Twilightfall

by Viktor Zólyomi

`You're still mourning Jason. Yes, you are. After all this time. Flora, you gotta move on, he's dead, there's nothing you can do about it!'

  `Shut up!'

  `Once you told me that I slightly reminded you of him. But you know something, I wonder if you ever bothered to notice the huge difference between him and me as well. You know what that huge difference is? He was not willing to go to any length necessary for that which he desired above all else.'

  `You know nothing of him!'

  `Just think about it. What was his greatest desire above all things? He wanted to live a happy life. That was his wish. Now wasn't it?'

  `What if it was? He could not have it...'

  `Of course he could! He could have! He just wasn't willing to pay the price! All it would have taken was to accept what he was, and let that demon inside him kill some people every once in a while. But he didn't want it. Instead, he tried to refuse his very being, so that he would never have to kill. Guess what? He ended up killing thousands of people. He never got his desire. Don't you see? His life was miserable because he didn't want to accept what he was. He wasn't willing to do what was necessary to get what he wanted. That's why all he had left in life was revenge. His revenge became the great dream of his life at that point. The greatest irony is that in the end he was willing to do anything to achieve that revenge... Had he been willing to do what was necessary before his life got to that state, he wouldn't have had such a miserable existence, and he'd probably still be alive.'

  `You think you can judge him?'

  `I'm not judging him, I never do that. I'm just telling you facts.'

  `You're just playing with words.'

  `No. These are facts. Just spends some time to think about it, and you will understand.'

  `Shut up! I said, shut...'

  Suddenly I feel a stinging pain in my right arm, and I can't speak, or move any more. What is going on?

  He steps back and looks down at his skeletal left hand. He paralyzed me with that, it seems. Just like he paralyzed Jenathar a year ago. Just like he paralyzed that half-dragon less than an hour ago. I didn't even notice the way he removed the glove.

  `I am the king of deceivers!' he says, smiling.

  The son of a bitch! He told me all this about Jason just to distract me, so he could approach me, and that I would not notice him taking off his glove, and then he could paralyze me!

  I was a fool!

  `Well, Flora, I know you'd like that rematch now, but I can't spare the time. Sorry, maybe some other time. For now, just... Oh, will you look at that, I was about to tell you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. But you can't sit back, now can you?' he says, smiling again. `Well, just enjoy the show then!'

  He turns around laughing, and steps to the center of the room.

  He starts waving his hand around, and something lights up on the floor briefly. He must be casting some spells in preparation of opening that... that Rift...

  While I'm stuck here, unable to do anything, paralyzed.

  Paralyzed...

  Paralyzed?

  Suddenly, I remember something. Something that happened a long time ago.

  Belwor. The lich who gave me my armor. The bastard that made me go through Hell for some lousy trinket of his. He gave me three things as a reward. The armor and the cloak, and something he called a magic tattoo of power. He put it on the back of my neck. He said he had charged that tattoo with an anti-paralysis spell, something that would allow me to break free of magical paralysis.

  He told me that all I had to do to unleash the spell is focus on the magic tattoo on my neck. Well, now is a pretty good time to see if that works.

  I'd close my eyes to help me focus better, but I can't move my eyelids. I have to try without it. There's nothing else I can do.

  I slowly begin to concentrate on the magic tattoo as best I can. Zack in the mean time takes the Shadestone out of his pocket. He reaches out his hand and releases the stone. It stays there in the air, floating, right in the center of the chamber. He begins to move his hands around it. With his back facing me, I can't see his eyes, but I bet he is staring at the stone intently.

  Suddenly, I start to feel a burning sensation at the back of my neck. It seems that the spell is working! The burning feeling intensifies, and a moment later, I blink. Then, I try to move my fingers...

  It worked! Belwor, you son of a bitch, it worked! What can I say, thank you, you sorry son of a bitch!

  Now it's time to deal with Zack Sands. I must stop him! I can't just let him open that Rift, it could destroy this whole damn world. Maybe I am no wood elf any more, and so maybe I have no reason or intention to think like one any more, but it doesn't take a wood elf to dislike the thought of what Zack's selfish meddling could unleash upon Arghard. I have to stop him!

