Chapter LX: Gobudo (Cont. IV)

West picked himself up first, completely dazed and absolutely blown away. He struggled up to his feet and stared down at Thyrus, Adelia, and Kiki sprawled all over the floor. “What the hell?” He glanced out at the dazed and rising figures, their eyes flickering back into their murderous red. “Nevermind how, we’ve got to get going!”

Thyrus picked himself off the floor and shook out his limbs, “Well, slight dizziness and nausea, but other than that…I don’t see many side effects.” He glanced up at the blasted top of the tower, “Oh…..well my….that’s an odd little side effect. He glanced all around at the warriors sent flying backwards, several of the dead ones cloaks fluttering in the breeze. “It seems that everywhere around the arrival site is absolutely decimated.” He nodded slightly and pulled Adelia up, grabbing the case she had on her back and opening it, bringing out the other orb and winding it. “This might take just a few seconds….”

“Well, we don’t have that time,” West said, rising up and leaping outside, taking the head off one of the rising figures, flames spraying everywhere. West jumped back and put out the cuff of his uniform. “Damn flames.” His eyes lit up and he removed a cigarette, turning and stabbing another figure still trying to regather its thoughts, the effects of the thauma doing massive damage to a creature of magic. The creature began to spray flames everywhere as West stuck his cigarette into the showering flames and watched his cigarette light up. He took a puff and sighed, “Well, my death sentence cigarette…..at least I’ll die with a smoke.” He turned as the figures began to rise, “Time to die!” Blackheart stepped outside, Laura and Samden following, all preparing for their attack as Adelia and Thyrus yelled at each other about who could wind the orb faster.

The snort was loud, as Gobudo came bolting out of the doorway. Blackheart turned, “Gobudo says wait!”

West glanced back, “Wait? Wait for what?!”

Gobudo ran up, preparing to tell them all….to tell them of the secrets he heard, of the voices that had confronted him, of the red flicker that had been there when he was to die…..he couldn’t let them throw their lives away……

It is a sorrowful thing to do……

It is for the good of the cause…..

A noble sacrifice……..

It is all as we suspected……

Gobudo began to snort and grunt, making a series of sounds that Blackheart was listening to and translating, “Back in Bouat…..something happened…and I was told to keep a secret that has been burning in me….I must tell you now, especially you, Blackheart……your….” Blackheart had noticed the shadowed figure and went to move his wrist, went to try and stop the figure, but he was frozen….a strange redness flashing through his mind.

And then Gobudo fell, the demon warrior’s blade cutting through his back and dropping him. All around them, the warriors had risen with great speed and the warriors turned away, save Blackheart, who slowly felt his movement come back to him….it had been like Adelia’s visions….a frozen glimpse…a brief stop in time. “Gobudo!” Blackheart leapt at the shadowed figure and swung again and again, his blade catching the creature’s blade everytime, unable to find his way through to the figure. His rage was growing as he swung again and again, his muscle tensing as he began to downswing again and again, both hands gripping the handle and swinging with fury. Finally, the figure tripped, its sword shattering with Blackheart’s constant battering and then Blackheart brought his sword down, the flames spraying all over and around Blackheart. And then the rogue, amidst flames, hair loose and falling in his eyes, rose from the figure and turned, swinging at another figure and another, his sheer ferocity shattering their weapons and hurling them back.

Gobudo had been the father that he hadn’t had, he had been his brother, his trusted friend. Gobudo had never failed him and now, of all the men who should of or could have died, the least deserving of death now lay wounded and most likely dying. Blackheart rose from his current fallen corpse and glanced up in time to see the figure swing the flat of its blade and catch him in the jaw, sending him flying backwards. Blackheart landed on the ground, spitting blood on the dirt as he glanced up at the two rising figures who raised their blades in uniform fashion and began to spin them, magic sparking everywhere. He stared up, trying to bring himself to his feet despite the dazing blow.