Forever Caged [Complete]

Chapter 31: Vengeance


A thick tentacle of darkness shot out from the bed and stabbed at Reyvn, while another attempted a launch at Shinda. Arna made a surprised noise and stabbed at the tentacles with his cane.

Reyvn yelped, and tightened his large wings around himself and Arna. He huddled close to Arna and clung to him tightly, the violet edges of his wings glowing brightly as they defended and absorbed the shadows stabbing at them.

Shinda saw it coming, and folded his own wings around him to deflect the shadow. He edged toward the bookshelf slowly, getting an idea.

A deep laugh resounded throughout the house. Shadows leaked out everywhere, crawling out of whatever shade they could find in the well lit house.

Shinda growled and darted for the shelf, grabbing one sword and the slim dagger Lesara had bought so long ago. He leapt onto the bed, landing in a kneel. He slid his hand under Reyvn's wing, holding the dagger to him handle first. "Take it!"

Reyvn scooted back at the sudden sight of the blade, then gingerly took it from Shinda's hand. He'd forgotten all about the dagger.

Shinda perched on the foot of the bed, holding the one blade up defensively.

"I know where you are!" Rendell's voice echoed loudly. The shadows under the bed roiled, then flew upwards, flipping it. From somewhere in the house, a loud, shrill scream was heard.

Arna yelped, and hollered, "Cherry!"

Reyvn yelped when the bed was flipped, falling to the floor between it and the wall while still clinging to Arna. "Don't worry about her," he whispered sharply. The bed was on its side, the other edge propped against the wall, leaving the boys mostly in the dark.

Shinda growled and leapt off the bed before it flipped, then grabbed the other sword off the shelf. He didn't expand his wings anymore, but instead forced them to flare brighter, beating back the nearest shadows. He walked over to the bed, and tried to force it back down without disarming himself. "Yeah, yeah!" he hollered at Rendell, wherever he was. "Quit playing like a pussy and fight me!"

Once the bed was back down, a shadow shot out and wrapped itself around Shinda's ankle. It was followed by a clawed hand grabbing his other, and they both yanked hard.

"Gah!" Shinda cried as he was yanked to the ground. He landed on his back, and quickly flipped the blades and dug the short tips into the floor to keep from being dragged, then tried to jerk his legs away from whatever grabbed him.

Reyvn rolled up to a kneel, and kept one wing around Arna. He swept the other underneath the bed.

Rendell pulled himself out, digging his claws into Shinda's leg. His blond hair was dirtied with soot, and his body hadn't finished healing yet, leaving terrible burns all along his body. "Not only did you take what was mine, you ruined my home!"

Shinda winced and grunted from the pain, then stabbed one of the blades at Rendell. "And I'd do it again, you sick fuck!"

Reyvn pulled Arna up. "We need to help him," he said quietly.

Rendell rolled away from Shinda's stab. Right as he did, Arna brought his cane down and stabbed him in the side. Rendell howled in pain, then wrenched the cane away from Arna. A shadow leaked from under the bed and gently lapped at Rendell's wound, healing it. He unsteadily got himself to a standing position, then swung the cane at Shinda.

Shinda rolled to a stand while Arna stabbed at Rendell, and held the blades up defensively. He ducked under the swing of the cane, and launched himself at the demon, swinging one sword in front of him for a strike.

Reyvn crawled back over the bed close to Arna, and unsheathed his long dagger. He waited for a chance to attack.

Rendell brought the cane up, but not fast enough. He cursed as the tip of the blade bit into his stomach. A shadow slithered up his leg and lapped at that wound, healing it too. Then, an idea struck him. He began muttering, chanting in rhythm, and the shadows began consuming the room. One by one, candles and lights in the house were being snuffed, making the shadows stronger.

Shinda growled, increasing the speed of his attacks. "Oh no you don't!" He sliced at Rendell, the fire from his wings spreading down into the blades.

Reyvn frowned, still not seeing an opening for himself to attack Rendell. He settled for holding Arna close and just defending.

