Time usually tells the best story

A FEW MINUTES LATER:

The trio run up another slope and that's when Kyuala and John see it, the throne room they were in before being locked up.

They immediately begin looking around, trying to find any sort of clue as to Amilia and/or Lani's location but that's when they're met with another few Darkcross members of which they dispatch of relatively quickly.

Their search continues, leading them to what appears to be a hallway of sorts, only two ways to search, they look up and down, unsure of which way to go but that's when John makes a suggestion.

"Alright, Kyuala, Terra, you two go to the left and i'll head right, if we find them, shout for the others, okay?".

His plan is immediately shut down as Kyuala says, "No way, I am not letting you creep around here alone with these bastards climbing out of the walls".

"I'm with Kyuala on this one" Terra adds in, siding with Kyuala.

"Listen, they know we're around here so we need to be quick, i'm fast on my own, plus Kyuala, you need someone watching your back, just because you're good at fighting doesn't make you invincible and I trust Terra to help you" John says, trying to convince the two, a **** tone in his voice.

Kyuala and Terra look at each other, not liking the idea but knowing they don't really have much choice, they decide to relent as Kyuala says, "Fine, but you better call if you're in trouble immediately, you understand?".

John hears the seriousness in Kyuala's voice, making him smile even in this scary situation as he responds, "I promise".

Kyuala grumbles for a moment before then grabbing his shirt and pulling him in for a deep kiss, letting him go a few seconds later, still close to his face before saying, "You better not die you hear me?".

"I didn't plan to, you just make sure to bring yourself and Terra back, I don't know how I'd survive without my big, strong wifey to protect me" John says with a chuckle.

Kyuala then looks at him with a grin before saying, "That 'big' part better not mean fat, mister".

John chuckles, "Of course not, i'm stupid, not suicidal".

The two laugh once more, putting their foreheads against one another before eventually parting and then splitting ways down the hallway to look for their friends.

DOWN THE LEFT PATH:

John turns the corner, sword at the ready as he checks every corner carefully, skulking around in the shadows as best he can.

Eventually he comes to another turn, going around the bend, hoping for the best for Amilia and Lani, but there's that fear in his stomach, that fear that he's going to turn a corner and see...

No!

He shakes his head, getting those thoughts out of his head as he continues, that's when the eerie silence is broken as he hears a scream echo in the opening ahead of him.

His heart begins to beat even faster, that scream, sounded a lot like Amilia, so, without anymore hesitation, John runs forward, getting to the opening as quick as he can.

IVELLISE'S ROOM:

Ivellise looms over Amilia, dagger in hand as the cat grabs at her shoulder, seething in pain due to the fresh cut, Ivellise chuckles as she says, "Any last words-s-s, kitten?".

"I should ask you the same question, cousin-fucker".

Ivellise whips around, looking at the source of the voice, one promised "half-marked" also known as John Doe.

The Lizard Queens eyes bulge wide open as she says, "You!".

"Me" John says, confidence in his voice as he steps forward with Ivellise doing the same as they ready their weapons.

"You, ruined, everything! I had a plan! The Darkcross were going to rule everything in this H'nod forsaken continent! All you had to do was be a obedient little s-s-****! But now?! You will face the wrath of the Lizard Queen!".

Ivellise then twirls her blade, imbuing it with even more magic, making it glow even brighter than before as she now points it at John.

"Lizard Queen? Is that like, a real title or? Cause, no offence, it's kinda first boss basic" John says, a sudden newfound confidence in his voice as he does.

"Really?! Well, i'll be s-s-sure to take that into consideration as I tear the flesh from your bones!" Ivellise roars as she charges forward.

John readies his sword and shield, dodging the first attack but having to block the second, third and forth attack as she thrusts the dagger at him.

John steps back, his shield beginning to crack and splinter due to the rapid yet still powerful strikes due to her magic being imbued onto the blade.

John jumps back, the shield now totally useless as he throws it to the side, focusing on solely defending with his sword now.

Ivellise smirks as she looks at what she assumes to be her prey however John is managing to hold his own, even throwing some attacks of his own which admittedly don't actually hit but it makes Ivellise have to think twice about her plan of attack which he would class as a win, if he wasn't completely focused on not dying at this moment in time.

As he starts to get a bit of an upper hand, that's when he notices something changing in Ivellise, she's getting tired, and not tired like you normally would, no, every time she imbues more magic into the daggers attacks, he notices that while the attacks get stronger,

Ivellise gets weaker.

That's when he makes a plan, try to get her to use as much of her magic as possible and when the time is right, get the hopefully killing blow.

That little plan wouldn't last for long as when he thrusts his sword this time, Ivellise is ready for it, bringing her dagger down onto just above the hilt, breaking John's grip and sending the sword to the floor.

John looks down in shock before looking back up at Ivellise who is now evilly grinning from ear-to-ear as she says, "Oh no, you dropped your butter knife, whatever shall you do?".

John then makes his decision on what to do and hoping that he doesn't regret this, he balls his fist before quickly bringing it up and punching Ivellise directly in the face.

The Lizard Queen is stunned, not even responding as her face remains in the position that it did after recoiling from the hit.

Her nostrils then begin flaring, breathing angrily as she then says, "You, hit, me".

"Uhh, yeeeah?" John says apprehensively, unsure of why she's questioning it.

Ivellise is silent again, everything seemingly stopped in the room as John is even more frightened than before, unsure of what's about to happen, but that's when the lightning strikes.

John is **** down to the floor, dagger to his neck as Ivellise has currently mounted him, the tip of the dagger digging into his throat as she says, "Ooh, you are going to regret EVERYTHING! You have done here!".

Ivellise then puts a little more pressure onto the dagger as she continues, "I am going to cut out your throat and drain every little drop of blood from your body but I will make sure that you survive long enough to feel the life drain from your useless body!".

John struggled against the magically enhanced Ivellise, certain that this would be his **** and Ivellise senses this, so in a smug victorious yet still vindictive way, she asks, "So, any last words half-marked?!".

*SQUELCH*

John is stunned, his eyes wide open as his torso is now covered in blood however and very, very surprisingly, it is not his but instead, it's the blood of the Lizard Queen herself.

A sword now firmly protruding from her stomach, the tip of the blade just a hares breath from John's chin as the blood drips all around and also onto him.

Ivellise is then brought to her feet by the person wielding the sword who is none other than Amilia.

Amilia then further pushes the sword into Ivellise, getting closer to her face before saying, "I got four for you: Suck, my, clit, bitch!".

Amilia then pulls the sword back, completely removing it from Ivellise's torso before then bringing it up to her left and then swiping it to the right, cutting through the Lizard Queens neck, causing her head to entirely detach from her body, causing it to slightly roll as she drops to the floor.

John and Amilia stand there, quiet for a few moments but that's when Amilia finally looks at him and says, "Well, guess we're having lizard for dinner tonight".