Shooting pain seized Alicia's ribs as she stirred awake. Her body refused to rise, unable to bear the wracking pain she endured with a wry face. Running her hands over her ribs only made her want to screech, but the sound was all but stutterings of breath. Instead of comforting herself with the cold concrete floor and staring at the broken wooden rafters as if her own ribcage, she lifted her free leg and desperately straightened up while her internal organs threatened to give way. She had to, for her blurred glasses had captured the image of armed troops and shamans encircling her. And that was not the worst part of it all.
An unhinged snicker bloomed before Alicia, courtesy of a crouching, grey-haired mage banging a sceptre on the ground. The worst part of it all.
"I told you, I told you our destinies would always be intertwined wherever we go," the mage stated. Alicia's wistful visage surfaced as she hobbled backwards languidly, clutching Orb as her ribs braced.
"Do you want to stay away, or get closer to the warrior behind you?" the mage asked with an amused laugh. "Because if your choice is the latter, then I will kill that insolent soldier!"
Alicia's lips parted in a bitter retort, "Och, anything... so long as yer cursed mug doesnae blemish my view anymore!"
Agosh, the necromancer, cackled at her words."Oh, Alicia, Alicia, Alicia. Is it because of my glasses?" He tapped his red visor. "I don't look good in these? No problem! For your sake, I'll take them off!"
With a cruel flourish on his hands, the necromancer pried away the orc mask that had once adorned his visage, as if tearing off a layer of his very own skin. It had become the layer of his very own skin. For when the glass visor was removed, Alicia did not witness a pair of normal eyes. She witnessed red-veined, popping eyes, attached to raw, quivering flesh.
"Better?" he inquired, his voice edged with cruel satisfaction. Blood gushed all over the face from bearing his now ever-glaring stare.
And yet he still laughed.
Alicia's eyes had painted horrors all her life that she could no longer clap two hands on her cheeks and scream like a woman in a horror flicker. All those visions, and her stomach was still in knots. Her heart still threatened to burst. Her hand still clamped over her mouth to stifle any expression of abject terror and the bowels from rushing out. Prayer even crossed her mind that her eyes would rather fall completely blind.
Alicia absorbed the Arcane might of her favourite orb. She did not intend to say another word. It was only fitting that this most despicable of mages be buried deep from the world's sight, and her momentary confidence intended to achieve just that—should Orb will it. The soldiers were already aiming their rifles. The path of escape was treacherous. She might as well die looking for a hole to flee.
With the scorched skull staff sticking out the scythe blade, Agosh Grendi waded through the air towards Alicia, still frozen in her stance. The Crimsonmane lass blasted plasma spheres, but he effortlessly deflected them with his slashing blade. As he drew nearer, he threw his hand sceptre at her, only to be met with the force of Divine Grace, knocking it to the concrete grey ground where it remained. Without hesitation, he landed a fierce blow to the Arcane shield that sent Alicia tumbling through the air.
Agosh relentlessly pursued her, landing blows that still left her in misery despite the protection of the Arcane dome that surrounded her—the red pulses and black cuts on the necromancer's knuckles were the foundation of that misery.
But suddenly, the Arcane shield vanished, and Alicia took advantage of the opportunity. She ducked and spun, smashing Agosh’s skull-covered kneepad with Orb. His body slumped to the side before the holy Arcane blast purified his skinless face!
The necromancer's face boiled. Quite literally.
"Crazy bitch!" Agosh fumed. Pink froth bubbled and popped around his eyes like pus. Perhaps the idea of unmasking Agosh Grendi's true face was something he and Alicia both regretted: Agosh, for forcefully revealing it, and Alicia, for realising that even the veneer of Divine Grace could not make it more appealing.
Agosh thrusts his two hands forward; the earth beneath Alicia's feet erupted in a gush of mud and blood. Grotesque hands, rank and stinking, scrambled over the bookworm's thighs, and the putrid mage seized the opportunity for another assail. As Alicia incinerated the grasping appendages with a blaze of Arcane fire, Agosh lunged at her with the sickle-bladed staff!
Though Alicia's blue shield saved her from being rent asunder, more hands snatched at her waist, and Agosh slipped through the gap to land a vicious blow to her ribs. The Arcane shield shattered, and Alicia crumpled under the hands of death, groaning loudly at her throbbing ribs.
Yet Alicia refused to cave. She unleashed an Arcane eruption, cremating the underworld hands and the necromancer himself. Agosh fell, and once again he felt a connection of similarity made by his twisted mind—he refused to yield either. With Orb as her only ally, Alicia took to the air in search of a way out, but once again, Agosh Grendi pounced on Alicia thanks to the support of the tower formed by tens to hundreds of corpses. Another blow to her already swollen ribs was delivered. She fell, caught by Agosh's grasp, and the blows continued to rain down on her. Alicia completely lost her voice this time.
"Don't you just love being tortured like this, Alicia?" The corpse mage laughed. His right fist was far from tired of crushing Alicia's ribs. "Oh, you like it, you like it, you like challenging men to torture you first!"
But the truth was the opposite. Alicia never liked pain, despite having it as her daily bread. She loathed being tortured, especially by someone as sadistic as Agosh Grendi. His embrace was suffocating as the lass' diaphragm was squeezed together. No, submission was still not her utmost precedence. Not against that necromancer! Thus, Alicia slammed Orb into the necromancer's neck repeatedly with all the force she could muster. Agosh endured a barrage of Arcane-infused impacts, but eventually, even he could no longer withstand the onslaught and flung Alicia aside with a violent shove.