  I slowly creep up on him from behind, and jump on his back.

  `What the fuck...?!' he exclaims, as I wrap my arms around him and sink my teeth in his neck.

  `Fuuuuuuuuuck! Haven't you... Aaaaaaaaaaah! Haven't you... had... enough... Argh! Blood... from... Mel's... spy...' he says, as he tries to break free. I hang on to him tightly and slowly suck out his blood. I must say, it tastes good. It must be his powerful magic making it so satisfying.

  `Fuck... fuck... fuuuuuck! Get... the... fuck... off of me!' he exclaims, and I suddenly feel a powerful force against my body, and it rips me off of him. A moment later, a strong gust of wind knocks me all the way back to the wall, and pins me there.

  Cursed magician...

  He presses his right palm on the wound on his neck, and then examines it. He sees his blood, but the wound is already sealing up.

  `Motherfuck... Good thing I'm immune...' he says to himself, and then he turns towards me. He makes a step forward with an angry look on his face, but then the stone begins to glow behind him. He notices it, and glances there.

  `Oh, fuck! Gotta hurry!'

  He then turns back to me. He reaches out his right arm, and at the same time begins to walk towards me very swiftly. By the time he gets to me, his black sword crawls out of his hand.

  `You know, you're starting to piss me off!' he says, and he swings his sword and thrusts it into my gut, and pins me to the wall with it. It hurts enormously, and I cry out in pain.

  `Now stay the fuck put!' he says. `And shut the fuck up!'

  He waves his hand at me, and I no longer hear my screaming. He cast some kind of spell on me that turned me silent.

  He quickly turns around and rushes back to the Shadestone.

  `Oh fuck... Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck...' he says silently, as he makes swift movements around the stone with his hand. A while later, the stone stops to glow.

  `Ahhh... That's more like it, fuck it...' he says, and he resumes what he's been doing before I jumped him.

  And me... I'm pinned to the wall, and the pain just keeps me screaming in agony. Except that my cries cannot be heard. The blade of his sword makes me feel unbearable pain. It numbs me, almost knocks me out.

  Suddenly, I feel a burning sensation on my finger. I glance there, and see that the ring I got from that mercenary in Port Mor'peri is glowing. Slowly, the pain decreases.

  I stop to scream and start to breathe heavily, and I stare at the sword. It's hilt deep in my gut, but it doesn't hurt so much any more. Perhaps now I can pull it out.

  I grab the hilt of the sword with both hands, and start pulling on it. As I move it, I feel that unbearable pain again, and I cry out in silence. The ring starts to glow again, and the pain diminishes once more. I keep pulling the sword, and slowly I pull it out so far that I have to release the hilt, and grab the blade instead. I press my palms against the two sides of the blade.

  It burns into my skin causing untold pain, but the ring diminishes it again. I press my palms against the blade as strong as I can, and start pulling it out of myself.

  Slowly, the blade advances further and further ahead. A while later, the sword finally leaves my body.

  I drop down to my
knees and cringe from all the pain the sword had caused me. I raise my head and cry out in pain, but it still can't be heard... I glance down at the sword between my palms. The blade still burns my hands, but the ring keeps the feeling bearable. Slowly, I let the blade slip between my palms, such that my hands get closer to the hilt. As they get close enough, I release the sword and quickly reach for the hilt. I grab it before it could fall.

  As I do, all the pain in my body suddenly vanishes...

  ...and I hear a voice in my head. A female voice.

  `Impressive. Now let's see if you can wield that blade better than Planewalker can. I doubt it, but I will let you try. Prove your worth, if you can!'

  `Who are you?' I ask, without sound.

  `My name is Evelyn.' comes the reply, making it clear that the owner of the female voice somehow understood me. `I am a dead spirit, and I am one with the sword. I aid the sword's wielder, when I deem it necessary, and I give power to the blade.'

  `You're in the sword?'

