Realms of Magic: Demon Invasion

100. Battle of Pallastria II

"Vio, John, Joe, carry Aelita and Remi and go away," Mr Anwar says. "I'll handle Lord Luke."

I nod. Mr Anwar must be able to fight Lord Luke off–lingering around here will only kill us.

Joe and John carry Remi and Aelita on their backs while I cover their rear. Soon enough, I can feel another aura. "There's another one," I whisper to myself.

A shower of glass blades hails down from the sky. "Blood Shield!" I shriek. "John, Joe, bring Remi and Aelita away!"

"You can't fight her by yourself!" John shouts, almost turning back. 

"Follow your captain's orders. I will help her." Darryl lands gracefully next to me; Valerie, his faithful aide, follows soon after.

"Darryl!" I gasp.

"You're the traitor," Lady Clarisse says while grinding her teeth. 

"All I do, I do for Lutzia," Darryl says. "Vio, back me up." 

"Of course," I say. Darryl lets loose a barrage of ice knives from his sleeves. Lady Clarisse conjures a powerful mirror, deflecting the assault. 

"Valerie!" Darryl barks. His aide creates a storm of ice, forcing Lady Clarisse to retreat momentarily. 

"Blood Vortex!" 

"Cat O' Nine Tails!" Lady Clarisse brandishes a powerful whip of glass, slicing clean the mass of blood. The whip turns into a glass serpent, lunging at Valerie. 

"Blood Shockwave!" I extend my hand, pushing the serpent sideways. Darryl reaches for a bunch of gemstones from his pouch, summoning eight pillars that surround the battlefield. 

"It should weaken her a bit," Darryl claims. 

"Cursed Mirrors: Difraction!" Through a hole in the mirror, Lady Clarisse fires an energy beam. The beam spreads out into two. 

"Ice Wall!" 

"Blood Shield!"

Darryl's spell barely holds, but mine is smashed through. "Kuagh!" I can feel the beam chipping away at my flesh.

"Vio!" Darryl shrills. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Mostly."

Darryl summons another of his puppets; the formidable armored female puppet. It breaks apart, its armor attaching itself to me.

Darryl calls forth Lady Caitlyn's corpse. "We have to attack with close-range spells," he says. "Or else she'll keep on using her mirrors to defend."

"Reverse Blood Shockwave!" I squeal. I lower my voice. "Prepare your best spell, Darryl!"

The glass whip, morphed into a spear, digs deep inside the ground, enabling its user to withstand my spell. Darryl sends Lady Caitlyn forward, engaging Lady Clarisse in a melee duel as the grim reapress swings her scythe wildly. 

"I can't believe they're using you like this, Caitlyn," Lady Clarisse says. "I'll bring you closure!"

"Oh no, you won't!" Darryl orders his puppet to withdraw as the whip nearly cuts off its left arm. Lady Clarisse runs forward in pursuit.

... right to a trap.

"Blood Chains!" I raise my hands, trapping Lady Clarisse in a flurry of chains. Darryl has a rare smirk on his face as he hastily draws another gemstone.

"Art of Puppets: Apocalypse Cannon!" A gigantic cannon forms on his right hand, expelling a powerful beam of destructive energy. 

"Uwah!" Lady Clarisse moans in pain, half her body torn apart. 

"Ice Dragon!" Within a fraction of a second, Valerie, from behind, unleashes a beast of ice. The dragon immediately strikes down from the sky. Lady Clarisse, barely, manages to avoid it by leaping.

"Touch of Decay!" I grab her thorax, infecting it with the curse.

"Bravo, Vio!" Darryl cheers me up. Unless she's willing to cut off her chest, there's no way she could stop the curse's spread.

And she realizes this. Amidst a flurry of glass knives, she flees. 

"You're amazing, Vio," he says, patting my back.

"Ah, you did most of the work," I say. 

"Should we pursue, Your Majesty?" Valerie asks. Darryl shakes his head and she puts her blade in her sheathe.

"No, it's not necessary," Darryl says. "And it'll be dangerous for us."

We hastily return to Pallastria. Towards dusk, the fighting has largely waned. Mr Anwar has fought Lord Luke to a stalemate and he is now resting. Night falls, and with that comes dreadful news.

"What do you mean the Irvinian Army lost?" Mr Anwar barks.

Sir Cadogan seems to be at lost of words. "Both Fronica Moonray and Vanya Vonville were poisoned. Morale of the army fell after witnessing them being defeated."

Grandma!

"What happened next? They didn't die, did they?" I interrupt.

"No, luckily no," Sir Cadogan says. I breathe a sigh of relief. "But whoever tried to was no slouch. It was a concentrated form of hydra poison. If not for their immense skill, death would be certain."

"So it's the same poison used to kill Charles and Arctus," Mr Anwar says. "It's not an easily accessible poison."

"Furthermore, who would be able to sneak it into their drinks or meal, right?" Lita asks.

"We've interrogated everyone who may have a chance of doing so. We'll just have to wait and see," Sir Cadogan says. "There seems to be a pattern of targeting strong magicians, so try and have your food and drinks double checked."

"Hnng!"

Suddenly, I feel as if a blade is spinning inside of my gut. My knees sink to the ground. A burning sensation invades my hands, and my face falls flat to the floor. "Vio!"

Yet a few moments later, I feel my body restored. No longer do I feel the peculiar burning feeling. My stomach feels fine now. I look to the blue sky polluted by white smoke. The floor on which I am laying is made of rock; in fact, only mountains surround me.

An excited giant man with blond hair approaches me. "I think I might just have a breakthrough!" Merango declares.