Upon reaching the portal, her dark countenance intensified as the light illuminated her. The look of abject greed sparkled in her eyes. Her hand met another barrier that crackled with green energy, which prevented her from entering the portal.
“Nature magic? The satyr.” She turned to see Torrik running toward her. “Yohan’s last defender is a pathetic goat.”
Torrik cut his running with sideways drifting across the snowy surface. He held out both hands and spoke magical words. Vines erupted from far beneath the ice and attempted to wrap around her.
Lady Echidna deftly avoided each vine as she darted around on her shadowy base. She spun around, creating a dark tornado of mist and then thrust her hand forward, casting a blast of shadow at Torrik. “Die, little goat.”
Torrik clapped his hands, and a bright ball of light formed in front of him. The light created a shield that deflected her shadow. “Don’t think I haven’t fought dark magic before.” He threw the light at her as he ran at a ninety-degree angle away from the pitch.
She created a massive shockwave of darkness that spread out, throwing him away. When it died down, she rose and her voice boomed, “You’ve faced dark magic! Ha! I crafted the dark magic that forced Merlin to flee this world with all the other cowards! I am the darkness that haunted his nightmares!”
Torrik rolled over on the ice and slapped his hands against the surface. Large cracks formed and raced toward her, each beaming bright light. Her shadow fled as the cracks surrounded her. Vines erupted up and ensnared her body and bound her arms down.
“NOW, SANTA!”
Santa zoomed down on his sleigh, jumped out just as it swooped by. He had an enormous sword in his hands with which he aimed directly at her chest. “THIS IS FOR NOVA!”
The moment he was to meet her with his piercing strike, she let out a shattering screech that blasted him away, destroyed the vines trapping her. Santa fell out of the sky, rolled across the icy ground, and then came to a kneeling stop with his sword stabbed into the surface.
Lady Echidna exploded in a hurricane of shadow for a moment, pressing both adversaries to the ground. She let up and reformed as her beautiful self, dark wispy mists pouring off her body. “You cannot hope to defeat me.”
Torrik ran over to the barrier and stood before it. “I will not stop protecting Yohan from you until my last breath.”
“I will accept that payment. In Yohan, I will finally harvest the hearts of all nine dragons. Merlin delayed me, but I will be victorious. You cannot stop me. Nova couldn’t stop me.”
Santa said, “We will not stop trying.”
“You two strike a pathetic defense of this world.”
Santa smiled, “Three.”
“Three?”
Santa glanced up. “We have company.”
She looked up just in time to see the blazing red comet blasting toward her. Santa knelt down and protected himself just as EB met the ground, creating a sizable shockwave of his own. His body ignited in a powerful red energy, and he let out a primal scream that caused him to release a blast of red energy towards her with such force that it threw her miles away, crashing into the ocean.
Torrik waited a moment for the screaming to stop. “By the nine dragons, what was that?”
EB sat there, breathing hard through his teeth as he glared toward Lady Echidna. “I will tear her apart. I’ll rip her soul out and shred it.”
Santa walked over to him. “I don’t know if we have the power to stop her.”
EB’s red glow faded as he calmed slightly. “And she has brought others. The three damned beasts are battling the BADGE heroes, keeping them back.”
Torrik asked, “What are you holding?”
EB opened up his paws to reveal the ruby eye of Nova. “It was his last hope. It was a part of him.”
Santa said, “I sense something in it. Part of his soul. Could it be a talisman?”
EB nodded, “Yes.”
“Connect it to him.”
EB shook his head, “Why? He’s dead.”
“It might do something. Please, try.”
Torrik struck a defensive posture. “Do something, she’s coming!”
EB hopped over to Nova and looked at him. He still was on his knees, his dead eyes staring into the dark sky. Pulling out the dark blade, EB slowly pressed the ruby into the open wound. “I always knew you had a strong heart. Please, let it beat again.” He had tears in his eyes as he held Nova by the chest, pressing that stone deeper into him. “I miss my friend.”
“Something is happening.” Santa stood back.
A red glow appeared in Nova’s chest and EB hopped back. “Could he be alive?”
Nova faded on the winds as dust, evaporating into nothing as it flew away.
“Nova!” EB cried out in such agony that Santa lost control and wept as well.
A garbled beeping sound came from all three of them. Torrik turned on the comm device they had given him and a fuzzy voice of Justin said, “All heroes to Antarctica, Black Alert! All heroes to Antarctica...”
They heard fighting in the distance and could see small people flying around large, shadowy beasts. Portals and aircraft appeared in the skies above. A dirigible flew by, spraying electro cannon fire across Fenrir.
“They made it,” Santa declared.
Torrik said, “What good will it do? She is too powerful.”
EB looked to the side and saw the violent approach of Lady Echidna. “You don’t know what these people are truly capable of. We three cannot defeat her, but we can give them time to try.”
“How?” Torrik asked.
EB looked up at Santa, “The Garlor defense strategy.”
“You think it will stop her?”
EB moved over beside Torrik. “It stopped Legion on Vexillia long enough for us to survive their onslaught. We stand and protect this portal or die trying.”
Holding up his paws, EB cast a spell that created a clear glass-like shell around them and the portal. Santa stood next to him and held out his hands, which created a bright glow that crackled across the surface.
Torrik said, “I see what you’re doing. I don’t know your magic, but I will do what I can. HLIF BORG STOR!” He cast his spell, and another barrier formed around theirs, creating a double thick shield.
At that moment, the shadow of Lady Echidna met them and attacked the surface of their force-fields. They struggled, but maintained their postures.
EB said, “You’re dead, witch.”
Her face appeared in the midst of the shadows. “I will not lose.”
Santa said, “I’ve heard that before, and all those who said it are currently dead.”
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