Chapter 9: Fire And Blood

Surprisingly, King Estes was alive and well. We found him along with a few guards near a well. The wound on his torso mysteriously vanished. The only evidence of the assault was the massive hole on his plate armor.

"Thank the Goddess, You're alive!" cries Miya, running towards Estes. She suffocates him with a hug.

"I managed to cast an amplified healing spell onto myself at the very last moment," Estes laughs it off and hugs Miya back. "No need to cry. I'm alright".

"Kissu! Kissu! Kissu!" Kate cheered jumping up and down. I, myself was relieved to see the king safe. But something does not feel right.

"Back then!" Natalia gained the attention of everyone in the room.

"Back then, the elf said their job was done. If you're alright, that means..." Natalia didn't finish her sentence. She darted out of the room to Elune's Chamber. We followed closely behind her.

"Elune!" Natalia shouted halfway through the staircase. The peaceful blue glow from before was now a dancing scarlet light. Natalia charges faster and faster. She reaches the top before we even made it halfway.

"Put her down!"

The sound of metal on metal echoes through the walls of the staircase as we finally reached the garden.

The room was ablaze in hellfire. Natalia was clashing blades with a horned being equipped with burning Scythes on each hand.

The king and his guards didn't hesitate to jump into the fight to assist Natalia. Miya drew her bow and started shooting at the creature. Her arrows didn't even dent the monster's tough skin. The demons jumped back and forth toying with the guards. Only Natalia was able to catch up to its speed.

"Your frost arrows! He's a fire demon!" Natalia shouted.

Miya's arrows began to shine with an icy aura around them. She shot a barrage of these arrows only to be deflected by the beast.

I looked around the room, trying to find something I can use.

I saw Kate leap into the burning garden. I hesitantly followed her and jumped into the blaze.

I can make out the image of a woman with unusual wings through the flames.

I found Kate tending to Elune who was lying on her lap with Burn marks all over her body.

"Is she alright?"

Two of the guards were sent flying to our direction. One tries to get back up but falls back to the ground beside his companion.

"The.. they're dead!" I panicked. I rushed to Kate as she slowly lays Elune's body to the ground. "Get up! We need to get out of here or else we're next!" I shoved Kate's shoulder.

Time seemed to slow down. The crackles of the flame, the brawl a few meters across the room, everything around me escaped my senses as Kate slowly looks at me with an uncomfortably full smile.

She moves to grab the swords of the fallen guards and throws one at me.

"Let's go?" her cheerful voice triggered something in me. Something that made me stand up and catch the sword.

I lost all of my inhibitions as we dashed towards the battle. Estes saw this chance to distract the beast. He writes something on his scroll and chanted a spell. A barrier appeared locking the beast in place.I let out a battle cry as Kate and I swing our swords.

The next thing I knew, I was pulling the sword out from the beast's body. The fire in the room instantly vanished. A dark orb came out of the creatures body. It floated towards the center of the room, the direction where I saw the image through the flames. The orb gets absorbed by a woman who was floating in the air.

"Well done, you killed the Fire Demon Thamuz with a single strike. Well done indeed," She had curled horns and vampiric wings - a succubus.

"Be careful everyone, it's the Blood Demon Queen herself," warns King Estes. He unrolls his scroll fully and began writing down spells as fast as he could.

The guards formed a shield wall and started to March towards the last remaining enemy. My instincts are begging me to stop them. I looked at Kate and she nods. However, before we could raise a finger, Natalia tackles us down to the ground.

The guards charged at the enemy but she let's out a seductive laugh, "ahahahaha, Watch your back."

The air turned blood crimson. My body suddenly felt heavy. The pressure emanating from the vampire petrified everyone in the room. I watched as the guards in front of me fall one by one. I can feel my soul being dragged out from my body. My mind was hazy. This is it, this is where I die. I feel someone pulling me by the hand, dragging me through the rocky soil of the garden. I couldn't endure it any longer.

My eyes slowly closed.