The Legend of Samuel Mason Pt. VI - The Final Stand

Chapter 34

I jolted awake, my body glowing with the Unity and slowly dissolving. Jason was cradling my body and Amana had her hand on my face. Safe be said, they looked absolutely shocked.

"S-Sam?" Jason stared at me. The energy dissipated, as looked up at Jason and Amana. Amana gasped.

"You're... changed again... oh god."

"What do you mean?" I repositioned myself so I was sitting on the ground. Jason also gasped.

"Your appearance... it's back to before. Samuel Mason."

I looked at my reflection from the shards of obsidian on the ground. He was right. I looked just like I was before, my caucasian self, close cropped brown hair. Silver eyes. Even Wheeler's Goggles hung around my neck. True Magic indeed. My past as Decen was just the past.

Energy built up in front of us, as the Five Subjects of Quinta stood before us.

Jason stood in front of us, but I put my hand on his arm. "They're with us. The Subjects of Quinta."

Jason stared at me. "You're kidding."

An adult Bridget walked up to me and took my hand, helping me to my feet. She turned to Jason and Amana. "We, the Subjects of Quinta, shall assist Blackflame of Croft in his final push against the Aspects. To avenge our Queen!"

The other four subjects shouted in unison. "Together and forever. Freedom to the cosmos!"

Bridget turned to me. "What shall be our first order of business, Champion Mason."

I looked up to the dark sky of the Underworld. "We find our people, and we rally as many troops as we can. Chances are, Deimos wants another crack at me, since he said so. Then let's give em what he wants."

Bridget smiled. "Very well." She dissipated into a shower of white sparks, entering my consciousness.

"It shall be done." Bridget's voice appeared in my mind.

"Who the heck is that?!" Celestia squeaked.

"Her aura... she is..." Sentry muttered.

"Bridget?! Oh god! You've grown so much!" Celestia squealed.

Bridget laughed in my head.

I facepalmed. "Okay, calm down you guys. Let's find our people. Celestia?"

"On it."

Celestia manifested in her fairy form, and began forming a portal. Jason was still staring at me. "Uhh, duhhh".

Amana smirked. "I see. So Bridget is the Subject of Quinta, the Conduit of the Unity. We're going to hit them with everything we got. It better be worth it, Sam."

We began to dissipate, entering the place Lazarus had ported the survivors. I looked at Amana grimly. "I'll make sure of it."

Chapter 35

My home. That was where they had evacuated to.

Jason arched his eyebrow. "This place brings back memories."

Tons of people took refuge in my old neighbourhood. I slipped on my goggles activated Hunter's Eye to check for soul beasts, but they were apparently gone. I guess that wasn't surprising, with Janna, Ferris, Calliope, Tob, Trill, and Lazarus, it wouldn't have been any problem for them.

I turned to the rest of the Subjects. "We need to rally our troops. I uh... I don't know if you guys are comfortable staying here-"

The Subjects were all children again. Rolah spoke to me in his child form. "It is alright. We have been in disguise for millennia. This is no difficult task."

I went to my old house... well actually it was Tob's house. He was the one paying all the rent. It looked as scuffed as ever. I walked up the steps, which creaked. Hunter's Eye picked up Tob on the sofa, alongside Janna. I narrowed my eyes and nearly choked. They were kissing.

"Oh for crying out loud." I muttered.

Celestia giggled in my mind. "Damn, even the moron scored a girl." She stopped midway. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

"It's okay." I smiled. Of course, the fact that even Tob managed to get a date was beyond comprehension. At least once the battle was over, Tob could be happy without me.

"Home sweet home!" I grabbed the door and yanked it out of the hinges. "Uhhh..."

I attempted to put the door back as Tob and Janna stared at me. Janna kicked Tob off the sofa. "Oh! Champion, I um... it's not what it looks like. It was a sympathy kiss. He had something wrong with his mouth-"

"It's okay, Janna. I won't tell."

Janna's face was bright red. Tob was grinning like an idiot. I guess I might as well have a few words with him before the final battle.

"I knew you'd survive, you tough sunavabooooootch!" Tob exclaimed, running up to me and crushing me in a hug. "Dude! What happened?! You look back to normal!"

"Huh?! What's wrong with what I originally looked?"

Tob scratched his head. "Ehhh, I don't know. When you merged with your old self, it felt kinda weird. I know you for Samuel Mason, so talking to a guy who looked different wasn't the same. I mean not like I have a problem with that. Good to have you back dude. I mean it."

