Rhaine struggled to fend off the undead that Tyler brought back, The rest of the army went to kill Tyler before Marcus did. Arms wrapped themselves around Rhaine, squeezing the life from her, one had her throat in their hands. Rhaine's vision began to dim, before she succumbs, the undead let her go, they turned their attention to the Nightside brothers that hacked their way towards her.
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Aiding them were the last remaining retired bandits that took residency in River Hallow. Rhaine struggled to get to her feet, Alex made his way to her and helped lift her onto her feet. "Don't die on my now." Alex said. "Come on, Jirjin and the drinking pals have got this." Alex Helped Rhaine to get away.
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"No… We have to stop them." Rhaine said as she regained her breath. "If we don't stop this then we all die."
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Alex didn't know what to say. He didn't see a way for them to win the day. Luckily for them Copper Thomas was still alive. "Commander Rhaine!" he yelled. "We need to get to the church!" He said, he motioned for her and Alex to follow him. Without any other options, Rhaine followed him.
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"What is it soldier?" Rhaine asked when they made it to the church's door.
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Copper Thomas pushed against the door, "Damn it's locked." Copper looked back to her and Alex, " There is a church bell, I read somewhere that in the older churches, a blessing is sometimes inscribed on the bell."
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Rhaine thought a moment," To Bless all that hear." Rhaine said, she understood, but there was the matter of the door being locked. She looked to Alex and without saying another word, the three of them slammed into the door with all their might. Once it didn't budge, the second time they felt it give, on the third try the wood broke and lock failed. Rhaine and Copper went in first, Alex watched their backs. The Church soldiers clashed with both Marcus and Tyler. In the chaos of their duel, the troops forced themselves between the two combatants. Half charged at Tyler, while the others formed a line in front of Marcus.
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Their hands trembled partly from fear, partly from the unnatural cold radiating from Marcus. Black veins pulsed beneath his skin, and with every breath, he felt their warmth being drawn into him. Their life force drained away, feeding Annihilation. One by one, the soldiers collapsed, succumbing to the chill. They died without a sound.
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The soldiers who went after Tyler met a worse fate. “Do you mind?” Tyler snapped, annoyed. “We were fighting!” As the soldiers hesitated, horrified by his tone and demeanor, Tyler’s body began to twist and change once again. “I heard of a talking moose once,” he said, his voice warping along with his form. “But have you ever heard of a talking, killing, demonic bear?!” Where a man once stood, now rose a monstrous black bear, towering above them. Its eyes glowed crimson with malice.
Before the nearest soldier could even raise his weapon, Tyler lunged forward and swiped with a massive claw, slicing the man’s head clean from his shoulders.
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Between Tyler and Marcus, the soldiers continued to fall like wheat before the scythe. Beyond the field of battle, Elle and Melissa's conversation carried on, untouched by the chaos.
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"Yes. Your part was always Orion," Elle said plainly. "You two have been connected ever since what happened in Dren."
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Melissa felt her nerves begin to unravel. "How do you know that, Elle? You weren’t even here when we arrived."
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Elle nodded slowly. "I know. I was in Dren when it happened."
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Melissa stared at her, stunned. "What were you doing there, Elle?" Her voice hardened. The pieces were falling into place—Elle wasn’t just connected to what was happening now. She had always been part of it. "Tell me who you really are. Were you there when my sisters were slaughtered by that monster?"
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Elle’s expression turned somber. "I was. It was a shame how they died," she said quietly, then turned her gaze back to the window. "There is no end to the dead."
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Melissa’s fury surged. "Don’t you turn your back on me!" she shouted. The memory of her coven… her father… the pain was too much. The thought that Elle had been there, that maybe she could have stopped it was unbearable. The tarot cards flew from her hands, spinning through the air, suspended by magic.
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"Who are you?" she demanded.
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A knock came from outside the room, Katherine’s voice panicked. "Open up! We have to get out of here!"
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"Run, Katherine!" Melissa shouted back. "It’s not safe in here either!"
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Katherine pounded harder, faster. "Open up! The dead have broken in!"
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Elle continued to watch the fight between Tyler and Alex unfold in the distance. Melissa shouted again, “Run, Katherine!”.. but then there was a heavy thud. Silence followed. Melissa looked down and saw blood slowly seeping under the door. Katherine’s blood. “She took you in! We all did!” Melissa screamed, her voice cracking with rage and grief. One of the tarot cards spun toward Elle, propelled by magic.
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It stopped just inches from her face.
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Elle waved a hand, and the card ignited in the air, turning to ash. “You can’t hurt me, Melissa,” she said calmly. Her gaze never shifted, because it didn’t need to. She had never been in danger.
“Katherine longed to be with her husband,” Elle continued, her voice flat and cold. “She got what she wanted.”
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Melissa stared at her in disbelief. Rage boiled over. She lunged forward and grabbed Elle by the arms. “Tell me who you are!”
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Elle didn’t resist. She simply paused, then leaned in and whispered: “See.”
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Melissa stumbled back, screaming. Pain exploded behind her eyes. She clawed at her face, unable to stop herself, her fingers dug into her own skull, tearing her eyes out.
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“No! No!!” she shrieked. Her eyes caught fire, flames consuming them as smoke poured from her sockets.
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________________________________________________________________________________
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"Tell me, Marcus!" Tyler shouted, discarding the last of the soldiers like trash. "Did you miss me? Because I sure missed Lorna." He walked slowly toward Marcus, a wicked grin on his face. "Oh wait ,I know!" In an instant, Tyler’s form shifted into Lorna, Marcus’ wife. “Did you know he was better in bed than you?” Tyler said mockingly, twisting the knife with every word. “Tyler Langston was the best lover I ever had!”
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Marcus’ eyes narrowed. He’d had enough of false faces, enough of these games. With a roar, he lunged forward, striking Tyler across the gut—his hand tearing deeply into flesh.
But to Marcus’ horror, the wound healed almost instantly. “I’ll rip you out of her,” Marcus growled, going in for another strike.
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Tyler raised his voice in a mocking imitation of Lorna’s. “Get your hands off me, you beast! I’m so glad Conner never took after you!” With a vicious slap, Tyler struck Marcus across the face, sending him crashing into the wall. He reared back for a kick to the groin, but Marcus caught the leg mid-swing. Without hesitation, Marcus gripped the ankle in both hands and slammed Tyler’s Lorna-shaped body against the stone with all his might.
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Tyler barely had time to regain his bearings before Marcus attacked again. “Wait! I want to tell you something!” Tyler pleaded, raising his hands. Marcus didn’t care. His fists slammed into Tyler’s face, again and again, each strike fueled by fury.
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“Stop!” Tyler cried between blows. Each injury vanished just as quickly as it came. “It’s really important!”
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Marcus snarled, his fists never stopping. “What is it?!”
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The sound of Lorna’s voice spilling from this monster’s mouth was maddening. He had to end it.. end him. Tyler shoved Marcus back and scrambled to his feet, but Marcus was already charging again. Tyler shifted—this time into Conner. “I just wanted to tell you…” he said, his voice that of Marcus’ son, calm and cutting.
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“You sucked at being a father.”
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