Glory

Nick and Mahdi slid down a slope, reaching a corridor where Lacrimae ran up a shaft, leading to the top. He sighed through his nose as Mahdi facepalmed.

"We've been chasing this guy for an hour now, can't he just sit still?" Mahdi asked Nick, who looked at the end of the hallway, cells lining the corridor. They walked down it as they saw prisoners looking at them from behind their cells, looking at him with fear and awe.

"He's the marked one!" One prisoner said.

"He's cursed, stay away!" Another said, crawling away from the bars. Finally, they reached the third cell, which had infected prisoners in it, roaring at them. Suddenly, the walls shook and then the corridor in front of them were wretched away, a giant hand holding the entire chunk. He felt it tip and they slipped, landing on the cells. They stood up as infected prisoners fell out of their cell, almost on top of them. Nick dodged a swing from one of them, who was holding a spear, and punched it in the chest, shattering it's rib cage. Another tried to grab him from behind and he threw his Kusari at it, hooking it in the chest, and threw it off the ledge, down to the abyss. Mahdi swung his sword and cut through its chest, spilling blood and another grabbed him from behind. He jabbed his sword backwards and stabbed through its gut, killing it. Suddenly, the roof of the building started to cave in as fingernails punctured the top. Nick looked around when he saw a wooden wall on the belly of Porceritas.

"Jump!" Nick yelled and Mahdi obeyed, jumping out of the chunk with him as it collapsed, the hand retreating back into its position. They flew through the air as they crashed through the wooden wall, landing on a stone floor. Mahdi shook his head and laughed, looking back.

"We were almost in that," He laughed, standing up. Nick turned around to see Hati, chained against the wall. Her muzzle was gone, revealing the scars on her chin as she smiled, standing up.

"Hey Nick! Long time, no see!" She said, waving slightly. Nick walked up to her and looked at the chains, seeing that they were digging into her wrists, them slightly bloody. Nick grabbed the chain and tried to rip it out when they hear a familiar roar.

"Not again," Mahdi said when the roof caved in, a bone-blade arm reaching in and stabbing right next to Hati. She looked at her wrist to see that it cut the chain, freeing her. She started to tug on the other chain when the statue stuck its mandibles in, roaring.

"Gods give me strength!" She yelled and she broke the chain as it swung its bony arm in. She rolled out of the way as it struck the wall. Suddenly, the creature turned and looked at the three of them as it destroyed the wall, spider limbs popping out of its back. It roared and smacked Nick, flying through three walls before he caught himself on a pillar. He pushed against the arm before he pulled out his blade, dragging down on its forearm, making it roar. Mahdi and Hati ran up, looking at the statue as it recoiled, staring at them.

"Well, now what do we do?" Hati asked as it roared, swinging its arm down at them.

"Run!" Nick yelled as they scattered, the blade smashing the ground. Nick looked at the statue as it swung its spider limbs at him. He grabbed one of them and stabbed it into the wall, dragging it close. He then threw his blades around a pillar and pulled, knocking the building on top of it. It recoiled as it backed into a decorative pillar, sharp spikes protruding out of the sides. Suddenly, Nick had an idea.

"Charge it!" He yelled. Hati looked at him like he was insane.

"Are you crazy?! You're not seriously thinking-" She started when he charged the statue. She looked at Mahdi, who charged the statue as well.

"And they're gone," She mumbled, following them as the statue swung at them, Nick rolling out of the way as Mahdi jumped up onto the pillar, grabbing one of the spikes. It swung at him and he jumped off, the statue's forearm landing on the spike. It roared as Hati grabbed its other arm and stabbed it into another spike, pinning it to the pillar. Then, Nick climbed up the pole until he was near the statue's head and he threw his blades, hooking around the statue's chest and he pulled, impaling its sternum to the spike. It screeched as Nick jumped over it, bending its back backwards until he heard a snap. It stopped moving as he grabbed his blades, slinging them on his waist.

"As it was in life, disgusting," He said, spitting on it. He then stepped past the corpse and made his way down a tunnel, leading back to the corridor. He looked around as they climbed up a ladder in the shaft, leading to a watchtower. He looked around for any guards, but he saw nothing. The place looked untouched. He looked down at them and nodded, climbing up as they followed. He looked over the guardrail and saw the face of Proceritas. It was bleached white with black eyes, a disc of stone in his mouth, looking like a discus was lodged there. Its teeth were clamped down on it and his eyes were wide with fear. He shook at the thought of him becoming that and then he walked across, leading to another guard tower.

"That's Proceritas?" Hati asked nervously. He nodded and she looked at Mahdi nervously, as he kept walking.

"Are we not going to worry about that?!" She yelled, directing at the head. He walked to the end guard tower to see a door, made of rotting wood, blocking the entrance. He pushed it open and made his way inside to see a bunch of women in the room, looking at him. Hati walked up and looked at the room confused as a woman walked up to him, wearing a shawl.

"Glory be to Amare, she brought us warriors. Come with me to experience true love," She said, holding Nick's hand. Mahdi walked in as two women grabbed him by each arm, leading him into a room. He looked at Nick, confused, as the woman set him on a bed. Hati looked around when women walked up to her, grabbing her shoulder when she pulled away.

"I like men, thank you very much," She said when the woman began pulling Nick away, leading him to a bed. He looked at her hand, seeing how delicate it was. His eyes locked on a ring in the shape of an eye and he had flashbacks to a girl with black wings, white eyes, and that ring on her finger. His face transformed into anger as he tackled her, the illusions around them dissipating to reveal a dusty room, Mahdi laying next to a skeleton. He shot out of the bed and looked at Sangius with anger. She backed away from them when someone busted through the wall, grabbing him.

"He is mine! I will take care of him!" Lacrimae said, throwing him out of the building, landing on the disc near Proceritas's mouth. He looked around as Hati and Mahdi landed next to him, face first. They pushed themselves off of the ground, brushing themselves off as Lacrimae crawled up the face of Proceritas, near his eye.

"You have caused me pain for the last time, Nick Blackheart!" He yelled, worms crawling out of his hand. They carwled under Proceritas's eye as cracks appeared in his skin, traveling down to his mouth. Suddenly, the mandibles popped out of his mouth, his head controlled by an unknown force. He roared and chomped on the disc, cracking it.

"And we're boned," Hati said.