Rendell didn't stop his chanting, despite having to dodge most of Shinda's swings. A few hit their mark, but more tentacles came to lap at Rendell's wounds. The shadows began consuming everything, rolling over like smoke on the floors and walls of the house. More lights went out, and the darkness grew frenzied. Tentacles broke the glass in the window, then began pulling at the bars.

Reyvn whimpered, holding Arna tight. The violet of his wings glowed brighter, almost blinding, as they ate more and more of the darkness that came after him and Arna.

Shinda let his wings grow longer, flaring brighter in an attempt to keep the darkness from taking over everything. He cursed, pausing in his swings. He focused a ball of fire between the tips of the blades as he held them out, and when he had enough, shot it at Rendell.

The ball of fire hit Rendell square in the chest. He grunted, and continued chanting. Something snapped. Arna looked over and saw the bars of the window had somehow been broken, and the demon flew out into the night. Arna swore loudly. Even if he was just a gardener, he wasn't stupid. This meant trouble.

Shinda turned to watch Rendell leap out, and started to follow him. He paused to look at the boys on the bed. "Come on, the shadows will take you if you stay here. I know it isn't safe outside but at least there's moonlight!"

Reyvn nodded, and took Arna to the window. Shinda leapt out first, then Reyvn hooked his arms around Arna's waist and followed. He was glad the window was so big, otherwise he might not have fit both of them.

Rendell sunk into a shadow a tree was casting. There were clouds rolling in, thick and black. Tentacles swiped and lapped at the boys, as if teasing them. Rendell's chanting echoed through the thick wisps, and each one danced in time to his words.

Shinda remained in the air, and Reyvn took the hint and stayed close to him, refusing to land. He held Arna tightly. Shinda glided a short distance from the boys, his wings expanding to a massive size. They crackled and glowed, embers drifting from the edges. His eyes glowed white as he searched the darkness for the demon.

A tentacle shot from the ground, wrapping around Reyvn and Arna in an attempt to drag them down. Arna screamed. From the darkness, Cherry emerged with thick wisps wrapped around her. "Cherry!" Arna yelled. The shadows constricted her, and she wriggled to try and get away. The chanting stopped for a moment, and Rendell asked, "How 'bout a trade?"

Reyvn shrieked, unable to beat away the tentacle and fly at the same time. He held tighter to Arna as he was pulled down, mainly focusing on protecting him. He looked up, seeing Cherry, and his heart jumped into his throat. He didn't like the woman much, but he didn't want her dead.

Shinda growled. "I knew you would do that. I knew it! And my answer is no! I will not give Reyvn to you!"

Rendell cackled. "Fine then!" The shadows around Cherry constricted her, then jerked in separate ways. A loud series of cracks could be heard, and she fell to the ground, limp.

Shinda cursed. "You're disgusting." He glided to the ground, but didn't land. He circled the area, blades held offensively as he searched for Rendell. "Now quit hiding behind mommy's skirts."

A tendril came down on Cherry's middle hard and she screamed. Arna jolted in surprise, thinking her dead. "Hey, Reyvn, Shinda said you can take his powers. Can you use them to sense where he is?"

Reyvn flinched with Arna, shocked. "He just...he..." He shut his eyes to block out the sight of Cherry, shaking his head. "I don't know how," he said, voice shaky.

Shinda appeared beside them, and touched the tentacle wrapped around them with one wing. He hmph'd as it receded, then said softly, "Blood, Reyvn. Though it's better if you can do it without."

Reyvn's eyes snapped open, and he looked at Shinda, as though horrified that he'd suggest such a thing. "But then I'll-"

"I know. But we need you to."

Reyvn frowned, looking away. "All right." He leaned his face close to Arna's neck, then whispered, "I need to bite."

Arna flinched, his face going red. "...Alright." He tilted his head back for Reyvn, exposing more of his neck.

A tendril shot out at Reyvn, striking his back.

Reyvn yelped, falling forward. His wings couldn't bend that way to defend him, so instead they wrapped tightly around both he and Arna until the tips could cover his back. He shuddered, then reached up and locked his mouth over Arna's neck. He shut his eyes, then bit down hard till he could taste blood.

Shinda spun, drifting behind Reyvn to defend him from further back attacks.

