Chapter Twenty-Three

Carrion and Sakura were dealing with Alester's manipulation Alester's true form!

Asha remained where she stood, eying Carrion angrily while casting worried glances towards her brother. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Kane over the years. Why he left her family in the first place? Why he was here in this world? First as her enemy and now as their prisoner.

She soon ducked down to he left, out of the way of Carrion’s attack as he swiped down at her with his blade. At a moments notice, Asha lunged forward, slicing towards the mid section of his stomach with her blade now ablaze, cutting through the armor and grazing the flesh as Carrion stepped back a hand to his searing flesh.

She sucked in a deep breath, swiping her sword down at her side extinguishing the flaming sword. “You’re going to have to do better than that to defeat me." From the corner of her eye, Sakara slammed into the wall to her right. A brief smile came a crossed her face, more out of relief then joy. Rose seems to be doing fine on her own.

Carrion‘s eyes darted wildly between Rose‘s fight with his wife and Asha. "Enough of this!” He yelled fearfully and angrily. “Guards, kill him!" He brought up his blade pointing towards Kane and his two guards standing on either sides of him.

Asha turned to her brother readying herself to intervene, hoping to get there in time. “Asha get down!” She stopped at the sound of the voice dropping to her knees.

A forceful wind rushed passed her, roaring wildly within her ears, the sound of screaming mixed in within the winds’ roar. The entire room was filled with this terrifying squall, knocking all who were standing off their feet and throwing them painfully to the ground in one fell swoop.

Once the wind came to an end, Asha felt a firm grasp on her shoulder. She looked up and to her right seeing Rose smiling down at her. She smiled back, slowly getting to her feet. "Good job." She commented and walked with her to where the two guards along with Carrion and Sakura laid on a heap by the room's entrance.

Sakura was the first to stir to consciousness. She crawled up to all four, pushing herself upward to her knees, kneeling before the two girls, her head bowed shamefully. “I can do this no longer.” She said her voice shaky with tears as she placed a hand over her mouth, her gaze switching to Rose and Asha. “I cannot play this charade anymore!”

“S-Sakura…” Carrion whispered from behind her weakly, reaching for her hand. “That’s enough. You mustn’t tell them anymore otherwise -”

Sakura turned to him grasping his hand her eyes watering with emotional pain. “Oh my dear Carrion.” She began kissing his fingers lightly, “I am sorry but I must.” She lowered his hand to his side then slowly stood to her feet, turning back to face Asha and Rose. “You two have done well against us.”

“What’s going on here?” Asha questioned looking from Sakura to Rose then back to Sakura. “Aren’t you our enemies?”

“We are in a sense.” She closed her eyes her tears finally drying upon her cheeks. “That demon, Alester…he has our dear Gina under his control.”

“Wait a minute.” Rose said stepping forward. “Gina isn’t under his control.”

Sakura’s eyes came open. “She is not?” she shook her head. “No, that can not be. He told us that if we wanted our daughter back safe and sound, we must keep up with this act.” She looked down to Carrion; his eyes were closed though he listened intently to her words. “We were not even allowed near her.”

“I can tell you one thing,” Asha began, Sakura looking back to her, “Gina is a very kind girl. She told us that Alester had control over you. That’s why she came back here with us; to free you from his power.”

Sakura placed a hand to her trembling lips. “My dear daughter…all this time we could have just left with her at our side?”

Silence passed over them as Sakura allowed her tears to flow freely down her cheeks once more. Carrion rolled to his hands and knees getting stiffly to his feet. He placed his hands to his wife’s quivering shoulders. “My dear, calm yourself. We will get her back, one way or another.”

Rose smiled at the love the two before her shared. “Tell you what,” Rose looked to Asha as she spoke seeing her arms were crossed over her chest as she addressed the two, “the two of you are unable to fight at the moment and our friends are already fighting this Alester guy.” She looked to Kane who remained lying on the floor. “I’d like for you to take my brother and get out of here as fast as you can.”

Gina’s parents exchanged glances before looking back to her, a confident grin crossing Carrion’s features. “Where would you like us to go?”

