Little update: A big thanks to those who are following this story so far! In case you are wondering, this is a self-written story (an amateur attempt I know) during the days when I was fascinated by the stuff about knights, castles, kingdoms and sorcery, you get what I mean. For those who wish to check out the previous chapters, here's the link! With that let the adventure continue!
Chapter 41
The three of them had been playing cat-and-mouse with the Perisher for the past few days. So far, the Perisher had not detected their presence, largely due to Maltov's efforts.
When they got too close to the Perisher, Maltov would always try to make some noises so as to capture his attention, thus allowing them to escape. While Moya and Malcolm thought they were purely lucky, it affirmed Rak's suspicions that there was indeed someone with them. Once, he tried to tell Moya and Malcolm but they did not believe him. Moya even told him that the crystal tower was not haunted and there were no spirits.
After having lunch in the store room, Rak went out to get water. As usual, Maltov followed him out. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks.
He turned around and said, "I know you are there. Who are you? Why are you following us?"
Maltov froze. He decided that it was time he revealed himself.
"Yes, I'm here. I will tell you who I am, but you need to promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"Keep it to yourself and don't reveal my identity to Moya and Malcolm."
"Who are you then?" Rak asked.
"I'm Maltov."
Rak could not believe what he heard.
To make sure he did not lie, he asked, "Tell me where you came from."
Maltov explained, "I woke up in the graveyard. From then on, I was invisible. It wasn't long before I saw the two of you in the alley. Since then, I have been following you guys."
"So my suspicions were right all the time."
Maltov nodded and said, "I'm not sure if you know, but things are not looking good at the moment. If you have the opportunity, bring the others up to the top of the tower and take a look."
"What's going on?"
"Go see for yourself. You better go get your water. I don't want the two of them to wonder why you are taking so long."
Rak managed to persuade Moya and Malcolm to sneak up to the top of the tower in the late afternoon. They tiptoed past the Perisher and went up the staircase that led to the circular room. There, they saw a massive battle going on in Iglius. Also, large parts of the land were ravaged by the invaders.
Malcolm pointed out to the skeletal warriors and questioned, "What are those creatures? They don't look human to me."
"No idea, but it seems that they are fighting against us." Moya replied.
"What should we do?" asked Malcolm.
Suddenly, Rak whispered, "Shh.. Did you hear something?"
They kept quiet and listened. "Tap, tap, tap.."
Rak was the first to react, "Oh no! The Perisher is coming up!"
He scanned around and tried to see if there were signs of the existence of Maltov. Where was Maltov when they needed him most? The footsteps became louder and clearer, and there was no place to hide.
"We will have to fight!" urged Moya.
The shadow at the wall grew larger as the three of them stood in position. Rak was in the front, with crystals in his palm. Moya was behind him, ready to use magic any moment. Malcolm, who was capable of nothing, squatted right at the back. Just as the Perisher was reaching the room, the door slammed shut without any warning.
Then there was a 'click' sound. The door was locked.
"What's happening?" squeaked Malcolm.
Malcolm had just finished his sentence when the door came crashing down.
"Take that!" Rak shouted as he threw a crystal at the Perisher, causing a minor explosion.
"Weapon defecto!" shrieked Moya.
The skeletal sabre shook for a moment before it flew out of the Perisher's hands.
"How dare you!" grunted the Perisher as he rushed to pick up his weapon.
However, the weapon took flight and floated across the room, towards the exit. Before Moya sent more spells towards him, the Perisher roared in anger. His roar was so loud that the three of them were knocked off balance. He did not stop. This time, the tower started to sway, and bit and pieces of the bricks broke off. Sensing that the tower was collapsing, he rushed out in pursuit of his skeletal sabre, which was taken away by Maltov. The tower started to shake even more as bricks started to fall off one by one.
Maltov had just gotten out of the main door when the Perisher caught up with him. Knowing he was not the Perisher's match, Maltov threw the skeletal sabre away and decided to go back in to save the three of them. Just as he turned around, the door opened and the three of them struggled out in the nick of time before the foundation of the crystal tower gave way. A wave of dust swept past them as the building was reduced to near nothing.