The Raven Part 5: Hell On Earth

Epilogue

Jake, Beth, and Pam stared at Rebecca as she slowly walked forward. "Come now, why the long faces?" she asked, "You three should be thanking me. That creature was a nuisance, a threat to my world, and, if we're being honest, the three of you wouldn't have survived her next attack."

Jake was the first to speak, "Rebecca...what...what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied with a dark chuckle, "I came to take what is mine. The power of that undead little monster is now mine, and along with her essence I've gained the ability to draw from the Well of Souls. Besides, the three of you needed a way to return home. I think that the three of you will be pleasantly surprised with the changes I've made. You'll also be pleased to know that I've decided to overlook your transgressions against me in the past. I'm willing to reinstate you, Pamela, as a full fledged member of my new court, and Elizabeth, I think you've also earned a new place alongside your beloved mistress. You've certainly proven yourself resourceful, capable, and determined to survive this long. I am nothing if not merciful in my newfound state of power."

"Go to hell," Beth spat, finding her nerve and stepping forward, "You're the same monster you always were, and I'd rather die than serve you!"

Rebecca frowned at Beth's outburst, "There was a time when that level of disrespect would have incurred my wrath, but things have changed since then," she said, "Don't be a fool, Elizabeth, I am offering you a full seat at my table beside your beloved."

"Tch, all you're offering is another hell," Beth said, "I'm not going back to the way that things were!"

"Hmm, that really is a shame, Elizabeth," Rebecca said as she stopped and put her hands behind her back, "What about you, Pamela? Do you feel the same way?"

"Rebecca, after what you've done, how can you expect me to agree to those terms?" Pam asked.

"Simple, really, you don't have much of a choice," she replied, "With your newfound abilities, and Elizabeth's growing potential, there really is no other option. I admit, I never thought that Elizabeth would amount to much, but I'm not so proud as to not admit when I'm wrong. Think about it, Pamela, you know that you belong beside me. Accept the gift that I offer just as you did all those years ago, and I know that your little pet will follow you."

"Never," Jake interrupted, "There's no way that any of us are joining your cause, Rebecca. I've seen what you've done to my city, and there is no way in hell that we'll stand for it!"

"I advise you to think before you speak, Jake," she said coldly, "Although I am curious as to just how you've discovered what I've been up to. Go ahead, darling, speak freely for a moment."

"Jake, don't!" Pam warned before a blast of violet energy shot by her.

"Silence, Pamela," Rebecca said, "This is between Jake and I."

Jake winced as he was once again reminded of the cruelty that Rebecca possessed. He decided to heed Pam's warning, "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we're not joining you."

"I see," Rebecca said as she closed her eyes and sighed, "Very well, perhaps a demonstration is in order. Allow me to show you all just why I am the one true Goddess of this world. Rest assured, Jake, you will tell me exactly how you found out about me, but for now, I'll just have to settle for beating you three into submission. I'll remind you three just who you're up against, and just why you should fall in line."

"You're bluffing!" Beth yelled, her hand still resting on her sword for good measure.

Rebecca laughed as she let some of her aura flow outward and fill the room. The air grew heavier as she did so, and all three of them felt a chill run down their spines. "You should know, Elizabeth, that I don't bluff," she said as she stretched, "I need to take these new abilities for a spin anyways, but don't worry, I won't do any damage that can't be undone."

"One fight for another," Beth grumbled before yelling at Jake and Pam, "Are you two ready for this?"

"About as ready as I can be," Jake replied.

"I'm with you until the end, Kitten," Pam said as she channeled as much power as she could muster.

"Now, I don't want any of you holding back," Rebecca said with a sly smile, "Come at me with everything you have left. Try to make this interesting for me, will you?"

"Oh, you overconfident bitch!" Beth yelled, despising Rebecca's cocky attitude, "Let's do this!"

Beth ripped one of her pistols from its holster and opened fire. She emptied the clip full of her modified bullets at Rebecca, but the witch only raised her hand to stop them all. They remained frozen in the air for a moment before Rebecca lowered her hand causing them all to drop to the ground. "Come on, you're going to have to do better than that!" Rebecca chided, "Show me those new skills that you've developed, Elizabeth!"

