"That was callous, he was innocent" Verlica stated as she started to sidestep around her foe.<br />"Eh, but he was so stuck up! I tried telling him to lighten up, but he was always so dull!" came the reply.<br />"Speaking of dull, why don't you take that outfit off? You look embarassing" Verlica spat.<br /><br />The figure before her smiled even more before reaching a hand behind her head. Her smile began to fade as a wet SHLOOP could be heard. As her hand started to move down, her face wrinkled and deformed as it slowly sagged forward, revealing another face behind it that was also frozen in a wicked grin. The mage's features began to sag away as the figure underneath slowly revealed itself befre she finally hit the ground as the empty cocoon she was. Standing where she was moments ago was a tall yet spry man, his face garnished with a thick beard and hair to his shoulders. He smirked before kicking the suit away.<br /><br />"You wanted to see me dear sister, here I am" the figure finally said.<br />"You're disgusting Higir" came the reply, "using innocent people to get to me like this. You don't even know if killing me will make you stronger."<br />"Worth a shot" Higir responded before lunging at Verlica, hand erupting in electricity and aimed straight for her chest.<br /><br />She dodged the blast, but only barely as her now singed cloak could attest. She unclasped it and let it fall to the ground before she disappeared, looking for a chance at a counter attack. It came as Higir looked around for traces of the witch, she readied a fireball and launched it at his back. As it erupted on his back she felt a pang of relief, before confusion. It can't be that easy.<br /><br />It wasn't.<br /><br />With a puff of smoke, Higir disappeared before her eyes. A trap! But she realised too late, a blow hit her from behind and sent her reeling forward, trying to regain composure. Before allowing another blow to land, Verlica erupted into smoke just as a jolt of lightning arced where her now intangible form hovered. Rather than regain for a counter-attack, she instead lunged her gaseous form at the now-prone knight who lay on the ground. Seeping her smoke form into his armour, she disassembled it from the still form and reassembled as a living suit of armour.<br />"How predictable sister, you always get so defensive" Higir cackled with glee, more lightning erupting from his fingers.<br />Rather than answer, Verlica planted her feet and took the charge of electricity, allowing to arc throughout her now metallic form. Once sufficiently satisfied Higir would loose the attack, Verlica charged forward as fast as the steel would carry her. Higir looking up just in time to see a wall of steel bearing down on him.<br /><br />CRACK - Verlica's form crashed into Higir's and sending him careening a good few feet from sheer momentum. Satisfied this would put him down for the time being, Verlica returned her body to its normal state, Leduc's armour noisily crashing to the ground. Verlica doubled over panting, not realising just how much energy she had exhausted during that one outburst. As she went to stand back up, she was struck in the side with a powerful blast.<br />"A little winded after our display sister? I must say, you aren't as pathetic as you used to be" Higir scoffed.<br />As she regained her footing, she turned around just in time to be hit in the chest with a funnel of black smoke from Higir's hands. Verlica shrieked with pain as she desperately tried to break free and heal herself, she knew what this was and was scared.<br /><br />"N..Not this, please brother!! Have you sold your soul?!"<br />"Funny you should ask" he smiled, before laughing. "Soon enough, your soul will be wrenched from your body and will satiate my hunger, sister dearest."<br /><br />Those last words chilled Verlica to her very core. She knew he was power hungry, but to go this far was unthinkable. As she felt her life start to leave her, a flash of raw hatred flashed over Higir's eyes before the sttack began to weaken. As it did, he slumped forward slowly and Verlica could see something behind him...<br /><br />...Leduc?<br /><br />Higir slumped forward more as Leduc's foot pushed down on his back, both hands on the handle of his blade to try and withdraw it from the space where Higir's spine sat intact moments ago. With a sickening tone, the blade freed itself from the evil mage's spine before the body sank to the ground. Verlica looked up at Leduc's now unarmoured form with disbelief as he raised his bloody sword skyward, howling in victory. After a few moments, Leduc stumbled a little before collapsing onto his knees, then falling to his side with labouring breaths. Verlica gasped and rushed to his side. She was about to ask if he was okay before seeing the great wound in his back. Placing a hand over the source of his pain, she closed her eyes and allowed her hand to once again to become flame. Leduc screamed in agony as the searing heat from the flame cauterised the wound, stopping the bleeding. After a few moments, Leduc's eyes reopened and found Verlica's looking into his, a faint smile allowed itself to form on her lips as he came to.<br /><br />"...t-thank you..."<br /><br />As soon as she uttered these two words, Verlica scooped up Leduc in her arms and sighed with weary resignation at what had transpired. Leduc was overwhelmed as his face was buried into Verlica's ample breast, but didn't wish to complain. After a little while breathing started becoming an issue, so he tried to ask for some air, but only muffled 'MMPHS" escaped her chest. She pulled his face away from her chest and was met with exhausted laughter.<br /><br />"W-what's wrong?" Verlica asked.<br />"Couldn't breathe" came the reply before she began laughing too. Suddenly she stopped, the figure beside them wasn't dead and was beginning to stir...<br /><br />Verlica gently lay Leduc on the ground before grabbing his sword, holding it high before...<br /><br />********************************<br /><br />Verlica and Leduc shoulder to shoulder on the outer steps of the keep, bathed in the warm sunlight. Verlica had helped Leduc out of the keep, believing the fresh air would do him good. She turned to look at him and was greeted by his eyes gazing into hers.<br /><br />"Why did you save me?"<br />"You were innocent, Higir fooled you into becoming his guard while he searched for me."<br />"So that was Eliffa's real name?"<br />"Yes, I'm sorry."<br />"How long?"<br />"Pardon?"<br />"How long was he controlling her I mean?"<br />"There was no control."<br />"What do you mean?"<br />"Eliffa... was never real. He created her to use you..."<br />"What? How?"<br />"It's a well known dark art. Take some samples from various people, cobine them with some magic clay and one can make a disguise of a whole new person.<br />"What...kind of samples...?"<br />"Nothing serious if that's what you mean. A few locks of hair, some skin cells and a bit of stool is usually enough."<br />"Stool?"<br />"That's why it's a black art."<br /><br />Leduc just stared at her mouth agape, before they both burst into laughter. After a while the laughter died down and Leduc continued to gaze at Verlica's face. She began to feel embarassed and looked away.<br /><br />"How did you get up and save me?" she asked after a pregnant pause.<br />"Rage is a hell of an anaesthetic" came the reply. "That, plus hearing what the sick prick wanted to do, I couldn't just lay there. I'm just grateful that I've been through worse."<br />"What?!"<br />"My training days were rough" he replied before laughing again. Verlica smiled faintly before getting up and turning to walk back inside. She was stopped by something catching her leg, she looked down to see Leduc grabbing her leg, a glint of sadness betraying the tough exterior.<br /><br />"Please...don't go..."<br />Verlica smiled her faint smile. "Why?"<br />"With Eliffa gone...I'm alone again. She was everything I had, yet she wasn't real." Leduc looked down with a pang of anger. I...had planned to ask her to marry me, I can't believe I was so foolish. Please, stay with me a while longer..."<br /><br />Verlica's kind smile faded before she turned and sat back down, Leduc wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm alone too" she replied, "have been since I was a child."<br />"Not anymore."<br />"Wha-"<br /><br />She started to ask what he meant, but as she turned to look at him her lips were embraced by his, her body encircled by his arms. Surprised at first, she leant into it more and embraced him in return, her lips staying locked to his as their newfound feelings finally came to the fore. After what seemed an age, the two finally parted lips. Along and comfortable silence fell over them as they looked into each other's eyes.<br /><br />"Not anymore."<br /><br />THE END