The Raven Part 6: End of the World

Chapter 7

Moments Ago

Pam clenched her jaw as she was hit with volts of electricity through her body. She kept telling herself that this wasn't real, but the sight before her was too much for her to take. She was bound to the wall of Rebecca's old chamber, and she was forced to watch as Beth was abused again and again. Naked, bruised, cut, and pleasing for mercy, Beth was being broken before her eyes. Rebecca stood over her, her fist coiled in her hair, laughing as she mocked her. There was nothing she could do aside from sit there and look on in helpless horror.

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real," she continued to repeat in her head.

She knew this was an illusion brought on by Rebecca's cruel imagination, but it felt real. The sound of Beth screaming and crying, the shock of the enchanted chains every time she moved, and the vicious tone that Rebecca spoke in were too much for her to bear. How could she have come so far only to be rendered this powerless? She hadn't felt this helpless since she was a child. Closing her eyes did nothing to blot out the pain she could feel around her. "Beg properly, you worthless little whore!" Rebecca chided as she cracked a whip against Beth's bare chest, "Tell me who you belong to, and tell me how much of an utter failure you really are!"

The sound of Beth's broken whimpers broke Pam's heart as she sniveled out her reply, "P-please, h-have mercy on m-m-me, Goddess. I...I am u-unworthy to even b-be n-near you."

"Beth, stop!" Pam screamed, "Don't let her break you! You're better than-"

"That's enough out of you!" Rebecca roared, "Your own hubris, foolishness, and selfishness are what cost you both everything! In fact, Elizabeth, why don't you tell her how much you hate her. Tell her how she failed you, and how this is all because of her."

"Liar!" Pam screamed.

Something inside of her snapped as Beth looked up with lifeless eyes and said three words that shattered her reality, "I hate you."

Pam began to shake as every fiber of her being cried out at once. "This isn't real," she said through gritted teeth, "This is all a lie!"

"I assure you, Pamela," Rebecca said, "This is all too real. The pain that Elizabeth feels, the hatred she has for you, are all just a taste of what's to come. You are a miserable excuse for a mistress. You led your beloved into the fire, and now you both will pay the price."

Pam closed her eyes as waves of rage and fury welled up within her. A symphony of voices from her emotions roared inside of her head, and they all screamed two simple words, "Kill her."

Again and again, they echoed and thundered in her mind. They grew in volume until she could no longer stand it. A surge of unanimous power flooded her being, and her eyes began to glow. She hadn't realized she was screaming until the visions of Beth and Rebecca were blown away. The scattered remains of the illusion faded into vapors, and in their place there was only rubble and debris. Something was on top of her. A crushing weight, a nuisance, had her pinned to the ground. With another outlandish cry of rage, she blasted the rubble above her away. Power flowed out of her in a way she couldn't fully comprehend, and she couldn't recall ever feeling this way before. Her eyes landed on Rebecca standing over Beth, and the fury from before came back tenfold. She saw Rebecca's lips move, but she couldn't hear what she said. A blast of arcane energy surrounded her for a moment, but she inhaled the power from it. It became a part of her, and she stood unscathed from the blast. A singular thought ran through her mind: payback.

Now

Jason pushed the rubble off of him, and fought to get to Kait. With his help, he was able to free her from the debris that pinned her. He fell back onto his ass as he looked from Pam to Goth, "What the hell is going on?"

"We've got a chance," Alexis wheezed out as she got to her feet, "Right now, Pam is the only one here who stands a snowballs chance against that bitch."

"I fucking hate magic," Kait said, "None of this shit makes sense."

"Don't overthink it," Alexis said, "Just be ready to take cover. This is going to get ugly, and slightly awesome."

"She's on our side still, right?" Kait asked, her nervousness coming through despite herself.

"Just don't try to hurt her girlfriend," Alexis answered, "I knew she was protective, but this is next level."

"What sort of power is this?" Havoc asked, shoving the rocks aside.

"The cliché kind," Alexis replied before rolling her eyes when she received confused looks, "Love, dumbasses."

"Oh, bullshit," Jason scoffed, "That is anger."

