The Dark Arts Quest Pt. 3
Artemise and Sapphire tensed up when Crimson spoke with a grave tone, the air around them was a cold chill and heavy from the darkness that was coming from over the decaying coral. They silently crept in between the coral, keeping themselves hidden as they peered towards the empire and it’s castle.
“It chills my bones to be back here…” Sapphire said, her hand over her heart. “To think this was the birthplace of our people…”
“The magic here…it feels wrong,” Artemise added with a shudder, pressing herself against Crimson. “The amount of darkness and corruption…”
“This is what it looks like when the Dark Arts has full control,” Crimson said with a frown, seeing the shadow soldiers in forms of sharktrolls patrolling the streets of the empire. “Shadow soldiers. We must be careful…come. And stay close.”
Both females nod before they and Crimson started to head towards the castle. They managed to dodge the soldiers from spotting them, hiding into the abandoned homes of the sharktrolls and waiting it out.
“There’s so many,” Sapphire worried as the soldiers marched pass their hiding place. “And there must be more near the castle.”
“It’s no surprise,” Crimson said as he carefully peeked out for the coast to be cleared. “That’s where the Dark Arts and…Torrent are residing.”
Crimson strains out a gasp before he started coughing, hunching over in pain.
“Crimson!” Artemise gasps before she went to him, Sapphire looked more worried as the deep dweller started to use her magic to help him. “Hold on, I got you-!”
Sapphire stared at the heaving great white. “…you’re dying.”
Artemise stiffens, trying to hold back her tears. Crimson shuddered when the pain went away, glances at Sapphire before looking away. “That isn’t important right now.”
Sapphire was about to add before sensing someone in the room. Crimson and Artemise also sensed it before they quickly got into defensive mode. Coming from the shadows was none other than Nichole herself, her eyes red and cold as she stared at the trio.
“Nichole…!” Artemise said with a sadden frown.
“Well, look who stopped by,” Nichole spoke coolly, looking at Crimson. “Just the one Lord Torrent is looking for.”
“Nichole please,” Crimson tried to reason with her. “I’m trying to save my son, my family and friends. If the Darkness spreads, everyone will-”
“Save it,” Nichole hisses, using her magic to make a portal under the three. “You’re coming with me.”
Artemise yelps as she held Crimson, they dropped right into the portal before Nichole follows in. They landed in some kind of cavern, Crimson going in front to protect his mate and Sapphire.
“Don’t make me have to fight you Nichole,” Crimson warns the shapeshifter. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Well, aren’t you sweet?” Nichole chuckled, drawing in closer.
Artemise hisses softly, she and Crimson felt confused when Sapphire softly giggles. “Nichole dear, he won’t hear us with your cloaking shield. You can drop the act.”
Nichole blinks…then sighs out in relief. “Phew. I was scared that I would actually have to fight you guys.”
“Eh…?” Crimson blinked. “But, I sense a Dark Seed in you, how did-?”
Nichole smiles a bit. “Being a shapeshifter has its perks, including in tricking Torrent and the Dark Arts that I have the seed in my soul.”
“Oh thank goodness,” Artemise said in pure relief. “Then, that’s means…you’re undercover?”
Nichole nods, but looking worried as she spoke. “I am, but we’re running out of time. Just now, Torrent sealed Bellus away, and he’s about to send an army to Techno Reef!”
Crimson gets up with Artemise, looking at them all. “Then we haven’t a moment to lose. I recognize this cavern. Or rather tunnel. If we keep going down this way, we’ll reach to Razor’s old room.”
They started to head to said direction, the race into saving all of Trolldom is on and depended on them in defeating the Darkness and save Torrent and his trapped family.
Harper and Torrent were still in a deadly battle, the great white dodging her attack as his shadows continued to take swipes at her.
“Tsk!” Harper hissed as she used her magic to block them, but just barely. “How is this a fair fight you coward!”
“You’re making less sense, halfbreed,” Torrent replied coldly. “This is a battle, where you give everything you have against your enemy. You clearly don’t have anything to show for your so-called strength.”
Harper snarls out angrily before she teleported right behind him, slamming her tailfin against him. “So-call THIS!!”
