To the Death

Gorak turns to look back at Delara's unified West World armies before him.

"That one is mine." He points directly at Delara.

'What?' Delara is stunned.

"As for the others,..." Gorak continues.

"Kill, maim, bruise, let loose!

And don't forget to capture a majority of survivors to be tortured later on at my pleasure!"

"Now... Attack!"

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Receiving direct orders, Gorak's army charges forward.

Seeing the fearsome charge, Delara refuses to be fazed.

Raising her sword in the air, she shouts out loud and clear for her entire army to hear...

"To the Death!"

*Rooooaar!*

Her soldiers, energised by her passionate battle cry give a roaring shout in response, also charging ahead bravely behind her at top speed.

They might be riding to their death; to be torn apart and mauled to pieces, but it didn't matter because they were sworn to defend their lands.

If they would die, then so be it. They would die with honour.

Archers launch their spears, arrows and darts, just before the two armies clash in a raging, one-sided battle.

Pouncing ferociously and mercilessly upon the human army, the strange army utterly destroys Delara's army in mere minutes.

Delara fights hard on the battlefield, displaying impressive acrobatic moves as she weaves her way quickly through the battlefield, helping her soldiers who are visibly overwhelmed.

Her actions make things slightly difficult for Gorak's armies, because they cannot fight her. Their leader would have their heads if they were to accidentally harm even a single hair on her head.

Seeing this, Gorak mentally restrains Delara's movements with his telekinetic powers right in the middle of an attack. Her body suddenly freezes in place with her sword in hand, frozen mid-air.

Then he lifts her high up into the air with his telekinesis, suspending her in the air beside him.

"You're not allowed to fight. Keep calm and watch with me."

Gorak states calmly whilst intently watching the battle; his red lightning rampaging all around, destroying the topography of the battlefield.

She is his fated lover. He cannot afford to let her get hurt, either by his red lightning, or his armies... or even by merely tripping over a rock on the now uneven battlefield grounds, or by accidentally slipping into a flaming crater...

Seriously, there were so many ways she could die on this battlefield.

"Hah...", he sighed.

'Mortals are so fragile', he thought to himself, smirking.

He had to keep her safe. Right next to him, and far away from the commotion on the grounds.

If she died, he would have to search for her soul all over again, through the millions and billions of realms, and facets of existence, both mortal and immortal...

... through eternity.

That would be more difficult than if a regular human was sent to find a plastic needle in a planet of haystacks!

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Delara, bound with her hands by her sides by an invisible power, struggles with all her might to break free of Gorak's hold; moving her head, shoulders and knees, screaming at the top of her lungs, and kicking in the air with the moveable half of her lower limbs, but it is futile.

"Let me go! Let me go!", she orders, her fighting spirit burning bright as she refuses to let up.

'Fiesty...', Gorak thinks to himself, intrigued.

He is impressed by her reaction, and greatly entertained by her futile struggling.

His fated lover was rather interesting.

....

"No! NO!"

She screams, devastated as she is forced to watch as her soldiers are attacked brutally, and subdued one by one;

Some killed, some mauled by beasts, others maimed, and the majority, bruised and captured.

Thus, the unified armies of the West World suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Gorak and his armies.

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Delara, weakened from her futile screaming and struggling whilst watching the defeat of her people, looks down upon the battlefield through blurry, teary eyes.

It is a horrific sight. The epitome of destruction.

The original topography of the place is completely altered with the sudden addition of pitfalls and flaming craters.

And even more horrifying is the fact that there are dead bodies of her men littered everywhere.

Severed body parts and spilled human entrails here and there give cause to the total mess of blood and gore splayed all around.

It would have been better to have been killed off along with everyone, than for her to be made to watch the gory details of the brutal killing, maiming and capture of her men, she thinks to herself.

The ominous atmosphere is further heightened by the sky which is still dark, though it is still early in the day; ocassionally brightened by flashes of red lightning.

Gorak's minions, better described as "demons" or "monstrosities" round up the last of Delara's beaten, battered and maimed generals, making them kneel before the still floating Gorak; their hands bound behind their backs.

Goseph, king of Deyon, the 'untouchable' warriors of Eris and Alba, and Huy... Crown Prince of Xota (Delara's closest friend) kneel, looking up to the inherently evil conqueror, Gorak.

Gorak gradually lowers both himself and Delara to float just two feet above the ground before them. It was the finale.

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He begins to address the kneeling war generals:

"It is most impressive that you all would rally together like this to dare challenge me.

Trying so desperately to save your homes from imminent disaster...

How touching!

I am moved to applaud your efforts.

But sadly, this is what happens when mere mortals challenge an immortal", he gloats.

"I told you to wait your turn... but, thank you, for fast-tracking the entire process, and letting me conquer your lands in just one battle", he smiled evily.

"Indeed...", Gorak continued.

"...It was unnecessary to wait your turn because ultimately, your terrible fates were sealed from the moment I came upon your planet.

Resist or not, things would still end this way.

Now, your cities... those poor, defenseless little clusters of sheep, are just waiting for my arrival. And of course, I will collect!"

'Their cities!

He still planned to attack them...', Delara was alarmed.

It was hopeless. They gave it their all, but they had lost. They could not defend their kingdoms.

It was over.

Referring to Pain, Gorak gave the order;

"Kill them."

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Quietly standing back, Gorak makes Delara watch as her allies are mercilessly tortured and beheaded one by one.

Huy, for one, who loved Delara, and courted her, hoping to be married to her before disaster struck, calls out to her in his final moments.

"Delara... I'm sorry."

He apologises for not being able to save her and their kingdoms, right before his head is chopped off.

'Delara. She has a beautiful name', thinks Gorak to himself, glad to finally learn the name of his fated lover.

"Huy..."

His name leaves Delara's mouth as a cracked whisper.

This was war.

At the back of her mind, Delara knew all this destruction was a possibility, riding out to war. In fact, they all knew they would probably not come back with their lives, yet they chose to fight, nonetheless.

That was what it meant to be a soldier.

But watching each of her generals die; watching Huy die... it broke her.

She was resolved to die bravely, along with them. She didn't understand why she was still being kept alive.

'Saving the best for last, probably.' she thought to herself, fearing what terrible fate waiting for her in the near future.

This immortal conqueror was ruthless. He'd shown absolutely no mercy to her men. Only god knows what he had planned for her.

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Done with their purpose, Gorak and his dark armies travel back to the Fortress of Tortures, taking along with them any captured survivors, including Delara.

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***Fortress of Tortures***

Arriving at the Fortress of Tortures, Gorak delivers Delara to a massive, exquisite suite, decorated with intricate gold detailing. It is clearly prepared for royalty.

Finally, he sets her free from his telekinetic hold after he has carefully lowered her to the ground, a few feet away from him.

Now able to move, Delara immediately backs away from Gorak's imposing figure, terrified out of her mind and wondering what next to expect.

The immortal conqueror had brought her to what appeared to be a massive room for royalty?

By all indications, this would be where he slept, no?

There was a luxurious bed... and it was just the two of them!

She started to panic.

Was this the purpose for which she had been personally captured by him?

To be ravaged??

...

....