her. No matter how much she turned left or right, they would still keep their points on her. Running at the other end of the wall, she turns in time to see them begin to shoot for her, She weakly holds her blade up to block instinctively.
She could hear some of the blades hit the wall around her. Few seconds pass by, but she didn't feel any pain, she didn't see what exactly happened as she was anxious in seeing them come right at her.
She slowly opens up and sees that the White Reaper was in front of her. The glowing blades, piercing his limbs as he blocked most of them from hitting his body.
[King Suko Uses Skill Series: Crowned Child, Assault Skill: Thousand Swords. White Reaper Shielded Yasuline from Damage. Turn Ends.]
"No!" She cried as he limps down on his knees.
[Yasuline's Turn.]
She quickly would reach into her pockets and begins pulling out all the healing potions that they stocked upon. She forced him to drink some, she poured some over the cuts where the blades, now dispersing into thin air, left on his arms.
"Come on, don't die on me now."
She stated as she held onto him. She could feel his strength coming back to him as he starts to sit up with his strength. Giving her a nod that he was okay.
[Yasuline uses Health Potion on White Reaper. Health Restored. Turn Ends. Second Round Over.]
"Hahaha! How very rare of me to overlook something. I was told of how you defended the princess from some of my men. But I didn't expect to see you risk your life for her. You are smitten by her charms, huh?" Apophis would taunt them as the White Reaper finishes recovering from the attack.
[Third Round Begins. The White Reaper's Turn]
The White Reaper holds his hand up the Yasuline who was still hesitant on seeing him suddenly move just after recovering from such an attack. His glare was directly at the sorcerer.
Everything happened too fast for Yasuline to process it as it happened within the few seconds that it did. But she was able to piece it together after seeing the staff that the Hellfire leader was using fell to the floor, cut in half, and Apophis holding onto his body, with a wide cut across his body.
Green bolts and lighting would circle the legs of the White Reaper who was standing a bit farther behind Apophis. His blade was dripping red, with a faint glow diminishing.
[White Reaper Uses Sword Skill: Power Slash. Opponent's Weapon Broke. Damage Received. Turn Ends.]
"ARRG!" He roared with such energy that Yasuline was impressed. As if the wounds that he endured were nothing to him.
"You pestering fool! How dare you break one of my prized possessions like it is a mere toy! For that, I shall show no mercy to you. I'll eat you alive!" As he bellowed his hatred, Yasuline and the White Reaper could feel the ground shaking.
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[Apophis' Turn.]
It wasn't just that the ground was shaking intensely more and more as it continued, but the source of the cause was standing between her and the White Reaper. Her ears were also being disturbed too as Apophis would bellow with a yell as he was looking constipated.
Suddenly, his form would begin to shift in an extremely unnatural way. As if something inside of him was poking outwards to be released. he would curl forward with his hands on his shoulders. His ropes ripped, exposing more of his body. The ashed portions of his skin were mostly on his body. With the normal coloring of his skin looking like the abnormal blotches. The muscle in his body seemed to have wither away as his body was going through a morphing phase of some kind.
Yasuline had to look away but could hear something tearing up apart from his direction. Peeking back, she would find a man-sized serpent took his place, coated in red liquid. It didn't stay that size and continued growing more and more. The White Reaper had to move away or risked being struck by its tail as it shifted.
The ceiling didn't withstand all the shaking. Pieces of the top would fall and smash onto the ground. the chandelier smashes loudly near King Suko. Taking some damage from the flying glass.
His new body was enormous. His long body now acting as a wall while separating the throne room into two separate ones. Keeping Yasuline and the White Reaper apart. Not even jumping allowed her to see over his body. The scales on his new body were black with the underbelly being an ash gray. His eyes were huge, yellow, and gave a small glow. His tongue, which looked more like a fork than an actual tongue would hang out of his close mouth. Right between his two large fangs. They ran for so long and were slim, she couldn't make out the exact point end of them.
"HAHAHA. YOU SHOULD BE HONORED TO SEE THIS FORM. NOT MANY HAVE ENDURED A BATTLE AGAINST ME LONG ENOUGH TO SEE ME IN MY TRUE FORM! I AM APOPHIS, THE CHAOS SERPENT!"
His voice was loud, shaking the very room they were in. Windows shattered around them, acting like a bell that alerted them all that the battle will continue now.
He would slowly move his upper body, showing just how much his body was actually hidden as he curled around in a circle just to stay inside the room. His tail would sway about, forcing the White Reaper having to move about just to avoid it. This gets the giant serpent's attention and his hisses threatening at him.
[Apophis Uses Serpent of the Seven Hells Series, Unique Skill: Transformation. All Stats Dramatically increased. Vitality increased by 200%. King Suko has taken damage. King Suko has sustained injuries, will receive damage per turn. Turn Ends.]
