Dame walked slowly around the bustling late afternoon market of Ainesgrove, deep in thought. She and Celest had been there for three months since the Monster, who called himself Matthias, had stopped fighting Fae. Matthias still lurked in the Fae forest, away from prying eyes, but he did occasionally come into Ainesgrove. Dame thought about the first time they had met. Matthias, shirtless and slim, his russet hair and sable eyes gazing at her soulfully, his oaken legs and arms shining in the shards of sunlight that pieced the dense tree cover. Dame looked over her should as Celest called out to her, a letter in her hand. "Is that the response from Ignation?" Dame inquired, hope and worry mingling inside her gut. Roxy had written to Ignation's leader, Richard Gardner, telling him that a representative of Daemia had challenged him to a single combat. That had been a month ago. They all had been waiting on tenterhooks for a reply. Celest stopped next to Dame, breathing heavily before saying, "Yeah. He accepted the challenge and will meet us at the east outskirts of the Great Ignation desert tomorrow at midday." Celest looked at Dame, the shadows of worry playing on her face. "You better tell Matthias. He always responds when you reach out to him.' Dame nodded, turned left and headed down the straight street that led to the Fae forest. When she had arrived at the edge, she walked to a nearby tree and knocked four times and said "Matthias." She felt a tap on her shoulder and Matthias's voice saying, "What?" Dame turned to her right and told him that Richard had accepted his challenge. "Excellent. What time?"
"Midday." Dame replied. "Hey Matthias, I don't think you should do this." She continued. "He has a big advantage over you and he is really strong. I don't think you can win." Matthias gave a small laugh before replying, "I don't think he is ready for me and it will be even more crushing defeat for him to lose to me."
"Arrogance never won a fight." Dame said, her voice sharp. Matthias gave a sigh as he started to walk out of the Fae forest. "Sorry. I didn't want my own worry to show."
"It's fine. Everyone gets worried, even monsters like you." Dame said as she walked with Matthias to Roxy's castle. As the pair walked through the bustling market streets, the packed crowd separate to let Matthias pass. He was quite an odd sight, with his bare chest and treelike limbs. Dame walked beside him, enjoying the space Matthias's existence generated. Soon enough, they reached Roxy's front gate. It was a completely ordinary house, only different in the fact that it had a big garden and was slightly larger than the other houses. The Fae royalty didn't believe in castles. Matthias knocked on Roxy's door, his wooden hand sounding odd against the oak door. Roxy opened it and said to Matthias, "So you know then." Matthias nodded and replied, "I would like you and Dame to accompany me to this duel, if that is all right."
"It's fine with me." Roxy said. "How about you Dame?"
"I don't care." Dame said, leaning against the doorway. Matthias nodded, gratitude shining on his face as he and Dame walked in and sat on the couch in Roxy's living room. "All I need," Matthias started, "is for you two to be there." He finished as he laid back, his limbs creaking. Dame sat back, wondering if Roxy would ever pay her the four million crowns she had promised. "Well then," Roxy said, drawing their attention with a small cough, "You two should get some sleep for the fight tomorrow."
"May I sleep here?" Matthias asked, pointing to the couch he was sitting on.
"Sure. That means Dame gets the guest bedroom." Roxy said, grabbing Dame's hand and leading her to the guest bedroom. It was a nice bedroom, plain and unassuming. Dame laid down on the bed and looked out at the sun setting. Sunsets in Fae came quickly and without any warning. It could be as bright as midday one hour and as dark as midnight the next. Dame closed her eyes and let sleep take her. Downstairs, Matthias sat on the floor, his legs crisscrossed. Matthias was clearing his mind of all doubts, making sure that he could devote every fiber in his body to the upcoming duel. Roxy was fast asleep, completely unworried about the fight.
Dame woke up and peeked outside her door, and noticed that Roxy was heading downstairs. Strapping on her knife and pistol and sliding her arms through her leather jacket, Dame followed Roxy down the stairs. Matthias was sitting on the couch, his face blank. "Are we ready to go?" Matthias asked, his eyes closed.
"Yeah. Let's head to the Lightchaser." Dame said, making for the door. Roxy and Matthias followed Dame as she wound her way through the streets, her mind picking the fastest route by memory. In just a few minutes, they were at the Lightchaser and boarding it. Dame went to the cockpit and started the takeoff procedure, making sure everyone was stable and that everything was in order, before taking off toward the nearby eastern outskirts of the Great Ignation desert. Dame thought about the last time she had seen Richard; the time Dina tried to fight him. She hoped that Matthias would fare better than Dina. Richard was tough, and not only that, but he was smart as well. She hadn't seen Matthias fight, but she had heard the stories and seen his hulking colossus. She made a silent wish that Matthias would win. If Richard gained Matthias like he did Dina, then the world was doomed to fall at Ignation's feet. She landed nearby some old ruins, most likely a Ignation fort from a bygone age, and opened the landing doors. Matthias walked out calmly, Roxy decided to stay with the ship, and Dame followed him. She heard the roar of Richard's war Leviathan as it zoomed overhead and landed in front of them. Richard, with Dina at his side, advanced calmly, crossbows at his sides. "Well,well, well." Richard said, his voice dripping with amusement. "It's that smuggler and, I'm guessing you're the Daemian representative?" Matthias glared at Richard, his hatred clear in the green lurking in his brown eyes. Green meant that Matthias was close to shifting. "Yeah, I'm the Daemian representative, and you have a lot to pay for." Richard gave a chuckle as he started walking toward Matthias, stopping some feet away. "So you want to fight me, then let's not waste time. Dina, draw a circle please." Dina walked over and drew a circle about forty feet wide around Richard. " I couldn't agree more." Matthias replied, stepping inside the circle. Matthias's eyes glowed emerald with hatred as the vines around his arms and legs slithered around his body like green snakes, coiling around his chest and enveloping his head in a green helmet. Soon, Matthias was encased in wood, a miniature version of the great Monster. "What? You're not going full strength?" Richard taunted, drawing his crossbows. Matthias's eyes glowed a dark viridian from the shadows cast by the vines around his head. "This is my strongest form. I honor only the strongest of my opponents with it."