Rendell decided that now was a good time to complete the spell. He chanted a bit more, then all the tendrils shot to the sky. The clouds had eclipsed the moon, letting the tentacles fall to meet the ones rising. Soon, everything was black. The only light in all of that darkness was the glow from Shinda's wings.

A large, gaping hole appeared above them, and an eye rolled forward. "This is the true master of the darkness!" Rendell cried gleefully as he stepped forward. He was now completely healed, and he spread his arms to the sky, as if greeting the great eye. "This is the one I speak to when I call forth the darkness!" A low rumble shook the earth, and it started to crack open in places.

Reyvn pulled his mouth from Arna's neck, satisfied. He licked the remaining blood from his lips, then stared up at the sky with bright orange eyes.

Shinda wasted no time. He flew at Rendell at full speed, attacking him with a flurry of sword swings and flame.

Arna shivered, cold from the sudden blood loss. He would have fainted had he not been so scared. He watched as Rendell seemed to fade into and out of the shadows protecting him. The giant eye darted back and forth, as if looking for something. He noticed it locked on Rendell when he reappeared, then tapped Reyvn to tell him.

Reyvn looked back down, then smiled at Arna. He handed the dagger to him, hilt first. Wispy feathers fell from his wings and whirled around Arna when Reyvn stepped away. "I know," was all he said before slipping into the shadows. Some crackling sounded, similar to electricity, and Reyvn emerged in front of Rendell. "Remember me? I said you wouldn't like it the next time I appeared," he purred with a grin. His wings crackled with the black lightning, the occasional violet spark flying off.

Shinda stopped his search, hearing Reyvn's voice. He chuckled, and floated back to Arna while he watched the show. "This is gonna get good," he said quietly.

Rendell stumbled back a few steps in surprise. "How did you do that?" He regained his composure, and swung at Reyvn. "No matter, I'll finish you off for good now!"

Reyvn floated back, out of range from Rendell's swing. "You really are an idiot," he said, voice low and smooth. He held his hands out to either side, and his palms filled with violet electricity. "How well do you handle being shocked?" He grinned, and shot the energy at Rendell.

Rendell's eyes went wide, and he flung his head back in a silent scream as he was electrocuted. Tendrils lashed at Reyvn, feeling Rendell's pain.

Reyvn's wings splayed out, and his skin started to glow faintly. He grabbed two of the tendrils, one in each hand, and forced his power into them. They shuddered, as did some of the darkness they came from, and instead turned on Rendell with sharpened points. Reyvn made a swinging motion with his arm, and the tendrils shot forward.

Rendell tried to dodge, but he was still somewhat stunned from being shocked. The tendrils pierced him, and Arna had to cover his ears not to hear the sickening screams.

Reyvn frowned, and walked calmly over to Rendell while the shadows he stole held him in place. "For all your pretentions, you really are boring." He made another motion with his hands, and the tendrils chucked Rendell to one side.

Rendell still had a grasp on some of the darkness. The tendrils withdrew from him and shot forward to Reyvn. He pulled himself up while more wisps healed his wounds. "What makes you think I'm out, boy?"

Reyvn chuckled, sinking back into the darkness before the tendrils reached him. He reappeared behind Rendell silently, and lunged for him to wrap an arm around his neck.

Rendell grabbed Reyvn's arm, and twisted it back off of him before attempting to throw him. Some tendrils grabbed his leg to aid the process.

Reyvn let himself be thrown off, and slowed and stopped in the air. He kicked the tendrils off, and raised a hand to aim another electric ball at Rendell.

More tendrils wrapped themselves around Reyvn, familiar with him, and the want to devour him.

Reyvn grunted, and instead shoved the ball into the tendrils. The sparks flew down them and towards Rendell, while Reyvn broke from their hold and flew towards the demon. He shot a hand forward to claw at his face, another one ready right behind it.

The darkness couldn't keep up with the damage Rendell was taking, try as it might. Rendell shot his fists forward to hit Reyvn, to try and make him stop, but at this point, he was worn out. Casting that spell had taken much from him without much return.

Reyvn got two good swipes at Rendell's face and neck before taking several blows to the torso and head himself, grunting at each. He fell away, landing in a kneel several feet from Rendell. He stood slowly, one hand rubbing his cheek. "You finally got me. Can you do it again?" He grinned, and started to sing a soft tune in a different language. His language.

