Chapter 13: "Storming the Fortress"

[close-up of Kih's face]
Caption: Now.

[zoom out. Kih has stopped. She's standing on a street in Tiwa, looking overwhelmed.]
Kih: Ah...

[huge panel. The army is still approaching.]








[Kih stumbles forward]

[Behind her, a human drops to the ground, sleeping. Kih stops]

Kih: [suddenly looking angry] What are you doing in my 'ead?

[behind her another human drops to the ground.]
Kih: I am not a 'uman. I am not a 'uman.

[Kih looks like she's almost falling]
Kih: I am not a 'uman, I am not a 'uman, leave me alone. Damned Monies.

Kih: [jolts up] I AM NOT A 'UMAN, GET OUT OF MY 'EAD!!!







 [Bigish panel. Another human falls to the ground. Kih is still standing.]

Kih: Smart, though.

[Kih contniues to stumble forward]
Kih: Minimize disturbances. Minimize casualties. Send all 'umans to sleep, then go for the few who matters.
Many Monies must be coming.

Kih: Did my companions egg them to fight? They must 'ave discovered the jewel - or died - by now. Or did something else 'appen in my absence?

Kih: [tugs her own hair] It must 'ave been months. Much could 'ave transpired.

Kih: [continues onwards] No matter. I shall join them.







[big, horizontal panel. The army reaches the front gate.]

[Alan is running in front with Zota]
Alan: It's working! It's really working!!

Zota: It won't work on the Tainted. Don't celebrate until we've killed the Emperor, kid.

Alan: No. No killing. We've talked about this.

Zota: No killing *if it can be avoided*. Be glad even the Fey agreed to that one.

Alan: No, I...-
Zota: What's that?







[Alan looks in the pointed direction]

[Alan's face lights marketably up]

Alan: KIH!!!!

[Alan starts running towards the gate]
Zota: Alan, wait!

Erik: Let him leave. He's expendable.

[Annie flies past Erik, desperate.]
An: Nooo!







[Kih looks up]

[Alan runs past the gate and the sleeping guards]
Alan: Kih!

[Kih is completely glomped by Alan]

Alan: Kih! Oh my gods, are you okay?!

[Kih holds out Alan by the shoulders.]

Kih: You've grown.
Alan: [overwhelmed] I'm so glad to see you!







[They are ripped apart by a pair of hands]

[they look up at Zota]
Zota: Are you completely insane?!

Kih: [gets up] What is the plan, Zota?

Zota: No time to explain, we need to get back to the others before...-

[big, vertical panel. Among the houses, a bunch of Tainted show up. Very ominous panel.]







[Annie flies in]
Alan: Nooo! Run!

[huge-ish panel. Annie summons a whole wall of stone]
An: Get out of here!

[Zota grabs Alan and hauls him away. Kih runs on her own.]

[Annie's wall crumbles.]







[Bigish panel. A bunch of Tainted are seen behind the crumbling wall, all pointing at Annie.]

[small-ish panel. Annie is hit by a dark ray.]

[huge-ish panel.]
An: AHHHHHHH!







[Alan tries to run, but is stopped by Zota's arm.]
Alan: No! NO!! ANNIE!!!

[bigish panel. Annie is consumed by the darkness.]

Alan: [crying] ANNIIIIIIIE!!!

[Zota almost has Alan under the arm.]
Zota: [mumbles] They need to aim...

Kih: [runs to the side] This way!

[Zota hauls Alan along, dodges a dark ray.]







[bigish panel. They are running among the houses]

Zota: Gods damn you, Alan! RUN!!!

[Alan hics, but starts running alongside them.]

Kih: My apologies. I did not mean for -
Zota: Can it. Not your fault Alan's an idiot.

Kih: [looking more determined] What is the plan?
Zota: We found the jewel, it's something about fusion, we're launching a direct attack!

Zota: While the Tainted are drawn out, we attack the Emperor! A smaller group is bringing the jewel to the entrance! The Fey know the rest!

[a Tainted show up on the rooftop above them]
Zota: Shit!







[Big panel. The tainted sends a blast their way. Zota hauls Alan away.]

[Kih jumps]

[The Tainted turns towards Kih, who's already next to him. Sends a blast her way.]

[The blast hits, but Kih punches the Tainted off the roof anyway.]

[The Tainted collides with the ground, hard.]







[Zota rips out its throat.]

[Kih lands beside them again.]

Zota: You... I've never seen you move like that.

Kih: It is strange. I believe something 'as 'appened to me.

Zota: No kidding.
Alan: You can't remember?

Kih: [evades eye contact] I am not sure.
We need to go this way.







[Big panel, shot of the Emperor's fortress]

[KAZ hiding from a patrolling Tainted.]

Zota: Where are they...

[shot of the place in front of the fortress. A few pixies and Monies show up from invisibility]

Zota: There!







[huge-ish panel. Pixies and Monies join forces and hit the Tainted.]

[A pixie throw in a stone]







[Two panels. The tainted turn into stone.]

Monie: Now!

[Three pixies fly forward]

[they lift the stone tainted]

[the stone tainted falls to the ground]







[big panel. The tainted smash into a thousand pieces.]

Monie: Now, quickly!

[shot of the three felines. Alan is horrified, Kih is intrigued, Zota is on his way up.]

Zota: Fey!

[Two pixies look to them]
A pixie: It's the felines.







Kih: [steps up behind Zota] Let us continue.

Monie: Don't get in our way.

Monie: [turns to the pixies] Is it still tainted?