Jake growled as he tried to move in on his ex. He hoped that she was too distracted by Beth for her to notice him, but he was proven wrong when she held up a hand to catch his fist without looking at him. She turned her head to the side and spun around to deliver a devastating kick to the side of his face that knocked him off of his feet. He managed to catch himself and spring back to his feet, but it was clear she was much stronger and faster than she had been before. They were going to have to work together if they were going to beat her here. His main concern was whether or not everyone had enough stamina left from their battle with Dorothy. He'd need to pull out everything he had if they were going to stand a chance against her.

Pam's emotions were in an uproar at the sight of Rebecca, and hearing Pam openly declare her opposition had all of them ready and willing to join the fray. Pam's biggest concern was the amount of energy she had left. The spells she'd used during the fight with Dorothy were either advanced or heightened due to her transformed state, but remaining in this form took more energy than even she knew. She'd fight as hard as she could, but she could already feel a difference in Rebecca before she absorbed Dorothy's essence. Giving her other facets free reign for once, she allowed all of them to pour out of her being. Rage, Clarity, Courage, Wisdom, Lust, Sorrow, and Joy split from her Archon form and rushed to attack Rebecca.

"Ah, this is a new trick," Rebecca said as sbe watched the copies of her apprentice break away and rush towards her, "I'm excited to see what you can do with these little clones, Pamela, but I hope me destroying them won't hurt you too much!"

Rage growled as she rushed towards Rebecca with Courage in tow. Courage's arms morphed into blades as she got close and she began swinging while Rage summoned burning skeletons from the ground to do her bidding. Sorrow kept her distance and began emitting a thick black mist to try to blind Rebecca. Knives formed throughout the thick mist, but Sorrow held them in place with the hope of catching Rebecca while she was distracted. Joy and Wisdom also kept their distance and prepared a tandem attack of their own. They began charging a large orb that flashed rapidly while the others worked. Lust, the emotion most akin to Pam's trademark chains, brought her own restraints up from beneath the ground and began whipping them in a furious frenzy at Rebecca, and Clarity dissolved into a puddle with the hope of pinning Rebecca down.

Rebecca's eyes scanned the battlefield as the group of doppelgangers moved in towards her. She leaned back out of the way of the green one's odd sword hands, and practically danced around it and the skeletons from the red one. She'd heard Jake's account of this power, but seeing it in action was fascinating. She ducked under a swing from the green one, and reached out to snatch the ribs of one of the skeletons that was getting too close for her liking. She lifted it into the air, swung it around with one arm, and hurled it into another two that were close together. The bones shattered upon impact, and she snapped her fingers to create a small bubble around their remains. The bubble magnified the gravity around them and crushed their boney remains into a fine powder.

A thick haze settled in around her and the green duplicate. She spotted a dull gray version of Pamela that seemed to be the one responsible for the fog. She grinned as her eyes began to glow. These copies would have to do better than that to outwit her. With her newly enhanced abilities she could see through the smog as though it weren't even there. Her primary concern was handling the green one that seemed to be hellbent on having a frontal assault against her. She had the perfect spell in mind for dealing with it. She let her power flow into the tip of her index finger while she continued evading the green one's agitating assault. The air shifted within the thick mist from the gray one, and she suddenly found it impossible to move. She looked down to see a cobalt liquid encasing her legs as the sound of knives slicing through the air hit her ears. Clever, but it wouldn't be enough to stop her.

She leaned back out of the way of another vertical slash from the green duplicate, and bent down to press the tip of her finger to the liquid wrapping around her legs. She heard a scream come from below her, and she knew that she'd finished whichever copy this one was. The puddle evaporated as her necrotic energy overtook its body. Stepping backward and away from the green one's blades, she gracefully flipped herself backward to avoid a set of knives that would have cut her down where she stood. With a confident and malicious grin, she reached up and snatched two of them out of the air as they zoomed toward her. She could feel the energy that made up the blades fighting against her, but she poured her own power into them and made them her own. She parried the green one and stepped forward to drive the knife into her chest. It froze as she held the blade there for a second before twisting it and ripping it upward. It broke into two pieces before falling backward and fading away.

