Sinfus and Gelga had landed and dodged the lightning as they were the only ones left in the chamber that were alive, the Mother’s vengeful glare upon them as she drew her power upon them with deadly purpose, the cursed and afflicted Sinfus tossing Gelga to the side and dodging the lightning as he took flight and made himself at the side of the Mother, his claws drawing upon her arms in a tight grip and cutting deep incisions upon them as both locked eyes with another, green and gold.
The Mother felt sharp pain course through her arms as Sinfus held them tight, the black fluid of the Keraij toxin leaving his claws and finding place in her wounds as he looked upon her with betrayal and hate.
As the Mother felt her power weakening under the pain and effects of the toxin, she pulled her arms from the grip of the cursed, his claws cutting her skin as his hold was severed. The Mother then slammed her arm back against his cursed form, sending him sprawling across the chamber floor as she stood with her hand cast out to him, the green lightning crawling across her skin and finding place at her fingertip in weak form as her vision gave to blurring, her anger and vengeful tone leaving her as her mind became clear.
As Sinfus gave rise, he found the Mother pointing a deadly finger at him, blood trickling from her arms, mixed with the black toxin as she was weak. Deciding not to kill him as she began to feel her body grow weak, the Mother took view upon him and let the lightning leave her fingertip in a sharp blast, blowing a hole in Sinfus’ shoulder and sending him sliding backwards across the chamber floor as she soon fell into a puddle of her own blood and was unconscious.
Henk had made her way through the vast library and climbed through the hole that which Amen had produced by accident, days ago. Finding herself in the chamber that took place before the library, Henk looked about the room and found the entrance to the chamber had been barricaded with furniture. Finding it curious, Henk started to remove the furniture and soon found herself grabbed by the shoulder, and turned to face Amen, who wore a kerchief with a saddened face on it.
Henk looked upon the silent one and felt nervous as she wished to speak, and looked upon the barricade as she spoke. “Uhm…why is this barricaded?”
The silent one looked at her in still motion as Henk had her back to a window and turned to look outside, fear gripping her sharply as the form of a Keraij passed by and crashed against the window with its cursed form.
Henk backed away from the window and spoke as she found herself pushing against the form of Amen. “The Keraij are here! I wonder what’s going on outside?”
The silent one took hold of Henk’s shoulders and pulled her back behind the counter with him to hide as Keraij began clawing at the entrance and sticking their hands through the windows, glass bursting about the chamber as Henk spoke. “They’re coming to get us!”
Amen pressed Henk to sit behind the counter as he sat next to her, the young girl feeling she could no longer avoid speaking to him of what she said earlier and her feelings for him, decidedly voicing her concerns for him and apologies. “Amen. I’m sorry about what I said earlier. You see, I love you.”
Amen looked upon Henk blankly as she continued, his head craned sideways as she spoke. “I don’t think you’re a freak or weird. I wanted to make you able to speak, because I was afraid of being with someone who couldn’t say they love me or smile when they were glad I was with them. But I was wrong thinking that. It’s not your words, it’s your actions that speak of your love, and with the Keraij coming in here and trying to kill us. I don’t know how much longer we’ll last. I just want you to know that I love you and always will.”
Amen looked upon Henk as the Keraij attempted to get into the chamber, but were unable, Henk looking into the eyes of Amen as both shared a caring glance. Their eyes sat firmly locked together as Henk put her hand to the face of Amen and removed his kerchief.
As the silent one sat still, Henk moved in close and put her arms about his neck as his face was still as always, their eyes still locked as Henk pressed her lips against those of Amen and delivered a loving first kiss upon his blank expression, the sound of the Keraij attempting to break in echoing about the chamber as the two held each other close in loving care.
Below the Order, the fighting companions, Kurlank and Sen, fought in protection of Mensh as the Keraij attempted to break their stance, but failed. Karkor had fallen to the ground below, and found himself amongst trees of fruit as Fisu attempted to help him up from the ground, the single-eyed giant shifting slowly as he found view upon the young one and spoke his thoughts upon her. “Fisu, are you okay?”