"Brought on by seeing the people she cares about being tortured," Alexis said.

"It seems you have some mite of skill and surprise left, Pamela!" Rebecca exclaimed, "It's too bad that it won't save you or any of your friends."

Pam canted her head to the side, ignoring Rebecca and spotting Beth on the floor. She stepped forward and disappeared into thin air. She was behind Rebecca before she knew what was happening, and she sidestepped around a backhand with ease. She knelt down and lifted Beth up in her arms. Beth stared up at her through black eyes and muttered, "Pam? What-"

"Hush," Pam said before disappearing as Rebecca sent another volley of blasts at them.

She appeared beside Jason and the others before gently setting Beth down and startling the others, "Jesus fuck!" Jason exclaimed.

"Rest," Pam said, running a hand along Beth's cheek before standing and turning to Havoc, "Watch over her. If any harm comes to her, from you or others, I will rip you asunder without a second thought, all of you."

"What are you going to do?" Kait asked, limping over to stand above Beth.

"I am going to end this," Pam replied.

Before Kait could ask anything else, Pam was gone in the blink of an eye. She dug her sword out of the rocks along with her shield, and stood in front of Beth's prone body. "Hang in there, Beth," she said, "I don't know how this is gonna shake out, but if you die then we're all screwed regardless."

"Face me, Pamela!" Rebecca demanded as Pam appeared near Jake.

She spun around and attempted to roundhouse Pam, but again, Pam was able to evade the blow with unparalleled ease. Rebecca growled as she threw a punch that Pam caught without turning around. Her eyes widened as she realized she couldn't move her arm. "You will wait," Pam said as she began funneling her power through her hand, "Your death will come soon enough, Rebecca."

Rebecca jerked her arm back and Pam let go. She stumbled back from the force, but her arm burned. She looked down at it, and realized that Pam had begun a curse! Scarlet lines wove around her fist and trailed midway up her forearm. "Insolent little whore!" Rebecca screamed as she raised her other hand and summoned a geyser of black energy, "Get away from him, and feel my wrath!"

Pam didn't respond as she scooped up Jake and disappeared. The fountain of darkness shot eight feet into the air, but Pam was already gone. She appeared next to the others and gently placed Jake down beside Beth. "Stay here," she ordered, "You've done your part, and now it's time for me to do mine."

She disappeared in a blur and appeared across from Rebecca. Trails of arcane energy drifted up from her body. "Finally ready to fight?" Rebecca asked before scoffing, "I want you to know that I'm going to make their suffering unending. I will rip your soul from its body, cast it into the void, and bring you back to watch as I obliterate their will to live!"

Pam frowned as she disappeared once again. She appeared in front of Rebecca with her elbow out, and she drove it into her stomach. To Rebecca's shock, it caused her to double over in pain. She stumbled backward with her mouth open. "You talk too much," Pam said coldly before spinning around and uppercutting Rebecca with her left hand, "I am sick of hearing your voice and those horrific threats!"

"Goddess!" one of the soldiers cried out as several of them moved to surround Pam.

"It would seem that your followers wish to interfere," Pam said, raising her hands and letting motes scarlet energy spark from her fingertips, "What do you say we teach them a lesson? This is what happens when you choose to follow a madwoman!"

Rebecca stood up and watched as Crimson tendrils shot out of Pam and raced towards her followers. They ripped through their chests and armor with ease. Screams echoed out around the crumbling warehouse as their bodies began dissolving into the ether. They plead for mercy, but they received none from the sorceress. Rebecca could only watch as the forces she'd brought with hee were ripped from existence. From dust they'd come, and to dust they'd returned by no choice of their own. The process took seconds, but for them it felt like an eternity. Their fear permeated the air, and for once, Rebecca didn't savor it. There was no guilt, but rather a void left from where they'd been.

"What have you done?!" she demanded.

"I merely removed the filth from this plane," Pam replied, "This fight is between you and I, and they would have tried to interfere. No distractions, no interference, just you and me."

"I am going to make you suffer in ways you can't even begin to imagine!" Rebecca roared.

