Burning

Chapter 20

"Cerberus, can you take me to Valac's realm?" Valdis asked as Grimm and Cerberus sat before her.

"You shall not survive if you fight alone." Cerberus warned.

"I have you don't I?" She gave him a small grin. "Besides, I have a plan."

"Once Valac is dead you'll have three minutes to get through the portal before it closes." Grimm warned.

"That's fine, just don't let my friends through if they follow me." She ordered before climbing onto Cerberus' back before he started running off down the tunnel and through the flames of the Underworld.

"What happens if and when the plan backfires on you?" Cerberus questioned as he ran along, his paws barely touching the ground as he went.

"It won't, just wait where I told you to." She replied confidently.

When they got to Valac's throne she jumped down and Cerberus ran back off. The place had an eerie quality to it now and blood was staining the rock under her feet, there wasn't any one vampire or not in sight. For a brief moment she wondered if they were all dead, then she looked up as wing beats came from overhead and watched as Valac landed, his childish form not taking away from the threatening look he gave her.

"So you returned to see the ruins we were left it... Thanks to you releasing Cerberus and showing Marchosias some weakness I have been left with nothing! Even Vetis has abandoned me!" He shouted at her with a pained look in his eyes. "...So I'm going to make you pay. When I'm done with you I'll find your friends... and kill them as well."

"They've done nothing to you, stay away from them." She hissed back and pulled twin swords out of her new armor she'd picked up before coming.

Valac's eyes lit with interest and a wide grin appeared, showing off his fangs. "Protective to the end... very well. If you beat me I shall retreat and leave them alone."

"If I beat you you'll be dead!" She lunged forward before he could continue stalling and he blocked the strikes with his wings, creating huge tears that would prevent him from flying.

Valac growled in pain but recovered easily before growing into his adult form and producing a black and blood red trident. Valdis heard a crunch as he swung and it took a moment for her to realize she was on the ground with blood pooling from her head. She groaned and forced herself back to her feet before slashing at him again so he was forced to back up. Valac circled her for a moment as if analyzing the best way to hurt her before throwing his weapon at her and catching her through the chest. Valdis coughed blood and stared off at nothing as he walked back over to her, her swords were now lying useless on the ground as her blood dripped down to stain the blades.

"You've been through so much torture already..." Valac murmured, his black eyes now the flaming red. "How about I end your misery and throw you over the edge for the flames to devour? It would be quick, you're already bleeding out."

Valdis glared at him. "Why show mercy to me? You never did before."

"I'm bored of our fight, I have things to do to repair my realm... otherwise I would enjoy continuing your torture." He ripped his trident free with one hand and grabbed her throat with his other before dragging her over to the edge and forcing her to stand before kicking her over the edge. "You could've been great... goodbye half-ling."

Valdis felt her ribs crack and heat rushing towards her, for a split second she thought it was her screaming but as she failed to fly back up she managed to glimpse someone run around a corner on the path towards the throne room. Then it was gone and flames engulfed her.

Valac turned away from the edge and looked over to where three humans were running up the path with silver and Holy Metal weapons in hand. "Get rid of one and three more come to fight, no problem, they'll make a nice snack."

"You'll have to catch us first." Adam growled, it had been hard enough to get around Grimm let alone follow Cerberus' destructive path through this forsaken place, and this demon wasn't about to kill him so easily.

Valac looked unfazed and started rushing towards them, kicking Henry back and slashing at Abe before Adam pulled the older man, or at least older looking man, back and blocked a third strike with one of Valdis' daggers. Valac backed away and was about to attack again only to pause as a loud roar sounded behind him followed by Cerberus as he burst from the flames, looking like a giant bonfire, and landed on the rock with another deafening roar.

"You will not survive this demon!" Cerberus growled as a black armored figure shot off his back with a spear.

"No!" Valac shouted. "Why are you-"

He was cut off as the spear impaled itself in his heart and drove him off the other cliff edge from the unexpected force. Valdis slid to a stop before she went over as well and tried to catch her breath as she started coughing up more blood. She could hear the others coming over to her but a pain in her shin made her turn her head to the arrow and chain sticking out of her leg, a second later she was dragged over as well.

"Valdis!" Henry tried to grab her hand since he was closest but missed and felt Abe steady him as they looked over the edge as she disappeared in a billow of black smoke.

"She's gone Henry." Abe told him as he glanced away from the claw marks where Valdis had tried to stop her fall. "We knew this would happen, she told us."

Adam started walking back down the path. "We were too late to prevent it, she should've just let us help. Her death is her own doing."

"I will take you back faster, you mortals will never get back to the portal within three minutes." Cerberus lowered his heads and crouched down to allow them to climb on.

"I'll find Valdis' body." Vetis' voice made them turn to a hidden pathway he walked out of and flew by them. "I won't let her rot here."

Adam glared at him. "No, I don't trust you. If she is alive, then I'm sure we can all guess you will kill her."

Abe got back off from his seat behind Henry and walked over to the monstrous hybrid. "I'll go with him to look, I'm sure Cerberus can come back for us."

"I am not Cheron, I do not take people in and out of the Underworld." Cerberus replied before his three heads sighed. "But yes, just meet me up here and I will take you out."

"Abe no, you're injured, we need to get you help." Henry protested as he noticed Abe trying to hide the blood running down his side from a deep hole that matched Valac's trident.

Abe shook his head, knowing fully well that he was going to die if he didn't get to a hospital soon enough, but he also knew it was more important to find the one person who could stop Vetis as the monster would surely stab everyone else in the back again soon. "I'm an adult Henry, not the child you raised anymore. I want to help find her."

An expression of hurt flashed across Henry's face before he slowly nodded and replied in a slightly choked voice. "Fine."

"I will come for you in a minute, if you are not here I will leave you to die." Cerberus informed Abe and Vetis as he stood up.

"Understood." Vetis replied. "We will be here."

Cerberus gave him a low rumbling growl of distrust before taking off down the path with the other two holding onto his slightly scorched fur as the wind whipped past them. It would only take a minute to get back, if not a bit less, and another two for the second pick up and return, these mortals were really cutting it close to the time the portal would close.