The young half spoke her mind as she held one arm of the giant in a tugging motion, her thoughts sad as they were brought upon his four-armed form. “I’m okay. I can’t believe Kisu is gone.”
Karkor rose and spoke his mind as he placed a caring hand on the twin. He thought of them as his own children, as he always had watched over them. “Neither can I, I fear Sinfus has lost his way.”
Fisu nodded upon the thoughts of the giant and spoke her own upon him in return.
“I agree. What shall we do?”
The giant looked about the Order and spoke his mind as he sighted the familiar sight of Kurlank and Sen being attacked by the horde of Keraij. “We shall attempt to set things right. Look up there! Let us aid them!”
Fisu found agreement with Karkor and took to the air as they made their way to aid those on the wall, Hersei watching them from gripped placement on the side of the massive tower as he held his thoughts within. Perhaps, in the confusion, he could still take control.
Samana continued her rush to the high chamber, and soon found herself leaving the vast stairs and finding entrance to the Mother’s chamber, her eyes finding view upon a horrific scene as blood, red and black, was about the chamber, bodies of the cursed, stricken and dead, but most shocking of all was the sight of the Mother, lying in a pool of her own blood and wounded viciously upon her arms.
Samana took to the side of the Mother, and held her as she found her still living, and turned her view upon Sinfus, who was in a pool of his own black blood. His cursed form rising as Samana looked upon him with hate and spoke. “YOU!!! You did this to her! First you take Hoosun, and now, you try to kill her?!”
Sinfus looked upon Samana weakly as blood poured out from his shoulder, his eyes upon Gelga as she rose from behind the throne of the Mother, Sinfus speaking as he tore his face open with a sharp claw. “I didn’t kill your friend. The Mother tried to kill us.”
Samana rose as she looked upon Sinfus with hate, her voice stricken with vengeance as she was blinded by her loss. “I’m going to succeed. This ends here!”
Samana drew her blade and took rush upon Sinfus as he stood weakly before her, Gelga leaping from behind the throne and tearing her mouth open as she flew over Samana, Samana finding a sharp grasp grabbing the blade of her sword as she found Gelga land before her and attempt to redirect the blade as she spoke. “NO!!!”
But as Samana charged, Gelga failed. In attempting to redirect the blade from Sinfus, Gelga had found the blade stabbing her through the chest, in her hold. Sinfus watched in shared horror with Samana as the young heroine let loose her hold of the blade, Gelga falling to the ground between the two as Sinfus took to her side and held her close, Gelga speaking through her slit features upon her husband as she felt life leaving her cursed form. “Don’t blame her…it was my doing…”
Sinfus held Gelga’s hand in sharp grasp and spoke to her as he slit his former place of mouth open. “Gelga…don’t go. I need you!”
Gelga put her hand on the cheek of Sinfus and spoke as she rose slightly as her features began to seal. “I love you…Sinfus.”
As Gelga’s features began to seal, she delivered one final bloody kiss upon the slit features of her husband and only love. Sinfus held her form in hold as Samana watched Gelga become lifeless, the young heroine backing away as she saw what she had been a part of, even if it was not intentionally made to be, she had taken the life of one anothe
r held dear, as Hoosun had been taken from her.
Sinfus sat holding Gelga close and felt his mind loosening as he looked to Samana, his body shaking as he felt his will dying and his need for blood on the rise, the cursed form of Sinfus looking upon Samana as he knew what was happening. The affliction of the Keraij was taking over. Holding Gelga tight, Sinfus held his head back and cried out in an echoing fashion, his voice booming out from the high chamber as he released his pain and suffering upon all as the young heroine watched, knowing the pain that Sinfus felt.
Below the high chamber, Kurlank and Sen fought the Keraij bravely. The cursed took hold of Sen and ripped at him with their claws as he cut them deep with his own claws. Kurlank turned to see his warrior companion being pulled away by the Keraij, rushing to his aid, but unable to help as Keraij slammed into the armored form of the warrior and sent him flying from the wall top and to the ground below.