Pam didn't respond behind widening her stance and turning her hips. She cupped her right hand and held it by her stomach. She held her left in front of her face like Jake had shown her before. Her hands were encased in glowing energy that shifted from violet to scarlet, and her aura poured out of her in waves. Everything felt as though it were moving in slow motion around her. Even as Rebecca leapt into the air and towards her, she could follow her movements with incredible ease. She stepped to the side around the titan, extended her right hand, and shot out six chains from her aura. They wrapped around Rebecca to bind her, glowing as they did so, but Rebecca shattered them with a deafening roar. Pam was unphased by the display, and flipped through the air to avoid the backlash of energy.

Rebecca hurled a series of green orbs at Pam, but Pam raised her hands and deflected them with a wall of energy that followed her. She landed and slammed her palm down onto the ground. The earth shook beneath them, and the concrete floor began to fissure with bursts of power. Tendrils of energy crept out from the cracks, and they began swarming around Rebecca. They ensnared her arms and legs for a moment, but she was able to break away from them before they could pin her. It gave Pam the opening she needed, though, and she dashed towards her with her hands open and ready. Rebecca ripped her arm free from one of the tendrils and swung at Pam, but Pam leaned out of the way and drove her hand into Rebecca's forearm. Her fingers dug into the flesh, and Rebecca howled I'm shock and pain as Pam plunged her fingertips deeper in. They slid between her bones, and she finished the curse she'd begun.

Rebecca spun around, freeing one of her legs, and slammed her knee into Pam's stomach. Pam was sent flying backward, but she landed on her feet. Rebecca looked at her arm, the skin now a sickly black and red, and leveled a glare at Pam, "Damn you! You would dare to strike a Goddess?!"

"No," Pam replied, "I strike at a pretender, a liar, and a devil in disguise. I'm just warming up, you charlatan."

Rebecca snarled at her as she realized her arm was now limp, "All you're doing is prolonging the inevitable, Pamela! You can't keep this up, and I have an infinite amount of power. You will fail, as you always have."

"We'll see about that," Pam said, splitting herself into three glowing versions of herself.

"This trick again?!" Rebecca laughed, "I expected more from this new you, dear. I don't need my arm to beat you into submission!"

She readied herself for Pam's split attack, but she was surprised when the three versions leapt into the air. They hovered above her for a second before splitting into a triangle formation. She raised a barrier around herself just as the trio released three beams of different elements at her. Fire, ice, and electricity rained down and hammered against her shield. The force that they carried with them was surprising, even with Pam's newfound level of power. She growled as she pushed her barrier out and electrified it. She smirked as it crashed into Pam's duplicates, but her face fell when she saw Pam standing in front of her. It was a trick! She stepped back and readied an attack, but she saw electricity crackle along Pam's hand as she raised it into the air before dropping it down. The sound of thunder was the only warning she had as a bolt of lightning pierced through the roof and slammed into her body.

Her body convulsed as she was pumped full of ten thousand volts, but she refused to fall here. She staggered forward, fighting through the pain, and tried to strike Pam. Pam leaned back and swiped her left hand in an arc. The rattling of chains followed her movement, and they wrapped around Rebecca's arm. They anchored themselves to the ground and opened her guard. Pam raised her other hand and the ground behind Rebecca fissured and cracked as serpents rose from the ground. She brought her hands together, held them by her waist, and pushed forward with one on top of the other into Rebecca's chest. A flash of light blinded everyone as a ray of ice, followed by a loud boom, blew Rebecca back into the waiting fiery snakes. She howled in pain as they began sinking their teeth into her flesh. They mauled her body and pulled her to the ground.

Pam held her hands out to her side as she began levitating into the air. A cold wind blew as she continued to rise, and once she was ten feet in the air, she launched into a devastating dive kick that collided with Rebecca's stomach. She stood atop her for a moment before kneeling and opening her right hand. She raised her left arm as her palm began to glow. A white flame swirled in her hand as she held in front of Rebecca's face, and the serpents pulled away and rose into the air. A fireball on a scale that nobody could have imagined erupted from her palm and into Rebecca's face. The fiery snakes slithered in the air above the two of them until Pam dropped her left arm. They immediately charged downward and into Rebecca's body. Pam disappeared from atop her body and reappeared across from her. She stood there, glaring at her prone body, waiting for her to rise again. She knew the fight was far from over.

