With one more captain left to slay, the Rectifiers gathered Vint, Revelrae, and the Luxen Mage Order to storm the noble district and colosseum to the west. The gate to the noble district was blocked by magical barriers. While the Luxen Mages worked with Vint and Revelrae to destroy the barriers, the Rectifiers held off attacks against the corrupted abominations skulking the once-capital. Once the gate was breached, the Rectifiers marched into the colosseum to face their final captain.
There, they met the Lord Executioner, a highly decorated knight brandishing crystalline armor and weaponry. A sleek cape billowed behind him. At his side were other knights of similar garment. Talk was brief, but the battle was not. The knights all had master level spells on their side, but the Rectifiers would not be stalled in Matar’s most dire hour. The final captain of the Lord Commander was slain, his body reduced to purple mist as it flew toward the heart of the storm: the palace. The Luxen mages healed the Rectifiers the best they could for the final confrontation. The Rectifiers fired off the flare gun Beckett had given them to signal their friends to join them on the Royal Road.
In the Royal Market, they could see the Luxen palace at the end of the street, fortressed by a wall of intimidating Doom crystal. Countless shadows littered the street between the heroes and the palace. The Rectifiers many friends and allies readied their weapons, even Vis, once a vile enemy of the group. Everyone was ready to do their part to free Luxen, and in turn, Matar. The Rectifiers sounded the charge and the attack began. Mages obliterated abominations, knights slayed evil, and the Doom took many lives in turn. Gale and Amy found themselves falling behind and surrounded by vile creatures. They fought back-to-back, but Amy was able to cut through the blockade. Before she had a moment to realize Gale had not followed, Gale was overwhelmed to the ground. Amy fought tooth and literal nail to reach her friend, but she would not get there in time. A glowing blue rapier suddenly cut through one of the abominations ravaging Gale. It fell limp. Before the blade could drive through the second, the creature drove its own clawed hand into the gut of the wielder of the rapier. Vis eyes went cloudy as he drove the rapier through the second creature. In his final act in this world, Vis gave his life to save a Rectifier. Gale paid the respects she could with what little time she had, took his golden councilor’s ring for safekeeping, and rejoined the fight.
The united forces of Matar at last made it to the Doom fortress guarding the palace. High above, on the wall, stood a gallant figure. Doom dripped from his eyes and sprouted from his armor. This was once Ducard, but was now the Doomlord Lord Commander. He warped the Rectifiers to his realm, where his crystals did the fighting for him. Shards would often sprout from the wall and volley down upon the heroes. He would even corrupt each Rectifier with a crystal to force them to his side, though they would be freed after destroying said crystal. Eventually, the fortress began to fall and shatter around the Lord Commander. He looked around at the Doom storm beginning to clear, the forces that had rallied against him, and even to Amy, who was now embraced in the arms of her love, Cavo. This was all too much to bear for the corrupted knight. He closed his eyes and leaped from his Amanta fortress to be impaled on his own creation. At once, the entire fortress shattered into millions, if not billions, of pieces, bringing forth a brilliant purple shimmer. The Rectifiers and their friends sprinted through the palace courtyard to the front door.
The entrance to the palace was encased in thick corruption. The dwarves of Amanta both examined and tried to destroy it, but to no avail. They claimed it would take days, if not weeks, to destroy this quality of crystal. Before they had a chance to think of a new plan, Zola commanded everyone to stand back. She slammed her staff into the ground and held her left hand out. A conflagration of white flame erupted from her palm, enveloping the entirety of the crystal cocoon in a blinding inferno. The flames continued to funnel out and even began to surround Zola’s entire body. The crystal began to melt the crystal as it came crashing down in a flash of white and purple. Once only licks of white flame remained, Zola fainted. The Rectifiers helped her to her feet, asking how long she knew she could do that. She replied she did not even know she could. She was weak, but she told them she would still go into the palace with them. While the bulk of the forces set up defensive positions in the courtyard, the Rectifiers and their friends entered the throne room.
