There was a loud knock at the door that Anon rushed to answer. It was Limestone with a rather serious look on her face. She stood sternly at attention with both arms at her side.
"The king wishes for us to begin to ritual." she said
"Already?"
"Yes. We're short on time as you know. How much longer until the curse completely consumes your body?"
"I guess you're right." Anon said, standing up
Sunset looked with concern. The mark's progress was progressing faster. It had taken nearly three days for the mark to reach half his body. Now the mark had climbed down his other arm and had wrapped around his neck, it's tendrils starting to creep up his chin. Limestone was right: he didn't have much time left. Worse still, they had no idea how to remove it. Just thinking about it was starting to stress Sunset out.
"Bacon hair." Limestone said with a hiss
"Bacon hair!?"
"Yes. The king requests your presence as well."
Sunset stood up angrily and marched towards limestone, putting a finger in her face
"Listen to me. You may be able to talk to your subjects like that, but I am a noble! I won't be treated like common rabble. You address me with the same respect due your king."
"I don't recognize illegitimate royalty. Your title is worthless. The only legitimate royal here is the king."
"Illegitimate!?" Sunset asked in disbelief
"Yes," she said "Anyone who's family linage partakes in the practices of forbidden and blasphemous magic has no place among true royalty. Your blood is barely fit to occupy a common peasant."
Sunset's eyes lit with a fire nearly as potent as her magic
"How dare you suggest such a thing!?"
Limestone bit her teeth, clearly wanting to say something but being unable too.
"Come along." she said, turning around and walking away
"Answer me!"
Anon grabbed Sunset's shoulder
"Don't let her push your buttons."
Sunset ripped her shoulder from his grasp
"Shut up!" she snapped "What would you know about it? You're nothing more than a mortal who's pretending to be something he isn't!"
The second she said it, Sunset covered her mouth with her hands. Anon's eyes flashed a look of genuine pain before his face fell. Without a word, he followed behind Limestone.
"Anon wait! I didn't mean it!" she clenched her fist in desperation "Anon!"
Sunset turned to Rarity for assistance who merely pushed her head into a book as if she was too engaged with the material to listen. Sunset looked down a followed on well behind until they reached the king's chambers. The king's chair was turned around and he sat gazing out of the window.
"Are we finally ready to begin?" he asked calmly
"Yes. Can I take a weapon with me?"
"Use whatever means you have available to you. Anything you think could help in defending against the dragon."
Anon tapped his side and sure enough excalibur was there. He'd only noticed it recently, but the blade seemed too teleport to his waist whenever he needed it.
"Anything else I should know before going in? Any tips?"
"Nothing more than what I've already offered. Here."
The king turned around and passed the feather to Anon then pointed to the door.
"Igneous if you'd be so kind as to escort Anon to the Chasm. Sunset Shimmer, you stay with me. I've something to discuss with you."
As Anon walked back to the door he didn't make eye contact with Sunset. She gripped the side of her robe trying to suppress the urge to cry. The doors shut behind them and he followed Igneous down a series of pathways and corridors sinking lower and lower into the bowels of the castle. When they finally arrived at the doors of the Chasm they were in the very lowest point. All around them were walls of dirt supported by black stone pillars. The door itself was black with gold accents and nearly twenty feet tall. Anon put the necklace around his neck and steadied himself. His heart thumped in his chest.
"Be not afraid." Igneous said "As long as you have the necklace there is no way the dragon can harm you."
"Can't it step on me? Put me in it's jaws?"
"It could." he admitted "However this dragon prefers long range attacks to close. Especially with that weapon you're holding. It'll think twice before rushing you. However I want you to remember something important: feign strength. Pretend you know exactly what you're doing and that the dragon is nothing but an ant beneath your boot."
"Why on earth would I do that?"
"This dragon in particular is very cautious, almost to a fault. It doesn't know you and when it sees that you're not only immune to its fire, but wield excalibur, he won't be likely to simply recklessly charge at you."
"You speak as if you know it intimately."
"I do. He and the king in particular share a long history."
"What history?"
"That dragon is what allowed the king to ascend and it was his former best friend."
"Best friends with a dragon? I wish I could say that was too absurd to believe."
"Not nearly as surprising as learning the heir to King Arthur himself is not only standing beside me, but that he's serving his father's archenemy, Clover the Clever."
"What?" Anon gasped "Now I know you're pulling my chain."