"Holy shit," Kait breathed, "Is she...is she dead?"

"No," Havoc answered, "As impressive as this display has been, Goth has grown too powerful to be destroyed by such an attack."

"Fuck her," Beth groaned, sitting up, "I want her to suffer."

Havoc glanced down at Beth before looking back to Pam, "You've changed, Thompson, but being with her, I can see why. This isn't over, not by a long shot."

"That your way of hitting on me?" Beth laughed before wincing, "Sorry, I'm only into that badass hottie over there."

Havoc smirked behind her mask, "You couldn't handle me, anyways, girl," she said before her tone returned to its seriousness, "I hope, for our sake, that Pam has enough left to keep this up."

"She doesn't have a choice," Alexis croaked, "She knows that, and she will fight until she can't stand. This is more than saving the city, this is personal."

"Good," Jason said, "We need a vendetta to win this war. Let's just hope it's enough."

The ground around Rebecca erupted in a surge of dark energy. Rebecca stood on her feet in the apex of the explosion. A crater formed from the force of her fury. "I am through playing games, Pamela!" she screamed, "This. Ends. Now!"

"You were an arrogant fool to think this was a game," Pam spat.

"Insolent little girl!" Rebecca screamed, soaring into the air, "I'm going to rip out your tongue for this!"

Pam resumed her defensive stance as Rebecca flew towards her. She dodged a furious punch, and performed a back handspring to avoid a vicious kick. Rebecca refused to give her a second to breathe, and quickly launched herself at Pam. Even with one hand, Rebecca was impossibly fast and ferocious. Still, Pam managed to dodge and deflect her attacks with precision and speed that was difficult to follow. She caught an elbow with her hand, and a shockwave was sent out that nearly knocked the onlookers back. Pam threw Rebecca's elbow up, and she slammed her own into her ribs. Rebecca doubled over, but she threw an uppercut at Pam's jaw that finally connected. Pam was sent flying into the air, and Rebecca's hand shot out and grabbed her ankle. She threw her over her shoulder and slammed her into the ground. Rather than release, she slung her around and threw her towards the other resistance members.

"Die, worm!" Rebecca shrieked as she fired a massive orb of energy at Pam.

"Hit the deck!" Jason yelled.

Pam recovered in midair, and she turned to face the energy blast. She brought her hands together to catch the orb. She remained suspended in the air as the orb collided with her palms. It pushed her backward, but she managed to hold it in place. Rebecca smirked as she clenched her fist and screamed, "Suffer, maggot!"

The explosion was deafening and the smoke left behind obscured her vision, but Rebecca grinned victoriously. Her former disciple had proven formidable, but she was still no match for her. Perhaps if this had been before she might have stood a chance, but she was a Goddess among mortals. It was a shame that she wouldn't be able to break her spirit, but her hand had been forced. She'd chosen her fate, and Rebecca didn't have a choice but to destroy her. She chuckled darkly as her nerves began to settle. She glanced down at her arm and frowned. The curse would take time to undo, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. A simple flare of her power behind closed doors would dispel the magic. Her merriment was cut short, however, as she heard a rattle amidst the smoke. Her face fell as she stepped to the side just in time to avoid a chain with a blade on the end of it. Fresh blood trickled down her cheek from a close call, and she stared into the black smoke.

"How?!" she demanded, "You should be dead!"

Countless chains ripped through the smoke in response to her question. She was pushed back on the defensive, and she began deflecting as many as she could. She tried to erect a barrier to protect herself, but Pam's figure flew towards her with her hand outstretched. She broke through her defenses, and wrapped her hand around her throat. With more force than should have been possible, Pam hoisted Rebecca into the air. The sea of glowing steel moved at Pam's thought and began whipping at her back. She couldn't recall the last time she'd felt this much physical pain. Memories of a time long since past played at the corners of her mind. A time of being whipped and beaten for defying a noble, and the memory sent a new wave of fury through her mind. That girl was gone. The woman she was now was far above that pitiful, sniveling creature.