I held back a sob of joy. "Ditto."

I left Tob and Janna alone as I opened the door, carefully, to my old room.

Chapter 36

My room was not different from when I last left it. My bed unmade, and an overall mess. Typical underperforming college student. Haha.

I sat on my desk-chair, and reached into the pocket of my ruined jeans, pulling out the photo that was on Merrow's grave. The picture of me as Decen and Merrow in the photo booth. I smiled.

"Hey Merrow," I spoke to the photo. I probably looked really stupid and creepy, talking to a photo, but whatever.

"I united the Subjects of Quinta, and got the Unity. Pretty crazy huh? I can say with confidence I've definitely gotten stronger than my old self as Decen. Old me would have been PISSED!" I laughed.

"A long time ago, I only cared about being the strongest Paladin. And now that I am, I've made a realization. Being at the top sucks when that's your only goal. Being at the top without anyone to celebrate it with, really really sucks. And you know, coming back here again, and speaking about these things, made me realize it. Can you believe it? I've become the strongest Paladin and I don't even care."

"I just want to be with people who care about me. Who love me. I couldn't give a single shit about being the strongest anymore."

I held out my hand, and Merrow's spear manifested. "Check this out." I spun the spear with one hand. "Pretty cool, huh? I'm just like you. Maybe I should start putting on makeup or something. That'll really seal the package."

I laid the spear on my bed. "I'm just kidding. I think I'm gonna fight my last fight with your spear. I'm gonna honour you. I know I've said it once, but I'll say it again."

"Thank you. For everything. For being my older sis, for being there for me and putting up with my shenanigans. You've taught me that there's more to life than self loathing. I think... I'm ready to move on. No more grieving about your loss. It's time to honour you, until my last stand. Then I'll join you."

Merrow's spear dissipated. "I guess you're probably waiting for me to do this. I haven't done this in ages."

I took out Jonna's amulet, the same one I wore as Decen, and held it up in front of the photo. "It's time." I put the necklace on, checking myself in the mirror. The nostalgia.

I went down the stairs. Janna was asleep, and Tob was playing video games on the television. "Dude... are you seriously playing video games at a time like this."

Tob turned around. "Come on, man. Let me ease up a bit. Janna and I are gonna bust some Aspect skulls. Gotta let loose a bit."

I didn't want to, but I had to ask. "Tob, where's Junon?"

Tob paused the game. "She's with her squad. They're in that red house over there." He pointed across the street.

I stopped by the entrance. The refugees must have been here for a while. Underworld time was a bit wonky, Jason, Amana, and I were probably gone for weeks and we wouldn't know.

"Guys, I have to be alone on this one." I told my soul-link companions.

Bridget, Celestia, and Sentry manifested. Bridget nodding at me in her child form. They went off on their separate ways as I knocked on the door, taking a deep breath.

The door flung open, and Junon crushed me in a hug. "Oh thank god. I thought you were dead. I thought-"

"I'm okay."

Junon pulled away and stared at me. "You're..."

"Me again. Yeah. Long story. I um... can I come in?" Junon's cyan eyes were bloodshot from crying, and I could tell she was still not on terms with her boyfriend's death. I needed to apologize.

Junon wiped her eyes. "Yeah."

Junon's house looked like an old family house that had seen age. Of course, it wasn't really her house, but the people who resided in it were probably dead. She looked like one of those old moms who had to look after a bunch of kids. My impression was pretty much fixed when Truman and Veran bounded through. They didn't look too bad, aside from a few casts. They were arguing about the stupidest thing ever.

"I'm pretty sure an overweight orc is gonna be heavier than an overweight elf."

"Impossible! We are built for battle!"

"I mean hypothetically, dude."

"Yes! Hypothetically, orcs are always built for battle!"

"That makes no sense!"

Junon looked at me with a depressed smile. "Don't mind those two. They're trying to get their minds off... you know."

I sat on the sofa as Junon went to the kitchen to prepare something. "Want some beans. It's all we got."

"I'm okay."

"Come on, fighting malnourished can't be good for you."

"Your mom instincts are taking over, I see."

Junon smiled but pursed her lips. I struck a nerve. "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Junon sat in front of me, handing me a can of beans. I ate a bit of it, and I felt my body beginning to restore itself, differently from the Restoration Force. It felt... wholesome.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." Junon was horribly depressed. Her eyes had shadows and she looked like she hadn't slept for days. "We're doing our best..."