Torrent skidded across the throne room, but quickly recovers as the shadows shoots out at her once more. With the anger induced feeling, Harper kept on blocking as she send out more of her own attacks. But the more she fought, the darker her black markings became.
‘She is succumbing to her darkness,’ The Dark Arts whispered to Torrent. ‘Push her further in, let her rage take hold.’
Torrent glares slightly as she went for another attack, suddenly seeing someone wandering in.
“Harper? Is that you??? Look! I found Sapphy!”
Harper froze before looking at the voice’s direction. It was Riff…holding a crystal that held their daughter. How in the world-?!
“Riff, get out of here!!” Harper said in a panic, shouting in pain when the shadows restrained her. “RUN!!”
“Harper!” Riff gasped, yelping when the soldiers surrounded him. He held the crystal of Sapphire close as he looked around nervously. “H-Hold on now man-!”
“I don’t know what Zips sees in both of you,” Torrent said coldly as he stalked towards Riff. “He deserves better than a halfbreed and a rock troll.”
“If you touch a hair on his head I’ll kill you!!” Harper shrieked, her marks and colors darkens further. “Leave them alone!!”
Torrent grabs Riff by the collar of his vest, the poor troll panicking when he was lifted up and shadows started to take aim.
“To kill a nuisance of a weed,” Torrent said as he had the look with a murderous glare. “You go to the root.”
Suddenly, Torrent was rammed into by a great white, letting go of Riff.
“Ack-!” Riff grunts when something shields around him, looking to see Artemise and Sapphire. “Queen Sapphire…!”
“We got you dear,” Sapphire said as Artemise went to free Harper. “Now go, quickly!”
Harper broke free before she lunges at Riff to hug him, shaking a bit. “Thank goodness you’re okay…! But, how did you get here???”
“Oh yeah! You left your portal open, so I went in and I found Sapphy. Haha!”
“You two go now,” Artemise said to them as she watches Crimson and Torrent fighting. “We’ll take care of this.”
Sapphire gently touches the crystal of her granddaughter, smiling when it cracks completely and releases her. “There. She’s free.”
Sappy whines a little, waking up to see her mother and father. “M…Mama…dada…?”
“Sapphy,” Riff cuddles her gently as he tears up. “You’re back.”
Harper smiles…but then glares at Torrent as her magic darkens. “I’ll kill him…how dare he do this to us…to our daughter…!”
Sapphire and Artemise tensed at the darkness from Harper, Sapphy whimpering from it too and hides into Riff’s arms.
“Mama, you’re scaring me…!” Sapphy whines, causing Harper to look at her and stop the feelings of the darkness in.
“Harper, let’s go home,” Riff said worriedly. “The long you stay here, you won’t be yourself…”
Harper was quiet for a moment…but then nods before making a portal. Both she and Riff made a run for it, Sapphire and Artemise protecting them from the soldiers using their light magic.
“You won’t get away!!” Torrent snarled before he uppercuts Crimson away, but growls out when he quickly came after him to body him to the ground and kept him restraint. “LET GO!!”
“Torrent this has to stop!” Crimson said as he struggled to keep him down. He was relieved that Harper and Riff escaped with Sapphy before he made the move to touch Torrent’s heart symbol. “Let me help you, I’ll free you-!”
However, a huge burst of corrupted magic blasted Cirmson off, sending him crashing into one of the pillars.
“Crimson!” Artemise said as she swam to him, Sapphire created a shield around them to keep the shadows away.
“Torrent please,” Sapphire reasoned to her son. “This isn’t you, it’s the Dark Arts!”
“This IS who I am,” Torrent replied, the shadows growing in masses around him. “You can’t stop me from my vision of a perfect world. Not even for you, mother. If anything, you should be cleansed!”
Crimson gets up, coughing out blood before he stands again with Artemise’s help. “You know that it’s wrong to force others under their command. I know that more than you think!”
“Hoh? I thought you’d be happier that he’s this way, Your Majesty~”
Crimson, Artemise and Sapphire looked at the shadow mass that now had multiple red eyes and a wicked, malicious smile. Right before them…was the entity of chaos and destruction. The being of death and corruption:
“It’s him,” Sapphire said with complete look of defiant anger mixed fear.
