Fortress (X)

『Byzan Fortress』

Archibald and Rumia were down.

Vorkalth laughed with exhilaration. "Two down, one to go," he exclaimed, relishing in his apparent victory.

He looked at Lamperogue.

"You're the last one, and then I can finally take the water spirit. She's already sustained a stab wound, so she'll die soon. (~laughs) And the best part is, I won't be the one who killed her!" (Vorkalth)

Archibald coughed and grinned despite the pain. "You sure you're the winner here, Vorkalth?"

Vorkalth scoffed, "Well, I'm the one standing, and you're on the floor."

Archibald chuckled weakly. "Check yourself."

As Vorkalth glanced down, he saw that the Aquos Chronicles was missing.

In that moment, Archibald threw the book towards Lamperogue, who caught it and handed it over to Undine.

Vorkalth snarled, realizing the trick. "You bastard!"

"(I took it from him the time I held him from behind, good thing I was quick with my hands. It certainly makes my broken nose worth it. Now, Undine just has to end things)" (Archibald)

He rushed towards them before Undine could recover her power, but it was too late.

Instantly, Undine broke the anti-magic rune on the book, and her mana surged out in the form of a massive shockwave, repelling everyone, including Lamperogue.

Vorkalth went flying and crashed hard against a wall, vomiting blood.

As he picked himself up, Vorkalth knew things took a turn for the worst.

"....Curse my luck....." (Vorkalth)

The one thing he didn't want to happen had happened.

Undine had regained her powers, her wound rapidly healed, and she was back to her normal angelic appearance.

She surged with dense mana, leaving everyone in awe.

Undine spoke with authority, "Your reign of terror ends now, Vorkalth."

Vorkalth was seething, he refused to back down.

"It's not over yet, I will win," he spat out through gritted teeth.

"(Come on bro just take the 'L' already...)" (Archibald)

Undine's eyes grew colder, and she spoke with authority.

"You have committed the gravest offense of hurting an Apostle of the Creation God. By the [Laws of the World], it is a mortal sin."

Vorkalth struggled to his feet, his eyes blazing with anger.

He made a mad dash towards Undine, but she was too quick for him.

With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a small water droplet on her fingertip, which then shot out a thin beam of energy that sliced off Vorkalth's left leg.

His screams of agony filled the chamber.

Undine's gaze was cold and unfeeling as she levitated above the ground and approached him.

"Pray for forgiveness, for your punishment is about to be passed." (Undine)

Her voice was monotone as she spoke, showing no signs of mercy.

Vorkalth's rage turned to desperation, and he insulted her. "You bitch!"

Undine's eyes narrowed as she spoke one last time. "Take that to hell with you."

In an instant, Vorkalth's blood froze in his body, exploding out of him in the shape of sharp spikes until he was nothing but a pile of flesh and blood.

Undine turned away, her expression unchanged.

She had shown no remorse for her actions, for she was the judge, jury, and executioner of those who dared to oppose her.

...

Undine turned to look at the warriors that had fallen in the fight against Vorkalth and tears streamed down her face.

She was inconsolable, and no matter what Rumia, Archibald, or Lamperogue said, they couldn't pull her out of her grief.

"(I have to say something, but then again, I'm not good at all these kinda things. I've only ever had in-game conversations in my past life. Alright think, what would I say in a Dating Sim scenario... Then again, if I say the right words, I might score some affection points)" (Archibald)

Archibald knelt down beside her, offering a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Undine, it's okay to cry. We've all lost so much today." (Archibald)

"(I can't really say I lost anything, but that's the right word to use right? Right? Who am I kidding I'm talking to myself..)" (Archibald)

Undine couldn't find the words to respond, so she just cried harder.

Archibald and the others then left her to grieve for a few minutes, giving her the space she needed.

When she finally regained her composure, she apologized to them for showing such weakness.

"I'm sorry you had to see me that way." (Undine)

Archibald waved away her apology.

"There's no need to apologize, Undine. Crying isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of how much you cared about them." (Archibald)

Rumia had concern etched on her face.

"Undine, are you completely restored? Are you okay?" (Rumia)

Undine took a deep breath.

"For the most part, about 70% of my power has been restored." (Undine)

Lamperogue remained silent, watching the group interact.

Even after witnessing the brutal death of Vorkalth, he didn't seem to be affected by it.

Archibald stood up, wiping the blood from his broken nose.

He walked over to Rumia and offered her his shoulder for support.

"Let's get you up, Rumia. We should start moving before Rolo and the others start looking for us." (Archibald)

Rumia thanked him and smiled at him.

Archibald grinned back at her.

"I should be thanking you for helping me snap out of it earlier." (Archibald)

Rumia smirked. "What are friends for?"

Archibald's face lit up with surprise, and he turned to Undine.

"Did you hear that, Undine? Rumia just called us friends!" (Archibald)

Rumia's eyes widened in horror.

"I didn't say that!" (Rumia)

"What?! You totally did!" (Archibald)

"I did not!" (Rumia)

"No... You did..." (Archibald)

This went on for about a minute or two.

Undine let out a laugh.

Her once cold demeanor was gone, and she was finally able to find a glimmer of warmth in the midst of all the chaos.

Before they could leave, Undine insisted on healing their wounds.

Archibald had a broken nose and a wound in his shoulder,

Rumia had a fairly deep cut in her side,

And Lamperogue had more of body aches than wounds.

"You all went through a lot," Undine said, placing her hands out. "Let me heal you."

A bright light shone upon them, and to their surprise, their wounds and pains instantly disappeared.

Archibald stretched his body and didn't feel any pains anymore.

"Wow, you're amazing, Undine. Thank you so much," he said with a grin.

Rumia thanked Undine as well, "Wow it didn't even leave a scar."

Undine responded in a teasing tone, "I'm glad it didn't, Rumia. You should maintain that sexy body of yours."

Rumia blushed and glared at Undine, while Archibald tried to hold back their laughter.

Lamperogue, as expected, barely put any emotions behind his words.

"Thank you," he said.

The water spirit couldn't help but smile at the three of them.

"Again, thank you all for your help," she said, bowing her head in gratitude.

"Save it for when we return to Rivelune," said Archibald.

She smiled and nodded in agreement.

Rumia chimed in, "Let's get going then."