Chapter Forty: Fayeth Northimble

Fayeth glanced at her mother as they gazed at the sunset.

"It won't be long before they find out who you really are," Gabby uttered in a solemn tone. "You did well to mask yourself from them, but the Elder trekker, Fianna, will recognize your energy."

"Maybe it's time, after all," Fayeth responded in a deep, masculine voice. "My army will arrive tonight. By Rif's blood."

Rif gasped before he covered his mouth. He had planned to jump out at her from the bushes for a friendly scare, but he had discovered much more.

Fayeth turned to him and grinned with sharp, yellow teeth. "Come play with us, Rif. We can use your little skull to light the demon candles."

Rif screamed as he ran towards the house, Fayeth's fast feet right behind him.

Thorn, Chichi, and Jopp rushed towards the commotion.

Rif ran into Jopp's arms and cried. "That's not Fayeth! She's trying to kill me!"

Thorn and Chichi nodded at each other while Jopp kept Rif close to him.

Chichi charged at Fayeth with her greatsword, while Thorn blasted a strong wind beneath her that tripled her speed.

Fayeth was fast enough to evade them, and she continued to barrel towards Rif.

Jopp's vines erupted from the ground, ready to strike, but the world disappeared for less than a second.

"Now, Jopp!" Gabby shouted. "Take his throne!"

Jopp and Rif gasped as they absorbed the new surroundings. The golden buildings around them rippled with demonic energy. The violet fog that persisted slowly backed away as Jopp and Rif approached the largest building. Its architecture reminded Jopp of ancient Greece. The pantheon warbled, beckoning them inside.

"Rif, do you remember Hekin's bow, the Dozen?"

Rif slowly nodded. "Did you manage to fix it?"

"Sort of," Jopp admitted. "It uses the same words, but the powers are different." He handed the bow with a dozen arrows to him. "Don't leave my side, no matter how scary it gets," Jopp ordered.

Rif aimed his first arrow at the wave of powerful demons flowing out of the pantheon. "Hyn!" he shouted as he let it fly.

Jopp's eyes flashed green as the arrow hit its first target, and his whole body glowed sky blue, mimicking the crystals of Elioh. The attack was made much stronger, and the ripples of purifying energy speared through the demonic ranks. With each purified soul, Jopp and Rif became stronger.

Only two demons were left, and they resembled Mayzel and Noforl. Their contorted skulls made Rif hesitate until Jopp gently grabbed his shoulder.

"Let's free them from this place," Jopp urged.

Rif took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." He aimed with his arrow and shouted. "Kyn!"

An azure wave engulfed the area, and once it passed over, the demonic aura was gone.

Mayzel and Noforl weren't skeletons anymore. Their nude figures stared at Jopp and Rif with astonishment.

Jopp quickly covered Rif's eyes and frowned. "Don't you have some clothes laying around?!"

Mayzel grinned as she approached him, her long hair covering her breasts.

"She's got big ones!" Rif blurted. "They're almost as big as Mama's! That man's--"

"Shut it!" Jopp warned. "Forget what you just saw." He glared at Mayzel before she summoned her armor. The hole Noforl had made was nowhere to be seen. "What the hell happened to you?!"

She sighed as she brandished her sword. "Father was punishing us for losing. I never thought I'd be glad to see you." She glanced around and beckoned Noforl to join them.

Noforl's angry eyes pierced through the foggy atmosphere. Instead of the violet hue Jopp was used to, his eyes were bright amber. Long dark hair took the place of his wild crimson locks. He summoned his armor as well, and the beatings Tark had done were nonexistent.

Jopp stared at them, a bit confused. "You guys died, right? How is your armor not damaged? How are you still alive?"

Mayzel pointed at Rif's bow. "You changed its powers, didn't you?"

Jopp's jaw dropped. "You're saying my ass was capable of this crap?!"

Mayzel chuckled and took Jopp's hand away from Rif's eyes. "Not just you, Rif, too."

"You're saying our asses were capable of this crap?!" Jopp started. "We can probably bring Alaris back! Rif's mother, too!"

"Alaris isn't in this realm," Mayzel notified. "She could be anywhere, Jopp. The same goes for Rif's mother."

"But there's a chance," Jopp nodded.

"If our world is still alive," Mayzel muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jopp queried. His face grew solemn when she hesitated. "He's destroying the worlds, isn't he?"

Mayzel gulped and nodded.

"Damn!" Jopp blurted. "Damn! Dammit!"

"Dammit!" Rif echoed.

"Shh!" Jopp scolded. "Hey, wait a minute. That gives me an idea!"