This chapter has a part in it that's kinda gruesome. If you want to skip it, don't read the paragraph after 'She saw red.'
The five thrones of the Lords were arranged in a semicircle facing the door. They each had a name engraved on them: Xalshi, Zarna, Calqin, Marzeel, and Partaki.
On the thrones sat the Lords themselves: Eight foot tall beings in purple cloaks with black skeletal wings, frost-bitten-looking fingers, and masks webbed with cracks covering their eyes.
Pearl took a breath to say something threatening, try to get them to surrender, but the Lord on the throne labelled 'Zarna' waved a hand. A symbol of a broken rectangle matching something etched on their masks appeared at the tips of her fingers, and the door slammed closed, the former contestants (except Lizzie) on one side, with the Lords, and the army and wither on the other.
The other four Lords stood up, weapons made of obsidian appearing in their hands. Xalshi had a scythe, Calqin two katana-like swords, Marzeel a flail, and Partaki what looked like two Egyptian khopeshes. Zarna stood too, taking a fighting stance, her fingertips lighting up with that symbol.
Pearl suddenly got an intense feeling that what they were fighting was something other. Something greater. And something that they should not have challenged.
The four Lords with physical weapons leapt off their thrones and threw themselves at the contestants. Pearl didn't have time to pay attention to her friends, as she was immediately under attack.
Within seconds, she was backed up against a wall, Scott and Cleo at her side as they fought Marzeel. It took all three of them to prevent them from scoring a deadly hit, and even so, they all took several blows from the flail.
Pearl lunged forward in an attempt to get Marzeel, but they ignored her. They whipped their flail out and hit Cleo in the side, knocking them away. She'd be fine, she'd literally sewn her own head back on a few minutes ago. Apparently she really was some sort of zombie.
But as Cleo's flying body drew Pearl's eyes away from her own fight, she saw something else.
Scar was facing down against Calqin, alone. It was a miracle he had survived this long, but as Pearl watched, Calqin batted away Scar's sword, and lunged forward, impaling Scar on his swords.
"No!" she screamed.
And in that moment, she saw so much else. Zarna was sending blasts of magic everywhere, Partaki was fighting Martyn, Ren, BigB, Impulse and Bdubs, only seeming to struggle slightly, regardless of how outnumbered she was, Xashi was battling, almost toying with, Joel, Etho, Tango, and Jimmy, Calqin was turning to join him, and Marzeel was fighting her, Cleo and Scott. Upon closer inspection, Marzeel was definitely toying with them.
This was so bad.
Marzeel shoved Pearl back, slightly clawed fingers digging into her chest, and Pearl's head hit the wall.
The world flashed dark for a moment, and Pearl knew she was going to die. She blinked rapidly, and the world returned to focus as Marzeel raised their flail. It looked like they had shoved Scott and Cleo away.
Pearl lifted her chin and kept her eyes open, struggling to her feet. If she was going to die, she was going to die fighting.
The flail whipped towards her head and then-
Tilly jumped in the way. Her body took the force of the blow and hit the ground next to Pearl.
The sight of her dog's broken body, her precious dog she'd had for two years, given to her by her brother, the only thing to support her unconditionally, after seeing so many of her friends in trouble, and Scar's death, was the straw that broke the camel's back.
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Not My Pyre (A Pearl-Centric Double Life FanFic)
FanfictionPearl grows tired of the wrongs committed by the leaders of her country, known as the Lords of Misharin, and decides to do something about it with the help of some friends who are trapped in the Lords' Life Games with her.