  `If you will, yes. Now, what are you waiting for? Go! Try to slay him! If you do, the sword will be yours by right. I don't think you can do it, but you deserve a chance. You have earned that, in my eyes.'

  The voice falls silent and speaks no more. Slowly, I stand up.

  *

  I slowly creep towards Zack with his sword in my hand. He doesn't hear me coming. He just keeps waving his hands around the stone, as I move ever closer, with his sword raised high in my hand.

  It must be done. He said it himself: the best way to win a game of chess, is to kill the opponent. I may not know all the rules of this game, but this one rule is enough. I can't let him do it. I must stop him.

  As I am just a few steps away from him, he cries out victoriously.

  `Yes, yes! At last! I've done it... Just a few more moments...'

  I have to do it! Now!

  I quickly move forward, and I hear my footsteps on the floor. It seems his silence spell wore off.

  The sound of my footsteps is faint, but he hears it. He turns towards me, and as he sees me, he raises his left hand in defense just as I strike down with his sword. The blade gets him right in the wrist of his skeletal left hand. A moment later, his hand simply explodes!

  The explosion knocks the both of us back by several feet, and we both land on the ground. I slowly stand up, and see as he is doing the same. He shakes his head, and then looks at his hand.

  It is gone. His skeletal left hand is completely gone, without a trace. The sword somehow destroyed it...

  He looks up at me, and stares at me in anger.

  `You know, you're really starting to piss me off!'

  `Shut up! Just give me back the stone, and I'll let you leave. I won't let you do this... I'll kill you if I have to!'

  He begins to laugh.

  `Hahaha! Flora, let me remind you of something! Last time we fought, I kicked your ass, and I wasn't even trying to kill you!'

  `Strong words for a guy with one hand, especially with your sword in my possession.'

  `What, do you think I got that sword by just picking it up? I killed her previous owner! With these two blades, no less!' he says, and he reaches down to his belt. Then he frowns as he realizes that he can't grasp anything with the chunk of his left hand. Then he raises it and waves at it with his right hand. A moment later, a ghostly hand appears in place of the missing skeletal hand. He smiles at me.

  `Neat trick, huh? Temporary, but for the time being, it will do just fine! Now where was I? Ah, right. I didn't get that sword by just picking it up from the ground in some crypt, Hell no! I had to earn it, I had to kill the previous owner of the sword. I did it with these two blades!'

  Then he reaches down to his belt again and pulls out two short bladed weapons. They are shorter than a sword but longer than a dagger, and the blades are curved and faintly glowing in a reddish color. He holds each of them in a way which suggests that the inner curve of the blade is the cutting edge.

  `Say hello to my little friends! Doom, and Chaos!'

  Doom and Chaos, huh?

  `Nice names...'

  `Yeah... Well, you wanna be the knight in shining armor, and save the world? I've got news for you! It won't help you much to be the knight. Because this is a grindable ending!' he says, and he jumps forward and attacks me.

  *

  With a swift movement, he knocks the sword in my hand aside with a diagonal slash of the blade in his left hand, and cuts towards me with a straight movement of the weapon in his right hand at the same time. Before I could react, he cuts into my left arm.

  What the Hell?! He barely scratched me with that blade, and it caused such a deep wound as if he had sunk it deep into my flesh. The wound is very painful...

  I cry out in pain and jump back. He swiftly follows me and attacks me again.

  As he moves closer, I quickly jump high above, over his head. He stops and looks up, but he reacts too slowly. I land behind him, and kick him in the back with a spinning kick. He falls forward, and ends up on his knees. As he stands up, I cut towards him. He parries my attack, but he leaves me an opening, and I strike towards his face with the claws of my left hand.

  My claws sink deep into his flesh, and leave three deep wounds on his face. He crosses his weapons in front of himself in defense, and turns his head aside. He stands like that for several seconds, until the wounds on his face begin to seal up...

  Unbelievable!

  A few more moments pass, and the wound is gone completely. He turns his head back towards me and smiles.

  `Ain't black magic just fucking awesome?' he asks, and then he lunges forwards and attacks me again.