Pixie: [looking at the smashed stone] Yes.

Monie: Excellent.

[They hold up the jewel towards the door.]







[Huge-ish panel. The smashed pieces merge with the door]

Kih: Merging an enchantment with the taint... It is brilliant.

[Huge-ish panel. The door turns black(er) and crumbles.]







[They all run through the door]

Kih: [to the Monie] Do you know where to find the Emperor?
M: No. We're just clearing the way.

Kih: I may know 'ow they navigate in the fortress.
M: Really? How?

Kih: Writing. They write on doors.

[Kih stops in front of the door to the dungeons]
Kih: Only I don't know if their pens are imbued with magic as well as the doors.

M: Let's try it out.







Kih: [steps back] I will advice against tainting the door. It may destroy -
M: We're not stupid!

[A pixie creates a pen]

[Pixie writes "emperor" on the door]

[Nothing happens.]

M: Hm.
[Kih looks thoughtful]

Kih: Bind a piece of the door's enchantment to the pen!







M: Brilliant!

[Monie holds up jewel and merges the two things]

[the pixie writes "emperor"]

P: Nothing happens.
Kih: Try writing "dungeons".

[pixie writes "dungeons"]

[the door starts melting away.]







[the door finishes melting and uncovers a figure on the other side. Hedwig.]

Hedwig and Kih both: You?!

M: You know...?
Kih: She 'elped me escape from these wretched dungeons.

H: [ignores Kih] I have been waiting behind this door all night. You are the reason for this chaos, I presume?

M: Indeed. Nice to meet you. It's an honor to see an Elf this far south.

H: Same over, I guess.
I'm gonna keep running while they're still too preoccupied to notice me. Thank you, and good luck.







M: You won't stay? We could use an Elf.

H: I'll take a look outside. If you've got the upper hand, I'll stay. Good enough?
M: I guess.

[H leaves]

Kih: I propose that one or more of us go to the dungeons. Before I left, I visited a... strange room. I 'ave no memory of what I found, but I remember the power it emmanated.

M: It's our only lead.
P: I'll join them.

M: We'll stay on ground level. Good luck down there.







[short scene cut. They walk on the dungeon halls. Alan is holding the pencil.]

Zota: We should get Toke while we're down here.
Kih: We can not. 'E is dead.

Alan: [completely pale] W-what...?

Zota: You should be proud of your brother. 'E put 'is life on the line, trying to save you.

[Kih looks back at Alan and smiles. It looks almost... off]
Kih: Really?

Alan: [clutches Z's arm] I... feel sick.







Zota: [removes his arm from Alan's clutch] Oh no, you don't!

[Alan looks to Kih, but she's still walking]

[A tumbles to the forward, grabs a wall]

[A throws up]

[Big panel?. Still looking horrible, Alan runs after the others (who are still walking)]







[Two, almost identical panels. They are all walking, silently.]

[They all stop.]

[Huge-ish panel. It's the hallway where the Doctor is. Jay is standing, leaned against the wall, waving at them.]
Jay: What took you so long?







Zota: [steps forward] You?

Jay: [smiles satisfied] Me. I hope you're not too traumatized by the way here.

Kih: What is...?
Zota: This is the girl I told you about. The psychic one. Jay...leen?

Jay: Jay is fine. And you're Zota, Kih, Alan and Matthew. Three felines and a pixie, about to have a very important appointment.

[big, vertical panel. Jay gestures towards the gaping hole in the wall]
Jay: I welcome you to the most important little corner of the Emperor's fortress.







Kih: Wait! 'Ow can we trust you?

Jay: These following events are not contingent on your trust.
And even then, how could I prove any kind of trustworthyness in the few minutes that we have at our disposal?

Kih: [crossed arms] You could start by proving your psychic claim.

Jay: Fine.
Alan, two weeks from now, we will kiss for the first time. Zota, you blame Kih for Luvo's death even though the choice to follow them was his own. Kih, you were madly in love with Luvo, but you never told the others because you knew it'd draw Zota's ire.
And Matthew, yes, your mate was indeed killed by a patrolling tainted.

[All three felines and the pixie stand horrified.]
Jay: Now that we've settled that, let's go visit the infamous Doctor.







[Jay turns and disappears into the hole. Matthew follows with a nod to the others.]

[Zota and Kih look at each other]

Kih: I should -
Zota: [interrupts harshly] Don't care. Doesn't matter. Let's just survive this.

[Zota goes into the hole]

[Kih follows]

[Kih is suddenly grabbed from behind.]







[Camera moves/zooms out; shows Alan holding Kih tightly.]
Kih: Alan...?

Alan: I'm sorry you were hurt. I'm sorry I didn't rescue you. I'm sorry I brought us in danger. I'm sorry. Please.

Alan: [buries head in her back] I'm so sorry. Please stop being mad at me.

[Zoom-up of Kih's face. She looks like she's in pain.]

[Kih turns around and hugs Alan]
Kih: I am not mad, Alan. I am sorry to seem that way.

[Kih leans her mouth towards Alan's hair]
Kih: Please stop being sad, little brother. It does not suit you.







[Huge panel. Kih and Alan approach the big room with the fey hanging in the air.]

Jay: There they are.

Jay: Now, my friends, I think an introduction is in order.

Jay: [gestures towards the fey] This is what the humans call the 'doctor'. Hidden in plain sight, he is their brain, their brawns, their magical power and their entire backbone.







[Splash page. Jay standing in front of the fey]
Jay: This, my friends, is the last of the original Fey.
This is the Emperor.