Vendetta, Part 2: Hell's Fury, Chapter 23: The Warden Emerges
Vendetta, Part 2: Hell's Fury, Chapter 23: The Warden Emerges

An aura of darkness penetrated the fire-lined path to Golgothas's chamber. To either side of the narrow red rock path were seas of pure fire with stalagmites jutting out of them. Shadows of demons perched precariously on several of these formations, eyeing the passing group with some vague interest. They smiled malignantly as the heroes moved past -- malevolent red smiles through the blackness of their beings.

Paula shivered. "This place gives me the creeps..." she muttered. Her heels clicked desolately against the hard rock. An unsettling feeling lingered in the pit of her stomach -- a feeling she had felt only twice before. The first was when she called upon the prayers of the world to combat Giygas. The second was when confronting Raltise on the Path of Light island. This sensation always surfaced when something horrible was about to happen: it was almost like one of her sixth sense abilities.

Contrary to the grandeur they were expecting, the entrance to Golgothas's lair was quite small. Before the nine stood a small doorway, one so low that the tallest of the group had to stoop to get through. Jimmy grumbled irritably. "This guy sure doesn't know how to greet his guests."

Teddy, who was behind him, smacked him in the back of the head. "This is Hell, what were you expecting? Five star accommodations?"

Emerging from the small passageway placed them in a grandiose cavern. This room held no direct exits, however it was more like a crater than a cave. The ceiling of the room was completely open, giving way to massive jets of flame spiraling into a dome that rose into infinity. This caused an ethereal image, as if the nine had found themselves under a burning sky. The ground was ringed with small holes that spewed columns of fire every few seconds.

Seong-un swallowed loudly. "By all that is holy..." He whispered. Before them stood a massive throne. The base and arms of the throne were made entirely of human skulls; the backing was a complex interwoven series of bones. Yet in the chair itself sat an imposing figure. His entire body was draped in a delicate cloak woven from spider silk -- in fact, several of the spiders still called the fabric home. A pair of batlike wings, as dark as the thickest shadow, were folded gently over his shoulders. A skeletal hand rapped patiently on the armrest of the throne, while two dark purple orbs glowed steadily from beneath the void of his hood. A scythe rested against the side of the throne, the handle made of the purest ivory, the wickedly curved blade of the finest diamond.

Raltise stepped forward, a cunning grin on his lips. "Ah, the Warden of Hell! I bid you greetings!" He bowed theatrically, pausing in this position for a few seconds before righting himself. He motioned his right arm toward the eight behind him. "I bring you these...sacrifices to honor you. Yes, quite." He sneered.

"What!?" Amber shrieked. "You lying scum!" King growled. Raltise merely looked back at them and winked furtively. He turned back to Golgothas, hiding the whole thing with a facade of a grin. However, the Warden was not impressed. An unsettling voice drifted out from the recesses of the hood, a hiss that seemed to dance upon the winds.

"You are no longer a member of the Legion, Nightmare Demon. Your betrayal was not forgotten. You failed us, and therefore we owe you no favors. In fact...I believe your escape is grounds for far worse punishment..." Golgothas rose at this moment, his shadow wings snapping away from his shoulders and extending to their full span. His bony hands reached upward and lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing the head of a skeleton with a ghastly grin. The jawbone clicked every time he spoke. "You have all crossed into my domain, and have therefore become my prisoners."

Raltise smirked, his hands dropping to his side. "Well, Warden, consider this a jailbreak." In a split second, the unearthly one unholstered the ice blasters at his side and trained them on Golgothas, snapping off several shots. The blue energy bolts roared from the barrel. However, the Warden of Hell merely snapped his fingers, and the scythe snapped to life, levitating off the ground and before its owner, where it went into a furious spin, like the blades of a helicopter. The blue bolts struck the object and reflected harmlessly away.

The skeleton warden sneered. "It's a shame that you chose this path, Raltise. But no matter. Your end will be swift." The scythe fell into Golgothas's left hand, and he waved with the right. The two blasters in Raltise's hands shattered in an instant, reduced to a fine dust that poured through his hands and onto the ground below. The warden stepped forward.

"Apparently..." He raised his hand and Raltise was suddenly jerked off the ground, suspended in midair.

"...examples..." He clenched his fist, and Raltise grasped his throat in pain as Golgothas began to choke the life out of him.

"...must..." Golgothas tucked his arm in, folding it across his chest.

"...be made." He drew his hand in the opposite direction, and Raltise was sent haphazardly through the air, where he hit the far wall with a sickening crunch. He let out a horrific gasp, and fell to the floor in a tattered heap.

Golgothas let out a disgusting laugh that was halfway between a hiss and a wheeze, and turned to the remaining eight. He gestured with a skeletal hand. "Well, is this what the humans have sent for their defense? Pitiful. You won't last more than a few minutes." He pointed the blade of the scythe at Paula. "You...Protector of the Earth. Come. Let us test your mettle."

