MLTO C4, P6

This is the sixth Chapter of "MLIV:TO".
It was released on 10.02.2023.
== Plot ==
Geralt and his allies are notified about an impending disaster that is meant to happen very soon. When they arrive at the location in question, they quickly realize that everything is worse than they had anticipated.
A small team of Royal Guards, disguised as simple visitors, snuck into the temple and attempted to grab the Water Crystal before anyone could arrive to stop them. However, this is only a curtain that hides the true perpetrator- Akuma- and his plan to destroy the entire temple.
Disaster after disaster occur in front of the eyes of our righteous heroes. It almost seems like they won't be able to handle them anymore. And yet, they must continue helping the world like they do, in the hopes that they will reach the end of their mission someday.
Can Redmark's forces be contained once and for all? Will our heroes be able to avert another disaster... or will it be too late?
== Story ==
As Geralt and his allies finally leave the dreaded Blackflame Mountain behind their backs, something comes on the young leader's mind. Even though their task in this place of evil is finally over, something is still nagging him to the point of total annoyance. He cannot seem to contain it, as far as he can tell.
Emela notices that Geralt is worried and walks next to him.
"Still thinking about that mysterious guardian, huh?"- She asks and smiles- "I know the feeling. He was quite the sight to see."
Geralt sighs.
"For a second, I saw this complete stranger as someone that I have known for a very long time. A good friend. A loyal partner. And maybe even... something else."- He says- "Could I be wrong about this? What if this was just an illusion, meant to mess with my mind?"
Emela smiles.
"Well, I guess that we'll never know."- She says- "My advice is to stop thinking about it for now. I'm sure that we'll find a way to unravel this mystery sometime in the future."
Geralt shakes his head.
"I will do my best."- He says- "But I just can't stop thinking about him... "
Emela sighs.
"Just focus on your mission, my dear."- She says- "I'm sure that he would want the same thing."
Now that the four of them are close to the location of the signal- Lake Qur- Aurelia starts to feel strange vibrations. It is almost as if she is seeing a source of malice with her own eyes. A figure of unspeakable evil.
And yet, the feeling passes very soon. Aurelia is left with nothing more than a mild migraine.
"Is everything alright, Aurelia?"- Geralt asks her- "You seem to be a little bit more anxious than usual."
Aurelia shakes her head.
"It's nothing serious."- She says- "I guess that I just... had a bad feeling. Nothing else."
Emela raises her eyebrow.
"A bad feeling, hmm?"- She asks- "My dear, I fear that your visions may have a certain meaning behind them. Bad things are happening all around us, so it's clear that this is likely not some kind of a mirage."
She turns to Geralt.
"I will cast a spell that will allow us to breathe underwater. Then we will go to the temple and make sure that everything is safe and sound."- She says- "Don't touch anything without my permission, okay?"
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"But we are not children!"- He exclaims- "We are heroes! We know what should be kept under close watch and what should be left alone!"
Emela smiles.
"I know, dear."- She says- "I was just testing you."
Geralt sighs.
"Just like you always do, Miss Emela."
Emela nods.
"Anyway, I'm sure that we've got one more mission to take care of. Even the spirit inside of me agrees that we should go do it as soon as possible."- She says- "So, what are you waiting for? Jump down and allow me to show you the wonderful world below your feet!"
Emela casts a spell on all three of her allies. She motions for them to dip their heads in the water and they do as they are told. 
"Wow!"- Geralt exclaims- "It almost feels as if we are walking in the surface world! We can see everything so clearly!"
Emela smiles.
"That's the special thing about my magic. Whenever you're blessed by a guardian, everything becomes easier for you."- She says- "Now, shall we proceed? I'm becoming very anxious about this."
Geralt nods.
"Alright, team. This is our time to shine once again."- He says- "Prepare yourselves. Take a few deep breaths to remind yourselves of the Surface. And then, jump down into the lake. Our adventure continues from there."
With that, the four heroes take a few deep breaths and jump down into the crystal clear depths below.