  He cuts towards the sword in my hand, like he is about to knock it aside. I pull the sword back, but he pulls his own weapons back as well, and attacks from a different angle. He was feinting. I jump back and just barely manage to evade his strike.

  I counterattack by swiftly cutting towards his arm with the sword, but he ducks and rolls aside. I move after him, and as he jumps to his feet I cut towards his side. He parries with the weapon in his left hand, and cuts towards me with the blade in his right. He slightly cuts into my right forearm, a little below the elbow. Once again, though he barely scratched me, he causes a surprisingly deep and extremely painful wound.

  I cry out and jump back. He crouches and lunges towards me in a crouching position. Before I could counter, he cuts into both of my legs with each of his blades. The pain it makes me feel is immense, and I cry out even louder, but I don't let it hold me back. While Zack is still crouching, I kick towards him. He tries to roll aside, but he moves too slowly, and my kick gets him right in the face. It knocks him back, and it leaves me some time to catch my breath. I step back, and he slowly stands up. He shakes his head, and then moves forward again.

  He swings his weapons ready for an attack, apparently aimed at my upper body. I take up a defensive stance and let him approach. As he gets close enough, I quickly duck and deliver a sweeping kick to his right ankle.

  He loses his balance, but he somehow stays standing. I kick him in the left knee, and he cries out in pain and falls on his knees. Before he could do anything, I kick towards his face with a standing spinning kick.

  He fails to evade it, and my boot flattens his nose and makes it bleed. I hear it crack, and I acknowledge in satisfaction that I managed to break his nose.

  He falls down, and I strike towards him with his black sword. He rolls aside and just barely avoids the blade. He jumps up, and stands in a defensive stance. But he only keeps his left hand weapon in defense. He sheathes the other one, and grabs his nose with his right hand.

  `Motherfuck! You are one tough little girl! I admire that!' he says, and he takes his hand away from his bleeding nose. He wipes the blood of his nose off with his right forearm. He stretches his neck, and lunges forward again.

  He doesn't draw his right hand weapon. What is he up to?

  He lunges towards me and cuts towards me with his left hand weapon. I parry w
ith the sword by pushing it aside. Then, he points his right hand at me and...

  A moment later a bolt of lightning emits from his hand and, despite the protective powers of my armor, it gets me straight in the chest. The impact of his spell knocks me back a few feet, and the lightning makes my body convulse. He draws his right hand weapon, and attacks me with both his blades.

  As he gets close, the lightning still makes me shake, but I gather all my strength and strike towards him with the sword, ignoring the pain that his spell is causing me. He tries to parry, but he is too late. The sword passes by his weapons and cuts into his chest.

  He screams as the black blade cuts into him. He jumps back and then drops on one knee. He gasps heavily for air and stares at me with wide eyes, like he can't believe what I did. The lightning slowly fades away, and my body stops shaking. I move towards him.

  He slowly stands up, and looks at me with a vicious, angry look on his face. I grab the sword with both hands and strike towards his head. He crosses his blades and parries my strike with them. We stand like this, with our weapons locked together, and stare at each other fiercely. Suddenly, he begins to smile wickedly.

  `Tell me, Flora... Do you know that this sword you're holding in your hand is called the Sword of Fury? Do you know why? Have you ever experienced the power of true fury? Have you?!'

  A moment later, I hear a thundering sound. I look up, and see that the glass dome above is cracked. Another moment passes, and a gigantic lightning strikes into the dome, accompanied by a thundering sound. More cracks appear on the glass, and it seems like it will soon shatter. A moment later, another lightning strikes into the dome, and the glass shatters completely.

  The broken glass falls down on us, and some of the shards cut into my skin. Zack then glances down for a moment, then back at me.

  `Let me show you the power of true fury!' he exclaims, and a moment later, a forceful wind starts to blow around us. It circles around us, like a whirlwind. It slowly, but gradually intensifies, and it starts to pick the glass shards up from the ground. A while later, all those shards are swiftly circling around us in the whirlwind. Zack just stares at me all along.