[hider=Rise of the Fenix][i]“It’s okay, Lisette. You’re safe. It’s alright now.” A smile beamed down at her, from the friend who she cherished so much. Her face turned, looking towards the source of Lisette and the Pride’s worry and frustration. The woman’s face grew serious and determined. “I won’t let him hurt any of you anymore.” [size=85]“Estelle…!”[/size][/i] [img]http://i.imgur.com/kjtvfS8.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/q5PjiIP.png[/img] [b][u]Vandrell: Hawthorne Manor: Courtyard[/u][/b] As the dust started to settle, the Pride could see the two women appear in the centre of the battlefield. Estelle stood determined, Lisette cradled safely in her arms, their hair billowing in the chaotic wind and rain. A sense of relief washed over everyone in seeing not only Lisette safely rescued but that Estelle, who had been missing for so long was safe as well. The advent of Giant Mari too, who even now continued to pound relentlessly upon the trapped beneath Lucifer, was a pleasant surprise, if for no other reason then to see him on the receiving end of pain. But would that be enough? [img]http://i.imgur.com/2oDuuET.png[/img] Eventually Giant Mari began to become enveloped in another bright, pulsing glow, that began to coalesce around her entire body and then slowly dim, her body becoming transparent before then vanishing into the ether. As the last of Marise’s magical energy stored within the necklace she had given Estelle began to drip free, she looked up and smiled to the Guilders. She did what she could, and now what remained rested on them. She hoped it was enough and that Lucifer was defeated, and the Pride could defeat Abraxis. But separated now, with her true body lying in Clockwork Town, she had no way of knowing, and could only place her trust within these young, determined Guilders. She believed in them. The thunderous blows rocketing and shaking the ground came to a dying halt, and for a short period of time, until the next thunder clap above, silence reigned. Trixie skidded in front of Estelle and Lisette and wrapped her arms around the two girls, burying her head in Estelle’s chest. [img]http://i.imgur.com/R0dMlyP.png[/img] “Supersis!!” She screamed. Estelle broke her concentration from the newly formed, smouldering crater in the centre of the courtyard, from where Lucifer’s body had been pummelled into again and again, to look at Trixie, and return a comforting smile to her. She patted Trixie on the head, pressing her palm down slightly and gently stroking her cheek. She closed her eyes and smiled again, gently lowering the drained and weary Lisette towards Trixie, who automatically responded in trying to help her stand. Estelle didn’t say anything, but instead moved forwards, walking towards the centre of the courtyard. Her feet tapped again and again atop the splintered, uneven broken ground, before finally stopping. Estelle closed her eyes again, and then lowering her head, sucked in a tremendous amount of air and took the greatest breath she could. And then, she shouted. [size=200][b]“EVERYONE!”[/b][/size] Estelle’s voice bellowed. [b][size=150]“I’M SORRY!!!”[/size][/b] “Estelle…?” Her friends’ faces perked up, each and every one of them staring towards her in confusion and bewilderment. [b]“I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY!!!”[/b] Estelle screamed ever so loudly. Tears started to swell within her eyes. “I’m sorry I tried to leave you! I am! I was wrong! So very, very wrong!” Estelle’s body began to pour out every last piece of her emotions out. “I was stupid and weak! I wasn’t strong or smart enough to lead you all and I was just putting you all in danger! I tried to leave because… because I told myself that would be protecting you! But it was a lie! I was… scared!!” “Estelle…” Her friends looked towards her, each of them feeling for her in their own individual ways. The responsibility Estelle carried, and the heartache she suffered. She tried her best, and always would, but she was still only eighteen years old. It wasn’t surprising for her to feel like this. “But I need you all! I need you all so, so much!! Please, forgive me!!” Estelle’s heart continued to pound and her voice continued to scream. “You’re my friends, and I don’t… I can’t... I can't be without you! I can't!… We have a mission! And I can’t… I don’t want to complete it without all of you besides me!!” [img]http://i.imgur.com/0ZOCUcl.