"No. I'm surprised not you, nor anyone else around you has realized it. That blade is all the proof required. Observe."
Igneous gripped the blade's hilt and tried to pull it out. To Anon's surprise, it wouldn't budge. It was as if it were cemented inside.
"Excalibur doesn't respond to just anyone. Only King Arthur or those who have his blood running through their veins can ever wield it. It simply won't accept any other master. In a more blunt way of speaking you are the living, breathing son of King Arthur."
Tempest shot up and took out one of her knives
"I'll kill you!" she roared
"I wouldn't try that if I were you." Silverstream said "If you strike me, I'll be forced to take your soul too. But fear not. You can save your friend yet."
"How?"
"Easy: You beat me in two games. The first, for our deal and the trial of wit. The second, for her soul. However, you must bet something else in return. Something of great value."
Tempest balled her hand in a fist
"I'll give you my remaining arm." she said
Silverstream gave a look of lust and excitement. She could hardly contain herself.
"Fantastic!" she cried with joy "I accept. Now what game should we play next? Since I picked last time, I'll give the choice to you."
"Let's do some target practice. With bows and arrows."
Silverstream lifted an eyebrow with confusion
"You? Hold a bow and arrow with just a single arm?"
"What's the matter?" she taunted "afraid you'll lose to a cripple?"
Silverstream smiled from ear to ear and snapped her fingers, causing the table to replaced by two targets against the far wall.
"Your soul is going to be simply delightful. I can already tell."
They both took their places at a line. Tempest laid on her back and took the bow in her foot, placing the arrow in between her big and second toe then drawing the string back over her body.
"The rules are simple: First to one-hundred wins. The center is worth fifty points, the middle ring twenty five, the outer ring ten. Since I'm nice, I'll even make it the best two out of three again. We start when you're ready."
Tempest took a deep breath. She'd study Silverstream hard this time. She would crack this code. She pulled the sting back and let the arrow fly. As soon as it left the bow, Tempest's eyes moved to watch the demon. Just as before, Silverstream's eyes flicked to the side and her knuckle twitched ever so slightly. Despite her arrow being perfectly on course to hit the center, it got the outer ring instead. Now she had no doubt that whatever she was doing had something to do with those movements.
"Good try. My turn."
Silverstream knocked her bow back and sent it flying right into the center, scoring her fifty points. She had to figure out what she was doing by the next round or it was all over. It had to be magic based. She could use that. But how? Tempest wracked her brain for any solution that would allow her to overcome it.
"What are you waiting for?" Silverstream asked "You know that running out the clock isn't a thing here right? We'll play to the end of time if we must."
"Right, sorry."
Tempest once again knocked her bow back and sent it flying forward. This time it hit the inner ring, scoring her twenty five points. Silverstream was clearly displeased and a smile formed across Tempest's face. Without another word, Silverstream knocked her bow again and sent her arrow flying. This time her arrow hit the outer ring, seeming to change course mid air.
"What did you do?" Silverstream asked with bubbling rage
"Me?" she asked in a mockingly innocent voice "Absolutely nothing. I'm an honest girl, you see. I always play fair and square."
Tempest pulled back another arrow and let it loose. It was close this time, right on the edge of the center. She studied the demon's reaction closely. She didn't give much away, but her eyes said everything she could possibly wish to know. Her hunch was working. It wasn't clairvoyance as she'd feared, just clever use of magic. Any normal person would never be able to detect the subtle movements she made, but Tempest's well trained assassin's eyes could detect something as minor as a change in a person's breathing. Silverstream knocked her bow and fired again. Her arrow didn't even strike the target this time.
"My, my. How embarrassing." Tempest chuckled "Can't even beat a girl with a single arm."
Silverstream stared daggers at her and clenched her fists.
"Yes. Quite embarrassing." she said "Your move."
Tempest fired another arrow only to have it turn straight upwards and strike the ceiling.
"My, my, my. What happened? What a poor shot." the demon said
Tempest clenched her teeth. Her trick wouldn't work past a certain threshold of mana being used in the spell without it being detectable. Silverstream clearly didn't know what she was doing and she had to use that to her advantage. Whenever she used her magic to misdirect the arrow, or keep her own on a perfect course, Tempest would siphon just enough mana from the surrounding air into her own body, rendering the spell null. If she timed it just right, she could prevent it from having any effect whatsoever. If there was too much mana in the air, however, her hand would glow and completely give it away. The same was true for Silverstream. She had to toe the line between too much and too little force.