----

"Sol Burst!" The command echoed throughout the battlefield as Luna unleashed a blast of energy from her palms. The ball of light rocketed across the sands, mowing down a line of skeletal warriors in its wake. As they fell, yet more proceeded to rise from the ground to take their place. She gulped. "Uh, Ness? Could use some help here!"

"I'm a little busy!" Ness shouted from across the battlefield as he slowly backed away from a monstrous Infernal. The rock creature lumbered toward him, bright green flames burning from every appendage. The monster lunged at Ness with a massive fist, only to be met by a burst of PSI Rockin' that took his whole arm off. The Infernal only paused to look at the stub of his arm, waiting mere seconds for it to regrow before it resumed its assault.

"Crag Crush!" Chase bellowed, sending a mass of rock hurtling toward a particular Infernal. This attack had more luck than Ness's, as it took the monster's head clean off. However, though disoriented, the Infernal continued to advance.

Dan, Paithan and Eric had all gathered together as they faced off against a legion of skeletal mystics. Eric tossed dagger after dagger, while Dan countered many attacks with his zapper. Though effective, the army of ghouls seemed to keep coming, and in fact, only looked to be getting stronger. "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up!" Paithan muttered.

Venus, meanwhile, had been creeping up the staircase on the opposite side of the altar, out of Rasheed's view. Though clearly not a fighter, the former singer nevertheless attempted to do her part. Reaching the top, she kept herself pressed against the staircase, peeking over it ever so slightly where her eyes instantly locked on Tracy and Dio in the center. Venus bit her lip. "Now what..." she murmured. Her eyes darted about, searching frantically for something, anything. She was about to give up when she caught sight of a small rock, and she lunged for it, grabbing it in one hand. Crouching low against the staircase, she took careful aim and threw it. The rock hurtled through the air and struck Dio in the shoulderblade.

"Youch!" Dio screamed, her concentration broken. The spire of dark energy began to lose cohesion and Tracy writhed on the altar as the energy backlashed and began to cause her physical pain. Dio turned, opening her eyes and glaring at Venus. Venus just smiled innocently and waved. "Rasheed!" Dio bellowed. "Where's your head at!?" The other mystic quickly turned and, catching sight of Venus, began to advance. Dio turned back to Tracy, and covered her mouth as she understood the consequences of this disruption. Bolts of purple lightning suddenly arced out from Tracy's body and struck everyone in the vicinity. Rasheed cringed in agony; Dio screamed out and raised her hands, attempting to continue the ritual before something more devastating occurred. Yet another bolt struck Venus at the base of her neck, knocking her instantly unconscious. Her limp body slouched at the top of the steps.

----

Talus roared as he leapt off the top of a dune, diving through the air in a line for Neo. He swiped at her cranium with his shadowblades, but was held at bay as she brought up her own sword to counter. The weapons met, creating a shower of sparks and unearthly blue light. Talus pushed himself away, coming to rest a few paces away. Both fighters at this point had become quite weary. Talus's breath was heavier; Neo wiped beads of sweat off her brow.

Neo smirked, tossing a stray lock of hair aside that had fallen over her face. "Impressive. It looks like we're evenly matched. Our battle could go on endlessly like this."

Talus grinned. "You're right. It's a shame that you have to work for the demons...we could use someone like you."

Neo chuckled. "Oh, being a Death Knight isn't so bad. You get used to it. It's got a great dental plan."

Talus lowered his blades. "And yet...you're limited by the powers of Hell. The dark PSI of the demons. What a pity. Oh well." Talus raised the two blades again, and ran forward, leaping and spinning in midair. As he did so, the edges of his blades glowed with a faint energy. As he faced Neo in his spin, two arcs of energy leapt from the blades and began spinning with incredible velocity toward the Death Knight. Neo smirked, raising her runeblade to block. Talus let out a terrible laugh.

The two arcs of energy passed right through Neo's blade, exploding against her chest armor. The shock of the blast sent her flying back several feet, where she landed on her back in the sands. Gripping her sword, she used it to hoist herself up. She looked at Talus, her face now set in a scowl, her teeth clenched. "How did you..."

"Different sources of PSI. You can't block it." He grinned, going into a cartwheel and sending off several more arcs of energy toward Neo. She gripped the handle of her sword firmly and sprinted across the dunes, the energy bombarding the sands in her wake as Talus's aim barely missed her. As she ran, she hoisted her blade, leveling it at Talus in the distance, and she let loose a volley of dark Demon energy. The bolts of blackness roared across the battlefield, striking the ground where Talus was only moments before, sending up clouds of sand and debris.

