Long Lost Betrothed

Whispers of the Ziggurat Part 1

Word Count: 1331

We were running forward into a room with a large temple building with hundreds of stairs leading to the top. As we ran up it a green light ran down the sides of the building lighting up the temple. Scanlan all of a sudden stopped and we all stared at him confused.

"Uh... Scanlan?" Grog asked tilting his head as he stared at the gnome.

"It wasn't a spell book. It was an instruction manual." Scanlan said turning to look at us, "The drawings, the symbols... It all had to do with that name. Uh, the wha... what was it? The-the whispered one."

"The whispered one?" Pike asked sounding as if she recognized the name.

"You've heard that name?" Vex asked turning to look at Pike from her look out spot.

"Once. Uh, from an elder of the Everlight. They said he's some sort of undead creature whose soul seeks the power to return to our plane." Pike explained as we all looked at her, listening.

"I get the books, the maps, but what's with the star chart?" Scanlan asked scratching his head at the end in confusion.

"It's the solstice." Keyleth said realization dawning on her. "When the barrier between the planes is the thinnest."

"Oh sure, sure, the planes. Yeah, yeah. What does that mean?" Scanlan asked confused.

"If the Whispered One wants to cross over, now would be the time to do it." I said looking at Scanlan.

"And the Briarwoods must be trying to help him." Pike said as we all turned back toward the temple in front of us.

"I don't give a shit what they're doing." Vex said looking back at us before turning back forward from her little hidey spot. "I just want my brother back."

"Okay, I'll take Vax." Grog said hitting his fist against his hand ready for a fight. "Piece of cake."

"Grog, I want him alive." Vex said as she turned back towards us.

"Oh. Uh, then I got Cassandra." Grog said making me roll my eyes and smile with amusement as Percy stepped forward.

"No, she will answer to me." Percy said clicking his gun shut from loading it with gunpowder.

"Oh... I never get to play." Grog said squatting to the ground sadness in his voice.

"Hey, Grog," I said gently resting my hand on his shoulder leaning down to look at him, "I could use someone to help keep Sylas off of me during the fight so I can face Delilah. Any ideas?"

"Um... I don't know, maybe Rippley?" Grog said scoffing, "Doesn't really matter what happens to her."

I laughed softly rolling my eyes. "I was talking about you, big guy." I said as realization dawned in his eyes.

"Oh.... Goody." He said excited as we both stood up straight.

"Let's move." Vex said as we all ran for the temple hiding in the shadows.

"Sylas We have debts to settle." I heard Percy yell out as Pike, Grog, Vex, Scanlan, and I watched shocked as he walked by us.

"I kind of assumed we were gonna sneak up on them, but okay." Scanlan said as we all ran up behind Percy.

Vax stood in front of us blades drawn as Keyleth spoke, "Vax, please."

"Come on, brother." Vex followed along with shortly after Keyleth.

"All right, look, you might as well surrender. You're out numbered and there's nowhere for you to run." Scanlan said cockily as I discreetly drew my dagger drawing a cut across my palm and gripping my rapier as I activated my crimson rite. Then we watched as Delilah stuck up her hand purple lighting coursing over her body clutching her fist with a smirk.

"Who's running?" Delilah spoke as she struck out her hand sending a blast of purple lightning towards us. Everyone jumped out of the way except for Grog, who tried to take it and with a yell got sent flying backwards.

"Grog!" Pike yelled concerned as Percy jumped back into the middle of the path running. Easily dodging Vax who then got his foot froze to the ground by Keyleth.

"Go Percy!" She shouted as I ran around her and too started to make my way toward the Briarwoods.

"I've waited so long for this." Percy said in what almost sounded like a double voice making me stop to look at him in concern as Cassandra stepped forward in front of his gun.

"You'll have to go through me." She said and I let out a small sigh of sadness hoping it wouldn't come to this as she swung her sword at Percy who looked to be fighting with his arm not to shoot her. As they jumped over the side of the walkway continuing to fight, or Cass fighting and Percy trying not to shoot her.

"I'll hold Sylas!" Keyleth yelled throwing out her vines wrapping them around Sylas.

"More of your little weeds? Child's play." Sylas said breaking out of them running down towards Keyleth as I dodged around them, Keyleth, putting up a small wall of ice trying to keep him from hitting her as I ran further up the steps towards Delilah.

"Delilah!" I yelled seeing her standing at the top of the building as she put a finger to her lips in a shush motion looking down and as I glanced, I noticed that Scanlan was encased in a purple darkness as he tried to yell but no sound was made.

"The little pup has come to play." Delilah spoke in a taunting voice. "Too bad you can't reach me." she then shot purple lightning towards me as I dodged with a smirk.

"Are you scared of the little pup, Delilah, afraid that I'll beat you?" I asked in the same taunting yet mocking tone of voice as she glared at me before fading in a puff of purple smoke before appearing before me thrusting her hand out blasting me backwards.

"I'll never be scared of a weak child like you." Delilah said as I rolled over with a groan standing up to glare at the woman.

"I'm anything but a weak child, especially after you killed my family." I said anger lacing my words as I raced forward slicing at her with my rapier that glowed with holy light, she dodged effectively as I kept swinging at her, the only sign that she was nervous being when she glanced at my rapier. As I got close to her and sliced my rapier again, I cut her across her side, and she cried out in pain before slamming her hand into the ground and sending me backwards with a yell falling down a few steps from the staircase up. After a moment of being dazed when I stood up again, I looked around to notice that she had teleported to try and hurt Scanlan. To only have Pike, blocking Delilah from hurting him with her holy shield. As Delilah thrust a powerful lightning strike at them breaking a pillar behind them as I ran forward sliding down the side of the stairs reaching the landing they were at and tackled them out of the way of the rocks dropping my rapier as I did. I got to them and pushed them out of the way on time as some of the rocks fell on top of me trapping me underneath and hurting me severely as I screamed in pain my hand sticking out.

"Ophelia!" Pike yelled trying to run over to me but getting blocked by Delilah as she sent another wave of purple lightning at the small gnome causing her to stop and put up a holy shield. My vision started to get blurry as tears welled up in my eyes from the pain before the edges of my vision started to go black, I could feel myself getting ready to pass out from the pain, and before the world went completely black, I saw a bright light.