Middle Of Nowhere

Showdown begins

Aurelia sensed the ground shaking, feeling slightly dazed from the exposure to the crystals draining her energy. Cracks appeared on the ground which began widening into a fissure along the length of the corridor leading up to the crystal disc. Kelvin was on the other side gathering himself for another attack, poised to attack her at any moment with no warning. She was at a loss as to how the almost silent soft-spoken person stood before her wearing vengeance on his face, ready to strike. She did not know what set him down this path, even if she couldn't deny that the darkness within him had taken over. But she was still determined to reason with him, before letting this escalate further and hurting everyone.

"Kelvin, listen to me. This is wrong. People will end up hurt and I know that deep down, you don't want that. I know you are in pain, but listen to yourself speak and look at the damage you are causing, please."

Aurelia's appeal had the opposite effect of what she hoped for.

Another surge of activity in the crystal disc transferred the drained magic on to Kelvin who took it head on, the force pushing him back. He dug his feet deeper into the ground creating a small crater in the process. The impact had him kneeling on the ground partially with one fist on the ground for support. His dark powers combated the incoming surge, the inky appendages swirling all around him. Once he was able to contain the surge, he was able to assimilate it into himself and the sensation gave him chills as he levitated above the ground, sending out the strongest beam of energy yet. The anger was mounting at this feigned ignorance that the monster in front of him displayed.

Aurelia held on conjuring up a shield and the magic was pushing her back. It was only a matter of time before her defense completely crumbles, overwhelmed by the might of the opponent. Lumien, sensing the danger, charged at Kelvin, trying to engage with him in close quarters while Aurelia was taking the brunt of the damage and more importantly, attention.

Lumien channelled his energy into the sword as it shimmered in an arc in front of Kelvin, sending multiple glowing projectiles towards the adversary. Charging at superspeed, he landed on one of the incoming magical appendages which surprisingly had a physical form to it. He sliced it in half, yielding a yelp from Kelvin. Other appendages grew out of kelvin in defence. He hopped from one of the antagonistic arms to the other swerving and diving, landing clinical slashes. The projectiles he sent out was largely shielded by the gooey cocoon that engulfed Kelvin; shattering it.

Melody created a booming sound that was amplified the cave like environment hitting Kelvin multiple times, knocking him back as the appendages around him momentarily lost focus whilst trying to regroup. Melody signaled to Aurelia who immediately realized the need in the situation and prepared to strike, she launched vines from her hand, prying Kelvin from the appendages which started to coil around him and directed an energy burst at her immobilized opponent. She knew that it was not a fatal amount of energy but she still flinched thinking about the harm it could cause. Meanwhile, Lumien closed in with a sleep potion in hand towards what he hoped was their victory.

The aimless appendages collided against the walls leaving deep groves on them each time it lashed out. The structure wobbled precariously and parts of the ceiling had already come apart. The team had to refocus on safety. As the rubble of rocks and sand rained on them, Lumien zoomed towards Melody pulling her by the arm, much to her surprise, out of harm's way. The two then reached out to Aurelia and teleported outside the crumbling pyramid.

Amy perceived the sight with a mix of awe and terror as the monument was levelled within minutes, the triangular behemoth of a structure reverting to how it would have been just months into construction. She shut her eyes in panic as the dust storm picked up and ravaged on. She tucked the protesting Lee to safety; closer to her. Her guards struggled to reach her, swaying their crystal laden spears aimlessly. The crystal disc now exposed directly to the outside the world, probably for the first time in a century, grew inert, resting on a disjointed support structure. The calamity that was unfolding before her almost felt surreal and her brain refused to process it even if she understood.