Once they are on the bottom, the three young heroes realize that they can breathe perfectly. There is no need to worry about suffocating, as they have all the oxygen in the world right now.
"I've never experienced such an exciting adventure!"- She exclaims- "Travelling underwater is such an incredible thing! We should do it more often!"
Dante shakes his head.
"I strongly disagree, Aurelia."- He says- "This place is quite dangerous for someone with my element. I'm taking a risk coming down with you today, so please don't talk about our future endeavors like this."
Aurelia smiles.
"It sounds like someone's really bummed about being in the water for too long!"
Dante sighs.
"I will not deign your mockery with a response."
Geralt looks back at them.
"Can you stop teasing each other?"- He asks them- "We have a mission to do. Get on with it."
Aurelia sighs.
"You're such a party crasher."- She says- "I was just playing around with Dan. And you ruined my fun."
Geralt shrugs.
"I am always bound to my duties. I never take them lightly and feel annoyed when someone does not take their job seriously."- He says- "Can we go now? Please?"
Emela nods.
"I completely agree with Geralt. Duty comes first, fun comes second."- She says- "The way to the temple is close. Let's get this over with."
The four of them walk toward a seemingly normal cave wall. There is nothing special to it, other than a small outcropping that half of our heroes fail to notice.
"A dead end. What a shame."- Dante says- "Come on, Aurelia. Let's search somewhere else."
They try to walk away, but Geralt stops them.
"Wait."- He says- "I think that this is not all this wall has to offer. There is something else."
Approaching the strange outcropping, Geralt pushes it. Moments later, the rocks move on their own accord. Some of them are moved to the left, others- to the right. Eventually, a small passage is revealed, surprising both Aurelia and Dante.
"How did you know?!"- Aurelia asks Geralt- "This is not something you're supposed to do without prior knowledge!"
Geralt smiles.
"I have a knack for finding needles in a haystack."- He says- "Such a challenge was child's play for me."
Emela nods.
"And that means that you're smarter than most of us."- She says- "Maybe even a guardian like myself."
Geralt smiles.
"You flatter me, Miss Emela."- He says- "I am glad that you think so."
Emela nods.
"It's my thing to compliment others for their achievements."- She says- "In the past few years, I've gotten very good at it."
She takes a few steps forward.
"Anyway, the secret way to the temple is finally clear."- She says- "Let's not waste any time. My poor creatures may be in danger."
The four of them swim through the passage and enter the next cave, which is revealed to be larger than usual. As they swim forward, they notice a worrying amount of fish corpses, some of them very large.
"Oh no."- Emela says shakes her head- "Something bad is definitely going on."
Geralt looks back.
"Are the fish supposed to be the harbringers of some kind of bad omen, Miss Emela?"
Emela sighs.
"The fish that you see to the left and right of you used to serve as the guardians of the secret path. They were always so loyal to me and I even got the chance to fight alongside them once. I even picked some adorable names for the most prominent ones."- She says- "However, it seems like some kind of a dangerous invader stepped into this place and slaughtered them all. What kind of a monster could do such a thing?!"
Aurelia raises her eyebrow.
"Someone who's a literal monster?"
Emela sighs.
"That's most of the villains around the world, my dear."
The four of them swim forward, attempting to avoid looking at the dead fish, out of respect and remorse for the fallen warriors of the temple. It seems like they are succeeding for now, but it's clear that everything will get worse once they get into the actual temple.
It does not take a long time for them to emerge from the cave. When they do, they arrive at a slippery crystal pier. Aurelia almost trips as she steps on it, but Geralt manages to help her keep her own balance.
"Whew! That was a close one!"- Aurelia says- "Thanks, Geralt! Would you like me to give you a... little reward?"
Geralt shakes his head.
"I was just trying to help you out, Aurelia."- He says- "Your happiness is the only reward that I want to see."
Aurelia smiles sadly.
"Then consider it obtained, my dear."
Emela takes a few steps forward and inspects the walls of the temple. So far, everything seems to have been left undamaged. The walls have seen no harm and no protectors of the temple have been slain. Not here, at the very least.
