Chapter 35: Chapter 32

“We have no choice. Let's do this.”

Rinaldo looked down at the fortress, and saw the army of cultists marching out of the fortress walls, all ready for battle. Their numbers were frightening. He saw hundreds of cultists there and siege weapons on the ground. It was a large force that would be difficult to resist.

Rinaldo and Olivia knew they would face heavy losses if they tried to attack the cultists head-on. If they had a chance, however, it would be to lure the cultists outside the fortress walls, and then launch an ambush.

Should they succeed, they might defeat the entire force of cultists and seize the fortress. The question was, how were they going to get close to the fortress to execute the plan? They would have to travel through the valley, hoping the cultists didn't notice them.

A member of the airship's crew came and stood near Rinaldo and Olivia. “Sorry, but you need to get off the airship now. It's too dangerous to stay in one place like this.”

“Thank you.” Rinaldo took Olivia's hand. “Let's go.”

They climbed down the ladder of the airship, and jumped to the ground. Rinaldo saw a group of soldiers waiting for him and Olivia. There were some men and women there, as well as Ahab and his crew. The airship crew seemed to be busy with their tasks. They hadn't noticed Rinaldo and Olivia's presence.

The group of soldiers led Rinaldo and Olivia to the ground, and they marched toward the fortress. They walked to a place that was far from the dominant forces. It was a forest in the northern part of the valley, so they were a respectful distance away from the army's front lines.

Rinaldo and Olivia took cover in the forest, out of view of the cultists. They made their way to the edge of the forest, trying to stay away from the enemy's sight. A few patrols of cultists roamed around the area, but they didn't see them.

They had made it this far, so the plan was working. This was the tricky part of the plan. The plan required them to enter the valley, which was a dangerous undertaking. If cultists captured them, they would execute them.

“I wish we had time to set up an ambush.” Olivia sighed. It was a risky plan, but she felt it had a good chance of success. They waited, huddled in the shadows, barely a few metres from the forest's edge.

“We're going to have to chance it. They're not expecting us, so we should be able to slip through the cultists' front lines.”

The two remained still, hiding as best they could. They could see the fortress and the army of cultists marching towards it. Rinaldo held his breath as he tried to stay calm. His heart was beating fast, and he felt his pulse throbbing. He knew the fight was about to begin.

“It's about time.” Ahab appeared next to them. “Good, you've both made it through. You two will have to go on alone.”

Rinaldo peered out of the forest. He could now see the army's front line looking like a sea of cultists. The forest looked so serene, but Rinaldo knew this would turn into a fight to the death. He could now feel the danger and tension rising to the surface of his skin.

He held his breath as they waited. Suddenly, an immense wave of cultists emerged and marched towards the line. They pushed through the line, pushing it back. The cultists attacked the army, cutting down anyone that stood in their way.

Rinaldo turned to Olivia and smiled. “Come on. Let's go.”

The cultists continued to attack the army, pushing it back into a tight formation. Rinaldo felt a hand holding onto his arm. He looked over to see Olivia smiling at him. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back at her.

“We made it.” Olivia whispered. “We're so close.”

They padded, making sure they didn't make any noise. A cultist patrol walked past them, and Rinaldo and Olivia ducked into the bushes and watched them go. Rinaldo and Olivia moved as quickly as possible through the forest, going deeper into the valley.

There were several paths, and they couldn't tell which direction the valley ended in. Their path was hard to follow in the thick undergrowth. Rinaldo was certain they had to go in the right direction. He knew they had to find a way to the mountains, and then make their way up.

He kept his eyes open, looking for any signs of danger. The cultists spread out along the valley's border. They were close to the fortress, but not close enough. “We're almost there, Olivia.”

Rinaldo saw a dark shadow in the distance, heading for the valley. It looked like the dark, twisted shadow of a man. Rinaldo knew it was a cultist. He saw Olivia glance over her shoulder, following the cultist.

The shadow reached the forest, and then disappeared. Olivia turned to Rinaldo and smiled. She looked into the forest, waiting for something. Suddenly, Rinaldo heard a sound coming from the forest, not a single voice, but many. They all had a sound that reminded him of screaming.

“They're calling out to each other. That's a bad sign. The cultists know we're here. This is not going to be easy.”

“I know.” Rinaldo looked at Olivia. She looked into the forest, waiting for something to happen.

“What is it? What are you waiting for? I don't see anything.”

“There, in the shadows. Watch out!” Rinaldo noticed the shadow of a long dark figure. It was a cultist. He had been hiding in the forest, waiting to attack intruders. He came at them, charging right at them.

“We have to fight back.” Rinaldo started running towards him. Olivia came over and stood next to him. He raised his sword and swung it at the cultist. The blade hit the cultist's shoulder, and the cultist's weapon fell to the ground.

The cultist swung at Rinaldo. He dodged and then cut down at the cultist's leg. The cultist's sword fell, and Rinaldo swung again. Rinaldo had to step back after the cultist blocked him with his sword. The cultist swung again at Rinaldo, and he jumped back. He dodged another attack.

Rinaldo saw the cultist swing at him again. He jumped out of the way and slashed at the cultist's feet, cutting off his footing. The cultist lost his balance and fell to the ground. Rinaldo grabbed him by the leg, but the cultist kicked him off and got him back up. He started swinging again.