Inside, they found the councilor flames lit with purple fires. Saren stood by the throne in his corrupted Queensguard armor and dark, noble clothing. In the throne sat Zin, being pierced by a Doom crystal. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. Some ritual was being cast upon him. Scorna begged her husband to look at what he’s done and to come back to the light, but he refused. He reasoned that the power he had gained was intoxicating, and aligning with the Doom was their only way to survive it. The Rectifiers argued that the corrupted life was no life worth living, but Saren retorted that at least they were alive. Seeing no path to save him, the Rectifiers began their final confrontation as Saren drew his corrupt blade.
Saren cut through the Rectifiers and immolated the throne room with purple fire. As the Rectifiers attacked Saren, he would shield himself and attempt some dark ritual. When they noticed him, the Recitifer’s allies would help rip open the shield while a Rectifier dealt a grievous blow to the villain. The Red Inquisitor and Viv even did their part to help. As Viv and her strange friend Galen held open the final shield wall, Scorna leapt through the opening and drove her husband’s own dirk into his back, dealing the lethal strike. Both fell to the floor, Saren to his knees as he held his fading away wife. Scorna’s strike was killing Saren, but it was also draining her own life force. She touched his face lightly before finally fading entirely. As Saren sat dying, the Doom storm above imploded, causing a reverberation that rocked the throne room. The Doom crystals all shattered at once, the flames extinguished, but the Rectifiers’ allies felt the pain as well. Daren, the Gunslinger of Smoke, began to dissipate into smoke itself. He congratulated the Rectifiers on a job well done and vanished with a smile. Revelrae cried out in pain as her Anchor began to fail. Vint held her, not knowing what to do. Thankfully, the Rectifiers had saved enough Candidates from their fate. They combined their powers to keep Revelrae in this world while her Anchor shattered apart.
Saren admitted he was indeed a prideful man, but he knew when he had lost. He told the Rectifiers to be wary of when their moment came to let go of their own power, to look at what his pride had wrought upon the world. Hearing enough of his prattling, Zola shoved her way through, ignited her hand donned with Touch of Malice, and drove it straight into Saren’s chest. She ripped the heart from his body and said, “This is how it feels. This is what your pride has wrought.” With that, Saren collapsed next to his wife.
Zin managed to get to his feet on the throne, and Zola rushed to him. Zin congratulated the Rectifiers and said perhaps it was time to return to the new capital. And so they did.
With various Archmages, Knight-Captains, and Councilors all present in the new throne room of Amanta, Zin called the chamber to order from his new throne. Zin announced that he would immediately be abdicating his throne and submitting himself to Knight Captain Haven’s custody for the crimes he had committed, for he feared that all the calamity they had faced was partially on his hands. Harvey took Zin’s crown as he doffed it from his silvery head, and Haven had the former King escorted out of the chamber. The chamber was in shock, but since they were all gathered already, Harvey announced they would indeed nominate a new monarch. Each group would be given one nomination, then the voting would take place. He gave the chamber a few minutes of recess.
Harvey passed along Scorna’s belongings to Duma Van, one of which being the dagger that struck down the Harbinger. As Duma Van held the dirk, a spectral form materialized nearby. It appeared that only the Rectifiers could see her, but Scorna was by their side still. Each group came by the Rectifiers to congratulate them and let them know whom they planned on nominating. Once the chamber was called back to order, the Archmages nominated Zola, the Knight-Captains Sariel, the Crownguard Zola, the Rectifiers Zola, and the Councilors Zola as well. Once the two nominees were decided, the glowing chandelier was lowered, much like the vote for the Rectifiers in Luxen. Everyone cast their own vote, filling the chandelier with beautiful flames of blue and white, representing each nominee. Once the votes were counted, Harvey announced that their new monarch would indeed be Lady Zola of the Crownguard.
Zola took her new crown and stood at the top of the dais to address her court. She congratulated the Rectifiers most of all, saying that the people of Matar were proud of them, the crown was proud of them; she was proud of them, and she thought Londo would be proud too. As the Rectifiers’ final act, Zola Artlatta was formally crowned as Queen.
And thus, the new heroes of Matar went their separate ways, pursuing their various goals in our story’s epilogue…