She eyed the red duplicate with lust in her eyes, but those damned chains from the purple one were making it difficult to get a lock on her. She needed to do something about that irksome little nuisance is she was going to get anywhere. While she was formulating a plan, she failed to notice that the golden and pink one had fired the orb they'd been preparing. She turned too late to try to block it, but to her surprise, she found herself engulfed in it. It was impossible impossible move from within the strange bubble, and couldn't stop the chains from latching into it and lifting her into the air. She was pulled towards the red copy who proceeded to lash out with a burst of her own energy and knock her back towards the wall. What a curious little spell. She wondered just what the purpose of it was.

She hit the wall, and the orb suddenly exploded in a powerful burst of arcane energy. She had to admit, it certainly packed quite a punch, but it was nowhere near enough to render her useless. The smoke cleared around her, and in a moment of stillness, she threw the two knives she held at the purple and gray duplicates. The blades found a home in their skulls, and their bodies quickly began to dissolve as they fell to the ground. Two more down, just three to go. Without the distraction of those meddlesome chains, she was free to move up and eradicate the remaining three. She began walking forward at a slow and deliberate pace. Truthfully, she wanted them to throw everything they had at her. What was the fun in having all this power if she couldn't fully enjoy it?

Joy flew into the air to try to fire a volley of arcane bolts at Rebecca, Wisdom began charging a spell in her hands, and Rage charged forward to try to dismantle Rebecca in a more personal manner. Rebecca held up a hand and released her own blast of arcane energy at Joy. A fireball large enough to engulf the entirety of Joy's attack ripped from her hand and fried the poor emotion. Her ashes fell away shortly after it connected. Rage charged in with a burning fist of anger that Rebecca easily caught with her other hand. She bent the duplicate's wrist backward before launching a knee into her face. Refusing to let go, she pulled her back into another knee strike that had her ready for annihilation. Taking her other hand and placing it on the red copy's face, she let just a small amount of her power out and ripped her head from her shoulders.

Wisdom was all that remained, and she poured everything she had into a chromatic orb that held a myriad of different elements in it. Rebecca simply caught it and threw it back at her with ease. The emotion never even had time to register her demise as the orb hit. "I must say, I'm disappointed, Pamela," she said as continued forward, "I expected more from you. Your powers, while impressive, are still a far cry from my own."

She continued advancing toward Pam slowly. Pam had felt each devastating blow to her emotions, and truthfully she felt fear well up deep within her. This wasn't good. She was running out of power, and she wasn't sure that she'd be able to stop her former mentor in her current state. Her body ached from the strain of sustaining her transformed state. She had to try, though, she owed it to Beth. She hurled several arcane bolts at Rebecca, but she batted them away ease. It did nothing to slow her advance, so she summoned several chains to try to either strike or slow Rebecca's advance. To her irritation, Rebecca reached out and grabbed one of the chains with one hand. She felt her yank on it, and to her shock she felt herself being pulled towards her!

As a last effort, she threw all of her remaining energy into a fireball before launching it at Rebecca. Terror gripped at her as it did nothing to the Amazonian nightmare! Rebecca was upon her and had her hand wrapped around her throat before she knew what was happening. The hand around her throat ripped her out of her Archon form, and she was left staring down at a truly evil smile from Rebecca, "I expected more from my best pupil," she chided as she tightened her grip around her throat, "But then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You always did need a firm hand to guide you."

"Fuck...you," Pam wheezed as her cloak tried to wrap around Rebecca's arm and pry it from her throat.

Rebecca frowned as she slammed Pam down to the ground and put her boot down on her chest, "Such insolence and disrespect!" she exclaimed as she proceeded to grind her heel onto Pam's chest, "You seem to have forgotten just where you belong, Pamela. I am the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, or do you truly think otherwise? Perhaps it would help if I explained that I'm only using one tenth of my newfound power against you and your pathetic magic. You are insignificant compared to me, Pamela. I advise you to rethink your position."

"Get away from her!" Beth screamed as she charged forward and managed to slash Rebecca across the back.

Rebecca grunted as she was forced off of her former student, "Elizabeth, you really should be more careful with your toys," she mocked, "Little girls really shouldn't play with knives."

"Beth...run," Pam pleaded.

"Now, now, I don't want anyone missing out on the fun!" Rebecca exclaimed with a laugh, "Besides, your little pet has too much pride to back down from a fight!"

"You heartless bitch!" Beth screamed as she charged forward only to have her blade blocked by Rebecca's arm, "How can you treat the people who care about you like this?! They sacrificed everything for you, and this is how you repay them?!"