"NOW THEN, IF THE KING WOULD KINDLY BE USEFUL AND GRAB THE PRINCESS WHILE I DEAL WITH THE RAT, THAT WOULD BE MOST GOOD."
[King Suko's Turn.]
The king would pick himself off the floor and begins to walk towards Yasuline. She could see that was partly struggling with all the glass poking out of his body. She looks in her hand the remaining half-used healing potion. She hadn't much time to debate herself over to give it to her father or not. Her father was already back in action. He swings his sword at her, but this time, it was a very sluggish swing that Yasuline had more than enough time to get her weapon into position to block his attack.
Not knowing exactly why, but her arms didn't feel as numb as before from their last conflict. And due to how weakened he was, she was now able to push him back. He clumsily falls over onto his back and slowly picks himself back up again. It hurts Yasuline deeply to see him struggle so much, even under the circumstances. As she stands there, she would drift her attention to the other side where she could see the White Reaper using his speed at his advantage to keep distance between him and the head of Apophis serpent head as he leans close, possibly trying to take a massive bite at him like a common dullbeast.
[King Suko uses Sword Attack. Attack Blocked. Damage Taken due to sustained injuries. Turn Ends.]
The king would try to pick himself up but would have an even tougher time than before. The bleeding from his arms would worsen as more of it drips out of the cuts as some of the glass falls out from his body, leaving some gaps in the cut. Some went deeper from being pushed. He would lose his strength and then collapses, his sword slides out of his hand and spins about as it gets some distance from him.
[Yasuline's Turn.]
That was the breaking point for her, she couldn't stand seeing her father in such a weak state. She would go over to him and quickly doses him with the remaining healing potion. To ensure her safety, she would block his reach from his sword by sitting between it and him.
[Yasu uses Healing Potion on King Suko. Health Restored. Turn Ends. Third Round Over.]
"Come on, dad, you have to fight his control. The White Reaper can't fight him AND you while also protecting me. If only I had some training or even some strength."
Her father doesn't really react much other than lying there with his head down, seeing him not moving much, her attention gets drawn back to the White Reaper and Apophis.
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[Fourth Round Begins.]
The White Reaper would leap from wall to wall, even be seen running against it, defining gravity itself to give himself as much room to maneuver around the serpent and its long body.
Apophis stood tall in the middle of his room, his head hunch just under the ceiling as he follows the White Reaper's movements on the walls. He wouldn't stand still for him as he already tried it once and Apophis immediately tried to duck down in a jolt to bite at him and sink his long needle fang into his body. The poison from the fan dripped down to the floor in a menacing puddle of purple and green.
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[Apophis' Turn]
Like playing with his food, Apophis would take advantage of his new body by swinging his tail about left and right, forcing the White Reaper to worry about it and having to dodge his limb to avoid being hit. Each time his tail would crash against the walls, it would shake the White Reaper off the wall, and nearly striking him from mid-air if it wasn't for his amazing maneuverability in the air.
His tail would crash against the wall and breaks a hole into it, letting some of the outside moonlight to spill in and create more lighting for them to see. But it also lessened the amount of ground that the White Reaper could use to run away from his attacks.
[Apophis Used Tail Swipe Attack. Attack Missed. Turn Ends.]
"HAVING TROUBLE WITH ME NOW, WHITE REAPER? HAHA LET ME GIVE YOU A HAND OR TAIL!" Apophis would mock the White Reaper in his strong efforts to not get blown by one of his attacks, knowing how much damage he would deal with even the simplest attacks.
[The White Reaper's Turn.]
The White Reaper looked over at the looming head of the beast he was fighting against. The eyes floating in the center of the darkness near the ceiling. After dodging the next tail swing, he would start to run up the wall with the help of the energy surging through his legs and boots. Drawing out his sword, he would prepare for an attack on the head to finally start damaging his opponent and give himself an edge.
Once on the level of his head, the White Reaper would leap off into the air and holds his weapon out, with the glow of his blade lighting his way to it. Apophis' tongue casually flaps in the air as it quietly watches what he was doing. Not looking to resist or fight back at all.
With the added strength of his sword, the White Reaper would swing it right over the snout of his nose in the attempt to damage his face and distract his senses, but the attack didn't even leave a cut on his scales.
[The White Reaper Used Sword Skill: Power Slash. No Damage Dealt. Turn Ends.]
'HAHAHA WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE AN ATTACK? COME ON WHITE REAPER, YOU DESTROYED MY FAVORITE STAFF. SHOW ME THAT STRENGTH THAT DID IT.!"
[The King's Turn. Turn Skipped.]
The king stays motionless as he laid on Yasuline's lap. Eyes closed, seemingly resting despite all the noise that was going on around him.
[Yasuline's Turn. Turn Skipped. Fourth Round Over.]