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/VQL4rMN.png[/img] “Big… sis… Waa!” Besides Selan, Don’s eyes and nose were streaming with tears and snot. He was bawling like a baby. As one hand continued to clutch onto Trent, her other hand reached out to him, placing her palm atop his hand in order to comfort him. Supported in Trixie’s arms, Lisette lifted her weary head up high to watch her friend scream and shout and with it… she felt a little stronger too. Kapi had crossed the length of the battlefield and hopped up and down on one of her legs. [img]http://i.imgur.com/5LzOyhI.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/wv6nkSY.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/9iZrspN.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/JO4B0vT.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/COh55ZM.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/cfXWu5X.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Na1JGZp.png[/img] Dylan, Moira, Syed, Lucien, Nikki, Julius and Celeste all watched on too, transfixed on Estelle’s speech. Amy’s eyes shut tight, listening to each and every word Estelle spoke, and found new inner strength within herself. [b]“I can’t sing! I can’t dance! I can’t shoot guns or fire arrows! I can’t heal people! I can’t control wind or electricity! I can’t draw things to life, summon animals, create clones or turn into a cat! I can’t do acrobatics, fight with a glaive or head butt people! I can't do any of those! There's so much that I can't do, and why I can't do it alone!!”[/b] [b][i]“Estelle!!”[/i][/b] Everyone shouted in unison. Each and every one of them looked towards Estelle with renewed determination and empathy for their friend. She wasn’t only right about herself, but about each of them too. There was so much they couldn’t do alone, and that’s why they needed each other. It wasn’t just their abilities alone - but their heart. Much more then this fake band of psychopaths they fought, they were a family, and they needed each other. They were the Pride. [size=85]“Nnn… shut the goddamn hell up… can’t a guy die in fucking peace…?”[/size] Selan’s eyes opened with in disbelief, her face sharply turned to the awakening youth lying in her arms. [b]“Trent!!”[/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/fQWT986.png[/img] “Goddamn you all make too much fucking noise… is the monkey screaming again…?” Trent coughed as he scowled. Selan’s face crumpled as she looked down at him, holding him tightly as tears trailed down her cheeks with abject relief. "Wait, maybe that means I actually am in hell..." “I can’t piss off everyone either...” Estelle added quietly, lowering her head and smiling. And then a loud, chilling laughter eclipsed the thunder above. It carried across the wind, howling at the Pride from all around. [size=200][b][color=#6d6f6f]“HA! HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!”[/color][/b][/size] [b][color=#6d6f6f]“And what the hell can you do?”[/color][/b] Suddenly, everyone turned away from Estelle, staring forwards at the voice several feet in front of her that arose from the still smoking crater. A shadow rose from the ground, lifting up with arms and wings extended, to come to a defiant stand before them. It was obvious to all his body was haggered and exhausted, but with each passing second his stance and breathing improved, returning to normal. Marise and the Pride had hurt him severely, multiple times too. But to look at him, it would seem as though nothing had happened. He stood and spoke with the same collected air of power and confidence as he always had. [color=#6d6f6f][b]“Well? All I see is a bunch of weak, pathetic simpering fools stupid enough to believe they have any power to do ANYTHING.”[/b][/color] Lucifer’s voice pierced the Pride’s ears, a dark chill of despair running up their spines as if an ethereal cold claw of hate was trailed along it. [b][color=#6d6f6f]“A bunch of fools stupid and desperate enough to make them believe anything… to think that so many people could blindly choose to follow such a disgustingly weak degenerate like yourself.” “Tell me… what makes you so special?” [size=150]“WHAT CAN YOU DO?[/size]”[/color][/b] Estelle’s hand gripped the hilt of her Magitech Sword. A smile stretched across her face, and she looked towards Lucifer with no doubt or hesitation held in her heart. [b]“I can beat you.”[/b] Lucifer’s eyes opened in disbelief and pain as a flash of emerald light shot out towards him, and his torso was engulfed in a sharp diagonal slash that rained more midnight blood down to the ground. Estelle’s sword was raised, a strike already unleashed from the Magitech Sword that pulsed and throbbed a cool, emerald glow from the Wind Magisphere she had inserted into it earlier. [b]“Everyone!!”