Dawning Skye

384 Fragment Of The Star

***CONTENT WARNING: LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, AND GORE***

Tidas turned and nodded to Skye as he replied; “I agree, but how do we kill him? We sliced through to his heart, but he’s still alive..”

As she kept her eyes locked on Richard, Skye spoke in a low voice; “Don’t say it, but there’s one more option.. Remember what I said before? That could get the job done.”

Tidas instantly frowned; “I understand what you mean, but remember what happened to Roland’s wife? Shia died from it!”

“I know, but,” Skye touched the gemstone on her necklace; “I think I’ll be alright wit this around me neck.. Ye just saw Zazzy, and ye gotta know that it wasna the power of our hugs that really saved her.. I can do this, Tidas. Ye just gotta trust me.”

Tidas felt a surge of worry coupled with irrational anger. Skye had already nearly died once, and she wanted to try to handle something they Knew to be dangerous: the Ethereal Spear.

It was inside the palace somewhere, and Skye felt that it was the only way to take Richard out permanently. Tidas had to wonder if it was really wise to even attempt to touch it, considering what it had turned Richard into. Skye was the Catalyst, true; but she hadn’t unlocked her Light magic yet.

All magic had a polar opposite on the spectrum. Water was Fire’s, Earth was Water’s, etc.. But Light and Dark magic were exclusively on even ground with each other. If a Dark mage went up against a less-experienced Light mage: Dark would win, and vice versa.

Skye may have been a mage since she was eleven, but Richard had exclusively been using Dark magic for over a decade.. ‘And Skye’s only defense Might be her necklace?!’

.....

Right as Tidas went to argue, Richard howled like a banshee, which sent the creatures into a crazed state. They moved twice as fast, and killed with a frightening level of accuracy for doll-like dead things. As they looked over the fresh chaos of the battlefield, they both saw that Zazzy had actually destroyed several generators..

“Oh fuck.. Tidas!”

“I see’em! Can you fix them?!” he yelled in reply to his wife.

Skye shook her head; “Na, they be crushed.. I canna even strip ’em fer parts to make a couple new ones..”

Zazzy whimpered several times, knowing that it was her fault. She was already having a hard time coping with the deaths that she had caused herself, and now the lives were piling on even more..

Skye could feel the utter disparity that her scaly bairn was experiencing, and tried to explain that it wasn’t her fault. When Zazzy wouldn’t listen to gentle reasoning, Skye’s voice turned stern..

“Did ye Want ta kill those people?!”

Zazzy shook her head in the negative, startled by her mother’s sudden ornery tone as she continued; “Then look at the battlefield, lassie! Richard’s the one who sent ya into the darkness! He be the one ta make those wee monsters killin’ everyone now, not You! If ye want ta stop the killin’, then fight with us!”

Zazzy huffed with determination, then sat up and stared at Richard. He screeched at her, which drew the attention of his creatures again. Before he could do it again, Zazzy roared so loud that Tidas and Skye had to cover their ears, so as not to go deaf.

The creatures froze a moment, and a break in the noise was had. Seeing a rare opportunity, Tidas called out; “Everyone off the battlefield! NOW!”

As the soldiers started to dash towards Skye’s rock barrier, Tidas looked at Skye and told her to raise the walls. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing, but trusted him completely..

As Skye funneled her power into the ground and did as she was asked, Richard screamed as loudly as Zazzy had. The creatures started to charge at the three remaining living things on the battlefield, which was Tidas’ cue to yell to Zazzy..

“Torch’em, Princess!”

Hearing her father’s special name for her, Zazzy took the deepest breath that she ever had, and unleashed her flames right as a creature jumped at her. It had almost instantly turned to ash as several others behind it met the same fate. As wave after wave of the wee monsters hit them, the big one started to move..

Richard watched as Zazzy turned his creations to ash. He didn’t care that they were being decimated, all he cared about was the annoying ringing noise coming from the Catalyst. It intensified every time she used her powers, so there was a constant low ringing noise due to her Tank trait.

It was worse than nails in a grinder, and was slowly driving Richard mad. As his angry insanity spiked, he sent a horde of creatures careening at the three..

“Skye! Left side!” Tidas call out as he defended Zazzy’s right.

“Aye sir!” Skye called back; she tended to forget that Tidas was technically her Commander.

As the two defended their scaly bairn, Zazzy decimated their numbers. Richard roared in anger as he realized that he was wasting his pawns. Fed up with sending the others, Richard created around a dozen at once, then sent them at Zazzy and Tidas while he went for Skye..

