Pages | Chapter 35 | The End of The Erizul Guild

[marsgemwrites]

 A final step.

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Chapter 35. The End of The Erizul Guild

Once again Erin was wrapped up warm and trudging through Frusen to the rift. This time she had Skereth with her. Their hands were knotted together and they walked close to each other to keep warm.

After the previous day's events, Erin wanted to have Skereth with her more than ever. She felt fragile and Skereth felt like an anchor.

Greenwood had sent a message to the Erizul Guild and organised the meeting. Erin was scared to see Vechs again. It was traumatising to see him walking around, even more so know how Blame was with him. She shook her head and tried to distract herself with happy thoughts.

After this the death threat hanging over her head would be gone and she could live the rest of her days without the fear of being killed in her sleep. A fear that was making her physically exhausted as well as mentally. She desperately wanted to be rid of that fear.

Erin felt Skereth give her hand a gentle squeeze. She looked up into her brown eyes and the smile that met her made the fears cower and leave her alone. Erin was strong alone, but Skereth added another layer of strength that was normally there.

Chad was walking with his hand locked with Sevadus', he was likely feeling very similar to Erin. She felt so sorry for him, he'd known Vechs longer than she had and loved him, too. Chad had taken the death badly, but he would solider on because he refused to be overcome by the grief of losing his friend.

The small group was minutes away from the rift and there was tension in the air. When Greenwood opened the portal it would create a vortex and a flash as it always did. The little trick Greenwood had done last time was something he'd developed to check the rifts and make sure they were safe. Even if this wasn't the case, they would have been able to bluff their way out of it.

"What if it goes wrong?" Chad voiced the concern everyone was refusing to think about.

"Then we fight," Etho said flatly, "we all know how, we can manage."

Chad audibly gulped, but said nothing more.

And then they were there. The Erizul Guild hadn't shown up yet. Part of Erin was thankful for this, but part of her wished they were there because it meant she didn't have time to get anxious about the plan. But in the circumstances, she did.

Every possible way that the plan could go wrong flashed in Erin's mind. Her grip on Skereth's hand tightened when the image of Skereth being killed flitted through her mind. She wouldn't let that happen.

Sevadus noticed the bittermist first and as soon as he shouted that he'd seen it, the guild materialised. They stood in their full masked get up, looking as intimidating as ever. There was only five people, though. Vechs wasn't there.

"Hello again my friends!" Blame said shrilly, "How nice to see you!"

"Believe me, you're the only one who thinks that," Skereth replied.

Blame tilted his head to the side, "Really? I would've thought Erin here would be delighted to see us!"

"Let's not argue and just get on with what we want to do," Greenwood said, bored, "I want to get home, I was reading a very good book."

"Very well," Blame bowed his head, "Open up the rift for us,"

Greenwood threw down the phial causing it to smash. He channelled the magic and the vortex opened in the ground. Erin had never seen the vortex due to always having it open right below her when she'd been transported. It was a beautiful blue in colour and whirled invitingly.

"So, do we get a phial, too?" Blame asked hopefully, "So we can get back."

Greenwood pulled a phial with a fake ghoul inside from his jacket. They'd decided having it just in case Blame demanded a ghoul would be a good idea. He handed Blame the phial and Blame snatched it from his hand.

"Okay, so anything we need to know?"

"Anything that isn't sentient gets destroyed. This would include your clothes." Greenwood said.

"Oh really?" Zada said, "such a shame Erin's not joining us."

"Shut up," Skereth said protectively.

Zada hummed, "I wouldn't mind you coming, too if you're a package deal now."

"Zada, be quiet." Blame said sternly.

"Yes sir," Zada replied.

Erin squeezed Skereth's hand again, hoping she'd understand this was her silent way of saying thank you.

"Enough of this," Greenwood said shortly, "you need to go before the portal closes up."

"Of course," Blame nodded, "where will we end up?"

"In a place called America," Greenwood said, "it's a fairly nice place, I'm sure you'll like it."

"America. Sounds like a magical land!" Blame exclaimed.

Erin had to stop herself because she made an 'Eeeh' sound. It was better the guild thought America was a good place to go.

"That's one word for it," Greenwood said, "now, off you go."

Blame eyed the portal, "All right, Jo-Jo." Blame stepped to the edge of the portal and looked down. It took all of Erin's strength to not push him in. I would bring her so much satisfaction, but she had to stick to the plan. She had to be civil.

"Here goes," and Blame stepped in. One by one the other members of the Erizul Guild did it too. Then it was over. It felt so anti-climactic. All that and they were just gone. No more, never to be seen again.

Erin looked at Greenwood who was standing near the still open vortex. A dark thought flitted through her mind; She could push him in. Right now. Avenge her father's murder and to so extent her mother's death, too. It would be so easy.

But she wasn't that type of person. She didn't give in to her wicked desires. It was what made her different to Blame, a man who would give in to every single bad thought he had. A man who deserved to be taken off the face of the planet.

"They're gone," Chad whispered, "they're actually gone."

Etho nodded. He stepped over to Greenwood and moved a hand towards his back. Erin's eyes went wide, Etho was going to push him in. She couldn't let that happen, she knew should couldn't. She ran to the vortex and grabbed Etho's hand, pulling him away.

Etho looked at her with a squint but stepped back, "It was so tempting," he whispered in her ear, "I know you wanted to."

"But I didn't." Erin hissed back. She took her place next to Skereth again and just glared at Etho. She knew we wasn't a bad man deep down, he just held a grudge against Greenwood.

Greenwood seemed to be none the wiser, apparently not having seen or heard the interaction. He waved his hands and the vortex closed up, hopefully never to be opened again. He turned to the rest of the group and smiled. It was an actual, genuine smile, something Erin never thought she'd see.

"Shall we go to our respective homes, ladies and gentlemen?"

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

That was the least confrontational final confrontation I have ever seen. Anticlimactic is an understatement, but yay the wicked witches are dead, and the heros can follow the peaceful brick road. Maybe.
-Observing Anon

[scara]

Mhm it almost seems too easy doesn't it?

[scara]

Shame Greenwood didn't open up the 'viewing' kind of portal so that we could see the confusion and start of suffering of the Guild, with Blame smashing the bottle and nothing happening.

It was almost too easy, the Guild didn't expect any sort of trap and so skipped into it like happy little lambs thinking they were going somewhere nice and instead ending up in the slaughterhouse.

Curious that Vechs wasn't with them. Though in Blames mind he likely thought "We'll pop over to Earth, scope it out, cause some chaos and then go home, we'll know the location of the rift and can come and go as much as we please once we know how it works."

So is Vechs just sitting in the Guild's mansion now? All alone and monstrous?

[marsgemwrites]

We will find out what happens to Vechs... NEXT WEEK ON PAGES!

[(Anonymous)]

*theme music plays*
-Observing Anon

[scara]

Mars shared this song with that Pages chat to hint at the next chapter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDUjeR01wnU

We're all quite suspicious but the author is giving nothing away.

[(Anonymous)]

Quite suspicious indeed.
-Observing Anon

[scara]

Indeed.