Shinda looked on in shock, not expecting Reyvn to have remembered their language. He shook his head, glancing at Arna. He grabbed the boy after shifting both blades to one arm, and started to glide away. "Better get away while we can."

Arna clung to Shinda, getting a little airsick at this point. He swore that after this, his feet were never leaving the ground again. "What's going on?"

"Reyvn's going to destroy him. There's not much to explain," Shinda replied.

Reyvn's song built up, getting faster and stronger, and the shadows began to waver. His wings and eyes glowed brightly, and he held his hands out before him, as though casting a spell.

Arna nodded. In the distance, he could hear another voice, a male calling out. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

Shinda listened closely. "You know, I do. It's not Rendell..."

Rendell's pulse quickened. A primal fear washed over him, and in that fear, he sent as many shadows as he could after Reyvn before lunging at him himself. The other voice kept getting louder, almost discernable.

Reyvn grinned, and closed his eyes. The shadows hit him, swirling around him, but he didn't fall silent. Instead they turned into a thick hollow ball, violet energy sparking around it. Reyvn allowed Rendell to enter, and let the demon touch him. The magick forced Rendell to stop in mid-air, as though paralyzing, and Reyvn pressed his hands against Rendell's chest. "Goodbye." A smile threatened to crack his face as the white glow shot from his body and the ball inverted, all pushing into Rendell, intent on tearing him to a thousand pieces.

"Reyvn, that's enough!" A loud voice boomed. It was followed by some hurried chanting, and a ball of light flew towards the eye in the sky. It closed slowly, and the darkness began to dissipate.

Reyvn laughed, turning to face the source of the voice. He gave a good smack to Rendell's face, letting the demon drop in an ungraceful heap. The magick had already sliced up some of his insides, but not quite enough to kill. He stepped away from the demon, going towards Lesara.

Shinda returned, setting Arna down and making the feathers around him disappear. "Well, it's about damn time," he mumbled.

Lesara went to Reyvn and pulled him in a tight embrace. "Oh thank the gods, I thought you were a goner." He gave Reyvn an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "You seem to have done well for yourself. Go to Arna and Shinda, I want to take care of this." He slithered to Rendell, his jaw coming unhinged. He picked the heap of a man up by the throat, threatening to crush it. "What the hell have you done to my servants?" he snarled. Before Rendell could answer, Lesara put him in a crushing tail wrap.

Reyvn let Lesara hug him, returning the affection with a small pat on the shoulder before trotting to Arna and Shinda. He turned to watch the show.

Arna's eyes got so wide he feared they would pop out. He had never seen his master this mad, and he hoped he would never see either him nor Reyvn like that again. He hugged Reyvn as Lesara began beating Rendell around.

The naga bit hard into Rendell's leg, then tore it off completely. "I have half a mind to let Reyvn finish you off!" he yelled.

Reyvn slid an arm around Arna, keeping his eyes on the angry naga and the demon. Shinda just crossed his arms, looking on like he was bored. Inside his head he was screaming and running around in circles, glad that he wasn't Lesara's enemy.

Lesara's fangs had by now become fully extended. He looked towards the boys and yelled, "SHINDA!"

Shinda flinched, startled. He swallowed, and cautiously made his way to Lesara. "Yes?" He tried hard not to show his fear.

"Give Reyvn back his blades. I think he deserves the killing blow." Lesara began chewing on one of Rendell's arms. He had stopped screaming a while ago, knocked out by being thrown around.

Shinda paused halfway to the naga, then grinned. "Of course." He went back and handed Reyvn the vicious curved blades, and Reyvn happily took them and walked back to Rendell and Lesara. He frowned at the unconscious demon, then reached up a little to point with one finger. "I want you awake when I do this," he said softly, before humming a short tune. Light emitted from his hand and flowed around Rendell's head, healing him just enough to bring him back to consciousness.

Rendell opened his eyes, and was startled to find himself hanging at an odd angle. His pained screams echoed once he noticed that his arm and leg were missing. Lesara held him out for Reyvn. "Go on, you deserve this."