Seeing him running at his wife, Tidas ran out off to the side. He waited for a pause in Zazzy’s breath attack, then darted across her path to attack Richard head on. Skye called out to him, wanting to go after him together, but Tidas was seeing red.

His uncle had killed innocents and his men, he tried to take over Zazzy, and was going after his wife. In Tidas’ mind: there was no stopping, not until he was dead and gone..

His father and aunt had suffered for years due to Richard’s betrayal. Skye and the rest of his soldiers were risking there lives, and many had already lost theirs in their fight against him.. Tidas wasn’t about to back down now; not with his goal so close.

He ran at his uncle, jumped into the air, and cut his uncle across his chest. Richard cried out as ooze poured out from his wound. Not sure where else to attack at this point; Tidas ran over, lept off of Skye’s barrier, then stabbed his uncle through the top of his skull with both of his swords.

Richard gurgled and screamed loud enough to make Zazzy flinch as pain tore through him, then he fell over. Tidas went down with him, and rolled across the ground as Skye and Zazzy finished off the last of the creatures. Ralph and Arthur has seen her becoming overwhelmed, so they had jumped the barrier to help her..

Richard’s body spasmed and twitched as black ooze spilled out of the wound on the top of his head. Tidas, Ralph, and Arthur were all smiles, thinking that he had finally taken down the monster. Only Skye stared at it with skepticism.

‘If he really killed Richard, then why isna he changin’ back ta his original form? ....Somethin’ not right here..’

As if her thought had provoked Richard, he suddenly reached out, and swiped at the three. Arthur had been standing back a bit further than the other two, so Richard had missed him, but he’d gotten Tidas and Ralph..

Tidas’ armor protected his chest, but his neck had gotten sliced open right next to his artery. Ralph’s armor provided little protection, and had been ripped apart along with his stomach. Skye screamed in horror as she watched the two of them hit the ground as Richard got up on his feet..

Skye froze as the pounding of her own heartbeat drowned out all other noise. She stood in a daze; fixated on her husband and friend laying on the ground, bleeding out. Before she’d realized it, Richard was up with his arm cranked back.. About to hit her three times as hard as the other two.

“SKYE!” Klaus screamed as he zipped past me grabbed her just in time.

Ronnie, Kari, and a couple of the other RMC members grabbed Tidas and Ralph, and dragged them off of the battlefield as Klaus did the same to Skye. The soldiers poured over the sides of Skye’s barrier to attack Richard, and cover their retreat. As Klaus picked up Skye and flung her over the barrier, he called out to her..

“We’ll handle him until you can heal those two! You got this Princess!”

Skye watched with watery eyes as several soldiers threatened Richard for hurting Skye, Tidas, Ralph, and Zazzy. They screamed that he’d regret the day he turned traitor, and doubly so for hurting their leaders and dragon. Apparently, Zazzy was an honorary RMC member, too.

After wiping her tears away, Skye immediately went and healed Tidas. Thanks to his dragon armor, the black ooze barely stuck to him. His neck wound was the only critical injury he’d gotten the goop in.

It took longer than she had wanted to heal him, and Ralph started to cough up blood as she finished. As soon at Tidas was done, she moved on to Ralph, who was already slipping away..

As she crawled over to him, Ralph spoke weakly to her; “I don’t think I’ll make it, princess.. Will you do me a favor? Tell my family Ima sorry.. Especially wee Tidas..”

Tears streamed down Skye’s cheeks as she desperately tried to heal him. The Dark and Ether magic that coated his wounds was seeping into him; turning his veins black under his skin. Ralph coughed up blood again, but blackness was mixed in this time.

As Skye desperately tried to heal him, Ralph’s voice became weaker and weaker..

“Will ye still go play your violin for my lad’s birthday? And bring him to see Zazzy? He.. He really likes dragons.. He wanted to be a...dragon rider when he grew up, even.. Though I told him.. Zazzy was the last one.”

“Stop talkin’ nonsense! You’ll see him on his birthday! And you’ll see him ridin’ Zazzy, if you’ll let me take him up,” Skye replied as she tried to force he Shaman magic to work around the ooze, but it wasn’t working.

As Tidas came to, Ralph grabbed Skye’s hand and stopped her from trying to heal him; “Take care of our prince, lassie.. He loves you more than the world itself.. Don’t let him...Lose his way..”

As Ralph finished speaking, his hand dropped away from Skye’s...

“Ralph? Ralph?! No, no, No! Come on, Ralphy! Stay with me! Ye can’t die here!”

As Tidas started to crawl towards his best friend and mentor, Skye cried out like she was in agony, then her necklace started to glow...

Realizing it, Skye looked down at Ralph’s lifeless body with determination and yelled; “I won’t let ya die like this!”

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