Yasuline continued to watch the spectacle of the fight from the safe distance, her heart racing whenever the White Reaper was nearly wiped out by the tail. With one hand on her father, feeling the beat of his heart, and the other would hold onto her blade.
[Fifth Round Starts.]
The room continued to shake further and further, with banging now filling the air. Yasuline simply brushed it off with it coming from the battle between Apophis and the White Reaper. But the banging was actually coming from the closed doors of the throne room.
[Apophis' Turn]
"THE LEGENDARY WHITE REAPER NOW REDUCED TO A MERE INSECT ON THE WALL. HOW ABOUT A NICE HELPING OF ONE OF MY SKILLS!?"
He would raise his tail into the air, curling it into a spiral. The scales radiant against the moonlight, allowing the White Reaper to see how clean they were. The light still kept their shine even after the right angle of the light left them. That was when he realized that the shine was actually a glow or sorts of the skill activation. Soon he would see the scales stand on up with the sharp ends pointing at him and they all begin firing at him.
The bolts around his legs would light up and circle around his legs and he dashes across the wall from ceiling to flooring, managing to dodge every single scale that pierces the wall. The entire wall was coated with Apophis' sharp scales, resulting in having the wall now inaccessible to be used by him.
Looking back at his tail, the scales were already replaced with newer scales.
[Apophis uses Serpent of the Seven Hells Series, Assault Skill: Shattering Armor. Attack Missed.]
"PERSISTANTLY DODGY STILL. NOT FOR LONG, YOU WILL."
Again, he would raise his tail up and begins to have his scales aim at the White Reaper. Stuck between the wall pestered with sharp scales and the serpent's body pressing against the edges of the room, he could only go one way to dodge the attack. As he outruns the flying scales, he tries to leap over a swinging tail that intentionally swung at him. While in the air, he would be helpless when Apophis lowers his head down to bide down on him. One of his fangs piercing right through his body so easily and his body suddenly goes limp from the toxins working their stuff through his body so soon.
[Bonus Actions. Apophis uses Serpent of the Seven Hells Series, Assault Skill: Shattering Armor. Attack Missed. Apophis Uses Tail Swing. Attack Missed. Apophis uses Bite. Critical Hit!}
[The White Reaper has been Poisoned. The White Reaper has been Paralyzed.]
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"Nooo!" Yasuline cried out. Her eyes widen to see the White Reaper caught in the mouth of the beast. She could see something dripping from him, but couldn't tell if it was his or Apophis' poison.
[The White Reaper's Turn]
The White Reaper tries to move any of his limbs to get him out of the predicament, but nothing would respond the way he wants. Instead, they would wave around in the air with no life in them.
[The White Reaper is Paralyzed. Cannot Move. Turn Skipped.]
[King Suko's Turn. Current Condition: Recovering. Turn Skipped.]
For a brief moment, the king's eyes would open up. He would see the blur of what looked like a giant serpent]in the middle of the throne room, and near him was his own daughter. Looking terrified. He wanted to call out to him, but his drowsiness was getting the best of him and he fell back into slumber.
[Yasuline's Turn.]
Yasuline couldn't stand by and watch the White Reaper suffer like this, she would move her father to the side and runs over to the base of Apophis with her sword.
She would swing at it once on for her to feel a strong force prevent her blade from sticking into him. It was like trying to slice through the wall. She goes for another swing, and again, would barely scrape something off of him. After repeatedly doing this, Apophis would finally take notice of something touching him from below.
[Yasu Uses Slash Attack. No Damage Dealt. Turn Ends.]
"Let him go!" She cried out. Grunting each time she felt the rumble through her arm whenever her blade impacted against his body.
[Fifth Round Over. Sixth Round Starts.]
"PRINCESS. TRYING TO SAVE YOUR BELOVED? HOW THOUGHTFUL OF YOU. BUT YOU'RE TOO WEAK TO DO ANYTHING. HE IS NOW AT MY MERCY. OBSERVE!"
[Apophis' Turn.]
With the tip of his tail, he would pull the White Reaper off of his fang, in an amusing fashion that one would take when picking at their teeth after a meal. Adding further to the taunting, he would give toss his body around in the air in a juggling act. Then, he would wrap the tip around him and swings his tail, letting him go at the near end. With all the momentum, the White Reaper would fly at blinding speeds toward the other end of the room, slamming hard enough to form a dent in the wall that cradles him from falling all the way into the ground.
[Apophis Uses Giga Skill: Toss. Effective.]
Mortified. Yasuline would only stare wide-eyed as she sees the White Reaper take such a hit. Even dropping his weapon as she runs straight at him.
"No. No!" She would repeatedly say to herself. Completely in disbelief on how much the White Reaper was being put through. She reaches into her pockets to pull out anything that could help him, only remembering how she stupidly used it all so has hastily the first time he got hurt.