[/b] Estelle’s voice shouted out, as she continued to focus her attentions upon Lucifer. “I need you all to go to the top floor to the north! To the master bedroom there and the balcony outside!!” “Estelle?” Her friends turned to each other in confusion. “I need you to stop the ritual! There’s not much time left!” Estelle continued to shout out. “We need to use eight keys to close the gate or Abraxis is going to come through!!” “…keys?” Members of the Pride started to rummage through their pockets, the select few pulling out the spoils of war they had achieved from their battles with the Hawthorne Family. Selan, Dylan, Lucien, Amy, Lisette and Celeste all held a key from the defeated Drusilla, Damian, Alice, Jack, Valentine and Megaera. “…are these it?” Selan shouted back to Estelle. “That’s it!!” Estelle called back, her free hand digging into her pocket and pulling out another key. “That’s seven!” [b][color=#6d6f6f]“Where did you get those?!”[/color][/b] Lucifer’s haunting voice returned as he staggered back, glistening white fangs curled into a ferocious snarl as he gazed towards his adversaries. His breathing was rapid, before then slowing down and cooling. [b][color=#6d6f6f]“Fools… You cannot stop the Ascension! Defeat my pawns and take their keys all you like, it doesn’t matter! You won’t ever steal- what?”[/color][/b] Lucifer’s hands searched the back pockets of his trousers, only to find… “Missing these? Nyahaha~” Nikki laughed as she hopped back and forth on each foot, holding a key in one hand and the glass cube filled with souls Lucifer coveted so within the other. She couldn’t stop laughing. “They looked so shiny, I just had to take them~” [b][color=#6d6f6f]“HARLOT!”[/color][/b] Lucifer’s right arm swung upwards, trails of air piercing slashes bursting through and raking along the ground, aimed towards the nekomimi… before they were blocked and parried by another burst of emerald light slashing through them from Estelle’s own sword swing. “You don’t get them, Lucifer. You get [b][u]me.[/u][/b]” Estelle then quickly turned, throwing her key through the air, to land in Don’s hands. “Go! Everyone! Please!” “Right, Big Sis!!” Don shouted back, jumping onto his feet and posing extravagantly as always. The various injuries he had suffered and the pain he was granted from them had completely vanished from his mind. All that mattered was that this was it and that this was crunch time! Do or die! Time to save the world!! “Let’s go!!” Don yelled, holding Selan’s hand and lifting her up from the ground to begin running to the nearest entrance to the Manor and run to the fourth floor of the northern-most part of the Manor. “But…! We can’t leave Estelle…!” Lisette weakly gasped. Trixie looked to Estelle, and then Lucifer, her gaze flicking in-between them before then quickly shaking her head and running as quickly as she could whilst supporting Lisette. “No! We can! Believe in Supersis, Lissa! She’s invincible!! C’mon, bugbread, you too!!” “Hnn…” Moira grumbled, lowering herself from Dylan’s support, and then throwing Syed over her shoulder. Like fuck she’d let everyone else show her up with this sudden appearance of newfound strength. Sure, she could keep going a little bit longer if only to piss off Lucifer and his family’s shitty friends. “Tear that fucker a new asshole!” The rest of the Pride began to turn, following Don’s lead and moving after him. Lucien, Dylan, Nikki, Celeste, Julius and Trent all moved to follow after. Amy finished chanting a defence buffing spell before then following after the others. [b][color=#6d6f6f]“No, you don’t…”[/color][/b] Lucifer sneered, lifting his head up and turning to look at the Pride with sheer derision as they fled for the eastern entrance. [b][color=#6d6f6f]“You won’t escape!!”[/color][/b] His body disappeared in another blur, a shockwave erupting at the point where he originally should. A fierce gale assailed the Pride, all of them turning to look at the origin of it, of Lucifer streaking towards them, aiming to kill once and for all, his claws raised high and swinging downwards. “I told you, your enemy is me!!” To everyone’s surprise, Lucifer’s attack was countered, as his claws met sharp steel and was blown backwards, tumbling into a heap upon the floor. Estelle body was coated in a cool breeze that floated all around her, twinkles of emerald light flashing all around. In the southern part of the battlefield, Marcus stood with his weight supported by his staff, his hand raised and outstretched towards Estelle. [img]http://i.imgur.com/dVhLlOy.png[/img] [b][size=150]“Go, everyone!”[/size][/b] Estelle called out one more time, before dashing forwards towards Lucifer, Magitech Sword raised up high. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPzTS4v26Qk][b][u]FINAL BOSS THEME: IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT[/u][/b][/url][/hider]