“You,” Crimson growled at the shadow. Artemise grips close to Crimson, her markings glowed bright as she glowers at the entity angrily.
“Yes me,” he chuckled darkly, tendrils of shadows surrounding Torrent. “Why so angry now? He’s exactly what you wanted, my former disciple.”
“I never wanted this for him!”
“Oh come now Crimson…or should I say, Hero? You knew EXACTLY what would happen when I gave you my gift that is the Dark Seed. How it would improve one’s being to MY design. Darkness is in EVERY creature, I simply amplify their potential as I see fit. So if anyone should be blamed for turning your son towards my shadows, it’s YOU.”
Torrent suddenly attacked once more to break his mother’s shield, Sapphire using all her strength to keep him at bay.
“I can’t keep this up forever!” Sapphire said to Artemise and Crimson.
Artemise hisses before she summons her echo flowers, sending out the petals into burst to disintegrate the darkness away. They shrieked and howled at the light, the entity growls. This deep dweller is a threat.
“You are in the way,” The Dark Arts spoke. “Naturally you will be the first to DIE.”
Artemise didn’t realize her own shadow started to move, Crimson soon realized before he dashes to her. “Artemise!!”
He takes the attack, the sharp tendrils stabbed through his shoulder and abdomen.
“No!!” Artemise said in horror, Sapphire gasping when her magic faltered.
“Do stall them,” The Dark Arts chuckles, shadow soldiers destroying the pillars to cause a cave in over the three.
With that, the walls collapsed over Crimson, Artemise and Sapphire, Torrent showing no emotion as it happened. If that didn’t kill them, they would die slowly from the lack of oxygen.
However…Torrent’s hand twitched slightly. Deep inside, he was screaming in horror and despair from what he saw. And he couldn’t do anything to stop it…
“How disappointing,” Torrent spoke when the rubble cleared. “Here I thought he would give me a good fighting. Then again, a dying troll hardly is a challenge.”
“Indeed,” the Dark Arts smirked before vanishing into Torrent. “But perhaps the Reef will still have worthy subjects and convert them to my shadows. Now go.”
With a nod, Torrent and the soldiers left, leaving the destroyed rubble behind. There was silence…and then there was movement before a shield pushed it away.
“Oh thank gods I made it in time,” Nichole gasped out, Sapphire and Artemise trying to stop the bleeding from Crimson’s wound. “After I freed Bliss and her sons and Bellus, I thought I’d be too late.”
“You made it before we were crushed,” Sapphire said. “I’m just relieved that you freed them and had them go to where Poseidon was hiding. They’re finally safe.”
“Crimson,” Artemise whimpered as she held his hand. “A-Are you alright? Are you hurting?”
“I’m fine,” Crimson wheezed and he slowly sat up, squeezing her hand back gently. “I’m not healing as fast as I use to…”
“Now what do we do?” Nichole asked worriedly. “They’ll leave any second to the Reef…!”
Crimson looked down, then sighs heavily. “I know…what must be done…but I’ll need your help. Three of you.”
“Our help?” Artemise repeated, Sapphire instantly knew. “What can we do?”
“Your light magic. Use them on me.”
“Crimson,” Sapphire cuts in. “Your body can’t take that much magic, especially in your state. It will-”
“Destroy my body,” Crimson finished. “I know…but this is the only way to stop the Dark Arts once and for all. I was the once who released him, so I’ll be the one to erase him from this world.”
“There has to be another way!” Artemise argued with teary eyes, Nichole looked just as distress as Sapphire looked defeated. “We do this together! You don’t have to be the one to do this alone! Please Crimson, I…I-I can’t lose you…!”
Crimson looks at his mate, cupping her cheek. “And I can’t lose anyone else Artemise…if there any other way, I would do it in a heartbeat…but there is no other way…and you know that.”
Artemise hiccups a sob, hugging Crimson tight. Of course she knew…but that doesn’t mean that she agrees with it. She wanted to find a way to save his life somehow, someway. But…they were running out of time.
“…okay,” Artemise shudders out a sigh.
“Crimson…” Nichole sniffs, her appearance changed back to her true self.
Sapphire looks at the great white…smiling sadly. “I always knew there was still good in you Hero…I just wish…”
“I know…” Crimson nods, slowly standing. “Me too…”