"You underestimate the power of mortals," Pam said, raising her hand to Rebecca's chest, "Now you pay the price for your own depraved ignorance."

A myriad of colors flashed in Pam's hand before a large sphere formed and engulfed Rebecca. The light from Pam's spell illuminated the warehouse floor and blinded everyone. Rebecca screamed as she was sent hurtling across the room before her body thudded against the floor. She bounced and rolled before laying on her stomach. Pam lowered herself back down to the ground and waited. She could still feel life coming from Rebecca's body. She was stronger than she remembered. Even as powerful as she'd been before, an attack like that should have been enough to finish her. It didn't matter. She would fight for as long as it took if it meant keeping Beth and the others safe.

Jake climbed to his feet. He'd been sitting and watching the fight from behind Havoc and Kait. He'd been shocked when Pam had shattered the limit of her power, but he feared it still wouldn't be enough. Ashley stood nearby watching as well, "She's truly something else," she remarked, "I knew she was strong, but this is something I've only seen once before."

"Yeah," he groaned as he stood up, "I don't think it'll be enough, though. I don't know what Rebecca did, but she's different from the last time we saw her."

"I know," Ashley said, "I have a suspicion, but surely she's not that mad. Then again, this is the woman who released me twice to further her own aspirations."

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Kait asked, looking over her shoulder, "Tell me you're not completely losing it."

"An old friend," Jake replied before grinning, "Can't lose what you never had, right?"

"Well this is fucking great," Kait sighed, "If Pam can't beat her, then our hope is in the hands of an insane idiot. Fuck, sometimes I really regret moving to this shit city."

"You should really be more mindful of speaking with me, love," Ashley said, "You're the only one who can actually see me. I hope I'm wrong, but I suspect that the witch has another trick up her sleeve. I'm afraid that if Pam isn't careful, the plan you've set in motion might fail before it begins."

"Then I'll step in," he said, "If it comes down to it, we have to survive and escape."

Havoc glanced back at him, "What will you do, boy?"

"Whatever it takes," he replied, "If this goes south, I need the rest of you to get out of here. Don't worry about me, but get Beth and Pam as far away from here as possible."

"You would sacrifice yourself for us?" Havoc asked.

"You've all done horrible things, but you don't deserve to die at her hands," he said, "Just promise me you'll get Beth and Pam out of here. Survive, escape, and live to fight another day."

"Consider it a last request," Havoc nodded, "You have my word."

Pam stood ready to continue her fight, waiting for any sign of Rebecca's submission or resistance. She tensed as she felt an icd cold chill blow through the air. Rebecca chuckled weakly as she slowly got to her feet. Her dress was torn and tattered, her face and hair was singed and cut, and she looked nearly defeated, but she wore a sadistic grin. "I admit, I underestimated you, Pamela," she laughed, "You've surprised me, and that's not something many can do these days. I want you to know that what I'm about to show you is the closest you'll ever get to having my respect. I had hoped to avoid this, but it seems that I'm no match for you in my current state. I cast off this petty illusion! Behold, the true visage of this world's God!"

"That doesn't sound good," Alexis said.

The earth began to shake as Rebecca bent her knees and brought her arms to her side. She began panting and energy poured out of her body. A fell wind whipped across the floor and pushed Pam backward. She remained impassive, even as an abyssal energy began swirling around Rebecca. She hurled several maroon colored orbs at her, but they were halted by the black barrier that surrounded her. They froze in the air for a second before they dissolved and were absorbed into Rebecca's being. Unable to pierce the wall Rebecca had erected around herself, Pam summoned a barrier around the others. If she couldn't break through Rebecca's guard, she would ensure that nobody else was hurt. The broken bits of stone rose into the air as Rebecca's power continued to grow.