Just as she was nearly there, Apophis added more torment for the two of them as he curls the end of his tail into a knot and slams it hard against where the White Reaper was nailed against. The wall finally breaking down and crumbling with him.
[Bonus Action. Apophis Uses Tail Slam. Effective.]
Yasuline would lose all sense of herself as she locked her mind purely on the White Reaper. Piles of rubble from the wall fell on him. She skids on her knees, ignoring the burning sensation of her knees and legs and starts to pull away bit by bit of the debris to dig him out. She could hear her pants as she was out of breath, though he couldn't tell if it was because she was tired or that she was having trouble breathing at all. In the background, Apophis would be laughing at his dominance over his opponent.
After pulling off a big piece, she could make out some of his coat. Seeing it as a sigh, she claws away the rest of the debris until she could see his face. She pulls him out from under the rest and holds his head on her lap.
[The White Reaper's Turn. Current Condition: Knocked Out. Turn Ends.]
"Come on, wake up. You can't be dead." She would quietly call out to the White Reaper. Giving him a small shake to wake him, enough to try to wake him up, but less to ensure she wasn't making his condition worse. She would repeat her words, slowly deteriorating to weepy cries of her telling him to awaken.
LOOKS LIKE THAT IS ALL HE HAD WITHIN HIM. HOW BORING. I WAS HOPING TO HAVE MORE FUN. WELL, I GUESS WE CAN MAKE THIS CLIMAX MORE INTERESTING. SUKO?"
[King Suko's Turn.]
At the mention of his name, Yasuline's father would groan, and hesitantly tries to get up. Looking directly at Yasuline's position, he starts to make his way toward her. But Yasuline barely paid any attention to her surroundings, she was patiently waiting for the White Reaper to open his eyes and assure her that he was okay. but he wouldn't open his eyes.
Her emotions stirred up inside her heart, she could feel her chest burning from the thought of her losing a friend. Someone who helped her achieve her dreams and tolerated her silly demands all their time.
Thinking more on that, as her father continues to get closer to him, without a weapon in hand, he starts to reach for her neck. But whatever she was going through, it made the choking tolerable. Or was it that her father barely had the strength to squeeze?
That was when things took a turn for the worse. Out in the hall, the hordes of the castle workers would make their way through, thanks to the hole that Apophis had made for them. His laugher came back seeing how his spell has still taken effect on everyone and he had many more puppets to take control of and take what he wants.
[Yasuline's Turn.]
That burning sensation of hers began to irritate her. Was it angry that she was feeling? She wasn't sure. It wasn't the same kind of anger she had felt at rare times of her life. Burning was the correct and only word she could describe it. As she keeps one hand on the White Reaper's resting face, she lightly touched her chest. Her chest was throbbing along with the beats of her heart.
It was getting to the point where it was now starting to get more intolerable. The burning sensation would excite her uncomfortably. Putting the White Reaper's head off of her, she would get up onto her feet, feeling the flow of the burning sensation going down to her legs and limbs.
But whatever was going on to her didn't seem to grab the attention of anyone else around her. As the enemies around her start to pile on to her, she closes her eyes and tries to find the exact point of where the feeling was coming from. Once she did that, the feeling than completely enveloped her body and moreso engulfs her.
At that moment, she blacked out.
Her body would be taken into a ball of light that came from nowhere, it would push the enemies that piled on her, giving her, the orb, and the White Reaper room for Apophis to take a glimpse at, so high up in the air.
The orb would rapidly grow and neutralizes everything that touches the light with a type of blast force, as they would fly away from the orb and crash onto the floor. Completely knocked out. The tip of Apophis' snout would be touched and his head jerked back from the pain. But the orb would continue to grow and soon, Apophis' body would be burning with pain. His loud hiss shook the very air.
Even the king wasn't immune from its wrath as he also was launched far from Yasuline and collapses onto the floor.
After the orb of light engulfs the entire castle in its mystifying glow, it would finally disperse into the air. Yasuline would finally be visible in the world and she would fall. An arm would raise from the ground to catch her. Gently putting her onto the floor to rest, the White Reaper would stand up instead. He gently touches her cheek as he feels rejuvenated and looks up at the shrieking serpent.
[Yasuline Uses Miracle Series, Unique Skill: Miracle Explosion. King Suko is Knocked Out. Critical Hit on Apophis. Yasuline is Knocked out. The White Reaper is revived.]
The flames on his coat would burn strongly and the green bolts around his legs would zip around in a spiral up and down.
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[Sixth Round Over. Seventh Round Begins.]
The pain from the sudden explosion of light finally subsided for Apophis, when he directs his attention back to the princess and the White Reaper, he would be shocked to find him standing there, glaring back at him. He would place the hood of his coat over his head, the blue glow of his eyes, never looking away from Apophis' yellow orbs.