But that might just be some sort of a prelude for the horrors that the heroes have yet to see. This greatly worries the young guardian.
"I see nothing out of the ordinary so far. Whoever came in here didn't dare to leave any evidence at the entrance."- She says- "The true evidence lies in the inner parts of the temple, perhaps even the heart of it. So, come on. Let's find the criminals and punish them for what they did to my home."
As the four of them open the door to the temple and step inside, they find the first signs of an actual disaster. A speckle of blood, faint and nearly washed away, is visible on the ground to the right of them. However, it doesn't seem to belong to one of the fish.
"Even my human guards are in danger?!"- Emela exclaims- "This is bad! Very bad!"
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"You have human guards in this temple?"
Emela shakes her head.
"This is not the time to be curious, Geralt!"- She exclaims- "Come on! Let's go!"
Geralt sighs.
"As you wish, Miss Emela."
The further they step into the temple, the more signs of trouble appear in front of them. More blood. Discarded weapons. Sometimes, they even hear the wailing of a dying creature.
As if things couldn't get any worse, they meet one of the human guards near the crystal room. He seems to be gravely wounded and is barely able to approach them before he collapses into Emela's arms.
"Oh my god, Mac! Thank goodness!"- Emela exclaims- "What did those freaks do to you? Please, answer me!"
Mac weakly looks up at Emela. He points at the crystal room, as if to indicate something.
"Two human... warriors. Of Goznor. They entered the temple without permission... and killed most of the guards."- He says- "I can't defeat them. Not anymore. But maybe you... can... "
And then, his head falls limp. His breathing stops a few seconds later.
"No! No!"- Emela says as her eyes fill with tears- "How could they do this to my guards? My friends?!"
She carefully lays Mac's corpse on the ground and pushes her way into the crystal room.
"Come, everyone!"- She exclaims- "It's time to teach those freaks what it means to anger a full guardian!"
As they step into the innermost chambers of the Water Temple, they come across the two warriors of Goznor. They are getting closer to the crystal and are attempting to break through its defenses.
"Hey! You!"- Emela yells- "Turn around! Now!"
Startled, the two guards do as she says.
"Agh! The guardian!"- One of them says- "We... we thought that this place was deserted for good!"
Emela clenches her fists.
"Who do you think you are, you foolish deserters?!"- She yells- "Don't you realize that you're trying to cause a worldwide disaster?!"
One of the guards shakes his head.
"We're sorry, miss."- He says- "We were j-just trying to gather an item for our employer."
Aurelia steps forward.
"And you think that we won't forget what you did to those poor guards?!"
The second guard shakes his head.
"We had no choice, miss."- He says- "They wanted to stop us. When we refused to go, they attacked us. And w-we had no choice, but to fight back."
The first one looks down.
"It was not intentional!"- He exclaims- "We swear!"
Dante runs forward and presses his spear against their necks.
"You know how much I dislike deserters, right? Especially those who work for villains?!"- He exclaims- "If my dad learns that you escaped from your duties, you will be executed without a chance to parley. So, I shall spare you the humiliation by ending your lives on the spot. I don't want to do it, but you defiled the temple and tried to steal one of the world's most precious artefacts, so I have to make an example out of you. I'm sorry about this."
The two guards shake their heads.
"We're sorry for disobeying your orders, prince!"- The first one exclaims- "Maybe... maybe there can be... "
Suddenly, the gates to the crystal room crash open. Everyone turns around to stare at the new arrival. 
When they see who it is, the guards become very scared. They were hoping that this didn't have to happen, but it is. And they cannot avoid it anymore.
"Don't bother threatening the poor fools over here."- The person says- "I'm the one that you're looking for."
All members of Geralt's team are surprised to see a familiar face.
"Akuma! You treacherous fiend!"- Geralt yells- "What are you doing here?!"
Akuma smiles.
"Why do you bother to ask?"- He says- "I came here because I wanted to gain the power of the ancients. The priceless artifacts that were kept away from us for so long. The little secrets of our ancestors, hidden deep within the most guarded places on our planet."