It was difficult to see through the mass of swirling darkness, but Pam could make out distinct changes in Rebecca's body. She seemed to grow almost another foot, and her body seemed to stiffen as something began protruding from her back. She could make out an ominous glow from her eyes as she stared through the darkness. The vibrant purple was gone, and in its place was a familiar and chilling shade of red. The swirling mass of darkness exploded, and she could finally see the new form that Rebecca had taken. She stared at her with disgust and a hint of fear. She hadn't seen her like this since their showdown in Citiville. This was different, though. This form was far beyond what she'd seen before. For the first time since the fight began, she felt a wave of nerves bubble up in her chest.

Rebecca stood across from her with a skirt of dark smoke billowing from her waist. Her skin had changed to a sheet of white, and her hands had grown into elongated claws. Her upper body was bare, but her hair had grown in length and fell over her exposed breasts. A set of horns rose from her forehead and formed a distorted crown atop her head. They curled up before forming into a strange visor, but her eyes had sunk in and glowed a brilliant shade of red. From her back, two skeletal wings protruded and looked to be nearly six feet in length. Patches of gray and black littered her skin, and she wore a smile that showed off her newly formed fangs. Hatred and malice were all that Pam could feel from her, but the level of fear behind her skyrocketed. She refused to bow, or give into the gnawing terror in the back of her mind, though.

"Ah, this is much better," Rebecca sighed, tilting her head back, "That form is just so stifling. What do you think, Pamela? This is what true glory looks like!"

Pam shifted her stance and glared, "You're a monster. You've given up everything that made you who you are, Rebecca, and for what? When we're through here, there will be one less monster to worry about in the world!"

"Is that fear I'm detecting, Pamela?" Rebecca asked, gliding forward, "I see, right now, you're starting to realize that you're severely outclassed. A hopeless castaway who never stood a chance against me. I think that I'll take your power for myself, my dear disciple. You will become a part of me, and you will serve me once more!"

"Never!" Pam screamed, her rage resurfacing at the thought of merging with Rebecca's monstrous form.

She hurled a volley of missile attacks at Rebecca, but they were stopped as Rebecca raised her hand. "How adorable!" Rebecca laughed, "You're going to have to do better than that if you want to touch me, girl."

Rebecca brought her other hand up, and a series of pitch black spikes of power began rising from the ground. They moved at an alarming speed towards Pam, and she was barely able to dodge the line as it approached. Rebecca cackled as she closed her fist and summoned a dozen spheres around the room. Pam dashed forward in a zigzag pattern to avoid getting caught in any of them. She heard the sound of steel and concrete getting crushed, and she could feel an incredibly strong gravitational pull from them. She tried to figure out how she could circumvent the power difference between herself and her former mentor. As much as she hated go admit it, Rebecca was right about the gap in power. A glance over at everyone gave her the push she needed to keep going. She would have to push past her limitations once more. For their sake, she had to find a way.

"Running away so soon?" Rebecca mocked, "Come now, where is the sport in this? You've pushed me to this point, now show me that it isn't a waste of my time!"

Pam growled as she summoned the will to once again shatter her limits. The aura surrounding her body began to glow brighter as she zipped around the warehouse floor. She still had one advantage: Rebecca's arrogance. She'd learned the folley of overconfidence the hard way, and as a result, she'd learned how to exploit it. The image of Beth's broken body from Rebecca's cruel illusion reignited the fire within her, and she cried out as her body illuminated the room. She cast a blinding spell, split herself with a mirror image, and sent her the clones flying around the room casting low level spells. While they worked as a distraction, she drug her hand along the ground to carve runes into the cement. It was a risky move, but it was the only play she had that had even a chance of working.

"Fucking hell, what now?!" Sally demanded, "This shit just keeps getting weirder! First Pam turns into some glowy thing, then Goth turns into something out of a horror flick, and now I can't fucking see!"

"She's desperate," Jason answered, "She knows she can't win with a head on assault, so she's trying to handicap Goth. How she's going to do that, I don't have a clue, but all we can do is hope it works."

"Come on, Pam," Jake muttered, "Don't give up."

Pam knew that her spell was wearing off, and Rebecca let out another sinister laugh as she began destroying her duplicates. They were erased from existence with a single wave of Rebecca's clawed hand, "Stand and fight, Pamela. You're only delaying the inevitable, or you could just surrender and become a part of me."

