And So It Ends...

He could have rammed that sword right through me, that dastardly Lago. Or he could have thrown me out of the window with that water magic of his. Or he could have drowned me as soon as he entered the room the way he did with his fellow soldiers.

But he did none of those things.

Instead, as soon as he grabbed my hand, he turned both of us into puddles of water. Using his incredible water magic, he dragged us up the stairs to the outside and threw me onto the deck. I expected him to kill me right there. He still refused.

“Where is your blade?” Sinos asked me.

“I do not have it,” I answered. “Gihri has taken it.”

“Shameful,” he replied. “The void beckons you. He approaches us even as I speak.”

“Who?” I asked. “Who is approaching?”

“The Demon Lord approaches,” the Lago warrior answered. “He is on this ship. I was hoping that you would have more fight in you. Alas… I must dispose of you quickly. If you die now, perhaps the gods will still show you mercy.”

“You're insane,” I told Sinos. “Insane and stupid.”

“Shut your mouth and let me finish this quickly,” the Lago told me. He unsheathed his sword. I had just enough time to roll out of the way before he thrust his sword down. Instead of plunging into flesh, the sound of broken wood echoed across the ship. The sword had gotten stuck in the floor, buying me more time to make my escape.

Sinos was one step ahead of me, though. He used his water magic to wrap a ring of ice around my right foot, tripping me and leaving me vulnerable to attack. I could not help but admire his skill with water magic. Even distracted, he was still able to stop me in my tracks.

“Hold still, why don't you?” Sinos asked me.

He was about to go in for the kill again when a man shouted, “Let him go!”

We both turned to see a demon walking along the deck, scraping against the floor with a sword in each hand. One of those swords, the one he carried in his left hand, was definitely mine. He whistled a tune that was unfamiliar to me, ominous yet strangely appealing, almost sounding like birdsong. Tomosse…

“Let him go,” he repeated. Sinos froze in place, giving the demon prince an opportunity to launch the first attack. He crossed the two swords together and, without uttering a single word, unleashed a blast of wind as he separated them. The Lago had no chance to react before it hit him, sending him flying off the ship and into the ocean below.

“Tomosse,” I struggled to say his name as he walked over to me.

“Ipas told me what happened,” he replied, offering me a hand.

I accepted, saying, “She warned me of this. I worried he might have been after her.”

“This ship is not safe,” he told me. “We need to get out of here.”

I wanted to tell him that there was no easy escape, that we were on a ship in the middle of the ocean. None of those words came out before a thin, spindly column of water erupted from the ocean below. The water spilled out onto the deck, slowly reforming back into the body of Sinos.

“You really thought you could kill me by drowning me, demon?” Sinos asked. “I am water!”

“If you're water, then I suppose that means…” Tomosse answered as he lifted one of his swords into the air. “I am fire.” Right as he said the words, his sword caught on fire. He turned to me and offered to return my sword to me. I accepted without question.

“How dare you throw your lot in with this demon,” Sinos scolded me as he launched his initial attack. In spite of the numerical advantage, Sinos was more than capable of keeping both of us at bay. One of us would swing, and he would block, and again and again. He was ever so slightly faster than either of us.

“Tomosse wants to help us defeat the Demon Lord,” I explained. “We shouldn't be fighting each other.”

“You fool,” Sinos answered. “He -”

Tomosse interrupted him by launching a fireball right at him. Only quick timing on Sinos’ part prevented him from becoming roasted Lago. The demon prince followed up with a series of quick strikes that the Lago had trouble blocking. As they battled, I noticed a key difference in their blades. Tomosse's sword was forged from iron while Sinos had one forged from bronze, as with most swords. The more their blades clashed, the more damage Sinos’ sword would take, giving Tomosse a gradual advantage.

Sinos tried to use his water magic to encase his opponent's sword in ice. It was the same trick he used against me. Tomosse's fire magic, however, proved that tactic useless.

I watched the two of them pacing back and forth across the deck, debating with myself on whether to intervene in their fight or not. Sinos went on the offensive yet again, but cracks had already begun to appear in his sword. A few more hits like that…

And there it was. The Lago soldier's sword snapped clean in half. Tomosse now had the upper hand and quite possibly the win.

“You may win this war, demon,” Sinos warned Tomosse. “But you will not have the key.” He threw the remains of his sword right at me like a giant dagger, assisted by a torrent of water. I used my own sword to block his, though I could not dodge getting wet in the process.

“It would be a good idea to surrender,” I told him. “We don't need any more bloodshed.”

“Never …” Sinos protested. “You are the key to all of this.”

“The key?”

“The gods demand a sacrifice,” he continued. “It is written, Should the gods become angry and turn their backs away from us, recompense is required to make them smile upon us once more.” He turned himself into a column of water in an attempt to launch one more desperate attack. “Should you die today, we might yet have a chance against this Demon Lord. He cannot be allowed to have you.”

Tomosse answered by casting a fireball at the water, instantly turning the column of water into steam. How unfortunate… He could have been useful while still alive. We never got any sort of answer as to why he did what he did. Now getting those answers was impossible.

“Do you think who or whatever created this world hides away in shame of what they did?” Tomosse asked me as the steam dissipated into the air.

“What's going on over here?” Gihri asked as he emerged onto the top deck along with Giorg, Hilami, and Ipas. We turned to meet the others to explain what happened.

“An assassin tried to take out Halliyah,” Tomosse answered. “I had to intervene before it was too late.”

“Yes,” Gihri agreed. “Ipas told us about him. Well done. I'll be sure to tell the other royals once we reach Freehold.”

“Please tell me this means we won't need a trial,” I said.

“That is correct,” the elf prince answered. The six of us began to make our way towards the interior of the ship when Tomosse swept me away and took me to the stern of the ship.

“That stupid Lago was right about one thing,” he told me. “You are the key to something, my ultimate victory.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked him. “Don't you mean our ultimate victory?”

“Alas, no,” Tomosse replied. “I've studied you for a long time. You will give me eternal life.”

“No…” The realization came crashing down upon me, much like a rockslide or falling tree branches. But I didn't want to believe it. It was impossible.

“I've known plenty of villains who use subtext,” he told me. “They're all cowards, so I'll just tell you now to get it out of the way.” A cold chill ripped through my body as he thrust his blade through my body. The shock bounced up and down my body, preventing me from seeing what exactly he did. But I knew. The shouts of anger and terror from the others gave it away as well.

“What…? Who…?” I struggled to say as my life left my body.

“I am Ayya,” he answered with a fiendish little grin. “Behold your god, and tremble.” As he released the blade, my body fell limp and tumbled into the ocean below. The last person I saw was Tomosse, no… Ayya… His body dissolved into mist as he laughed maniacally. Mist… That was what the demons would turn into when they died. Or was that just another one of their lies? The answer no longer mattered.

Blue and red mixed together in the water like on a painter's palette. All I felt was cold. No sound could be heard. The light faded fast until nothing remained. Was this what death felt like, diving into the endless abyss forever? So cold. That cold rippling through me almost felt… relieving… It was the last thing I felt before slipping away completely. Only my mind remained.

The old witch was right about one thing. The gods came back to collect their payment.

Oh, the sad, sickening irony of it all. To nearly die by falling towards water and getting stabbed… only to die by getting stabbed and falling into the water. Shameful…