Emela raises her eyebrow.
"And I suppose that you're the one who commanded those fools to kill all of my warriors?"
Akuma nods.
"Precisel-- "
Suddenly, Emela lashes forward and unleashes a powerful torrent of water upon Akuma. The vile assassin easily avoids it, but is surprised by Emela's recklessness.
"Now, now. There's no need to hold any grudges."- He says- "It was just a little bit of damage. Nothing more."
Emela glares at him.
"Nothing more?!"- She yells- "Those warriors were very dear to me! I respected them so much and they respected me back! They were always loyal to me and did everything that I told them! And you think that I'll ever forgive you?!"
Geralt nods.
"Miss Emela is right."- He says- "You and your group are absolute monsters, Akuma."
Akuma sighs.
"So, you only want to fight me?"- He asks- "Fair enough. But don't you dare regret it."
He takes a few steps forward, toward the two guards.
"But before I deal with you, I want to take care of a failed project."- He says- "To dispose of some... unwanted elements."
He grabs both of the guards by the necks and points them at Geralt and his allies.
"Do you remember who they used to be?"- He asks them- "Are you familiar with their past identities?"
Geralt takes a good look at the two terrified guards.
"Now that you mention it, I think that I do."- He says- "If my memory serves me right, there were two rather unimportant guards with different personalities. One of them was loyal to his regiment and the other one was always slacking from his duties. I think that their names are... Murdock and Doug."
He looks at the one whom he sees as Murdock.
"But why would you do this, Murdock?"- He asks him- "You were always so loyal to the king. Why would you betray him like this?"
Dante sighs.
"Because he's a filthy, two-faced fool."- He mutters- "That's why."
Murdock shakes his head.
"When I was in the army, I did not earn enough money to sustain my family. My wife left me when I started to get poor and my children were getting hungry."- He says- "I had no choice, but to act. It was in their name, so am I truly to blame?"
Emela sighs.
"Yes, you freak."- She mutters- "Yes, you are."
Geralt continues to stare at him.
"So, you were guided by your own intuition instead of your desire to make the world a better place?"- He asks- "What kind of a warrior are you, anyway."
Akuma smirks.
"A very desperate one."
Geralt glares at him.
"You do not have the permission to say this."
Akuma smiles.
"And I don't need it."- He says- "I am an enforcer of the new law, member of the empire led by our wise leader. I don't have to strain myself by feeling any mercy for your pathetic kind."
He looks at the two guards.
"But the time before our world domination is running out. I want to be a part of it when it happens."- He says- "So, I will punish those in the only way that they deserve. Their failure brought a lot of shame to our regiment and I'm forced to make this happen."
In the blink of an eye, he pulls out two vicious daggers. Then, he stabs Murdock in the neck and Doug in the chest, watching coldly as they fall on the ground below his feet.
Our heroes are shocked by Akuma's deed. They did not expect something like this, even from a heartless villain like him.
"You absolute monster!"- Geralt yells- "Those people may have done a lot of bad things, but they did not deserve to be treated like this!"
Akuma sighs.
"There are two rules in this godforsaken world. You either kill your victims without a doubt... or you become the victim yourself."- He says- "This is not a game meant to be for children. And I'll show you why you made a big mistake by chasing me down here."
Geralt and his allies draw their weapons.
"We will take care of you, villain. You will not be allowed to disrupt the peace in the world again."- Geralt says- "But we are not doing this just for the good people in this world. We are also doing this for the ones that you fooled with your empty promises. The poor souls who perished for your enjoyment."
He raises his sword in the air.
"Tonight, the gladiators fight back against the evil emperor!"- He yells- "Charge!"
As Geralt prepares to strike Akuma, the villain smiles and simply leaps to the right of him. Then, he bombards him with a barrage of small daggers in his pockets, forcing the young hero to activate his defenses early on.
"Hide in your little shell for as long as you can, hero."- Akuma says- "Nothing in this world is eternal. And soon, you'll experience it firsthand."