"BACK FROM THE DEAD, HUH? GOOD, YOU STILL HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH TO CONTINUE. ENOUGH FOR ME TO MAKE YOU SCREAM THIS TIME."
He starts to prepare his tail for another attack but was caught off-guard when the White Reaper disappears from the spot he was standing in.
WHERE DID YOU RUN OFF TO, LITTLE BUG!?"
His gleaming eyes scan the room for him, but no such luck was on his side.
[The White Reaper's Turn.]
With new terrain to use, the White Reaper now has more ground to use to keep moving. And to keep out of sight of his large enemy. With a determined look on his face, he begins to hold his hand out in front of him. The blue flames of his coat would burn brightly and soon come off of his clothing and obediently rest on his palm.
With another twitch of his finger, the flames would spread into the air and fly straight at Apophis. The lighting of the flames gave way his movement to him, but by then it was too late to repeal his attack. The flame comes into contact with his body and begins to burn away at him. Rapidly, it starts to spread all the way down to his tail. Burning the scales right off of his body.
[The White Reaper uses Sacred Starfire Series, Assault Skill: Fire Field. Apophis has been Starurned. Turn Ends.]
The great serpent screeches in pain as it wiggles about, trying to get the flames off of it. The White Reaper races down to the ground level to fetch the king who was near his squirms and also reaches the princess. Dragging them over to the large door, he busts it open with a kick to pull them out into the hall that hasn't been touched the crossfire.
[Apophis' Turn. Current Condition: Starburn.]
No matter how much he moved or screeched, the flames just wouldn't let him go. Over time, he would be able to clear his head enough to simply ignore the pain and to focus on the one who sent them to him.
"DAMN YOU, YOU SHALL PAY FOR HARMING MY DIVINE BODY LIKE THIS WITH YOUR DISGUSTING FLAMES OF BLUE!"
He moves his lower body until it partly enwraps itself in an arc around his upper body, the scales that remained on his body were displayed, just as they have begun to stand up on one end and aimed their sharp ends at the White Reaper.
On cue, he would start to get on the move to ensure the scales wouldn't strike the royal family. Getting up on the only wall of the castle that has remained to be standing or untouched.
They all shot out at the same time, this time aiming right at him instead of the whole area like before. This certainly made it easier for the White Reaper to be able to dodge his attack, going from it using a serpentine maneuver.
[Apophis uses Serpent of the Seven Hells Series, Assault Skill: Shattering Armor. No Damage Dealt. Apophis receives Damage from Starburn. Turn Ends.]
Much to Apophis' hatred, he fired the last of his scales off of his body. The flames still persisting on him and stopping his scales from growing back at all. They also made it difficult to concentrate on the fight, as he now relies on his instincts to press forward with the fight.
[Seventh Round Over. Eighth Round Begins.]
AHH, WHAT FLAMES ARE THESE? WHY DO THEY STILL BURN ME SO!?" He wailed as he again tries to put the flames out by brushing his body around on the floor. The constant pain from them keeps him from having a clear mind.
[The White Reaper's Turn.]
With Apophis distracted, the White Reaper goes in for the attack. He makes his way high up into the wall where the ceiling was, barely hanging in there as the cracks going across it is any indication of its condition.
Drawing out his sword, he would lep off of the wall, aiming his sights at his head. The flames around Apophis would split some of itself off to envelope the blade of the White Reaper's sword, just as he would sink the sword deep onto his head.
Another bellowing screech would come from Apophis as he felt something stab itself onto him. Completely unable to control himself to even turn his eyes in the direction of where it was.
The flames from the sword would pour and spread far along with the liquid pouring out of him, acting as fuel for the flames as they grow bigger on his body, worsening the condition that he was in.
[The White Reaper Uses Sacred Starfire Series, Assault Skill: Starstream. Apophis receives additional damage from Burn.]
His mind felt like it was burning along with his body. He had a difficult time to even get his bearings onto what was going on. All he could see was the blue flames that engulfed him like a raging storm.
[Apophis' Turn.]
His mind was going numb from all the burning. He was more dullbeast than demone now, the flames wouldn't let him make a coherent thought process. But all he knew that he had to do one thing. Kill the White Reaper. His mind snaps back to the situation at hand and he would let out a roar. Alerting the White Reaper that he was back into the battle.
This time, he had his mouth gapped, with the poison dripping from his fangs. His eyes illuminated red, And soon, the entire room would be filled with red orbs, they simply appeared out of nowhere and gradually solidified right then and there. It then became apparent that they were more than plasma.
Once they were completely solid, they would then shoot straight at the White Reaper. He manages to dodge the impact but could see the strong destruction it had. He wouldn't have time to get a good read of how the attacked work as more and more of the meteors would shoot right at him.