Talus continued to perform acrobatics, sending off arc after arc of PSI, while Neo did the same from the blade of her weapon. At last, one particular bolt from the Death Knight's sword connected, and although Talus had brought his shadowblades up to block it, the energy passed right through and struck him in the chest. He flew back, his glasses flying off his face and into the sand. Neo approached, lowering her blade, and she stooped to pick up the spectacles. She knelt over him, grinning, and she handed them to him. He took them warily and placed them back on his face. Neo extended a hand, which Talus readily took, and she helped him up.

Talus dusted himself off. "I guess I can't block your PSI either. Nice." He grinned.

Neo merely rested against her blade. "We could keep this up forever, you know. It's actually quite fun. You're a fun...playmate."

Talus winked. "I always aim to please the ladies." He tossed the blades aside. "You've been a fun opponent, and I'm gonna regret doing this, but--"

"Wow!" a voice from a few yards away called. Talus and Neo turned their heads at the same time to see a small shadow off in the distance. The shadow of a big-headed boy. The boy ran forward, a pad and pencil in hand, his trenchcoat trailing behind him. He stopped before the two, his spectacled eyes wide with amazement.

"Amazing!" He shouted. "It's...it's Talus! Oh wow! I'm your biggest fan!" He jumped up and down. Then he spotted Neo. "And wow! A Death Knight! I knew they existed! This is incredible!" He took a camera out and began snapping a few pictures. Neo and Talus looked at each other in a confused expression before looking down at the boy again. He was holding up the pencil and pad now. "Can I have your autographs!?" He screamed, grinning wildly.

Talus and Neo frowned. Talus extended his hand downward, grabbing the boy by the head and lifting him up off the ground. He shoved the boy's entire body into a sand dune until nothing left of him was to be seen.

"As I was saying," Talus continued, "I really regret doing this but I can't be going on like this forever." His grin suddenly turned malignant as his brown eyes suddenly seemed to turn an ice blue, the orbs locking onto Neo's violet pupils and seeming to stare straight into her soul. Neo's vision seemed to blur, and then all at once a sudden bolt of pain struck her mind. She clutched her head in agony, falling to the ground. Talus grinned, stepping closer and falling to one knee.

"Get...out of my mind!" Neo hissed, but Talus merely raised her chin with a finger. He smiled coolly.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I've stayed by these humans and I can't abandon them now. It may disrupt the plan but I'm willing to take that risk. And that means I have to send you back to Hell, from whence you came." He brushed a lock of hair out of her eye, placing his hand on her cheek. "A shame, really..."

Every pain sensor, every nerve in Neo's body was alight with agony as if Talus had merely flipped a switch. She struggled with the sensation as the darkness closed in around her -- and then she balled it all up into one concentrated wave of pain and set it back on its maker. Talus felt the backlash return through the hand he had placed on her, travelling up his arm and straight into his spine. His head snapped back in shock, and he stumbled away as if a powerful physical blow had been laid on him. He collapsed onto one knee, his concentration broken. Neo, her mind now freed, breathed heavily.

"Okay..." Talus wheezed, "Let's just call it a draw."

----

"PSI Freeze Omega!" The sheet of ice spread out from Paula's fingertips and encircled Golgothas in a frosty sheen. The grip closed in.

"Now now, little girl! That's not very nice!" In a blink of the eye, the warden was now beside her, readying his scythe to attack. He had slipped out of the icy stranglehold like a wraith, flowing like a shadow across the floor, faster than light could carry. His free hand lanced out and gripped Paula by the collar, hoisting her in the air. He sent his scythe slicing across her midsection, but she kicked away from him at the last second, and the blade merely tore through the hem of her skirt. She backed away from the demon before sending a quick volley of ice balls his way.

"Ahh, snowcones!" Golgothas roared before sending out an inferno that melted the attack in its tracks. "On second though, I don't really want a brain freeze." He waved his hand, and instantly four tentacles made of shadow rose from the ground, binding Paula's arms and legs and raising her in the air. Golgothas grinned a skeletal grin as he approached.

Raltise, meanwhile, had gained consciousness, and was sitting on his knees, shaking his head vigorously. His eyes were trained on the captive Paula and the demonic warden, and he suddenly felt a pang of worry clutch his heart. He struggled to his feet. "Golgothas, don't touch her!"

The Warden turned. "Ah, I see the Master of Illusion has risen once more. Well, what shall you do to save her, Demon?"

Off in the shadows, a silhouette gracefully extended a slender hand. Two ice blue eyes stared out from the darkness. Smirking lips parted. "I return some of your power to you." Scarlet whispered. "Nightmare Demon, summon the infinite power of chaos once again." Her eyes flashed from the shadows. "Good luck, Raltise." She murmured, and then she vanished within the void.

"Enough of this." Golgothas bellowed. "You have had your chance, Protector. Now, join the ranks of the undead!" He lowered his scythe in preparation for a sickening slice. Indigo screamed.