As Geralt struggles with the assassins' leader, his allies are forced to face the villain's personal guard, who managed to enter the temple alongside him. While attempting to fight them off, our heroes notice that the two guard that Akuma killed a minute ago are close to reanimating. They allow the process to happen and watch as the undead guards awaken and attack some of the assassins.
The vilains are caught off-guards. They were not told that their leader would do something like this. Thus, many of them are slain on the spot, unleashing more undead survivors upon this chaotic world.
Soon, all of the assassins are either dead or reanimated. Geralt's group approaches them and puts them all down, leaving Murdock and Doug alive for a few moments.
"It's a real shame that our Royal Guard's potential was wasted like this."- Dante says and sighs- "This is why you can never trust anyone else than your commanding officer, your sovereign and yourself. Nobody else can give you that sort of authority."
Aurelia sighs.
"I'm just sad that those people were so infatuated with their task that they had to abandon their posts to make it happen. It was as if they forgot how to think properly."- She says- "I wish that we could change their ways, but that's not possible anymore. We must put them to rest."
Emela sighs.
"Those 'people' are murderers. Traitors. Defilers of everything that is sacred."- She says- "And yet, I still want to do one last thing for them. Nobody deserves to be disrespected like this, even the villains of this world."
Emela raises her staff in the air and slams it into the undead Murdock's head. As he falls to the ground and continues to growl, she bends down and continues to smack him until he does not move anymore.
Meanwhile, Aurelia stares at the undead Doug, looking for signs of humanity in his eyes. Seeing that there are none left, she sighs and stabs him with her sword, putting him down with ease.
"And that's the end of them. They won't suffer anymore."- Dante says- "And yet, our problems have only just begun. We need to take care of them."
Emela nods.
"Indeed."- She says- "Geralt needs our help. Let's support him while we still can."
While the three of them discuss their next plan, Geralt uses all of his remaining strength to unleash several powerful waves of light that singe Akuma's eyebrows. The assassin starts to feel actual pain and is forced to withdraw for a few moments while he licks his wounds.
"Who would have known that the son of the dreaded Adam Kaos could be so strong?"- He asks- "I'm impressed, kiddo. You're definitely more bite than bark."
Geralt glares at him.
"Stop showering me with your fake pleasantries."- He says- "Shower me with your attacks instead."
Akuma smiles.
"As you wish, hero."
Akuma lunges forward again. Geralt tries to defend himself, but he raises his shields far too late. Before he could retaliate, the assassin swings his dagger and stabs Geralt in the arm, forcing the boy to drop his weapon.
Thinking that Geralt is disarmed and helpless, he recklessly lunges again. However, the young hero surprises him by forming a sword out of pure light energy and stabs him in the chest.
Akuma sees blood on his mouth and realizes that he is getting very close to meeting the same fate as the people he just killed. Deciding that fight is his best (and only) option right now, the assassin smiles, takes a few steps back and looks at the crystal behind him.
"No, you fool, I'm not going to succumb to your attacks."- He says- "I'll make my way out of here with your precious crystal. You won't defeat me. Not in a million years."
Then, in front of the surprised heroes, he easily yanks the Water Crystal out of its resting place and laughs.
"See you, heroes!"- He exclaims- "Until next time!"
He pulls out a small crystal from his pocket. Although it is seemingly unimportant, it holds a lot of raw power within itself. And that is very worrying.
Emela is shocked to see the item in his hand.
"That's a warp stone! He's going to use it to run away!"- She yells- "Somebody stop him!"
Akuma laughs.
"Too late, guardian!"
Then, he throws a smoke grenade on the ground, blinding our heroes for a few seconds. While they are helpless, he uses the small crystal. With a single flash of light, he disappears from sight.
"Did that evil scum just escape with the crystal?!"- Dante exclaims- "Did we... fail?!"
Aurelia shakes her head.
"I've never felt so disappointed in my life."- She says- "I'm sorry, everyone. We tried out best, but it seems like it was not enough."
Emela takes a step forward and shakes her head.
"I'm not going to let this villain escape with the crystal that I swore to protect!"- She exclaims- "There is a way to stop him before he goes too far. But only one of us can enter."