Beth released a flurry of slashes that Rebecca dodged and blocked with ease. Her sword seemed to have no effect on her. Rebecca grabbed hold of the blade and pulled Beth in, "Their sacrifice is precisely why I'm offering them a place beside me. You just happen to a fortunate little toy that got lucky, but your luck is running out."

The scathing tone that Rebecca used sent a wave of fury through Beth, and her sword reacted to her rage. It began to glow and emit a bright light that caused Rebecca to eye it with curiosity. She felt the power surge just in time to let go of the blade and dodge a devastating energy attack from Beth. She wasn't expecting such an attack, and she certainly wasn't expecting her to be able to produce a second energy attack. She was knocked back as a wave of energy came at her. She raised her hands just in time to prevent any serious damage, but this was an interesting development. She smiled as she watched Beth step forward with an aura surrounding her, "I'm going to kill you, you monster! I'll show you what happens when you constantly look down on others!"

"Hmm, this is new," Rebecca said with a smile, "An enchanted sword, how amusing. Come then, I'd rather like to see you try to follow through with that threat, Elizabeth."

Beth snarled as she raced forward with surprising speed. This was a development that Rebecca hadn't been expecting, but nothing she couldn't handle. The smile never left her face as she anticipated Beth's attacks and easily evaded them. Leaning out of the way of a vertical slice, stepping around a horizontal swing, and blocking a spin attack from the little swordswoman. She could feel the power radiating from both Beth and her sword, but it was clear that the little girl hadn't the faintest idea how to control it. If she did, then perhaps she would have actually posed a threat. Still, it would at least be entertaining. Maybe in time, with proper guidance, she could be a formidable foe. All she needed now was a lesson in humility, and Rebecca was more than happy to oblige her in this regard.

Rather than simply use her magic on her little foe, Rebecca decided that it would be better to beat her into submission. It was more fun this way anyway. She used a small amount of power to create bracers along her forearms. If she was going to give Elizabeth a fighting chance, she would have to try to level the playing field. It was so much more fun when she could crush the hopes of her victims. The taste of despair was delicatable. The fact that it was Elizabeth was an added caveat. She smirked as she blocked more of her old enemy's frantic swings. Admittedly, she wasn't bad with that sword, but she was nowhere near on the level of herself.

Beth was growing more and more angry by the second. It wasn't Rebecca's ability to deflect that was getting to her, no, it was that damned cocky grin of hers. Sparks flew as time and again Rebecca would block her swings. The magical energy from her own blade met with Rebecca's bracers, and shockwaves could be felt throughout the chamber. She could feel the heat building within her sword and spreading to her arm. This was it. She could finish Rebecca with one swing if she timed it right. All of her hate, every ounce of pain and humiliation she'd endured, everything into this one attack. She could feel Sborra by her side, guiding her hand as she waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

She found it when Rebecca blocked one of her attacks. She followed the recoil of the counter, switched dropped her sword into her free hand, and swung with all of her might in an upward angle. A massive tremor of energy shot out of her sword and hit Rebecca point blank. The foundation of the entire structure shook from the force of her attack, and smoke filled the room. Beth glared at where her opponent had been standing, but her jaw dropped when she saw the outline of the Amazon standing with only a few scratches on her. "N-no way," she breathed before steeling herself and charging forward, "Die you bitch!"

Rebecca frowned at her, "That one actually stung, Elizabeth," she said as she caught Beth's arm and disarmed her in one swift motion before she plunged the sword into Beth's chest and leaned in, "A pity you can't control that power of yours. If you could, then maybe you would have stood a chance. Don't worry, I'm a forgiving Goddess. It was fun while it lasted, dear."

Beth winced as she felt her own sword rammed through her chest. Was this it? Had she come this far only to fall again? She heard Pam's panicked scream in the distance, "Beth!"

The next thing she felt was the blade being ripped from her chest only for it to be ran through her stomach. Rebecca forced her down to the ground and drove the blade into the stone to keep her down. "Know your place, you little worm," she spat with hatred and content in her voice, "Consider this a gift, one that you don't deserve. Stay down, you pathetic whore."