"Who would have thought, who would have thought... that you would come this far, dear Alicia?" Agosh got up shortly afterwards, rubbing the back of his neck. "I love your passion, and hate your determination! You make everything difficult! Why you love doing it the hard way?" The bulging veins on his exposed face contorted. "I know, I know you're a smart girl. Any wise person would opt for the easy route if it existed! That's the thinking of an intelligent person! You're contrary to your nature!"
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"Contrary…?" Alicia's voice emerged muffled as she remained lying on her stomach, burying her face. She then gazed up at the undead magician. Blazing crimson eyes vie with bloodshot gazes. Bagong's gifted glasses displayed a slight fracture. "What is... a man with wit without a bloody conscience, Agosh Grendi...?" The lass centred all her strength into one arm as a fulcrum. "Ye might hold all the wisdom in the world, but lack the principles brings ye nought but pure anarchy!"
"Alicia, I want you and me together, ruling the world. Did you hear what I said back then—"
"Yes, and my answer's the same! Yer nothing but a fool!" Alicia insisted. "If you crave happiness, then the world must also have happiness to offer you. And you believe that by exploiting Arcane and Khaos, we can achieve that? You believe that you and I can fulfill the same dream? Without consequences?" Alicia managed to gain another fulcrum with her knees. "No, Agosh. Wicked men like you are short-sighted. Always have been. All yer fancies are just sweet nothings. In the end, as ye said yerself, you're the only one ye care about."
Agosh chuckled a little. "The two of us share somewhat achingly foolish dreams. Something that even without reason, you can guess is impossible, yet we still demand empirical evidence to prove it..."
Abruptly, the necromancer's chest ruptured. Countless decaying appendages slithered out, reaching for Alicia. Alicia suddenly stood up, then combined her life force with the might of Orb, unleashing a surge of Arcane beam to repel the deathly hands.
The two adversaries remained motionless as the soldiers of Alas Purwo witnessed a perilous cast and clash.
"So what makes your dream any better than mine?" screeched the necromancer.
In contrast to Alicia, who had suffered through countless tortures, Agosh was still in his prime. It could also be seen from the black blood-stained hands that slowly crept cerulean plasma energy. No matter if the searing pain ravaged his body. After all, this was also felt by the bespectacled lass on the other side.
Alicia's left knee failed to keep its momentary equilibrium, and the malevolent hands accelerated towards Alicia faster than termites devouring wood.
It would be a lie if she was not scared of the situation. The problem was, she was alone in this battle. She could not cry like the first time she fought a Protos particle user. The blast of adrenaline forced her to steel herself, and Orb's scream strengthened her resolve.
"No...! I won't lose to you...!" the lass muttered. Her eyes suddenly flared with blue light! "My friends have not received the justice they deserve! You and Alas Purwo must fall!"
"Foolish wench!" Agosh flung his palm forward. Blood and mud splattered on the ground again—the necromancer's underhanded trick. However, Alicia's response was quick, as she manipulated the hands on the ground and in the air to take control of the Arcane path before a wave of similar essence reversed the situation in one fateful blast! Everyone was lifted into the air and plummeted back to the ground. Agosh, as the defeated foe, suffered even worse. He was thrown so high that his foot caught on a rafter, snapping his bone in two.
The light in Alicia's eyes flickered and disappeared a moment later; so did most of her mana. In that brief moment, she felt no fear. Only anger. Seething anger. Yet, at the same time, it felt… holy. Anger that wanted the guilty to learn. The same feeling she had felt when she vanquished the Khaos from Barong. Thoughts plagued Alicia; what had become of her? She never intended to be like this!
Dozens of summoned Arcane strings had done their job swiftly to wrap around Agosh Grendi, who was dangling over the rafters, and with one swing, Alicia slammed him onto the broken tiles. Brighter luminescence snaked through the strings, and the Arcane might ate away at all the corrupted life force of the necromancer once again.
But was it the right moment? The lass' knees might snap like twigs due to the violent tremors. Her eyes were starting to glaze over. Her ribs felt like they were about to split and pierce the layers of flesh and skin.
Your body is weakening, Alicia! You don't have to purify it now! Orb even urged her.
Alicia ignored her friend's advice. She silently endured all the rattling she received just so that Agosh could be paralysed once more.
"Why is my dream better? I'll tell you: I care!" Alicia insisted, her eyes slowly glowing again. "During my life of exile and abuse, my dream resonated stronger and stronger within me. I don't want anyone else to experience the same thing as me!"
The necromancer shouted loudly. His face vaporised black and red, overpowering the night wind's chill with the desert heat of the day, and the smell of decay overwhelming the scent of feast. An Arcane wave was whipped up by Alicia's other hand when several soldiers took the opportunity to subdue her.
"Too many people like you, Agosh Grendi! Too many people who don't care! My friends died because of it! I failed! I must not fail again! I will save you! I will save the world! Witness this, Khaos!"
"I'm getting sick of your bullshit, Crimsonmane Bastard! You should just die!
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Amidst the chaos of the Arcane and Khaos battles during the purification process, Agosh's jaw shattered once again, sending yet another grotesque creature covered in lumps of muscle—Wreckingholic. He gathered the Khaos-tainted air around him in his hands, then the Arcane threads again disintegrated into a violent blast! The soldiers fled. The building collapsed. Alicia was sent tumbling into the nearby residential building complex, rolling and bouncing endlessly. []