Well, then, shall we start?" Richard said, his dark red eyes shining with the joy of battle. Matthias nodded, getting into a sprinter's position. Then Matthias rushed toward Richard, the force of his charge sending up waves of sand. He swung a fist at Richard's stomach and it hit, forcing all of Richard's breath from his lungs. Richard brought his knee up, creating an explosion just beneath Matthias's chest. Richard backpedaled, shooting bolt after bolt at Matthias. Matthias pursued Richard, lunging, jumping and reaching out in small bursts. Richard rolled, ducked and twirled, just keeping out of Matthias's range, all the while flinging bolt after bolt at him. After endless cat and mouse chases like this, the two fighters separated, each one breathing heavily. "I know your weak point." Richard said as he spat out some blood. "I admire your ability, and I advise you to surrender."
"I will not stop and I will not break until Ignation falls." Matthias spat back, murder in his eyes.
"Then I have no choice." Richard replied, sprinting toward Matthias. Matthias ran toward him, arms tucked against his sides. Richard advanced, firing bolt after bolt. Matthias lunged for Richard, oaken arm outstretched. Richard leapt and put his foot on the back of Matthias's, generating an explosion that sent Matthias stumbling downward and Richard flying. Richard aimed his crossbows at the small of Matthias's back and fired. The bolts sank into Matthias's weak point and exploded, forcing Matthias to the ground. Richard walked slowly toward the prone Matthias, his face blank. Then, Richard started shooting Matthias. He didn't stop harrying an endless amount of bolts at Matthias. The air became hazy around Matthias as Richard shot bolt after bolt. Eventually, the sand exploded into flame, The flames rising high in the midday sky. Matthias's screams echoed in the utterly quiet night, and still Richard shot, his bolts relentless and unforgiving. It seemed hours passed before Richard lowered his crossbows and turned to leave, Dina talking beside him. "You almost killed me." Richard said, turning his back to look at the inferno that Matthias lay in. "Because of that, I must make sure that you never fight again." Richard turned away, got in his Leviathan and flew away, leaving Matthias behind in the flames. Dame ran to go save Matthias, but the pure, savage power of the heat pushed her back. Amidst the burning cluster of sand, Dame heard a ragged moan, and saw Matthias, still alive by some miracle, dragging himself forward. He was utterly decimated, his body all blackened and raw, except for the many places where bone, stark and white against the black, showed. His legs and left arm were completely gone, and his right arm was a smoldering, ash riddled husk that groaned with every effort Matthias made to drag himself away from the fire. Soon, Matthias's right arm gave one final groan and collapsed in a heap, leaving Matthias limbless, and eliciting a moan of pain. Dame rushed to the seared lump that was all that was left of Matthias. Until now, Dame hadn't seen Matthias's face, but now as she picked him up and ran towards the Lightchaser, she saw. The entire right side of his face was devoid of all skin and muscle, leaving only bone behind. It took dame a few seconds to realize that Matthias was missing his ears. Where there should have been ears, there was nothing. Dame finally reached the Lightchaser, hurrying to Roxy's guest room and bursting in. "Help him!" Dame shouted at Roxy, "He's going to die!" Roxy immediately sprang and laid her hands on Matthias's exposed sternum, chanting arcane words. "I can only keep him alive for so long. He needs Faedom healers." Dame whirled around and ran to the cockpit, blinking away the tears that welled up in her crystal blue eyes. Dame sat down in her pilot's chair, hurriedly flicking on the Lightchaser's engine. Dame's finger hovered over a small red button, situated on the far left edge of the panel. This button would shut off the limiters placed on all Leviathans. Without the limiters, a Leviathan would go exponentially faster, but it would virtually kill the engine. Dame pressed it without a second thought. Engines were expendable, Matthias wasn't. Dame gunned the engine, speeding toward the Faedom at breakneck speed. She heard the sound of boxes shifting as she soared away from the Great Ignation Desert. Soon, she saw the dock where she had first used to land in the Faedom, and turned sharply. Landing quickly, Dame opened the door as swiftly as she possibly could, running to help Roxy. Together, with Roxy still chanting, the two carried Matthias's limbless, seared body between them as they rushed toward the Royal Infirmary. They burst through the door, Dame yelling to the gathering crowd. "We need healers!" In a flash, tree white rushed to them and took Matthias and Roxy into a room labeled "intensive care." Dame sat down on a chair placed next to the doors, her head in her hands. All she could see was Matthias's face, half skin and half bone, his right eye gone, exposing only an empty socket where an eye should have been. After what seemed like and eternity, Roxy exited, the healers switching with some other healers. Dame turned to Roxy and Roxy replied. "Matthias is alive, but he needs rest, so come back tomorrow to see him.