Jake had watched the entire exchange, paralyzed with fear. He'd watched Rebecca dismantle all of Pam's powers with ease, and he in disbelief as his best friend was cut down with the very sword that had saved him and Pam. Seeing Rebecca run Beth through caused something deep inside of him to snap. Everything he'd been through and done had been to save others from his own pain, and yet the people he cared about the most were now suffering more than anyone else. He fists shook with rage as he cried out, "Rebecca! This has gone on long enough! I'll never forgive you for this!"

Rebecca turned to her beloved and canted her head to the side, "Now, Jake, there's no reason to be upset," she said in a calm voice, "I was merely reacting to the insults that these two hurled at me. Elizabeth will live, as will Pamela."

"That justifies this?!" he demanded as he stepped forward, his body beginning to burn with unexplainable energy.

"Watch your tone with me, Jake," she warned, "I am still your Goddess and one true love."

"To hell with you!" he snapped, earning an angry look from Rebecca, "I should have let Beth kill you when she had the chance. I was quick fool for ever thinking that someone like you could change! This ends now!"

She snarled at him before frowning and sighing, "What I do, I do out of love, Jake. Sometimes to make one understand mercy and love, they must be taught wrath. Elizabeth and Pam have been taught this, now I suppose it's your turn."

Even now, she was still maintaining her God complex. He hated it, hated her more than anything. Every fiber of his being churned with rage and contempt as he made his move. In the blink of an eye he was in front of her, much to her surprise. His fist slammed into her midsection with all of his strength behind it. She doubled over in shock and pain before she snarled and threw an uppercut at remarkable speed. He backflipped away from it and drove his foot into her jaw. She stumbled back from the force of his kick and glared at him. Where had he gotten this power? There was something different about him, and she wasn't sure what it was or if she liked it. This defiant streak was tedious enough without this little boost in strength and speed, but now it was downright infuriating. There was only one option: break it here and now.

She growled as she launched an attack of her own with a left jab followed by a right cross. Jake managed to swat her jab away and duck under her right cross. He threw a series of lightning fast blows to her midsection that shook her body. Her anger and ire growing by the second, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tried drive his face into her knee. He managed to bring his hands down to check her knee just before it could connect with his face. She tried again and again by switching between knees, but he just kept guarding against them. Furious, she quickly released his neck and drove her elbow down on the back of his head. He cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. He caught himself, but she quickly delivered a kick to his ribs that knocked him away. He rolled as he hit the ground and coughed up blood. Had she broken a rib? It sure felt like it.

She stomped over to him and prepared to kick him once again, "See what you've made me do?!" She screamed as she kicked him again, "You forced my hand! Believe me, Jake, this hurts me much more than it hurts you!"

He tried to push himself to his feet as she moved in for another kick, but she was too fast. Refusing to give in, he managed to catch her boot at the last second. "I've had enough of your bullshit!" he yelled as he pushed her boot back.

She frowned as she brought her other boot down onto his head. She forced his face down into the concrete and started grinding her boot on the side of his face. "Don't you see, Jake?!" she demanded, "I do this out of love! Sometimes even a good boy needs to be punished. If I didn't love you, I'd just crush your little skull beneath my boot! Now, be a good boy and lick my boot!"

Pam had managed to crawl over to Beth's body as it writhed in agony. Tears streamed down her face as she threw hands over Beth's shoulders and sobbed, "Beth...Beth, please don't leave me. I need you, we need you. Please, you reckless idiot, stay with me."

Beth heard Pam's voice, but it sounded so far away. She coughed up blood as she tried to speak, "P-Pam, I….I'm sorry...I...I should have listened to you…"

"Goddamnit, Beth," Pam sighed through her tears before taking a deep breath, "I did not give you permission to die! Now, stay with me!"

"She truly loves you," Beth heard Sborra's voice in her head, "She reminds me of my own love from centuries ago. You, mortal, will live. Do not fight me, we shall become one. It is the only way to save you. My memories, my knowledge, everything I give to you. My time has come to an end, but my power will live on through you. Do not waste this opportunity, Beth Thompson. Hone your skills, find your discipline, and learn to use all of my gifts. Farewell, warrior, you have brought me honor once again."

Pam watched as the blade within her beloved's chest began glowing once again. Slowly, it began to turn to a fine dust and swirled around Beth's wounds. It was the strangest thing she'd ever seen, and unlike any magic she'd ever seen before. She watched as the light returned to Beth's eyes and she suddenly shot up before groaning, "Ow, remind me not to get stabbed again, will you? Fuck, that really hurt."