* * *

Alester eyed the group carefully, his sword grasped tightly in his hand. His mind was set on destroying the humans which stood before him. How dare they think themselves superior to the demon race? Superior to him! Maybe he would show them just how different he was…

Tygra stepped towards him, her whip pulled taunt before her. She wanted to end this, to make him pay for everything he had put them through. To make him pay for killing Jade; her closest friend.

“It’s time to end this.” She said her voice cold and unfeeling. “Alester, it’s about time for you to pay for all the trouble you have caused.’

Alester’s gaze merely sank to the floor his face darkened. “You are right about this ending.” His voice was low and husky; he lost the grip on his sword as it fell to the ground with a metallic clank. “However, I’m not the one who is going to die!’

The group watched on in horror as Alester transform before them. His torso lengthened; spike like bones tore through his skin and clothes, down his spine and at each of his joints. His arms and legs lengthen as well; dark, almost blood red, scaly skin covering his body. Once the transformation was complete Alester had no likeness of a human standing nearly seven feet high with an extended snout jutting from his face. His blackened eyes stared menacing towards them.

“What the hell is this?” Drake questioned lowering his sword in awe.

“This,” a voice growled from the creature before them, “Is my heritage! This is my true demonic form!

“Quick! We must split up!” Haru yelled separating from the group.

The beast that was once Alester took a step towards Drake and Tygra, splintering the wooden floor beneath his talon feet. The two looked from one another before splitting up; Drake going to the right, Tygra to the left.

The creature looked from one to the other his breathing rapid before his gaze locked on his prey. He jumped up into the air landing only a few feet before Drake.

“S**t!” Drake slid to a stop staring up at the beast before him as he turned towards him; sharp carnivorous teeth revealed in its sneering smiling. At last moment, Drake raised his hand forming a darkened force field out before him as Alester’s clawed fist slammed into it. Drake struggled feeling his powers begin to fail him against the strength of Alester‘s demonic form.

A pain filled growl erupted from Alester once Haru’s blade pierced through his scaled skin. He stumbled forward briefly before whirling around hitting him hard across the face with his right hand, causing Haru to be thrown roughly to the side. The beast immediately turned back to Drake hitting his fist upon the darkened force field breaking through it and hitting Drake in the gut. Drake fell painfully to his hands and knees his sword dropping to the floor beside him.

“Drake!” Tygra cried rushing forward. She snapped out her whip wrapping the twined leather around Alester’s wrist, just as he went to administer the final blow.

“This is pathetic! You honestly believe you can defeat me with this?” Alester raveled the whip tighter around his wrist and with all his might pulled. Tygra felt herself lift off her feet and move forward right into Alester’s grasp. His strong lengthy hands wrap around her waist holding her up off the floor as she kicked her feet wildly in the air. Her whip fell loosely from his wrist down to the side yet she kept a firm grasp on its handle.

“I told you.” He snarled breathing his intoxicating breath in her face. “You will not defeat me.”

Tygra grunted painfully as he squeezed around her waist. “That might be so,” she said bringing up her whip’s handle before her, her hands on either side. “But I’m certainly going to try!”

She twisted the handle of the whip and pulled, revealing a sturdy blade beneath. Before he had the chance to react Tygra stabbed him in his left eye, twisting the blade.

Alester howled in agony dropping her as he placed both hands to his injured eye. Tygra continued her assault by rolling between his legs, turning, and snapping her whip out around his neck pinning his hands to his face.

Tygra struggled to keep her footing as Alester thrashed about, pulling back against her grasp. She soon felt someone come behind her placing their hands onto the thorn leather of the whip. Her gaze switched back for the moment. “Drake!”

“Tygra pull! Maybe we can take him down if we do this together!”

With a quick nod Tygra turned back to her opponent and pulled with Drake‘s help. Alester seemed to stumble back slightly before falling onto his back on the floor. Before he could stand Haru stepped over him bringing up his blade, “This ends here!”, and slammed the tip of his sword into the demon’s chest piercing his heart as the blade dug deeply and through his body clanking off the floor beneath.

Haru backed away pulling the blade from his chest and watched as the creature before him transformed back into that of Alester. They allowed themselves to relax as they watched his still from. After a few moments more, it had seemed the battle was finally over. The Dark Lord named Alester was indeed dead.