[Apophis Uses Serpent of the Seven Hells Series, Assault Skill: Meteor Rain. Attack Missed. Turn End.]
What was the throne room was now completely unrecognizable. Most, if not, all of the decors that made the room a majestic piece of the castle were now torn apart from the beast's wrath for the White Reaper.
Any more and the castle would very likely collapse. Holding his hand back out, the flames that were on Apophis would be swept up in an unknown force and reverts itself back onto the White Reaper's coat.
[Eighth Round Over. Ninth Round Begins.]
To keep the castle still standing, the White Reaper knew he would have to finish the battle as quickly as he could. Especially before it gets too chaotic and would harm the royal family.
[The White Reaper's Turn.]
Weakened, Apophis would pant as his body was slowly cooling down, his mind in a haze as the constant pain was now subsiding and he could finally think for himself now.
Taking the opportunity of an immobile enemy, the White Reaper would concentrate and have the green bolts around his legs would accelerate and energize him drastically.
They also affected the flames as they erupt and envelope the white Reaper in a beautiful single blue flame. It gets Apophis' attention and he turns to see the fire.
"STILL EAGER TO FIGHT, WHITE REAPER. I SHALL COMPLY!"
The flame would shoot off away from the serpent's eager mouth like a comet With the tail end of the flame being the only thing Apophis could even see.
Then, suddenly, he felt something bash against the side of his body with such force that he felt himself being pushed. And then, it happened again, this time on the other side of his body. Barely a second occur when he felt it again. It was happening too many too fast. Like being punched by a firey bullet.
As he frantically waved his head and tail around, hoping to swipe him off the air. This time, the White Reaper goes for the finisher, when he least expected it, the blue comet would shoot into the mouth of the beast and he could feel it rebound all around the interiors of his body. As he wiggles around in pain and terror, he feels the tail end of his body burst open as the comet breaks through him.
With a final roar, the serpent begins to release steam as it starts shrinking down more and more. Soon, the body would morph out limbs and Apophis was now in her previous form. Laying down on the ground, barely holding onto his conscious.
[The White Reaper Uses Sacred Starfire Series, Assault Skill: Starfire Comet. Critical Hit. Bonus Damage Dealt.]
[Apophis Defeated. The White Reaper and Yasuline are the Victor. EXP Gained.]
[Yasuline Levels Up. Yasuline is now Level 2.]
[Yasuline unlocks the Battle Class: Magic Knight. Unlocked a Battle Class Skill Series. Learned the Assault Skill: Fire Slash.]
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The White Reaper stood in the middle of the broken room, the flame would disperse and revert back into his coat. As Apophis struggles to even turn his body over and pick himself up from the floor, he would playfully start to stretch his legs about.
Apophis tries to curse at him, but his mouth was full of blood and he had to spit it all out.
"You must find yourself very proud to have taken me down." He would start going again, getting the feeling of his body again. He would stand up, but with a broken posture. He hunches over as if he didn't have the ability to straighten his back up more.
The White Reaper would respond with a simple shrug. This seemed to only bother Apophis even more. So much so that when he snaps his back to straighten up his form, he didn't show any signs of pain.
"I nearly beat you if it wasn't the princess' magic to intervene. I was right to have targeted the king and his family as the ones who first die before our return."
As he continued to speak, Apophis would search through the tore robes he has worn for something important. But tried to play it off by keeping his eyes locked on him. The White Reaper prepared to hold his sword up to stop him but found that the blade was clean off the guard. He looks around but fails to find the blade anywhere.
Finally, Apophis would finally find what he was looking for, it was a small smoky orb or some ball. Small enough for him to be holding it between his fingers.
The White Reaper knew what it was, and in an attempt to stop him, he would throw the broken sword at him in a small effort to stop him. In a predicting verdict, it didn't work and Apophis was able to put the item to use. Upon throwing the ball down, the ball would disrupt a large gray cloud of smoke around the area he was in.
The White Reaper could sense that he was now gone. as well as the strange anomaly that was surrounding the castle that he suspected was the cause of all the strange behavior coming from the castle workers and the king.
Thinking of the king, he would head on over to where he let Yasuline and her father rest. Picking up Yasuline's runeblade along the way.
As he walks toward her, he would remember the faint voice of the princess crying out to him while he blacked out from the damage he endured. Something about hearing someone with care for him made him feel strange. A sense of warmth that didn't come from the fires of his coat.
Of course, he knew exactly what it meant to care for another, he just recently experienced it, but that's debatable. This time, he could feel the genuine of it for the first time of this life of his. It made him assured that he kept on holding onto his conscious as he was laying there.
It made the desire to protect her and her dreams even more assuring. She was as important to him as her dream of adventuring was to her. Though, he wouldn't or couldn't admit such a thing to her. Least not yet.