Sen fought against the Keraij as they ripped at him and found that he was unable to fight against their shared grip, when he soon found the Keraij ripped from his form and torn to pieces as he found view upon the giant Karkor and the twin, Fisu. The two cursed stood before him as the young twin spoke her thoughts upon the cursed Sen. “We’re here to help. We share this curse. Let us now share a cause as we fight to rid this land of these cursed!”
Sen stood before the two and nodded in agreement as he found his ability to control his curse becoming greater as he spoke his mind to Karkor and Fisu. “Alright, let’s fight then!”
The three took to fighting the Keraij as the mass of cursed made deadly approach with sharp claws. Kurlank got up from the ground and looked about as he saw the two cursed council fighting alongside Sen, the armored one taking view upon the high chamber as he heard a resounding scream of pain.
Hersei looked up to the chamber and heard the cry. The pain of Sinfus was upon him as it soon was upon all of the Council. His pain was now shared with those of his curse as he finally released his suffering.
As they fought the Keraij, the three cursed on the wall top found themselves confronted by the pain of Sinfus and fell to their knees as the Keraij, all around the Order, went insane and found their cursed forms crashing about.
Hersei held firm in thought, blocking the thoughts and feelings of Sinfus’ loss from his mind as not to lose his own. The three below attempted the same, but were far weaker in mind than Hersei, Sen holding firmly to the thought of his purpose in helping Samana as the pain and loss of Sinfus was enough to break the will of any, as he had experienced the loss of Gelga once before and now once more, but this time she was truly gone.
Samana watched the sight of Sinfus in horror as he screamed, Borka struggled up from the balcony and felt the thoughts of Sinfus gripping him and felt his will leave his body as he was weak and dying from his wounds, his will not great enough to withstand sharing the pain of Sinfus.
Karkor writhed about on the wall top, his massive form feeling the loss of Gelga in pain like no other as Sinfus’ loss filled his body, his hand reaching out to Fisu as he felt his will lost as he spoke his last thoughts to Fisu. “Don’t let the pain take you away!”
As Karkor faded away into a mindless state, Fisu reached out for him and spread her thoughts out to him, but she was unable as his mind was gone. “Karkor!!!”
As Fisu soon found Karkor was gone, she felt her will slip away and she too was now mindless as the many Keraij about the Order.
Sen held his thoughts firm in mind, looking upon the cursed ones upon the wall with him as he felt their minds gone, their will shattered before the shared pain of Sinfus.
Kurlank saw the Keraij falling to the ground in writhing pain and made his way to the side of Sen upon the wall top, Hersei watching as he did not lose his will, as it only grew stronger as with the minds of the Council leaving their bodies, he would be able to command the Keraij without conflict with his fellow council.
Samana watched Sinfus in the high chamber as he stopped his cry of pain and looked upon her, his golden eyes filled with sorrow as he spoke to Samana. “I’m sorry.”
As Samana looked upon the broken form of Sinfus, his will left him and his body was left mindless, the control of the Keraij gone from his hold as his cursed form no longer held thought.
Samana stood silent, looking upon Sinfus as he was silent, his cursed form looking about the room in silence as it sat on the chamber floor. Samana looked upon the balcony and found the image of Borka in accord.
Outside the great chamber, the Keraij were all still and without motion as Hersei stood watching the mass of cursed from the side of the tower, which he sat gripping firmly in sharp hold as he felt the entire council had lost their minds, leaving the Keraij to follow him.
Kurlank looked upon Sen as he spoke in echoing fashion upon him. “Sen! Are you okay? Speak!”
Sen shook his head and spoke as he looked upon Kurlank. “I’m fine. I could feel the pain Sinfus felt, but only slightly. I can’t imagine feeling the full force of his pain. I probably would have-”
Kurlank looked to the images of Karkor and Fisu and spoke as they stood silent and still.
“Lost your mind?”
Sen nodded his head and spoke in return upon the armored warrior. “Yeah.”
Kurlank looked about the Order as the Keraij were still upon his view, his voice echoing out in a booming fashion as he put his armored grasp to his dual blades. “I sense something is coming. Over there!”