Pam changed direction, channeled as much force as she could spare into her right arm, and darted towards Rebecca. Her arm became encased in a blade shaped beam of energy, but she also concealed a ball of energy in her left. This was her one chance, and if it didn't work, then she and the others were doomed. Rebecca flashed her fangs in anticipation of what appeared to be a foolish frontal assault. Pam extended her bladed arm forward as she drew closer, but at the last second she slammed her left hand down. The orb exploded and sent her careening over Rebecca. She landed behind her and drove the energy spike into the ground to enact her spell. Rebecca turned around and took the bait. Now she just had to endure a little pain and hope for the best.

Rebecca whirled around and laughed as her hand shot out and wrapped around Pam's throat. "You insignificant little insect, did you really think you could beat me?" she mocked, lifting Pam into the air as she began to take flight, "You put on a good show, I'll admit that much, but you're still nothing more than an insect compared to me!"

Rebecca's wings flapped as she began to rise into the air with Pam still in her grasp. She called forth blades of darkness that shot up and began cutting into Pam's flesh. The darkness trickled into her limbs as the blood began to flow. "Pam!" Jake yelled, watching in horror as Rebecca began slowly torturing his friend.

"Stay where you are, Jake!" Rebecca ordered, causing him to flinch, "I'll deal with you and the others soon enough. Don't worry, everyone will get a turn!"

Jake shook off the trauma induced pause and started to move forward, but Ashley held out a hand to stop him. "This is deliberate, love," she said, "Pam is planning something. Whatever it is, it's best we stay back for now."

Rebecca plunged her clawed hand into Pam's stomach and her former apprentice let out a scream. "You even missed your last attack, it's honestly pathetic," she mocked as she brought Pam close and heard her murmur something, "What was that? Are you begging for your life? Let's hear it then! Admit to me what a failure you are."

Pam forced herself to look up through the pain and glared, "I didn't miss, you arrogant piece of shit," she repeated, "You're just too full of yourself to see!"

"What?!" Rebecca exclaimed as the ground around her began to glow.

"What the hell is going on?" Jason asked, looking at the symbols along the ground as they began to erupt.

"Clever bitch," Alexis smirked, "It was a diversion! That woman is almost as crazy as me!"

The runes that Pam had carved into the ground cracked and began overflowing with arcane energy. Chains, spirits, and waves of power flowed upward and out into the air. The chains shot up and wrapped around Rebecca's limbs before they expanded and began to glow white. Rebecca screamed as she was pumped with jolts of holy radiance, and the spirits howled as they surrounded her. They pulled her away from Pam and held her in place. Pam remained in the air, breathing heavily as blood pooled from her open wounds.

"What is this?!" Rebecca demanded.

"Your undoing," Pam replied as she poured everything she had into a final surge of power.

Rebecca was bound and preoccupied by the torrents of magic that surrounded her, and this left her wide open for Pam's final attack. She brought her hands together and cried out in rage as every ounce of pain, anger, and trauma culminated in a massive blast that ripped through everything in its path. The subsequent flash of light voided everyone in the room. Pam continued for as long as she could before hee body finally gave out. The smoke and smell of burnt flesh filled the room as she fell to the ground on her face. This was it, this was all she had to give. She could feel her power slipping away as she laid there panting. She took solace in the fact that it was over, though. Nothing, not even Rebecca, could have survived that blast.

"Did she….did she do it?" Zoey asked, stepping forward, "Is it over?"

The room was silent for a moment before the smoke cleared and the visage of Rebecca floating in the air began to take shape. She now had six black feathered wings protruding from her back as she stood unphased, albeit quite perturbed. "I'm afraid so, girl," Rebecca said as the smoke cleared, "Perhaps not in the manner you were hoping for, but this fight is finished."

"No," Jake whispered.

"Son of a bitch," Jason growled.

Rebecca descended to the ground and slowly walked towards Pam. She appeared unscathed as she approached, "That was quite the clever little trick, Pamela, but did you really think it would work? Maybe a year ago that would have been enough, but I've grown far beyond your pathetic abilities."