Looking up, he could feel the night wind blowing into the broken room, the moon was bright with the stars surrounding it. Though, they were barely visible due to the lanterns and lighting of the castle finally returning and illuminating everything inside. The sound of people's voices could be heard at the wall from the fair distance, only could be heard from his trained ears.
She was still on the floor, still as she was since she first laid unconscious. The king was also unconscious, but he was stirring just a bit as if he was waking up. The wounds on his body were gone, but the damage on his clothes was still present. He looks at his own body and would verified that his wounds from before were also gone. But the healing was from an outside force and not from his own interior regeneration that he has for himself.
Looking over at Yasuline, he replays the skill that she used that someone turns the tides of the battle in their favor. Her being unconscious was a likely result of using such a powerful move. Healing her allies and those she wanted, and harming the enemies she didn't.
He would make a mental note as to tell her to not use that skill again until she was more stronger.
Then, the slightest noise the King made alerted the White Reaper to be wary of his surroundings. He sets Yasuline's sword down and quickly starts to run from the scene.
The sounds of rustling and groans would happen all over the castle, likely all the workers of the castle were starting to come to.
As he goes to leave the area, he turns down the hall to see movement coming from that direction, two people, panting as they run side by side.
He escapes into the yard and jumps over the wall, landing into a closed alleyway. Putting on a dirty cloth, he would hide his coat inside it and begins to trek through the busy crowds of the street, watching some of them stop and look above the wall where a pillar of smoke would flow up into the sky. He would then disappear into the city.
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Caliber would make his way around the halls of the castle, waking up from the knockout from the fight that he had with the White Reaper. Running alongside him was the Queen, still wearing her nightgown as she was trying to sleep through the night until all the commotion.
"And you're sure you saw the blue flames coming from this direction?" She would say with a panicked tone.
Often feeling the slight sting of small rocks poking at the bottom of her exposed feet. But just up ahead, she could see the faint sight of two people laying there. Her mother instincts alerted her that one of them was her own daughter.
She would push Caliber to get some distance between them as she frantically moves her arms at the side of her body as she goes at full speed to reach the two up ahead of her. Once she sees her own daughter down on the floor, she would crouch and holds her in her arms. Leaving the king to the captain.
"Yasuline! My daughter, are you hurt!?" She cried out, tears starting to flow down her cheeks as her emotions overhyped.
As she hugs her, a radiant and warm light envelopes the two of them, most of it was around Queen Noria, but it would flow down onto Yausline and then disperses.
All the crying and noises she was making was finally getting the king to awaken from his slumber.
"Gasp! your majesty! You're safe." Caliber would shout.
The king would blink as his mind recollects itself for him to even comprehend what situation he was on, let alone what was the last thing he remembered to be doing.
"Oooh, my head. My body, oh how it aches." King Suko would complain as he starts sitting on up. He looks around his surroundings and is astounded by the amount of damage that has been done to his home.
"What the hell happened to the throne room!?" He cried out.
"T-that, I am not sure. I'll have to investigate before I can completely tell you."
King Suko would turn to face Caliber, but then heard the weeping from Noria and turns to find her cradling Yausline.
"Yasu." He says softly as he crawls on over and hugs them both.
"So glad to see you two safe."
"She seems well too, just...tired it seems."
"Heh, you already used your healing skills on her?"
"First moment I saw her." She answered him, keeping her eyes on her daughter's sleeping face.
Feeling the calmness get to him, King Suko would feel more relaxed and then starts to look around them. That was when he spotted the runeblade laying beside her.
"Huh? What's the Runeblade Prototype doing here?"
Picking it up, he would see the runes on it glowing while and slowly fade away.
As they all slowly relax, more of the castle workers, both the maids and the guards would approach them all.
"Ugh, your majesty? What happened? I can't remember anything. It all feels so fuzzy." One of the maids would say, holding her hand against her forehead as she feels a migraine annoying her greatly. And she wasn't the only one as others all either groaned or replicated her.
"Hmm, that I am not sure." The King would state. Standing on up as he continues to investigate around him. That was when Caliber would look at the sword he was holding and the memory of his battle with the White Reaper returned.
"Ah! I remember now!"
"Oh do you?"
"Yes, I do. But before that, we should work on reconstructing. And also call in the nobles, we must call forth the roundtable."
"The roundtable, you say?" The king looked a bit puzzled at Caliber but then would nod. "Yes, I suppose with destruction this bad on the castle and our memories all hazy, it would do well to get the kingdom under control."
With a firm nod, he would crouch down to pick up Yasuline into his arms.
"Now then, Hunny, we should take Yasuline to bed, and you can join her to ensure she is okay." He would start to give orders around, attempting to get everything back to normal as fast as possible.
He then would turn to face Caliber whom had the guards right behind him, ready to work. "AS for you and your men, we need to scan the area, find anyone who would be hurt, and bring them to the royal quarters so we can treat them. After that, we need to start cleaning up."