As Kurlank and Sen stood upon the wall, Kurlank directed Sen’s attention to the form of Hersei flying from the tower side to their presence, the one-eyed figure landing on an archway over a wall bridge and tearing his mouth open to bloody result as he spoke to the two warriors.
“You’ve fought heroically, but your lives end here! The Keraij are under my command, now!”
Kurlank looked about the mass of Keraij as they began to move. He grabbed Sen as he leapt from the wall and to the fruit trees below, speaking to the cursed Sen at his side as they took cover in the trees. “Sen, do you think you can command these things at all?”
Sen shook his head and spoke as he saw Hersei coming their way, the Keraij beginning to surround the fruit-bearing trees. “No. I’m not fully changed yet. I still can’t sense everything they do.”
Kurlank looked from the cover of the trees, at the approaching form of Hersei, and spoke in echoing manner as the cursed one landed on the side of the tower and spoke to Kurlank and Sen as he took view upon them. “There’s no hiding. It ends here!”
As Kurlank and Sen watched the Keraij close in around them, Samana stood in the high chamber and watched as Sinfus rose from the ground, along with Borka. Both stood craning over as Samana drew her sword and sensed something was wrong.
Hersei sensed Samana in the high chamber and thought to himself as he was to have her killed by Sinfus and Borka. He would finally dispose of the troublesome heroine, along with her two companions, and then nothing would stand in his way.
As the Keraij closed in on the two companions, Kurlank spoke as he drew his blades.
“Here it comes!”
The two warrior companions fought bravely against the Keraij as they entered the trees, black blood flecking the ground and trees as Kurlank shredded the cursed to pieces with his blades, Sen doing the same in accord with his sharp claws.
In the high chamber, Samana soon found Sinfus and Borka taking approach towards her. It seemed they were to kill her and she would have to defend herself, as they were mindless upon their approach, she found no wrong in fighting them as they were as empty shells now, beastly and twisted.
Borka took his sharp javelin from his back and leapt over the cursed form of Sinfus and swung his weapon upon the young heroine. Samana, having drawn her blade, dodged the blow and slashed across the stomach of the boar to spill black blood across the chamber floor.
Kurlank and Sen continued their struggle below. Kurlank kept up his defense against the cursed and soon found himself grabbed from behind by the
massive form of Karkor. Slamming his helmet back, Kurlank sent the giant stumbling backwards and then severed two approaching Keraij in half as he turned to take on the giant.
Samana dodged thrust after thrust of the sharp javelin in the hold of the cursed Borka, and received a scathing blow to her shoulder from the blade. Grabbing her blade in firm grip, Samana slashed swiftly and severed the hand of Borka from its hold of the Javelin. Taking the javelin in grip, she spun around, dealing two slashes across the chest of Borka, and then stabbed the javelin through his chest, slaying his cursed form instantly.
As Samana had defeated the cursed one, she turned her attention upon the cursed form of Sinfus and found her blade knocked from her grasp as he took a leap and tackled her, the two sprawling across the chamber floor as Sinfus tried to scrape Samana’s flesh with his sharp claws, but missed, the young heroine kicking him from her body and rushing for her sword as he leapt after her in pursuit.
Kurlank slashed at Karkor as two of his three remaining arms were held up to guard, the giant using his third arm to break a tree limb from a nearby fruit tree to use as a club against the armored warrior.
As Kurlank fought against the single-eyed giant, Sen soon found himself fighting Fisu as she slashed his back from behind. Sen turned to meet the cursed one in battle and dodged repeated blows from her claws, backing up to a tree as she made approach with deadly force.
As Sen felt the tree was close behind him, he dodged another blow of the cursed one’s claws. Their sharp tips stuck firmly in the tree as they pulled them in attempt to remove them from the tree, but were unable as Sen was at their side and slashed them across the face severely, his claws shredding their face to pieces as they were soon slain. Sen spoke as their body went limp, their claws still stuck in the tree. “Sorry.”
Hersei watched in frustration as the Keraij were getting beaten horribly and slain by the two warrior companions, his eye watching in disbelief as the two warriors fought against his Keraij and were winning.
The Order of Events: The Council of Eight Page 26
