Warning Signs
A note:
Just a thought I had. Meant to be humorous. Let me know if you'd like to see more little "warning signs."
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"I suppose there were warning signs, " said Hrist. The Valkyrie tsked, bobbing her head to the side. "Pathetic little mortal. Something always seemed off."
Alicia shook her head violently, pouting. "No! I still can't believe it… Lezard was always so nice. He helped us! I'm sure there's a reason for his actions…"
Silmeria placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Alicia… but surely you realize that we were duped. I've seen into his mind, and there is no redemption there." Her eyes flashed dangerously. "He shall be punished for his transgressions. I'm certainly not mourning Odin, but he goes too far."
The plateau they rested on swayed slightly in the air. Lezard's "new world" was certainly not a dreamland. Even the clouds were oddly intimidating.
Rufus pushed himself to his feet, stretching. "Hrist's right, though. I mean, seriously, we really should have seen it coming."
"Hm? How so?" grunted Arngrim.
"Well, for one," said Rufus, "his name's Lezard. Lezard. Come on, admit it, as soon as you heard that you must have thought something was off. My first thought was 'Lizard.' It's a villan's name."
"Well… yeah. You have a point." Arngrim rolled his shoulders back. "Plus, there was that one time…
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Alicia had knocked the beast into the air with an upward swipe of her sword. "Now, Lezard!" she cried.
"Frigid Damsel!" he proclaimed, an arm outstretched dramatically towards the monster. Shards flew, whipping his hair back, streaking towards its belly. One, two, three hits… and then time seemed to slow. A final, powerful shard struck the tail, snapping it off at the base.
"Ah ha ha ha ha…. Ah HAAAhahahahaha!!! Kneel down before me!"
Suddenly all was chaos. Fire, thunder, ice, all swirled and rushed and destroyed, parts of the monster flying every which way. Beneath the snapping and crashing, maniacal laughter peaked.
Eventually it died down. A few remaining limbs faded to light, floating away. Lezard stood, breathing a little heavily, a slight grin on his face. It fell a little, though, when he noticed the other party members staring, silent. Arngrim's mouth even hung open a little.
"My goodness… Sir Lezard…" Alicia stammered.
"That was a bit… extreme, don't you think?" asked Rufus, shouldering his bow.
Lezard waved a hand dismissively. "Well, as Lady Leone would say, the 'passion of the battle consumed me,' yes? And besides, how could I not overreact, with a threat to the Lady Valkyrie? I was simply overcome with the need to defeat the beast as quickly as possible."
Alicia's eyes flashed blue. "The beast was hardly a threat, court mage. Perhaps you could conserve your energy for more dire circumstances?"
Lezard flashed her a winning smile. "Of course, my Lady. I do apologize." He bowed slightly to her. "Shall we continue onwards, then?"
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"…Wow," said Rufus. "Yeah, it was pretty obvious, wasn't it?"