Hexblade's Charm

Three and then some - For Everything We Call Holy

Malyck was routinely cocking and uncocking the gun with the projectile inside. Focusing on the way the magical substance swirled in the small glass bullet that could be seen through the transparent tube. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he leaned back against Hexi's body, which he could now feel changing shape slightly against his own.

"I'm terrified", he admitted quietly.

He felt soft lips against his leaves, but like the rest of his partner, they were unstable and blinking. "Me too. Do you still want to come?"

Malyck turned around and nodded with determination. "Of course. I meant I'm terrified because of this." He lifted his hand to Hexi's face, which was barely his own anymore. Occasionally, the angular face and green eyes still got through, but they were drowned out in a series of increasingly fast changing visages Malyck did not recognise. Nevertheless, Hexi was smiling, caught his hand and kissed its palm.

"I'll stay away from the anomaly as far as possible. You shoot. Our plan is good. I'll get better."

When he kissed him, Malyck felt ashamed for closing his eyes.

The Mad King was clad in dark, straw-like armor adorned with glowing embers. A manic grin on his face, he saw Hexi and Malyck readying their weapons and nodded.

"And so it ends", he said. "Should either of you not survive this for some reason, it's been a pleasure." The last word came out almost as a purr. Then he suddenly became almost serious. "Heximander, remember not to get too close; if you get drawn in, there's no telling what will happen. We'll keep the creatures away from our darling sharpshooter, so you can focus, but don't take an eternity, little bluebird. I can feel the anomaly expand as we speak. We have minutes to act."

He dragged his pumpkin-headed staff once again across the wall. As the runes lit up and the wall began to fall away, Hexi snuck a glance at Malyck, who in this moment looked so young, so precious... He almost wished he could push him back into the safety of the library.

The portal opened, and the silence was suddenly torn apart by a roaring reddish-black tornado that was raging beyond. The Rift, usually balanced at the center of all things, where time never moved and the Mists met at their middle point, were askew with chaos.

As they leapt through, Hexi realised with horror that the Hall of Heroes was completely gone except for a few statues of the Gods, barely lining a gaping corridor that lead directly into the mouth of something incomprehensible.

It filled the entire sky in front of them; it seemed realer than reality, the same size as them and yet at the same time tall as a giant, taller than the Pale Tree or a tornado or a mountain. Nothing you set your eye on remained the same; nothing you could pinpoint; it was pure, unbridled chaos, and it was growing fast.

"We've come just in time!", Oswald roared against the winds of insanity ripping their faces apart. "Let's go!" And he transformed, grew to double his usual size; the flaring, giant pumpkin materialised around his head like a signal flame. The many, way too many creatures in front of the anomaly turned to face them, and Hexi's blade flared green and golden in his hand.

The fight began.

He was already so tired. He hadn't wanted to show Malyck or Thorn the truth, but his entire body was aching. The constant transformation was incredibly taxing on his muscles, and now that the anomaly was right in front of him, he felt its pull like the strongest magnet in the world. Like his body was bound to it and heading straight for it. He stumbled, a creature's appendage struck his arm, and he screamed, but caught himself just in time, hastily running back further away, but the chaos was so close...

He knew this; this was all familiar to him. As he stared into the void of everchange, he recognised it as something that was home, and though he was afraid, he slowly wondered why; he wondered where they had come from, where they were, and what this place would be in just a moment's time. His memories were slipping away, paling like a dream, and as he tried to dodge and parry the attacks from several creatures, his head was filling with cotton once again... there had been people he had cherished, friends, he tried to remember what he was fighting for, but their names were getting lost in the chaos...