Reyvn smiled, and spun the blades so the longer ends were forward. He pulled his arms back, and shoved one deep through Rendell's chest while the other tore through his neck. He waited a moment, relishing the look of pure anguish and terror on Rendell's face before he ripped the blades outward, leaving a nasty hole in his chest and the body headless. Reyvn smiled down at the decapitated head, then said to Lesara, "Make sure his spine is destroyed when you're done."

Lesara nodded. "I know." He threw the body down, then proceeded to eviscerate it, acting like he was having a little too much fun pulling out organs. When he reached the spinal cord, he gave it a good yank, and tossed it to one side before finishing off the rest of the body.

Reyvn spun the blades back around so they curved along his arms, then turned away. He headed for the house, pausing when he got to Arna and Shinda. "It's all over now. I think Cherry's still alive, and she needs taken care of. I'll go in and clean up everything." He left everyone in the front yard, disappearing into the house.

Shinda watched him go, concerned. He looked down at Arna. "You go help him," he said quietly. "I'll stay out here and take care of things."

Arna nodded, got up and limped after Reyvn. Once he caught up, he took a moment before speaking. "Hey, you ok?"

Reyvn was in the kitchen, vigorously washing his hands and swords off in the sink. "I'm fine," he said casually. "You?"

"Kinda grossed out, but yeah. I'm cool." He was really feeling awkward. He didn't know what to say.

Reyvn was silent while he finished up, then set the swords on the table before walking over to Arna. He reached up and gently placed his hands on Arna's face, gazing into his eyes. His left eye was vibrant blue while the right remained orange. "I'm sorry if I scared you. But Rendell deserved everything he got, and it had to be done."

Arna's gaze traveled between both eyes before he pulled him in a tight embrace. "I know. And he deserved more." He tried to stem the tears leaking from him. "I just feel kind of stupid."

Reyvn hugged him back tightly. "Because you couldn't fight?" he asked softly.

Arna nodded. "Yeah that too." He laughed a little. "Even if I did, he'd have probably eaten me."

Reyvn pulled away some, giving Arna a questioning look. He didn't miss the tears sliding down his face. "What else bothers you?"

Arna shook his head. "It's nothing really." He smiled and kissed Reyvn's forehead. "Things should be alright now."

Reyvn frowned, and shifted up to kiss Arna gently on the lips. "They should," he whispered.

Arna kissed back, and slid his hands down Reyvn's sides. He pulled away, and the tears came back double. "I was scared he'd take you away again."

Reyvn smiled softly, and shook his head. "I'm not going to let that kind of thing happen ever again." He pulled Arna down, laying light kisses on his cheeks, tasting the salty tears before again pressing their lips together.

Shinda came into the room silently, holding Cherry's unconscious form in his arms. He'd put her bones back together, but he'd need to call a doctor for the injuries he couldn't see. He watched the boys for a few seconds before heading down the hallway.

Lesara came in not long after Shinda, holding Rendell's spine and coated with blood. "Boys! I need someone to help me li- oh my!" His face turned red when he slithered into the kitchen and saw Arna and Reyvn. Arna's head picked up and his cheeks were equally red. "Uh... hiya Master," he said, waving a sheepish hello.

Reyvn tensed, pulling back some from Arna but not letting go. He gave a small smile to Lesara. "Help you with what?"

Lesara smiled and waved his hand. "Oh, nothing. I'll just let you two alone for now." He turned and left the kitchen. "Oh Shinda? Lend me a hand burning this!" he said in a sing-song voice.

Arna looked back down at Reyvn, cheeks ablaze. "Kinda glad he's home now."

Reyvn grinned as he watched the naga go. "Yes. I missed him being around." He hugged Arna tight, nuzzling against his chest. He pulled away then, and went to carefully pick up some broken glass that had crashed to the floor when the shadows were taking over the house. "Get a broom, would you?"

Arna made his way to the pantry and pulled out a broom. He handed it to Reyvn and said, "I'm going to see if I can't find another cane."

Reyvn took the broom, and began sweeping up all the glass he could find. "I think I saw one by the door."

Arna nodded, and left to grab one.


----------

And that's the end of Rendell, yo. Finally.