Destroy the Orb

---Indigo---

Sparks flew. Evils shrieked. Magic flashed. Lord Victor poured all of his efforts into destroying us, and we put all that we had into defeating him. Aaron hovered in midair and used his sword to stab at Lord Victor from above, but he kept his eyes peeled for an opportunity to knock the orb away. It was difficult because Lord Victor had created a protective shield of dark smoky matter around the orb. Anything that got near would either be consumed or blasted away.

"He's too difficult to beat!" Katherine shouted towards me when we were both blasted back by Lord Victor for what had to be the fifteenth or twentieth time. I noticed that she had more bloody wounds on her arms and legs than earlier. How much longer can she—and I—keep fighting?

"We have to keep his attention on us so Aaron can get to the orb," I replied. "There's no other way." We gritted our teeth and charged back.

Lord Victor cackled as he slashed at us with his daggers. I did my best to block his blows while Katherine attacked him. Then we would switch. Sometimes both of us would attack at the same time, but with two daggers, Lord Victor was able to counter both of our strikes. More bloodstains had appeared on Katherine's clothing. I was in no better shape. Still, we pushed on.

I somersaulted, dodged, spun, leapt up, sidestepped, and slid across the floor. I couldn't stay in one place for more than a few seconds because Lord Victor's attacks were relentless. However, for every blast of dark magic he shot at me, my spear glowed brighter and destroyed every blast. Soon, I found that although we couldn't win Lord Victor, he wasn't able to defeat us either. We were in a deadlock.

I gripped Phoebus tighter and willed the magic to flow stronger. As Lord Victor forced Katherine back once more, I went for his unprotected back. Lord Victor turned around at the last moment. By crossing his daggers, he caught the tip of my spear and locked it in place. I couldn't tug it back. The corner of Lord Victor's lips turned up in a cruel smile.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Katherine smearing more of her blood on her sword, this time across the entire blade. The sword glowed bright azure. Channeling the magic, Katherine gave a war cry and threw herself at Lord Victor, her sword extended and her entire body streamlined to pierce through the air. Lord Victor had to release my spear in order to block Katherine's attack, but before he could, I pressed the secret button on the spear that unfurled the spearhead into four hooked pieces. These four hooks latched onto Lord Victor's double daggers and held them tightly in place. He might have thought he had me earlier, but I have him now.

Lord Victor was caught off-guard. "How dare you…" he growled. Katherine's sword was flying to his throat. Lord Victor tried to wrench his daggers free of my spear. He pulled hard, and one of his daggers slipped through my hooks. In a flash, Lord Victor used that dagger to parry Katherine's attack to the side. However, Katherine merely swung her sword down and to the right in a semicircle before going for Lord Victor's chest. As he adjusted his stance to block her new attack, I yanked my spear back, hard. Since Lord Victor's other dagger was still caught on my hooks, this pull threw him off balance.

This split second, as Lord Victor divided his attention between regaining his balance and blocking Katherine's fatal blow, was all that Aaron needed. He summoned a ball of swirling wind and blasted the orb. Because Lord Victor had lost his focus momentarily, the protective dark magic around the orb was blasted apart by Aaron. With his palms open and facing out, Aaron pushed another gust of wind out. This time, the orb was knocked out of the air. It sailed toward the ground in a perfect downward parabola, still trailing smoky tendrils of dark magic.

"No!" Lord Victor's eyes were wide with fury and shock. He let go of the dagger that was still caught in my spear, slapped aside Katherine's strike with his one remaining dagger, and lunged out for the orb.

"Destroy the orb!" Aaron shouted at the same time, sending a rush of wind to blast Lord Victor back.

Time seemed to slow. The orb arched over the walkway. Katherine took a running start and leapt into the air after the orb, her sword raised high above her head. Lord Victor, clearly annoyed and furious after getting a face full of wind, punched his hand upwards and released a burst of magic that sent Aaron flipping head over heels through the air. With murder in his eyes, Lord Victor flew towards Katherine, who was fully concentrated on bringing her sword down on the orb that was now approaching the end of its trajectory. His dagger of evil smoke was a torrent of darkness in his hand as he swung his arm up in a roundhouse fashion to stab Katherine from her left side. She didn't seem to notice the oncoming stab, which would kill her for sure. They were only a meter apart.

I reared back and threw the spear of light with all my might, channeling all the magic I had in me into the spear. It glowed bright gold as it whizzed through the air like an oversized arrow. It was still glowing when the spearhead stabbed through Lord Victor's back and exited his front, protruding three feet from the center of his chest. The momentum of the throw, coupled with his own, sent him skidding across the floor harmlessly past Katherine, leaving a streak of blood behind.

The orb hit the floor. At the same time, Katherine's sword came crashing down on its surface with such force the ground in a three-foot radius cracked just from the approaching wind. The orb exploded with a blinding burst of crimson magic that rippled outwards, hitting Katherine directly in the chest and sending her careening back.

"Indigo, careful!" Aaron staggered up to me. As the ripple of magic rolled towards us, he threw his cloak around the two of us and called up the protective dome. In the next second, the magic ripple hit and shattered the dome instantly. I felt the world tilt as I was tossed back like a leaf on a stormy sea. My back collided with a wall.

Then the dust settled and the room quieted. The battle was over.