I lightly blew the beans, attempting to cool it off. "How's... Adam." Junon picked with a loose thread on her t-shirt. "He's in his room. Coping."

My heart felt heavy. "Look, I-"

"It wasn't your fault."

My mouth was still open. "Wh-What?"

"Mavus... I know. You tried. I just..." Junon sobbed. "When I heard about his sacrifice in our fight against Mogul, I was so scared that I would lose him, that I tried to have a kid with him. It was selfish of me to do. When he survived that fight, I thought... maybe we could raise a family."

I stared at the ground. Junon continued to cry. "I just... I didn't think he would go like this. Like this." I sat next to her as Junon rested her head on my shoulder. "I'll defeat them all, Junon. I possess all of Quinta's Energies, and united the Subjects. I will not let his loss go in vain."

Junon let out a small laugh. "Thank you, Sam."

Chapter 37

One more stop.

Amber was in a single roomed house all by herself. Her eye was bandaged. Across her room was a bunch of firearms. Classic Amber.

I knocked on the door and Amber opened it. "Sam... your-"

"I know."

Amber looked away. "Now I can start to believe you were the Samuel Mason I used to know. Aside from the stockiness."

"Stockiness?" I smiled.

Amber sat on the bed. I sat across from her. "Final fight. Gonna be a tough one. You sure you're not gonna find Lazarus to help you enchant those?"

Amber shook her head, putting the shotgun to the ground. "Wouldn't matter anyway. Those Decenites are something else."

The mood was quiet, and sad. In a way, it felt like this was probably our last genuine conversation we would have together. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say. When it came to Amber, it was hard to talk to her about real things without stuttering like an idiot.

Amber scooted closer to me. "Your eyes are pretty."

"Yeah, you told me-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Amber grabbed my face and pulled me into a kiss. My brain melted as I began concentrating on the most detailed things. The smallest crack on the wooden floor. The slightest ruffle on the bedsheet. Come on Mason. Say something. You're a champ. A CHAMP.

"I... duh..." I stuttered. Fantastic. You can't blame me. It was the first time I ever kissed a girl. Actually, it would have been my second time. But that was because Junon had lost her memory. And I'm not helping my case.

Amber ran her hand through my hair. "Still as awkward as ever, Sam."

I was definitely blushing. I could feel my ears burning. "I uh, I'm gonna go."

Amber turned away. "Yeah."

I went out to meet the Subjects and the survivors to rally our troops. For the final battle.

I would say Calliope and Kyrael gave a real good speech, but looking at our odds, our chances were still grim. Despite this, I looked around. People were still in a fighting spirit. Ready to battle. It wasn't because we had numbers, or the strength. We definitely were not in the best shape. But it was because each and every single person. They had that look. The determined look. They all lost something important to them during the Cleansing. Each and every single one of them. They were ready to give it their all, because we all had nothing left to lose.

"Sam." A girl's voice appeared behind me. I turned around.

Hannah walked up to me, her face was covered in scratches, her eyes were no longer the sweet caring eyes I knew who looked after Aaron. Around her shoulder was a huge blade. Rigor.

"You..."

"I inherited the Power Force."

I looked at the ground. Aaron had died, and I was guessing he passed down his powers to Hannah, just as Reagan had done to him.

Hannah held out a pair of clothes. "Your clothes are all torn. Here."

I took them, they were the same outfit I had. The original Blackflame outfit with the padded jeans, tank top, and nano-weave jacket. "How?"

Hannah managed a weak smile. "It wasn't too hard to replicate."

I put it on, in private, as Hannah looked away. "Look, Hannah-"

Hannah cut me off. "Don't mention it. Just take down that creep. For Aaron."

"I will." I nodded grimly.

Celestia and the Motion Force Subject flew to the sky, creating hundreds of portals to Corinth, where the Aspects were all waiting. I entered the portal with everyone following suit. Back to Corinth, alongside Jason, Amana, Tob, and Janna.

I looked at the army of Decenites and Deimos, who smiled sinisterly. I looked back, as every person was armed with enchanted weapons, spells, powers. Calliope and Lazarus flew to the sky, enhancing everybody with celestial and rune magic, as Ferris summoned his stone golems, which were armed with Calliope's armour.

Seraphim and Tob grew to maximum size, Amana transforming into her Celestial Form, and Jason powering up to his maximum potential.

Junon and Adam, summoning their Achilles Forces.