Legend of Parocaav II: Against the Darkness (rough draft)

Chapter XLI: Falling Shadows

Sparks fly from Roku's twin blades as they clash continuously against the Shye-An's daggers. They move so quick Drayk cannot see the blades, only the sparks like a firework display. Roku kicks the Mistress of Mischief in the chest, making her fall back a few feet. After a brief moment, she charges back at Roku with rage in her eyes.

"Why did you have to step in?" Shye-An asks while striking at her.

Without answering, Roku allows herself to glow a bright white. Shye-An jumps back and snarls at her. Roku then emits a black aura and disappears into the ground. This makes the Mistress of Mischief frantically look around for her, she was not expecting this. Shadow Magic.

"You're just a beginner Bringer! You don't understand how to wield it like they do!" Shye-An taunts, "Get back out here before I start with your boyfriend again!"

Roku's twin blades shoot of the ground from sides of Shye-An, both cutting her as they go by. She screams out in pain while covering the wounds. Roku emerges back from the shadows and catches one of the twin blades. She walks over to retrieve the other without breaking her eye contact with the Mistress of Mischief.

Drayk sheathes his sword and kneels down to the ground. He starts to sketch one of the alchemic symbols from his notes. A smile cracks on his face, getting to practice this during a battle is most ideal for him. He glances up every so often to make sure Roku has her busy, trying to do this as fast as he can without messing it up.

Roku slams against the ground, bouncing with a cloud of dust below her. She tumbles a few feet as Shye-An approaches her slowly. The expression on her face reminds Roku of her sister, she is almost as cynical whilst holding a grudge. She quickly heals herself and raises her blades just in time to block another strike.

"You won't be able to beat me Riinah!" Shye-An laughs, "I am a goddess! You have no hopes of beating me!"

"We beat you once and killed your brothers," Roku points out sarcastically, "I'm pretty sure we can do it again."

That being said, the goddess envelops herself in a trinity aura while rising up off the ground. She spins around, sending magics shooting in all directions. Roku slashes through the strikes with her twin blades. Drayk covers himself with metal using alchemy before continuing on this Shadow alchemic symbol. Shye-An laughs out at Roku as her body glows bright white momentarily before splitting into three. Each one is a different color: red, green, and blue.

They all stop glowing to show that the Mistress of Mischief has split herself into three selves, all a master of each element. The three laugh simultaneously before shooting elemental magics at the Bringer. Roku starts running towards them while running her blades through the spells. The blades absorb the elements they pass through, one fire and one ice.

Once she is close, Roku spins so the elemental blades hit their opposites. The two Mistresses of Mischief scream out in pain. The third one strikes at Roku with her daggers, slicing her left arm. As a reflex, she jumps back away a few yards. The trio all stand together while giggling amongst themselves. They all draw their daggers and charge at Roku. She quickly heals herself and braces for impact with her twin blades held out in front of her.

The goddess trio comes at her fast and hard. Six blades dance all around Roku as she desperately blocks and avoids their strikes. She leaps into the air but she is followed closely behind. The trio soon catch up and strike at her once more. She tries her best to defend herself, but she is overcome. Roku slams into the ground, sliced all over her body. Her eyes glance down at her feet and she notices her left foot had been pierced through by a dagger.

Before Roku can heal, the trio strikes at her again. Not knowing what to do, she allows herself to seep into the shadows. There, she can safely heal herself, then try to figure out a plan. So far, things are out if hand for her to handle on her own. She knows Drayk couldn't defend himself well against her alone. Although, she does find it strange he could not. His magic is superior to her own.

Roku notices that Drayk is working on the most complicated alchemic symbol she has ever seen. She quickly realizes that it contains the emblem of the Shadow Mages in the center of it. Now she knows she doesn't have to beat the Mistress of Mischief, just distract her long enough for whatever he's planning. Her confidence has been restored and she rises from the ground.

As soon as she has surfaced, Roku blasts at the trio with a strong and steady blast of wind. Once they have covered themselves against the wind, Roku strikes fast with her blades. She's able to slice all of the elemental goddesses, making all three cry out. The three of them retaliate with their elements and strike Roku from all directions. She falls to her knees as she heals herself.

Suddenly, a small vortex opens up near the goddesses. A powerful static traps them, leaving them completely unable to move. After a brief moment, they realize they can no longer stay separated. Their bodies slowly draw nearer to one another until they finally fuse back into Shye-An. Drayk's spell dissipates shortly after she is whole again. The Mistress of Mischief pants heavily while glaring Drayk down.

"You.... are no-nothing.... but trouble," Shye-An says, still panting, "Drayk. The two of you.... are a pain in the ass."

Drayk does not reply, simply focuses his mind on the images of the cosmos. He closes his eyes as his body glows with a blue and white aura. Another portal opens up and cosmic dust flies through the goddess before she even has a chance to react. Just as his spell wears off, she heals herself and runs as fast as she can at him. Just a few feet before she reaches Drayk, she steps on the shadow alchemic symbol. It activates as she passes over it, stopping her dead in her tracks.

Shadows have gripped her feet and is slowly rising up her legs. Shye-An struggles to break free but all of her attempts only lead to even more agony. It feels as if she is being digested, or severely burned. She can only watch as her body is consumed by her own shadow. The Mistress of Mischief's eyes lock onto Drayk's. Anger doesn't even begin to describe what she is feeling.

"Well played, Bringers of Hope," Shye-An says with a smirk on her face, "I can see why there is fear in Lady Parocaav's heart. She was right, you have twisted her own powers further than she ever could. That alchemy will be the death of her. Oh, and so much for the balance. Mischief will be gone from this world now, or at least what I stood for."

Just then, her body has completely sunk into the shadows. The voice of the goddess can no longer be heard and the trinity vortex surrounding the Bringers disappears. Roku walks over to Drayk and heals themselves. She wraps her arms around him with a big smile on her face.

Suddenly, the floating island beneath their feet starts to shake violently. Screaming is heard coming back from the town. Drayk and Roku start to head back to town to see the citizens are running around frantically. They are grabbing their valuables and loved ones, almost as if they are evacuating. Aor spots them as she runs through town and heads towards them.

"I'm glad you're safe Bringers of Hope! Hurry though, we have to get out of here!" Aor exclaims, "The island couldn't take that much of a beating from those spells!"

"Drayk! Roku!" Tao shouts out as soon as he arrives with a flash of light, "Come on! We have to go!"

The Bringers of Hope run over towards Tao and stand near him. He mumbles a spell under his breath and they vanish with a flash of white light, just before the island crashes down into a desolate desert valley. The impact sends a shockwave shooting off in all directions, sending dust and rocks flying.