Chapter 13: Fragments of Two Worlds

The doors to the goddess temple burst open. As the worshipers wielded their weapons, they suddenly heard a calm yet threatening voice speak out:

"Grasping Thorns."

As thorny vines burst from the ground, they wrapped around the last resistance of this fallen city, pulling them to their knees and preventing them from moving.

Then entered Rina, the Demon Lord, with Elyndra perched on her shoulder, both entering with anger burning in their eyes.

Rina approached the worshipers and spoke:

"I heard this is the last place my daughter was seen. Anyone want to answer me—what has happened?"

An angel shouted back, "Vile Demon Lord, you will not get away with this. Once the heroes grow strong, they will surely defeat you!"

Rina glared at the individual, seized him by the neck, and squeezed until his lifeless body fell to the floor.

Then she approached the goddess prayer statue.

With a powerful punch infused with her Demon Lord’s power, the prayer statue shattered, crumbling into nothing but a pile of rubble.

She then declared, "The town is ours now. Tell me what happened—or something bad might befall the rest of the innocent townsfolk."

Then there was laughter as one of the worshipers shouted, "Your tainted child will not return! She has suffered the same fate as that failure of a hero, Logan."

Rina and Elyndra approached and recognized Thamiel—Logan and Elyndra’s old companion.

"What did you say?" Rina asked, her hateful gaze fixed on him.

Thamiel just laughed. "She was removed from this world and sent to the same world your dear man was from—a world on the brink of collapse, where there is no magic and civilization has crumbled. How long do you think she will survive once her magic runs dry and the curses continue to take hold of that wretched child? She’s as good as dead! Hahahah!"

Rina turned and walked away, speaking to Elyndra. "We are done here. Finish this."

Elyndra nodded and looked at Thamiel. "This is the end for you, Thamiel."

He laughed again. "Poor Elyndra. What can you even do except constantly apologize and cower in fear? You always have and always will be harmless. Now go back to the back lines and do what you do best—support and heal the troops."

He tried to intimidate her as he always had, hoping she would apologize and flee.

But not anymore. Elyndra stared coldly at him. "You’re the same as always, but you have no idea of the wrath an auntie could unleash."

She then held out her open hand, looked at Thamiel, and declared, "I am no longer a fairy. I am now a Dark Fairy!" then she clinched her fist tight and called out her spells name.

 "Grasping Vines, crush!"

The sounds of cracking and snapping bones echoed throughout the temple as the worshipers’ bodies were crushed and dropped lifelessly to the floor.

Elyndra gave one last look around and then fluttered out of the temple, where she ran into Durog as he excitedly spoke,

"I heard you caught Thamiel. Where is he?"

Elyndra replied, "He’s dead. You arrived too late."

Then Durog said, "Damn, I was hoping one day to give that arrogant prick a good smack in the face."

Elyndra responded, "Well, his body is still in there somewhat intact, so go and have your fun."

"Yahoo!" Durog shouted as he excitedly burst into the temple, disappearing from view.

Elyndra then flew over and sat on Rina’s shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Rina looked as though she would explode at any moment. She replied, "Yes. That whisper in my head that turned me into a Demon Lord spoke to me, saying if we can defeat the goddess there may be a chance to bring her back."

Elyndra asked, "Then what about Logan? Can we bring him back also?"

Rina answered, "No, he is probably long dead by now. From the stories he told me, he is not from a long-lived race. They only live up to an average of seventy-five to eighty-five years, and at maximum around one hundred and twenty, but that is extremely rare."

Elyndra started to tear up as Rina gently rubbed her little head.

"Now we better get back to work. We have a war to win."

Back on Earth, Rachel and Eldon were facing off against a group of mecha orcs and wargs.

Rachel stood at the front, cursed sword in hand, waiting for them to make the first move while Eldon stayed in the back with his rifle ready to cover her sides.

ZeroOne spoke, "Looks like they are being cautious."

Rachel replied, "Yeah, smarter than the average orc from where I come from. Looks like I’ll have to be the first one to act."

She charged forward and with one powerful throw sent her cursed blade spinning through the air, piercing the chest of the closest orc as she closed the distance.

A warg leapt at her from the left, its massive maw wide open ready to bite down. Rachel activated her mecha claw, twisted her body, and thrust it straight down the mecha warg’s throat, bursting through the other side and killing it before it had a chance to bite down.

Then ZeroOne called out, "There’s a warg leaping from behind—you won’t be able to avoid it!"

The warg, mid-air and ready to sink its fangs into Rachel’s left shoulder, suddenly crumpled to the ground after a loud bang rang out.

Eldon’s bullet had pierced straight through the wargs head, triggering an explosion of circuits and wires.

Rachel, while her hand was still embedded in the mecha wargs limp body, gripped the insides of its head, twisted with all her strength, and hurled the lifeless beast into the nearest charging mecha orc.

The impact sent the orc stumbling backward, losing its balance and falling hard.

Rachel then rushed forward, yanking free her cursed blade that was still lodged in the body of a fallen orc.

With a wide, powerful arc, she swung the blade, slicing through the hafts of the charging orcs’ weapons and their bodies in a single stroke, leaving them in two broken pieces on the ground.

Rachel and Eldon continued clearing out the remaining orcs and wargs until the last machine fell.

When the battle was over, they rested near the truck. Rachel asked, “What’s up with all the metal buildings here?”

Eldon explained, “This is an orc settlement. Just like the mecha goblin king and queen, this place also builds and creates orcs and wargs—but it’s far less efficient and much slower than the goblin king and queen’s operation.”

Rachel thought about abby then asked, “shouldn't destroy this place. I don’t want them marching on the fortress city like the mecha goblins did.”

Eldon said, “Yes let’s destroy this place and leave before the orc warlord returns. It’s odd it’s not here guarding the settlement—it usually serves as the protector. So let’s make haste.”

Eldon rigged up explosives, and as they drove off he pressed a button.

Behind them, a chain of explosions tore through the settlement, sending a hail of scrap metal raining down as they sped toward a looming city of tall, crumbling towers.