Animator vs Animation: The Dark Web

Chapter 7: The Escape

The Second Coming shook on The Chosen One's shoulder, hastily urging for them to move as Queen of Hearts growled under her breath. From her head sprouted two sets of horns that curled in a deadly elegance. Her hand twitched with an unrestrained urge to strike as it started to morph into fierce talons.

"You're not going ANYWHERE!"

Before she lashed out, The Second Coming yanked The Chosen One by the arm, pulling them out from Queen of Hearts' sudden, strong swing that shattered the platform beneath her. The sound of the cracked stone exploded across the cave as dust billowed around her like a storm beneath her feet. The two hollowheads tumbled, The Second Coming catching himself just at the platform's edge. He locked his gaze on Queen of Hearts' hand, catching the sight of a giant dragon claw with her sharp talons vigorously digging into the fractured ground.

Queen of Hearts' stare sharply met with The Second Coming's, and in a heartbeat, her claw transformed back into a regular hand after she stepped up. But her hair lifted like an arching dragon's wing, poised. She crouched, her whole body coiling, preparing to leap.

The Chosen One gripped on The Second Coming's hand firmly. With an eruption of fire from his feet, they blasted off into the air, soaring away from Queen of Hearts' sudden lunge. Her stomps were overheard from The Chosen One's erupting fire, and she let out a deep roar that echoed across the cave, like it was a war cry.

Suddenly, The Dark Lord appeared from the shadows and pounced towards The Chosen One, plummeting them downward mid-air. Valhalla rushed, swiftly catching The Second Coming before he could hit the ground. The Chosen One, however, was not as fortunate. He crashed hard before he was pinned against the ground by The Dark Lord's weight, his grip restraining his arms to move.

The Second Coming hopped from Valhalla's arms, reaching out to The Chosen One. But The Dark Lord pushed him back by igniting fire through his mouth towards him, hurling The Second Coming back from them. With a fierce burst of strength, The Chosen One twisted out from The Dark Lord's grip, bringing his knee up and landing one powerful kick at his stomach. The Dark Lord was sent back, crashing into a nearby pillar that splintered on impact, the fragments of stone raining down on him.

But they weren't given any time to rest–Queen of Hearts stomped towards them, barely containing her impatience, and she lifted up her hand at them–a sign she's about to use her invisible strings on them. The Second Coming braced himself from the inevitable, but The Chosen One acted first, aiming at her lifted hand. He channeled a blast of ice that struck Queen of Hearts, the ice crystallizing around her fist. She stumbled back with a low growl as she stared at her frozen hand.

The cold was more than an inconvenience. Realization dawned at her immediately; they knew. They knew her weakness. Her gaze shifted to The Chosen One, who looked more determined than ever. The Second Coming had the same amount of courage, almost congratulating The Chosen One for the sudden blast.

"How clever of you." Her voice derided in both of their minds. But one thing did worry her just so slightly; how did they know the cold was a weakness of hers? That must've meant that someone in the Codeborn was a traitor–but who?

The Chosen One and The Second Coming gave each other a look of acknowledgement for the help they've received, but they would never tell her who it was, before they launched back into the air from her reach again. The ice binding Queen of Hearts' hand splintered as it shaped into another dragon's claw, the chunks of ice breaking through her talons with sheer force.

She turned to The Dark Lord's direction, who struggled beneath the stone rubble. She sharply pointed at one of the cave entrances, a silent signal for something–like she was calling for someone. The Second Coming caught a glance of Queen of Hearts pointing the signal, but who did she even need to call for? The Dark Lord rose up with an understanding, and he sprinted into one of the caverns without hesitation.