Geralt nods.
"I am ready to do anything to stop this fool from delivering the world's waters to that vile emperor."- He says- "Tell us what we must do."
Emela smiles.
"Actually, I shall demonstrate it instead."- She says- "Watch and learn, my dears."
With a few complicated hand motions, the guardian manages to form a rift into the Spirit World- the place that is used most often by astral travellers, like those who use the Warp Stones.
"This path will allow you to reach that Akuma person and attack him from behind!"- She exclaims- "Now go, Geralt! The entire world depends on you!"
Geralt nods.
"I will not let you down, Miss Emela."- He says and takes a few steps forward- "Spirit world, here I come!"
Then, he fearlessly steps into the rift and is wrenched into it in a matter of seconds. After wondering whether he made the right decision, the young hero is violently thrown on the other side, arriving at his intended destination.
As soon as he makes the first step, he feels a sharp headache. It almost is as if the realm is sending some kind of message to him, speaking words that he cannot understand with his own ears.
All that he can decipher are the same two words, said to him in a perfect whisper: "Stop him". "Stop him",
Geralt stands up and nods.
"I understand your feelings, realm of the spirits. This villain is disrupting more than just our world. He is endangering the entire universe with just his wicked presence."- He says- "I shall convey your desires and make him pay."
Then, he draws his weapon and runs forward. He walks on the realm's ethereal surface as if it were solid ground and does not fear that he might fall at any minute. His mission is to stop Akuma before he can hurt anyone with his actions and he intends to chase him, even if he must travel in another world to do so.
It does not take him very long to find Akuma. He is running away just a few steps away from him.
As soon as he reaches the vile assassin, Geralt wastes no time to parley with him or beg him to spare the world from all the destruction. Instead, he simply pounces on the man, making him drop the crystal in the process.
"Agh! No way!"- Akuma exclaims- "How is this possible?!"
Geralt clenches his fists.
"Anything is possible, as long as you believe in it!"
Akuma sighs.
"Well, I believe that I can defeat you and bury your beloved light into the abyss."- He says- "Let's see if that will come true!"
Faced with no other choice than to continue his fight with the young hero, Akuma draws his daggers and leaps out of Geralt's strikes. Then, he attempts to strike him in the back, but the young hero anticipates that and parries the attacks at the right moment, surprising Akuma and making him think that Geralt is cheating.
"You think that you can defy the rules of the assassin?"- He says- "When I find my target, I never let it get away. Stop humiliating me."
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"What is wrong, murderer?"- He asks him- "Are you feeling betrayed that your evil master is not here to help you?"
Akuma clenches his fists.
"Master Redmark will never deal with the likes of you."- He says- "If you refuse to stop chasing me, I shall be the one to end your pitiful life."
Pushing his way through Geralt's defenses, Akuma jumps in the air and plunges his daggers into the young hero's chest. He watches as the young hero falls to his knees, seemingly defeated, and gloats about his fresh victory.
"Do you see it now, kid? You were never meant to survive."- He says- "Sooner or later, you would have been defea-- "
Suddenly, something in Geralt's pocket starts to shine. The two daggers that Akuma plunged into Geralt are released and launched in their sender's direction, piercing him in both of his shoulders and severely wounding him.
"Argh!"- Akuma exclaims- "What kind of a sorcery is this?"
Geralt nods.
"This is the sorcery of the heart. The power of true faith."- He says- "And with its help, I will destroy you!"
Akuma smirks.
"Bring it, hero."
The two of them start fighting for the crystal, each one having different plans for the precious artifact. One of them plans to bring it back to save the world, while the other one plans to take it away and cause total chaos in the entire world.
As the two of them continue to fight, the crystal falls through a nearby rift and is sent into the real world.
"Oh no."- Akuma says- "I'm not going anywhere without this one."
Having said that, he pushes Geralt and jumps into the rift.
"And I am not going anywhere without you!"- Geralt exclaims and runs after him.