The weapon, however, never made contact. The ivory handle split in two, and the blade went sailing across the room, embedding itself neatly in the rock wall. The shadow tentacles vanished, and Paula fell to the floor. Golgothas stared at the severed end of his scythe, perplexed. Then he noticed Raltise standing a few feet off, one of his hands raised in a fist. He was grinning an insanely yellow grin.

"Yes, yes...well now, Warden, what have you to say now that the Nightmare Demon has returned?" He let loose a gruesome laugh. Golgothas faltered.

"I...how did you...where did you get your power from!?" He roared, sending a wave of fire straight for Raltise. The unearthly one merely let it connect with his hand, and the energy vanished outright.

Raltise's grin widened. "That's my little secret, dear Warden. Yes, yes...you shall find us both equally matched at this point." A small blue rift opened near Raltise's left shoulder, and the Demon sent his fist through it. An equally proportionate rift at the same time surfaced near Golgothas's head.

"What the..." the skeletal warden muttered as Raltise's fist emerged from the portal and struck him cleanly in the side of the head. The blow sent Golgothas careening across the room, where he slammed into his bone throne, shattering it.

"Good lord..." Seong-un whispered. "How is this at all possible?"

Skulryk shrugged. "I don't know, but I really don't care." He trained his camera on the two combatants.

Raltise calmly strode toward his victim, who was struggling to his feet, and he waved his hand. The warden rose into the air and was instantly sent careening head-first into a rock wall. Raltise moved his hand again, pulling him back, and sending him once again crashing into the rock. He did this repeatedly, the force of each blow wearing not only Golgothas but the wall itself down. At last, he let him crash to the ground.

Golgothas spit up a green substance that seemed to be the demon equivalent to blood. "Very good, Demon..." He hissed. "But it'll take more than that to stop the Warden of Hell!" A wave of his hand, and a black vortex opened above Raltise, and the Nightmare Demon only had a chance to glance warily upward before the void swallowed him up. The Warden rose to his feet with a grunt, a sickening laugh escaping his throat. He began to stride forward.

"Well, it appears that your champion has fallen." He extended his arms. "Now the rest of you shall suffer the burning wrath of Hell!" He raised his arms into the air suddenly.

Nothing happened. Golgothas's skeletal jaw creased in a frown. He looked down. His spider silk cloak was pulsing as if the very matter it was made of was breaking apart. "What the..." was all he could say before Raltise burst from a vortex that had taken form in his stomach. The blast sent Golgothas flying back, landing roughly at the base of his throne. His cloak was utterly destroyed; it had fallen in tatters at the ground, leaving his skeletal body bare. The ribcage had been cracked and burst open. He lay on the ground, rolling in agony. The Nightmare Demon approached, grinning insanely. In his right hand, he held the Dali's Stopwatch.

"I was looking for this! I'm very appreciative." Raltise held out his left palm. A dark red and purple glow surrounded it, and it intensified.

"A game well played, Warden! But it is over now. Being the Master of Illusion, I bid you adieu!"

----

"That's it!" Dio cried. "The ritual is nearly complete! The worlds are merging!" Columns of flame burst from the tranquil sands. Red rock spires towered above the pyramids. The stench of brimstone invaded the lands.

"I have a feeling that this is definitely not a good thing!" Chase shouted above the din.

"Oh really! What ever gave you that idea?" Luna returned.

Talus and Neo, hearing the rumbling, darted back from over the dunes, right into the center of the activity. Neo smirked. "It looks like things are working out nicely."

Talus, meanwhile, placed a hand to his throbbing temple. "Ugh, this is all too much for one day..."

The spire of darkness that Tracy exuded began to expand, first encompassing all of the altar, then growing to envelope the whole of the northern desert. Within the shroud, figures began to form.

----

Raltise was taken aback by the sudden rumbling, and Golgothas took the opportunity to right himself and land a solid fist to his midsection. The attack sent the Nightmare Demon reeling into the crowd of others. The warden cackled triumphantly.

"This is it, children! The time of the merging is come. Once the child of The Light is sacrificed, the Demon Legions shall come to invade your world!"

----

Ness backed away from an advancing Infernal and nearly tripped over Paula. He stumbled backward and looked at her. "What the..." He murmured. He looked up to see Raltise and a skeletal figure in a now-tattered robe facing each other. Indigo ran up to him.

"Ness! Ness!" She shouted before reaching him. She grabbed onto his shirt and looked back at the figure of Golgothas. "Ness, the worlds are joining together. They're going to sacrifice your sister, and once they do, it'll be complete!"

Ness eyed the Demon Warden of Hell. The towering figure has pushed Raltise aside, and was now beginning to ascend the steps to the altar. "This is bad." Ness muttered. "This is very, very bad."