Chapter 96: We Did It!

Chapter 96: We Did It!

Hirals heavy strike cleaved Fitch cleanly in two at the waist, while Seenas twinned fiery lances obliterated the mans legs. Yanilys Skyfall landed a split second later to spear the Infested through the shoulder and slam him to the ground. Lightning flashed and crawled along the ground twenty feet around the new crater, and Fitch coughed up dark blood.

We did Seena started, but a pair of tentacles snapped straight for Yanily.

Right appeared out of a black portal, arms braced in front of himself as he hung in the air to take the blows for the spearman. Still, the ensuing impact sent the double careening into Yanily, and both of them went rolling off to the side.

Then, like some kind of horrific spider, Fitch lifted himself off the ground, using the tentacles extending from his back like glowing legs. Blood and entrails dripped from his severed waist to the ground below, mixing with the pooling water.

Yeah, I dont like that, Yanily said, finding his feet.

Whats it going to take to kill this guy? Seena asked, stepping up beside the others with new fireballs in her hands.

Hirals quick look at his Party Interface showed the group still in good shape on both health and solar energy. Lefts buffs, along with the constant healing he was providing through the Waters of Frey mixed with the rain, were a major boon. With increased access to his tattoos, the double could easily serve as a frontline fighter or a backline support healer.

Dont you understand what youre doing? Fitch screamed as the light in his pupils grew so bright his eyes began to burn. This is the end of Fallen Reach, no matter what you do. Now that the storm is here, theres no stopping them! Our peoples only hope is to side with them. To join! If you dont let that happen, youre killing everybody.

Just going to point out its you killing everyone, since youre the one who stole the spear and let the squids in, Yanily said.

They wouldve gotten here eventually. I did it to save as many as I could.

Stop lying to yourself, Seena said. You hate the Islanders for what you think they did to your sister. Always have. Everything else is just an excuse to hurt them.

Fitchs one handcharred though it waswent to his face like he couldnt believe what the party was saying. Blood and intestines hung in thick, ribbony gobs beneath him, but like all the other injuries, he completely ignored them. Above his head, his health bar was finally below halfas well as tinted greenbut he didnt give any indication he was slowing down.

Fine! Fine! I dont know why I even try to talk to you. Fitch pulled his hand away to reveal his eyes now completely burned out. In their place, orbs like red-hot coals glowed and charred the skin on his nose, forehead, and cheeks. His next breath steamed in the falling rain, blackening his lips and spreading around the edges of his mouth. Across his torso and arms, the tentacles pulsed with hidden reserves of power, frying the nearby skin to smoke like overcooked meat.

How does he still have so much power left? How many forms are we going to have to fight?

Im done trying to convince you! Im done going easy on you! Im going to

Shut up, Seeyela said quietly, once again appearing out of the darkness behind him.

Her Fangs of the Lady glowed their fierce green, and then her arms snapped in like a pincer. One dagger went straight through Fitchs right temple, bursting out the far side in a shower of green and red, while the other was buried in his neck. A twist of Seeyelas wrist tore the woundand Fitchs throatwide open, blood waterfalling down his chest. nove(l)bi(n.)com

Fitchs mouth hung open at the brutal assault, his eyes flickering like the broken crystal system back in the Asylum before green spread in from each side. Above his head, his health bar practically disintegrated, dropping to next to nothing so fast it looked like it glitched out. His arms dropped to his sides, while the solid-solar tentacles at his back stumbled like they were drunk.

Dynamic Quest: Update

One of the Infested seeks to free the Fallen trapped within the nearby crystal.

Dont let that happen!

Infested Defeated: 1/1

Fallen Contained: 0/1?

Hiral quickly read the notification window, confirming theyd truly defeated Fitch this time, but the question mark at the end made him nervous. Finally, with the heat at his back dying down and the rain once again falling, Hiral gripped the Emperors Greatswordtight in his hand and spun to look at the crystal. How bad will it be? Are we going to have to deal with an S-Rank monster?

His legs almost gave out underneath him as he spotted the crystal still intact. More cracks spiderwebbed out from the two initial gouges from the Spear of Clouds, but even using its lifeforce in one final attack, the Infested hadnt been able to finish it.

Hira Hiral, I cant tell through the rain Seena said from beside him.

The crystal didnt completely break, he answered. We stopped it! Now we just need to get the Spear of Clouds back to the Grandfather and thisll be over. Sure, I need to do a few things to keep the other Fallen asleep, and maybe do something to repair this crystal, but we did it.

We saved Fallen Reach!

Seena moved in from the side and squeezed him in a tight hug. The flames of her phoenix sheath were barely warm to him, and she nestled her head against the side of his face. We did. Thank you for not dying.

Told you Id be fine, he replied, lifting a hand to rub the top of her head.

You know, guys, Yanily started, I hate to interrupt the momentits cute and allbut if we really did stop it, why hasnt the notification window updated?

The crystal isnt broken? Seeyela asked. Youre sure?

Lifting his head from where it rested against Seenas, Hiral checked the notification and looked again at the crystal. Cracked, definitely, but its still in one piece. Maybe I need to He trailed off as the deep ocean of dense power within the crystal stirred.

No, not stirring. Flexing.

Before he could even open his mouth again, there was a silent compression, like a powerfully beating heart, and a large chunk of the crystal broke off. Hiral watched in horrified fascination as the crystal fell the length of the tall tower and shattered into a thousand smaller pieces when it hit the ground. Lightning flashed in the clouds overhead, reflected off the sea of shards on the ground, and Hirals gaze snapped back up to the top.

Just in time for another heartbeat-like compression to shatter the top half of the crystal.