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Enshadu looked oddly cheerful considering the circumstances. Perhaps it was a side-effect of his reformation. Grace supposed that it must feel liberating, to have your memory erased of your crimes, to become a new person...
To stop the screaming and curses and cries of pain...
She shook her head to clear it. She had made it through Ick Thelloth's nightmarish illusions, but it had still awoken memories in her that she preferred not to think about. But that was not important. Right now, they had to find Isabelle...before she was found by someone else.
Denever ran at an even more surprisingly fast pace than usual, and Grace did her best to keep up. The panicked crowds of people trying to escape had made things difficult, but they were almost there. Just a few more steps...
She swung open the great double doors, the others right behind her. She heard the sound of a blade being drawn, and a struggling voice...Tylan's?
"You...filthy...Amaran..."
"No!" Grace cried as Tylan's body fell limp to the floor. Baliste and his group turned to face her.
"Well, well, it looks like you're faster than I thought...but you're still too late. We have the girl," Baliste said smugly. Grace stole a glance at one of his bodyguards. It wasn't a bluff – Isabelle was struggling uselessly against the woman's vicegrip.
"Let her go!" Enshadu cried out angrily. "One man is not fit to decide the fate of an entire world! Too many people have died already for your mad schemes!" Baliste just laughed.
"Mad? It's strange, isn't it, that the moment you find something that conflicts with your narrow, stilted ideals, you deem it mad, insane, to justify smacking it down," he said. "When all this is over, the world will be a better place. All of us shall be free from this oppression!"
Enshadu just growled. Grace gritted her teeth and looked at Denever. Why hadn't he said anything yet? His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be concentrating on something. But what?
"But enough talk. I must depart quickly," Baliste said, and turned to the automation by his side. "Clay 13, make us an-"
"No." Denever's eyes snapped open. "Make one move and I'm ending this right here." Grace looked at him, and saw what he had been concentrating on – his sword glowed and pulsed with barely contained power, a faint electric charge rippling through it. It was pointed downwards, as if he was going to perform a Thunderstrike...but that would collapse the entire building. He couldn't possibly...
"Oh really? And how to you propose to do that?" one of the bodyguards scoffed.
"One massive Thunderstrike," Denever said solemnly. "This building is already unstable. The tremor will cause everything to collapse. You and I might survive, but the girl dies, and without her, you have lost."
Baliste's composure of confidence was broken momentarily as he glanced at the sword. Denever could do as he said in a heartbeat.
[i]This could be our only chance to stop him...[/i] Grace thought. [i]But Isabelle...[/i]
The girl had ceased her struggling, and was looked at Denever with a look of pure terror. The poor girl didn't understand what was going on at all. Grace felt sorry for her.
"An interesting preposition..." Baliste said quietly, then waved his hand dismissively. "...But if you were serious, you would have struck already." He broke into a wide, toothy grin. "Go ahead."
"No! Denever, you aren't going to..." Enshadu said frantically. Denever glanced at Isabelle sadly.
"I'm sorry, Isabelle," he whispered, before plunging the sword into the ground with all his might.
Baliste's expression changed to one of pure horror in an instant. "NO!" he cried as he fell. "Shala! Protect the-" he was cut off as one of the bodyguards dove for him as one of the pillars collapsed. The remains of the roof's scaffolding fell on top of them.
Grace couldn't think. The hall was collapsing around her. She glanced around wildly. Denever had been knocked down and was in danger of being crushed by the falling debris. It couldn't be real. Everything was happening so fast...
She finally gained the willpower to run to Denever, everyone around her screaming.
"Did I...do the right thing?" Denever panted as she came over.
"Don't talk! We have to get you to safety!" Denever just shook his head slowly. A piece of scaffolding fell near them.
"No, Grace. I accept that my time has come. I doubted I would make it out of this alive..." He paused. "It is a curse and a blessing, to make decisions. So much responsibility on your hands..."
"I know, Denever. But-" Grace was cut off by a deafening crash. She wheeled around to see that half the hall had collapsed, and Enshadu and Sharla's feet were sticking out from the debris. He must have gone over to help Isabelle...
Grace felt tears welling up in her eyes. There was nothing she could do...
"Goodbye, my friend," Denever whispered.
The remains of the hall came down.