The two went through each round of the target practice, doing their best to counter the others' attempts to cheat. By round three it was anyones game. Tempest had a score of ninety while Silverstream had eighty-five. Tempest just had to hit the target one more time and her friend's soul was saved. No doubt Silverstream was going to be bold to prevent it. She took a deep breath and pulled the arrow back, sending it forward. The arrow visibly moved from side to side as the two fought to throw off the other. The arrow was careening towards the back wall. Tempest had no choice. She had to put more pressure on. Her hand glowed a beautiful green glow and she managed to siphon off just enough energy for it to strike the outer ring. Silverstream smiled.
"Ah," she said "So that's what you were doing."
She snapped her fingers and Pear's soul returned to her body. Pear let out a few gasps, as though she'd been holding her breath too long. Tempest ran to Pear, hugging her tight.
"You're ok!"
"W-what happened?"
"You lost and the demon took your soul. I got it back though."
Pear returned the hug
"Thank you, Tempest. You're a true friend."
"That was well played I have to admit." Silverstream said, clapping her hands slowly "I wasn't aware you could absorb mana without physically touching the target. I wonder how well your little trick will work with our next game? For our final game we'll be playing a little game called broom raising."
Tempest cursed under breath. She was in deep trouble now. The only way to ride a broom was to project mana into it, a skill she couldn't preform. She had as good as lost already.
"That isn't fair!" Pear said "She can't use magic like that!"
"I don't see that as my problem." the demon chuckled
Pear suddenly got a very serious look on her face and looked at Tempest dead in the eye
"I know how we can beat her. Or at least have a shot."
"Tell me."
Pear's eyes looked away as she lifted up her right arm. Her magic crest glimmered beautifully.
"No." she said in disbelief "No, no, no, no, no. I... you cannot make me do that."
"You have to pass this test. I won't hear any words to the contrary."
"I said no!"
"You saved my life!" she cried "My arm is worthy compensation."
"I saved you because I wanted too, not because I had too!"
Tears began to run down Tempest's cheeks
"Please." Pear said "It's ok. Just win this for me, ok?"
Tempest's face contorted in pain and she pulled out a short sword, placing it right at the shoulder.
"I'm sorry." she whispered
Valencia and Flim looked to the sky as a ferocious downpour ensued. They heard a booming, bone chilling howl, one that couldn't have come from any normal animal.
"What the hell was that?"
Flim removed Glorias from his back and kept it at the ready
"I don't know. Whatever it was, it's not happy."
"Let's just keep moving." Valencia said "According to the map we're nearly on the tomb."
In just an hour's more of walking the rain ceased and they reached a wrought iron fence. Behind it was graves of all shapes and sizes, from simple wooden crosses to elegant family mausoleums. The fog was thicker here than it had been anywhere else, barely allowing for more than a few feet's visibility. The two walked down the line of fence before finding the entrance. The grass inside was taller than the surrounding areas, so much so it was up to their waist in some places. Valencia didn't like this at all. Between the fog and the grass there were far too many places for monsters and wraiths to hide.
"So what do we do now?" Flim asked
"I'm not sure. They simply told me to go here and everything would be made apparent. Let's look around. Surely there's something here that should give us some clues."
The pair began to search through the graveyard. The closer they got to the center, the more numerous the graves became. Finally they had reached the heart of the graveyard. A white marble crypt stood in a stone circle with two sconces lit with green fire. Above it stood the statue of a man on horseback with his head broken off, sword in hand as if he were preforming a cavalry charge. On the crypt's mouth was an inscription in an ancient mage language that read 'No Reward Without Sacrifice' in thick black letters. No doubt whatever she had to do was inside.
"This is where out journey ends, Flim." she said "I must do the rest on my own."
"I understand. I'll remain out here."
"Thank you." she said "For everything."
"I was just doing what I was ordered."
Valencia just smiled and pushed through the doors of the crypt, pulling one of the sconces off the wall and walking down its ancient steps. Flim sat beside the crypt and stared into the sky above. A fitting place for it all to finally end. He put Glorias against the crypt wall and let out a final sigh before he evaporated into thin air. The only marker that he'd ever existed being top half of his skull, which remained even after his duty had be fulfilled. His last words carried on the wind:
"I'm coming home, my love. I'm coming."