Blood was seeping out of me from countless cuts. My body felt like it would take weeks to recover, but that took into account the very bold assumption that I survived all of this. When we had made it to the second floor, somewhere near a hundred foes had been waiting for us. Pushing through that sea of enemies to reach the stairway to the third floor was costly and many of our allies had fallen along the way, sacrificed for a cause greater than any of us – though none of us knew why.
As we rushed out onto the third floor, more resistance awaited as another large group of enemies gathered around what looked like a large platform, set against the wall to the opposite side of the room.
<“What is with this back and forth design? Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?”> I cursed under my breath. I felt so many emotions welling up inside of me and if it weren’t for the severity of the situation, I’d likely have been on the ground sobbing hysterically.
<”We must get the winged-one to the platform, quickly! It will take us to the mistress!”> I was surprised by the remaining discipline of the ethereal warriors. Despite the ongoing losses and onslaught, they invariably found their formation and pressed onward. Unfortunately, this group of enemies had with them four tulartars covered in full plate from head to toe.
‘How do you even fight that?’ I found myself thinking. I was losing hope. I was losing motivation. This wasn’t a good time for that.
<”Wedge! Split their lines so we can hold the lift!”> The captain’s orders were swiftly enacted as the shields of the spectral warriors reformed and drove onward toward the many skegulls and cattyans that awaited. The tulartar’s rushed toward us with their own shields lowered, moving unexpectedly swiftly for creatures of their size. They towered over me, almost one and a half times my height, and their weight and momentum broke the wedge surprisingly easily.
<”There’s no time, we have to get the winged-one to the platform. You, take her and go. I’ll activate the lift and my men will hold them back.”> The captain handed Azza to Holly, stepping into the battle. The captain himself must have been a tulartar, or he resembled one at the least. Among the spectral soldiers of ours were two more that must have been as well given their size, so at least the numbers were somewhat even. While the opposing beasts wielded sword and shield, ours carried with them large two-handed weapons, one with a maul and two with swords. <”Open a path for them, then form up defensively!”>
As we managed to cut through, our small group found their way to the platform. <”Activate it!”> Oswald yelled, standing beside Holly as she held the still-bleeding Azza.
The captain turned, tossing a crystal toward me the size of a small apple. <”Place this into the mechanism!”> I caught it, looking around for what he could have been referring to. The platform, roughly five meters across, had a small terminal-looking contraption by the wall. I rushed over and looked for where to put something shaped like this crystal I held and jammed it in. This was ancient technology, nothing related to anything I’d know. Thankfully, it was straightforward enough and as the terminal activated and took hold of the crystal’s power, the platform began to glow. Beneath our feat, a large disc of energy began to form.
<”We can’t hold them!”> a wulven yelled from the crowd. Pell and Jackal immediately rushed forward, tackling a tulartar that had made his way onto the platform, threatening to ride up with us.
<”No!”> I shouted, but it was no use. The platform began to lift us up, with Pell and Jackal remaining below.
<”We’ll hold them down there! Just stay alive and finish this! Don’t make this all for nothing!”> Jackal shouted up at us as he and Pell began to team up on a tulartar. The chaos below was bloody and messy, as suits of armor fell to the ground with a clang and blood coated the floors thickly. The platform rose quickly, and now it was just the four of us. Holly held Azza, Oswald stood beside her, and I stood among them, still looking down as we quickly moved further and further away from two people who I had grown to call friends. Friends who I felt I would never see again. I dropped to my knees, my eyes filling with tears as I struggled to keep it together.
Oswald placed his hand on my shoulder, and then used his free hand to help me up. <”Let’s go, Artemis. We aren’t finished yet. We have to keep going. They’re strong warriors. If they don’t make it, know that at the very least they’ll give every last one of them absolute hell.”>
This wasn’t exactly reassuring, and it didn’t really help. I didn’t want to lose more people in my life. I was starting to feel like wherever I went, death followed. Why the hell was I on this island? Why was I involved in this war? And what was so special about Azza? I stood up, trying to collect myself, as the platform continued to rise. Though it rose quickly, it still took us minutes to reach the peak of our journey. As the platform slowed its ascent, our ride ended with a dome above us, encasing us in a small room with the glowing platform still beneath our feet. In front of us, a pair of doors stood shut with another terminal right beside them, different from the one that activated the platform.
Oswald approached the doors, turning to the three of us. <”I suppose this is it. Whatever awaits on the other side of these doors, I’m glad I have you all with me. Let’s finish this.”>
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