“Olivia, watch out!” Rinaldo shouted.

The cultist charged at her. She stepped out of the way and tried to stab the cultist, but missed and fell to the ground. The cultist kicked her to the ground and ran over to Rinaldo. “We've got you now. Why don't you give up? Your time is done.”

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“How dare you…” Rinaldo stepped back, surprised. He had not expected the cultist to be this strong. He looked up at Olivia. She was trying to get back on her feet. “Olivia! Are you ok?”

“I'm fine.” Olivia smiled, a look of confidence on her face. She lifted her head and looked at Rinaldo. She still had her sword, which was in a fighting position. “Keep fighting.”

“Rinaldo! Don't forget to fight. No matter what happens, keep fighting. Don't give up.” Olivia swung the sword at the cultist, who blocked her blade with his. The cultist kicked Rinaldo, sending him tumbling down onto his back. He swung down at Rinaldo's head, but Rinaldo rolled out of the way.

The cultist drew his sword and held it in front of him. Rinaldo got up and threw the cultist's sword. The cultist turned around and jumped at Rinaldo. He kicked Rinaldo in the side, sending him crashing to the ground.

“You shouldn't have done that!” The cultist picked Rinaldo up by his neck. He lifted him, his head hanging back. Rinaldo gasped for air, but the cultist slammed him to the ground. Rinaldo winced in pain.

“That's it. Give up! There's no way out.” The cultist pulled out a knife and pointed it at Rinaldo's chest. “Resistance is futile, be assimilated.”

“Shut up! I won't give in. I will not give up. Never.”

“You were always too naïve.” The cultist returned his arm, ready to plunge his knife into Rinaldo's heart. “This is your fate. Let go of your pride and face reality.”

“You won't win.” Rinaldo struggled to get back up but fell over and hit the ground.

“You are weak. Too weak to even talk to me. Your own thoughts make you weak.”

Suddenly, Olivia attacked him. The cultist tried to block her attack, but she hit him and sliced the cultist's hand. He looked down at the knife stuck in his hand. Blood started pouring down his hand. He grabbed the knife and pulled it out.

“This is too much. Don't mess with me.” The cultist raised his sword, looking furious. He swung at Olivia. She didn't even move away. The blade sliced her side, cutting through her skin. Olivia screamed in pain, and then her body fell to the ground.

Rinaldo tried to get up. He looked at Olivia, his heart filled with rage and terror. “No! Olivia!”

Rinaldo felt something on his back. He turned around and saw the cultist, standing over him. “You thought you could beat us. Rinaldo, you have made a grave mistake. You should not have even tried.”

That the cultist knew his name meant he was a major figure in the cult. The cultist removed his mask, revealing his face. It was a strange face. There was something inhuman about it. It looked like it belonged to a monster. It had pointed ears, and a long, sharp nose.

“Long time no see, my eternal rival.”

Rinaldo looked up at him. “You look better with a mask on, Ricardo.”

“Shut up.” The unmasked cultist drew a knife out of his back and threw it at Rinaldo. Rinaldo stepped back, and the knife flew past his head.

“You missed me by an inch!” Rinaldo looked over at Olivia. She was slowly getting back up. She must have hit her head when she fell. Rinaldo tried to get back to her, but Ricardo stopped him.

Ricardo pointed his knife at Rinaldo. “You should be glad I won't kill you right away. Let's finish this, Rinaldo. You and I are going to have a nice little duel, like the old times.”

“I thought you were too much of a coward to kill someone.” Rinaldo grabbed the knife from the cultist. “I guess it took a fight to prove me wrong.”

“Shut up! I won't let you disrespect me like that. I have no choice but to kill you.” Ricardo glared at him.

Rinaldo ran at him. The cultist blocked his attack, and Rinaldo tried slashing him with his sword. The cultist dodged and blocked the blade with his sword. Rinaldo grabbed the cultist's arm, trying to pull it out of his way. The cultist moved his sword away and pushed Rinaldo onto the ground.

“What's wrong, Rinaldo? Can't you put up a fight?” The cultist slashed at Rinaldo with his sword.

Rinaldo dodged and then ducked. The cultist brought his sword back to strike. He stabbed Ricardo in the leg. The cultist fell to the ground, looking at his wound. “This is your punishment for being stupid.”

“Ouch. You hurt me.” The cultist moved away from the sword and moved his sword close to his body. He stood up, a look of pain on his face. “You think I'll let you get away with that?”

Rinaldo grabbed the cultist's blade and pushed it to the side, causing him to drop his sword. He pulled Ricardo toward him and kicked him in the ribs. The cultist fell to the ground. He pulled out his knife, but Rinaldo knocked the knife out of his hand.

“There you go. I don't think you can handle me in hand-to-hand combat.” Rinaldo picked up his sword and put it in his scabbard.

The cultist struggled to get up. He looked at Rinaldo, and then he picked up his sword. He pointed it at Rinaldo. “I will not let you get away with what you did. I'm taking back my honour. That's a promise.”

The cultist shot his sword at Rinaldo. Rinaldo dodged, and the sword hit a tree behind him. He moved behind the cultist and brought his sword up to stab him. The cultist threw his sword at Rinaldo. Rinaldo ducked and moved behind the cultist again.

“You've got stronger, but I'm still better than you. This is it. This is the last battle between us.”