Arx

     Libero stepped forward to speak, but Siti was quick to jump on him and do everything she could to bind his mouth again, even wrestling him to the ground to try and stop him from attacking. Amidst it all, Siti signaled me with a thumbs-up and a wink. I could only sigh and step forward.

“Lord Arx, we seek an alliance! We are gathering the support of other Lords who seek to betray King Caedes and take his power for their own.”

Arx slammed his fist upon the armrest of his throne, “Foolishness! Not only to turn your blades on your king, but to blatantly state your intentions to a potential enemy! I should have your heads and present them to my king!”

“‘Should,’ but you won’t?”

“Indeed. Doing such a thing would grant me no favors and only serve to waste my time. I have a goddess to contend with! I have no time to waste on insolent traitors. Even if I do nothing, the King will slaughter you all the same. Now leave! Waste my patience no longer!”

“So you won’t help us, but you also won’t get in our way. And how do we know you won’t side with King Caedes and attack us later?”

Arx’s voice boomed throughout the halls, shaking the ground and even causing cracks to form in the floors and walls around him, “AN IMPUDENT TRAITOR DARES TO QUESTION MY WORDS!?! TO IMPLY THAT I WOULD COMMIT SUCH IGNOBLE ACTS!?! ENOUGH OF YOUR INSULTS, YOUR HEADS WILL ROLL!!”

     Arx rose to his feet, grabbing an enormous axe in one hand and an equally massive sword in the other. Siti and Libero separated and prepared to move out of the way when Arx was stopped in his tracks, struggling to move his weapons as I held their metallic parts in place.

“Wait! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be insulting! We’ll leave, we don’t need to fight!”

“What’re you saying?!” Libero shouted, “If he’s not an ally, he’s better off as food! And since peace isn’t an option, he’ll be my nourishment!”

     Libero leapt towards Arx, going for a punch on the much-larger demon’s bone helm, to which Arx let go of one of his weapons and swatted Libero out of the air.

     Siti backed up and away from the fight, a conflicted look on her face. An alliance would have been the quickest, simplest outcome, but there was no reason for her to stop Libero from trying to get stronger. Or maybe there was, but between whatever reason that was and the possibility of not being able to get to Earth, she seemed to still be weighing the options.

     The guards lining the walls began to open fire, while more were flooding in from the door behind us, filling into the room. I had little time to think and stopped all of the incoming projectiles mid-air, but I’d lost focus. Arx’s weapons came loose, his massive sword falling to the ground with a THUD and a CLANG, but his axe was still in his hand and he brought it down upon where Libero had been knocked down. There was a loud CRACK as the ground shattered, the dust was blown away as that massive swing was caught by Libero’s hands clapping in on that axe blade.

“WHAT’RE YOU GETTING DISTRACTED FOR!? FIGHT PROPERLY!! IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE AN IDIOT, THEN GIVE ME SERO’S POWER!!” Libero screamed with rage.

     Clicking my tongue, I directed those myriad projectiles downward into a deadly hail that pierced the surrounding guards on the ground floor. He was right. Negotiations had broken down as quickly as they began. Perhaps I should’ve let Siti do the talking. There’s no more room to speak, no room to think, we just have to deal with the enemy in front of us now.

     As I turned my attention to the guards posted on the railings, in the corner of my eye, I could still see Siti just standing there, lost in thought. Why was she so distracted? Was there something going on with her other bodies? Or her roots? Realizing it, I didn’t even know how far her influence extended. What could she even doing in dozens of places far away from us?

     But I had to focus on the fight, I crushed the armors of the guards that I could see, but as they faded, turning to dust and nothingness, they were quickly replaced with yet more, as if they didn’t care if they died or if their metal weapons were ineffective. They shot and charged at me all the same.

     At the same time, Libero was locked in battle with Arx, struggling against that massive axe. Finally, he twisted his body, turning that axe to the side, pulling Arx in, and rolling his body against the flat blade and jumping off it to deliver a flying kick to Arx’s head.

     The giant stumbled back just enough to reach one of his weapon racks and pulled one of those massive cannons off. He’d point the barrel at the falling Libero and fire before he could even hit the ground, sending Libero into the wall with a huge explosion.

     The wall was decimated, reduced to a giant hole of collapsing stone and falling guards. Arx dropped his cannon, and picked up that massive sword and stood ready, staring at that hole, then walking towards it slowly. “You wretches. Liars and traitors, all of you. If you were not here to distract me, then why does the goddess’s army march upon us!?!”

     I understood his words, but not what he meant, I could only walk towards the hole in the wall and see for myself.

     Overlooking the fortress and the layers of walls, as well as where Libero had crashed and was collecting himself, I could see out in the distance: rows upon rows of white, huge white pillars growing larger as they moved closer, and clouds of white specks flying above them.

     The bells rang and the guards ran about frantically, moving weapons and personnel into position while shouting, “To your positions! All soldiers, to your positions! The angels are attacking! The goddess’s army is here!”