Rebecca's hand shot down and grabbed Pam's head. She squeezed as she lifted her off the ground and threw a vicious punch. Pam cried out in pain as her claws dug into her flesh. Jake clenched his fists as he stared at the nightmare unfolding before his eyes. "Jake, whatever you're going to do, do it now," Ashley urged, "If she takes Pam, then we really don't stand a chance against her."

"Get ready to run," Jake said, stepping forward.

"Where are we going to go?" Jason asked, "Even if you can distract her, there's nowhere we go on foot fast enough that she won't be able to follow."

"Figure it out!" Jake snapped, "You all are the only chance we have. I don't care if you have to leave the city, get Beth and get out of here!"

"She won't have mercy on you," Havoc said, "Why sacrifice yourself? Whatever fate she has in store will be agonizing."

"Because this is my fault," Jake replied, "None of you deserve to pay the price for my mistakes. Promise me you'll get Beth out of here. Do what you want after, but I need to know that she'll be safe. It's what Pam would want, and it's the least I can do after everything she's done for me."

"You're a noble idiot," Kait scoffed, "Differences aside, we'll get her out of here. You don't have to do this alone, though."

"I'm not leaving you, Jake," Alexis said.

"That's where you're wrong," Jake said, "You've all suffered enough because of me, and if someone is going to die, it has to be me."

"Let him go," Jason said, "If this is how he wants to find redemption, then who are we to stop him?"

Rebecca held out her clawed hand and began siphoning Pam's life-force, "At least you will serve some purpose, Pamela. You will further the goals of the one true Goddess!"

Jake launched a birdarang at Rebecca's head as he yelled out, "Rebecca! Leave her alone!"

She growled as she dropped Pam's body and turned to face him, "Jake, my patience is all but gone by this point. All you are doing is furthering your punishment.”

Jake charged forward, feeling a surge of strength as Ashley joined with him in body and spirit. He was in the air and on top of her before she could react, but the cold chill from being so close was almost too much for him. He tried to drive a birdarang into her neck, but she stopped him with an unseen force with a simple wave of her hand. He was pulled off of her and suspended in the air while his arms and legs were pulled taunt. She slowly glided towards him and canted her head before reaching out to gently stroke his cheek. He pulled away and spat at her, “You’re nothing more than a monster. You’re no Goddess, you’re just a devil and a plague!”

She frowned as she reared back and struck him with the backside of her claws, “I’m beginning to think that Aurora was right about removing that little tongue of yours, dear. It hurts me when you say such horrid things, and as much as I love the sound of your voice, I think that silence may be a better alternative. I’d ask what you think, but if I’m being honest, I really don’t care. Feel free to struggle, my love, it will just be a wondrous reminder of how truly pathetic you are!”

Pam’s vision was blurry as she pushed herself up. She was fading in and out of consciousness, but she could hear Jake and Rebecca arguing. She saw him suspended in the air and could feel his anxiety spiking. She looked around as the others tried to find some way to escape, and she realized that they were doomed. She saw Beth in Havoc’s arms, and she closed her fist. She didn’t know if she had enough strength left, but she had to try something. She focused on the clocktower, and called forth what little magic she had left. If this worked, she would be completely drained, but at least they would be safe. She screamed as she let her energy flow out and wrap around everyone. Purple smoke swirled around everyone for a second before they disappeared just as Rebecca was about to steal Jake’s tongue.

“No!” Rebecca screamed, unable to believe that Pam had enough to perform such a spell, “Damn you all! I will find you, and you will all suffer!”

She continued to scream in rage, and the walls of the warehouse began to quake and crumble around her. The warehouse fell in her intense fury and outrage, and she was left standing in the wake of the destruction. Her breathing was heavy as she reverted back to her human form. The transformed state gone, her wounds were now present. She wouldn’t admit it, but Pamela had come dangerously close to defeating her. She needed more power, and there was only one way she could see to obtain it. It was unlikely that Pamela would be able to muster that sort of power again, but she couldn’t afford to risk it. She summoned the shadows around her and returned to her manor to heal. She would need to rest before embarking on her next conquest, but the fools in the resistance were living on borrowed time. She would see them brought to their knees before her and make them beg for death. This she swore.