| "The Adventures of Kat and Clara" Part XIII: The Battle in the Halls Kat, Clara, and Salem ran towards the gates of the castle, passing by the beautiful gardens and courtyards around the palace. At the gates stood five Guardians, foxes and cats together, waiting in their armor. "You are just on time," one of soldiers said. "Every second that the estate stands we are shamed." "What are we in for?" Kat asked, revealing her sword. "We know not for sure," he replied, "but it has unjustly taking from us our loved ones. It must be destroyed." All eight people approached the outskirts of the large estate. It most resembled a great plantation house, painted bright white with some brown areas. "This is the house," another Guardian said. "Whatever may be inside is stealing life from us. It is up to you to stop it. We will wait here for you to return." "We shall return alive," Clara said. "We will not back down." "Good," the soldier continued. "Now, go, and may light guide you!" Kat, Clara, and Salem started off cautiously towards the front door of the house, unsure of what lay ahead. Clara turned the doorknob and pushed the door in, causing a loud squeak in the hinges. The entire entry hallway was dark and damp, but strangly clean for an abandoned house. A stairway to the second floor was in front of them, as well as a dining room to the left and a living room to the right. "Follow me," Clara whispered, slowly entering the house. The floors were cold from the absence of inhabitants; they even creeked a little bit from age. Kat followed close behind Clara, with Salem just behind her. "There is no one here at all," Kat said, looking about herself for any sorts of traps. "I would not know where to look for any sign of life, let alone undeath." "Maybe we should go upstairs," Salem suggested, pointing with a shortsword towards the staircase. "I'll go first," Kat volunteered, starting up the dusty stairs. "I think there is some sort of large hallway up here." The three adventurers reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the second floor, in what became a large, decorated hallway. Many paintings lined the walls, and there was a nice wooden floor to stand upon. What stood out the most was a large, stone statue in the middle of the hallway. "What is this?" Clara asked, walking over to the immense statue. The statue resembled a beautiful, young leopard woman, probably aged a little less than 30 years. She stood at attention with her hands folded, eyes closed, and face expressionless. She was clad in an ankle-length skirt with split sides and a thick-collared vest. On the leopardess's wrists were two bracelets, one on each arm, with jewels lodged in them; each bracelet held three jewels each. A ruby, sapphire, and emerald were mounted into the left bracelet, white a diamond, amethyst, and topaz decorated the right. "Who is this woman?" Kat asked. "I don't know," Clara replied, "but I think I know what those gems are. Kat? Kat??" Clara turned around, wondering why it was suddenly so silent. She noticed that Kat had stepped back several steps, now standing in a fighting position. "Did you hear something, Kat?" Clara asked. Kat did not move; instead, she stood still, breathing heavily through her nose and mouth. She began to sweat and redden. "Are you all right?" Clara asked. Even Salem approached Kat to see what the problem was. As Clara and Salem approached, Kat's eyes suddenly widened and she clenched her teeth. She began to shiver violently, and her pupils dilated and shifted. "Die!!!" Kat screamed, at ear-piercing volume. She raised her sword high over her head, looking down upon Clara with great hostility. "Kat, no!" Clara cried. She jumped aside just as Kat swung her sword, narrowly missing her friend and plunging it into the floor. At that moment, a sudden invisible force lifted Salem off his feet. "Whoa!!" he cried, his body being lifted from the floor. Suddenly, he was hurled backward and smashed into the wall, partially imbedding himself into it. He was horribly injured, his ribcage surely mangled from the force. Salem struggled to free himself from the woodwork, but he could not. "I'm stuck!!" he cried. "Help me!" He struggled to escape from the large crater he had just made in the wall, but he seemed held back by a horrible force beyond his comprehension. "Kat!" Clara shouted, as Kat chased after her, swinging her sword furiously. "Kat, it's me!!" Clara finally gained her balance to fight back. She countered all of Kat's thrusts and swings. Salem watched helplessly from the other end of the hallway as Clara fought against her possessed friend; the two danced like puppets to a tune only evil could hear. Every so often, one would land a blow to the other; in a matter of minutes, Kat's belly was again slashed and bleeding. Undeterred in her demonic state, Kat, with glowing red eyes, tried again and again to destroy her own companion. Clara was beginning to tire, and worried how long it would be until she would be killed by her own friend. "Kat, stop it!!" Clara shouted, over and over. "It's me, Clara, your best friend!!" Kat screamed again, unrelenting in her pursuit to kill Clara. She hissed loudly and struck poor Clara in the abdomen, knocking her over. Clara lay a few feet away, bleeding profusely from her torso. Her vision blurred and flickered, watching helplessly in a dying stupor as Kat stood over her, ready to deliver the final blow. Clara shuffled backward, holding her left hand in front of her face. "Please, Kat...." she gasped. "In the name of S'Allumer, do not take my life." Kat was unfazed; she continued her advance upon Clara, holding her sword high. Clara swallowed hard. "Kat, no!!!" she screamed, blood streaming from her tongue, her voice horribly strained. Next page >> |