Once in the real world, the two of them find out that they are back in the Water Temple. They continue their fight for the crystal and are joined by Geralt's allies.
"Come on, everyone!"- Emela exclaims- "Geralt brought the crystal back! Now, let's protect it from this fiend!"
As the heroes stand close to the crystal, Akuma surprises them by smiling and lunging forward.
"If I can't have this crystal, then nobody else will."
Before the four of them could stop him, Akuma throws one of his daggers forward and pierces the crystal's surface.
"This is one of Nature's organs on our planet!"- Emela yells- "How dare you try to harm it?!"
Akuma smiles.
"What's the point of keeping the balance when there is none to be kept?"- He asks- "The entire world is doomed. Even the king of Goznor would agree."
Dante raises his eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?"- He asks- "What have you done to him?"
Akuma does not respond. He simply continues to fight, deciding that he shared way too much with his enemies.
However, his bragging and mocking left a vulnerable spot inside of him. As soon as he lets his guard down a little bit, Geralt lunges forward. Just as Akuma is about to leap away, Geralt uses this brief moment of vulnerability to pull out his crystal rose and place it in front of him. Upon noticing an evil individual, the little item starts to shine bright, blinding the vile assassin and rendering him helpless for a few crucial moments.
"Argh! What is this trickery?!"- Akuma yells- "I didn't sign up for this!"
Geralt glares at him.
"You made my friend betray the good side of this world, just because he had some sort of a talent. You tricked other people into believing your blatant lies and backstabbed them before they could find out what kind of a monster you really are. You tried to destroy one of the world's most precious artifacts with your own, dirty hands. And you expect to be shown mercy?!"- He says- "The only thing that you signed up for... is your own demise!"
As Akuma frantically tries to leap away, Geralt casts a powerful light spell. A sword of pure light pierces the vile assassin's soul, forcing him to fall down on his knees as his fresh wound starts to bleed at an alarming rate.
During his last moments, Akuma weakly looks up at Geralt and chuckles.
"You think that this is the end, don't you? You think that you're... safe?"- He asks and chuckles again- "Nonsense. Your troubles have only just begun."
He smiles.
"The damage... it's already done. The abyss is growing stronger and soon, all of your friends... will be gone."- He mutters- "Enjoy your free time while you can. It won't... last... for long... "
Then, he falls to the ground and stops moving around. He closes his eyes and allows his body to succumb to the eternal flow, perishing at long last.
"This took far longer than I expected."- Geralt says and draws his actual weapon- "Let's put this fiendish soul out of his misery."
Without another word, he approaches Akuma's lifeless corpse and plunges his blade into the assassin's skull, preventing him for troubling them more than he already did.
"And that's the culmination for one of Redmark's strongest warriors."- Emela says and sighs- "Even he was not strong enough to resist the call of the void."
Geralt picks up a scroll from Akuma's right pocket. He sees his face on top and realizes that the person he was truly looking for... was him. Whether he wanted to execute him or convince him to join the dark side is unknown, but it is clear that he wanted to do something with him.
"You're becoming quite popular, huh?"- Aurelia says and smiles- "Soon, you'll be a folk hero for all we know."
Geralt smiles sadly.
"I just want to help people, not to be hunted like this."- He says- "I understand that they are angry, but this gives them no right to disrespect me like this."
Emela sighs.
"If only they knew how much of a kind and loving person you truly are."- She says- "And yet, it doesn't matter. The job is done. We protected the crystal and the temple will... recover as well as it could."
She approaches the discarded Water Crystal and picks it up.
"Let me see if the crystal is okay... "
When she stares at its surface, she lets out a surprised yelp, nearly dropping the precious artifact to the ground. Something was definitely done to it, and she is still comprehending it.
"No. This... this is impossible."- She mutters- "There's no way anyone can ever damage it, let alone a vile creature like him."
Geralt runs toward Emela.
"What happened, Miss Emela?"- He asks- "Is everything alright?"
When Emela shows him the crystal's current state, he is equally surprised.