"Beth!" Pam exclaimed as she pulled her pet into a tight embrace and showered her with kisses before pulling away and glaring at her, "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

"Pam, I didn't exactly plan on getting stabbed," Beth argued as she winced, "Not sure what happened just now, but I don't think I can fight anymore. Shit, where's Jake?!"

They looked over to see Rebecca grinding her boot on their friend's face. She smiled up at the two of them before snapping her fingers. The chamber rippled as the three of them felt a painful pulling sensation from inside of their bodies. The next thing they knew, they were sitting on top of the roof of one of the buildings in Metropolis. "How touching and surprising," Rebecca said, "You are just full of surprises, Elizabeth. Welcome home, girls. Have you two managed to calm down now?"

She gave Jake's head a powerful stomp that caused him to cry out. Beth swallowed her pride and yelled, "Yes, yes, we're calm! Please, I'm begging you to stop! Let him up!"

"Oh, I don't think so," Rebecca said, "Jake and I have quite a bit to discuss, and I think he needs to be reminded of just where he belongs. Now, for the two of you...I'm feeling rather generous, so I'm going to offer you a deal."

"Rebecca, please," Pam pleaded, "Whatever you have to say, we'll gladly hear you out, but please let Jake up!"

"I said no!" she yelled as she gave his head another stomp and caused him to scream in pain, "He and I need some privacy, girls, and right now he needs to remain where he is. Ask me to to let him up again, and I will make him beg me for death. Do I make myself clear?"

The two of them shook with fear, knowing that she fully intended to make good on her threat. The two of them fell swallowed what was left of their pride and told her what she longed to hear, "Yes, Goddess."

She laughed, "I knew the two of you remembered your manners," she said before continuing, "My offer still stands for you two to join me in my new order, but I understand that you may need some time to think this over. I am not an unreasonable woman, so I'm going to give you three days to decide. During this time, no one in my city will harm or accost either of you. I trust that the two of you will make the smart choice, but just so you know, I only showed you ten percent of my power."

"W-what about, Jake?" Beth asked, her voice trembling.

"As I said, he and I need some privacy," she replied as she opened a large rift to her new home and picked him up, "Don't worry, you'll see him again before the time is up. I'll be taking my Raven and hearing to our home. When you come to your senses, come to the manor where I will be waiting. Until then, enjoy your time, girls. Ta-ta!"

Beth and Pam watched as Rebecca, once again the Goth Goddess, stepped through the portal before it closed. The two were left alone on a rooftop, battered and bruised. Pam helped Beth to her feet, and the two of them hobbled over to the ledge. Even from as high up as they were, they could see the drastic changes that had been made to their home. They'd managed to escape the depths of Hell, but it felt as though they'd only traded one for another. They were alone in a new nightmare, and the two women could only hold each other as they stared out. After a moment, they turned to leave and try to find some semblance of shelter in this mad new world they'd returned home to.

It was nearly an hour later when another figure appeared on the very rooftop. A shorter young woman with red skin, and a grin that was both proud and crazed. The tear between dimensions closed behind her, and Alexis Hamilton took a deep breath as she walked over to the ledge and smiled down, "I'm back~! Damn, this place really went to shit. Ah well, guess I gotta find out where Kitty-Cat and Pam-a-Lamb ran off to…"

Alexis skipped over to the stairwell, threw the door open, and skipped her way down. It was the dawn of a new day for her. Her rebirth, albeit into a different world, but still a day to celebrate! All she needed to do was find Beth and Pam, figure out a way to overthrow Goth, and then she could get back to her own bit of fun again. A tall order, but what did she really have to lose? She'd already died once, and now that she knew about what awaited her in the afterlife, she wasn't afraid of dying again. One way or another, she'd find a way and fight that overgrown bitch. She just needed to find the missing three pieces of the puzzle. Deep in the back of her mind, she prayed that it wasn't too late. She'd felt the fight deep in the chamber of the Well, and she knew that it had been Goth who'd dealt the final blow to her former boss. It was going to take everything to beat Goth this time, and if even just one of then was gone then it was game over. It was do or die time, and she'd do everything she could to keep from going back. The real battle was only just getting started.