Caliber would nod obediently as he then turns and gestures all the guards to start moving in a formation.
"Can't exactly have a roundtable if the room it was in is all busted up. Might need to relocate that." He says with a hefty but hearty sigh. Not at all minding the damages around him as he is ensured that his family and those around him were unharmed for now. As he looks around, he would see that the throne was still standing in its spot as it should be.
"Heh, still there after all the raised hell that happened here, if only it could talk."
Feeling drained, he would start to leave the room but takes one final look around before he heads into the hall with Queen Noria. The scorch marks on the walls and floor, the strange objects that were stabbed onto the walls. And the strange impression on the center of the room that looked like it was caused by something heavy.
"Something crazy happened here, and here I am having missed it all, or even forgotten about it."
"Well, I am hoping that none of it has occurred with my precious girl. Now I can see why you had such paranoia about her getting hurt with some shenanigans." She would rebut as she keeps a hand onto her hair, gently stroking her as they head to bed.
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Apophis could feel his body resisting his attempt to keep on moving. He never felt this bad before, everything hurt. Anything in Atlas was now able to give him trouble, though he would never admit such a thing to anyone.
Which is why he was hiding himself among shadows of trees and anything tall. Would have made things easier if at least one of the hellfire members from below were alive, but since no one had come to his aid by now, that was likely hopeless.
The White Reaper was more of a threat than he first considered. When he got his second wind, he could feel something different had changed in the air around them, he ignored it, and then when the blue flames burned him alive, he didn't have time to think about it. But now, he knew, he was a mere ant, facing a tsunami wave.
Just thinking of it made his blood boil and his burned skin to stiffen up.
But then it all stopped, when he realized that he ran for so long, he was in the middle of the plains of the land. Few trees were sprinkled around, but he didn't see any resemblance that would tell him where he was.
"Of all the dumb luck, to be lost in the enemy's territory with injuries this bad. It'd be more annoying than worrisome if I didn't drain all my skills on that fight." He ranted, mostly to himself, just to hear something other than the wind and sounds of crickets.
All of sudden, he felt someone near him. Turning around, he was face to face with a hodden figure he did not recognize. He backs away, holding himself as steady as possible as to not look so weak. "Who are you!? Do not come near me again!" He barked. Fighting the pain on his throat.
The mysterious person didn't seem at all phased by him and simply responded with a raised hand of peace.
"Do not be alarmed, I am not an enemy."
"I don't know you, so of course you are. Now walk away, I shall give you mercy as I am quite too busy to eradicate you tonight." He bluffs. Putting all his energy onto his appearance.
But the man persisted and shook his head. "Sometimes, people have allies in the shadows, or in the unknown. Such as you and me, Apophis."
Hearing his name definitely gave him a jolt. It only made his posture that much important to hold. He needed to looks strong and to know more.
"And how do you know my name, who are you exactly?"
"I'm a scholar, and a traveling one at that."
Grr, that doesn't answer my question."
"No, I would think it doesn't but, I think it would getting you somewhere safe would be more important no? The White Reaper sure had done quite the number on you."
"So, you were watching." He doesn't deny it, the man didn't use any undertone when he stated it. Finally, he would drop his stance and relaxed his body more. He slopes on one knee as his leg gave way to his weight.
"Yes, I was. Didn't know it was a private matter, what with all that roaring." The man would give a slight wave of his hand and two whirlpools appeared from thin air behind him. Two other figures would walk through the whirlpool, but Apophis recognized them. It was the twins that he cast back to their base.
"Lord Apophis!" They cried and quickly ran up to him, each of them taking one of his sides and helping him up to his feet.
"You fools disobeyed my order on returning home. If I had some energy left, I would have sent you to hell myself."
"We did return home, but those portal-like things appeared and we saw you on the other side."
"What, impossible. Transportation spells have been lost with the dragos."
"I'll let you use that as my identity for now. More importantly, you all should head west. There are fewer communities on that side of the land, we can set up camp where you can heal."
"No, we must return Apophis back to the base, so he can heal."
"No, I cannot go back. Not after this failure, and especially in this condition. They would eat me alive."
"Lord Apophis?" They show their confusion.
"We already lost so many of our members to the White Reaper and the Princess. They'll devour me for the complete failure and the loss of so many. We already have less than a thousand of our race as is."
"Which is why you two should start carrying him away now."
"Why not just teleport us away again?"
"Because we won't be leaving the area, so we should learn it while we can." He explains as he starts to go on ahead of the three of them.
"Do as he says, let's go," Apophis says, finally letting his body relax more and more. The hard fatigue on his body finally getting to him, and he was letting it take over.
The twins look at one another and nod, quietly carrying him behind their hooded ally.