"Oh my god."- He mutters- "The madman actually did it... "
From what our heroes can see, the Water Crystal was not left completely undamaged. A small crack has appeared on its surface, caused by the dagger that Akuma threw at it earlier.
"Umm."- Aurelia says- "Isn't the crystal supposed to be indestructible?"
Emela nods.
"It seems like Redmark's warriors are more powerful than I had anticipated."- She says- "I underestimated those fools and ignored their desire to disrupt our world. But now, I can see that I have to be much more careful."
She turns to her allies.
"Unfortunately, this will be the end of my journey with you. At least for the time being."- She says- "The crystal will malfunction soon and I need to stay here, to prevent any further damage that it can cause to our world."
Aurelia raises her eyebrow.
"But why?"- She asks- "We were doing so well with you on our side!"
Emela nods.
"I completely understand, dear. However, I fear that I cannot do it anymore."- She says- "My duties are getting in the way. And to make sure that they won't trouble you in the long run, I must remain in the temple. The damage has already been done, but I think that I can fix it. Or at least stop any villains that attempt to damage my temple for free."
She looks around and sighs.
"Judging from what the spirits told me earlier, it seems like this Akuma person also aimed to destroy the entire temple, to make sure that the crystal no longer returns to its resting place."- She continues- "I have to admit, he did succeed. Partially. But I'm sure that the damage done to the temple can be repaired easier than the one on this poor crystal, so I have to get to work as soon as possible."
Geralt smiles.
"We completely understand, Miss Emela. We know that it is hard to take care of both the people that you care about and the object that you swore to protect. It is a difficult mission and we do not envy you."- He says- "So, go ahead! Stay here and protect the crystal, just like you always have! We know that you will do your best and make us proud of you!"
Emela's eyes fill with tears as she stares at Geralt. It is almost as if she sees Geralt's father in the boy's eyes and this makes her feel very emotional.
"Geralt, my dear."- She says and hugs him- "I'm sorry. Very sorry."
Geralt continues to smile.
"We will miss you, Miss Emela."
Emela nods.
"Me too, my dears."- She says- "Stay safe for me, will you. I won't be able to handle the pain if you get hurt... "
Geralt nods.
"If that is what you want, we shall do our best."- He says- "Farewell, Miss Emela. We wish you luck in your future endeavors."
Emela sits next to the crystal and waves at them.
"Farewell, my dears!"- She exclaims- "May the light of God himself bless your path to victory!"
As the heroes leave the crystal room, they are approached by a group of temple guards. They seem to be worried and alert at the same time.
"We heard that something bad happened in the temple."- One of them says- "Did we arrive too late?"
Geralt sighs.
"I am afraid that you did."- He says- "However, the crystal was kept intact. The villain is dead and your guardian is cleaning up the mess that he made."
The guard nods.
"We shall assist her as best as we can."
Then, the guards rush into the crystal room, leaving our three heroes alone.
"Wow! I can't believe that we're a trio now!"- Aurelia exclaims- "We used to be so many. So anxious and excited."
She sighs.
"I guess time really does change people, huh?"
Geralt shakes his head.
"Those are the risks that we are forced to take."- He says- "We have no choice."
Aurelia smiles.
"Well, I'm just confident that I tagged along when I did."- She says- "I even helped you folks out a little bit!"
Geralt smiles back.
"Yes, Aurelia."- He says- "You were amazing."
Dante shuffles nervously from foot to foot.
"Umm. Are you guys going to hurry up?"- He asks- "My father seems to be in danger. We need to save him."
Geralt raises his eyebrow.
"Are you really believing the lies that came out of Akuma's mouth?"- He asks- "What if he is just trying to lead us into an obvious trap?"
Dante shakes his head.
"I'll gladly take the risk to keep my father alive. I don't care if it's a trap or not."- He says and looks down at his spear- "So. Are you ready to go."
Geralt nods.
"We are."- He says- "Let us go."
Fortunately, the spell that Emela cast on the trio is still active. They are able to swim through the underwater cave and reach the surface. From there, they run toward Castle Goznor, intending to stop whatever villain is trying to take over the throne before it is too late.