Deathsong Chronicles - Symphony 8

Sieghart and Ruby were out of the mountain fortress for a long time, searching for those soul warriors still resisting, still free, still alive.

They separated ways. Ruby set a course to Rhapsodia to find Soroga and the others, while Sieghart went on to the Endless Tower, to search for the powerful psychic, Kaithlyn, who happens to be Kaffleen's sister. (Yes, the same Kaithlyn who was sorely beaten up by Kaffleen's shadow years back.)

Unknown to Ruby, he was followed by none other than Emily, who couldn't bear to stay so long away from him.

As he reached Rhapsodia, he found a pitched battle outside the gates. He drew his mithryl sword, and launched down into the field, blade gleaming in the sunlight like a falling star as he barreled down the hill he was on.

He hacked and sliced through the swarms of Orcs, Goblins and Trolls. A bloody swath was carved through the horde, and the only things left behind him were corpses, blood and a few fragments.

Then, he stumbled as he parried a blow from an enormous troll's warhammer. He fell backwards with a curse, and was stunned momentarily. As the troll raised the warhammer to crush him, it gasped.

And dropped as another blow smashed him from the back. Then, he was whacked away by Emily's nunchakus. Ruby grimaced, then muttered:" What're you doing here?!"

"Um..saving your arse?" replied Emily as Ruby rose up and continued to hack the foulspawn apart. At that moment, a figure leapt up and landed behind Ruby.

Thinking it was a threat, he swung around, blade raised in defense."Oh. It's you." muttered Ruby as he regarded the bloodstained Soroga, his blade crimson from the many kills.

"So you're back. I suppose you've got some plan in mind, eh?" said Soroga, grinning as he sliced a troll in half lengthwise.

"...we're gonna assemble as many soul warriors as we can, then strike out at the capital." replied Ruby, parrying a chaos orc's axe and killing the wielder.

"And what do you hope to achieve?" asked Soroga with a sardonic smile.

"The empress's attention, because Xepher is learning all he can to defeat her from her own libraries." said Ruby.

"WHAT?! He's in there?!" shouted Soroga exasperatedly.

"She doesn't know. Besides, he has enough magic to create a flawless disguise." said Emily as she twirled past, swinging her weapon around madly.

"...so when do we rendezvous, and where?" asked Soroga. Ruby gave him a place and a date, then said:" We'll be staying with you guys here, seeing as you're still resisting. Then we'll go together."

"Whatever." sighed Soroga.
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Sieghart entered the Endless Tower, and fought the countless waves of monsters as he ascended, each level bringing tougher creatures.There were zombies and skeletons, weak beings at the first few floors, but rapidly increased to sprites, ifrits and such,and still got harder.

Sieghart reached the second-last floor, the nine hundred and ninety-ninth floor, and halted in his tracks, staring at the horrific monstrosity looming in front of him.

A demon, twisted out of reality by the madness of the owner of the tower, Kaithlyn herself. He rolled aside as the demonic creature lashed out a long, spiked tail, then closed in with his sword raised. He uttered a short spell, and a flash of startling light burst in front of the demon's eyes.

It was stunned, and he sliced rapidly at it, slashing a hundred times in a running motion without breaking step. It fell apart in countless pieces.

Running onto the roof, he surveyed the area carefully. Apart from the full moon and several high clouds, nothing was in sight. That was strange.

He heard a lark's cry. As he glanced up, an avian that created the sound landed on the parapet of the tower, and transformed into Kaithlyn herself, sitting crossed-legged and smiling darkly at the former Guardian.

"I know why you have come." said the psychic.

"Shape shifting. One of the most useful skills of a psychic. Yes, I know you are a psychic." he added after seeing the raised eyebrows of Kaithlyn.