"Fight!
Or run though your life!
Face your enemies!
Stand up for yourself and just believe.
The fear is just inside, but it's hard to find.
Use your anger to fight for your will!" -Amberian Dawn
"Valtor?"
The man smirked and made his way over towards the two witches. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," he said, and offered Aerona his gloved hand.
She glared down at him, and although she was inclined to ignore his pleasantry and instead use her hand to slap him upside the face, she ignored her urges. Instead she straightened up and clasped it for a tight handshake.
Aerona could feel her powers still leaking through her skin, but she didn't exactly mind if any got unto this guy's gloves. She felt a smirk tug on the side of her lips as clear liquid seeped through her fingertips, which caused a soft fizzing sound to echo through the quiet room.
"And what exactly do you call yourself?" Valtor asked her, which stunned Aerona. Any normal person would have immediately yanked their hand back in fear of damaging it any further. Why was he acting like it had no effect on him?
"U-uh," she mumbled, clearly losing any stance of authority that she had been holding. "Aerona, Aerona Carborane."
Valtor nodded and turned to face Griffin. "You hardly need any introducing, madame. I've heard all about you from my mother's." he said, which made Griffin flush in embarrassment.
"Really? I'm sure what you've heard is nothing but simple trivialities. I do not believe that I have yet accomplished enough to be talked avidly of by such omniscient women." she said, and lowered her eyes when Valtor looked at her straight on.
"You speak so formally and politely about my mothers. You must truly want their respect," he said, to which he received a swift nod. "However, your friend doesn't appear to share the same motives for being here."
Aerona narrowed her eyes slightly in Valtor's direction, but she understood how much this meant to Griffin. She couldn't disrespect him, which would in turn disrespect the mothers, as he was their son. She had to keep a hold of her tongue, and make sure that she speak very delicately.
"You haven't disclosed the plan with her, have you?" Valtor asked, and turned to face his three creators.
"I was against it, I argued against it, but Belladona would not listen." Tharma snapped, upset. "She insisted on telling this girl all about it."
"You encouraged it as well," Lysslis retorted. "Do not act as though it were merely Belladona that explained to Carborane what we are doing. Belladona has not let us down in the past when it has come to apprentices. I'm sure that both Griffin and Aerona will turn out to be excellent warriors."
Aerona flinched at the title 'warrior'. After what she had experienced back home, she swore that she would never become a member of the guard for any planet. She just couldn't do it. When a planet is under attack, the defenses are let loose, and casualties end up appearing all around you. Aerona wasn't prepared to immerse herself in such an environment, it was toxic.
Nevertheless, she couldn't abandon Griffin. What if something were to happen to her on the battlefield? Aerona would never be able to forgive herself. Her nails dug into the palm of her hand, and although she knew immediately that she was going to regret her decision, she just needed to commit for Griffin. Do it for her…
Aerona took a deep breath, and amongst the squabbling between Tharma and Lysslis, she walked up to Belladona and stood her ground. She lifted her head and stared the witch straight in the eyes; beady yellow meeting fiery purple. "I'll help you conquer Domino."
Belladona clapped her hands together, which caused all conversation to halt mid sentence. "Excellent," she said, and floated down next to Aerona. "We will begin preparations immediately. Valtor, you will begin training Aerona and instructing her on the basics. Do not forget that you also need to assist Griffin in perfecting everything that she already knows."
Valtor bowed to Belladona. "As you wish,"
Belladona hovered back to where her sisters stood. "You three will now begin your training. I expect that we be ready soon, as our Lord is growing impatient as each day passes by. We will acquire the dragon fire by any means necessary," she concluded, as the three mothers finally retreated back into the darkness.
"Why do I have to be taught by you?" Griffin asked, offended that the mothers had brushed her off to be taught by their second-hand creation.
"Because they commanded it. Do you wish for me to question as to why they made that decision?" Valtor sneered, already knowing the answer.
Griffin opened her mouth to protest, but she knew better not to. She was just going to have to put up with this man for the time being. Griffin believed that the mothers would eventually realize the mistake they had made for making him teach her, and in turn, she would be their right-hand man during the battle.
"If you two are finished," Aerona interrupted, and she received a glare from both of her comrades. "Would you mind telling me where it is we're going to train? We can't practice in here, and I sincerely doubt we could try it in any of the other rooms here at Cloud Tower."
Valtor made his way towards Aerona, which caused her to flush and back into one of the caskets. "You have quite the mouth on you," he jeered. "If this place is under so much scrutiny, how do you think I managed to come here after I was conceived?"
"Uh…" Aerona droned, not really sure how to respond to such a question.
"Were you born, or more-so, created here?" Griffin wondered. The mothers had hardly disclosed any information on Valtor. All that they had explained was that he was created from the dark flame, one that had been formed in the void during the beginning of time.
He must be powerful then, she thought. For him to have been formed from material that the great dragon had expelled. I have to keep an eye on Aerona. She is starting these difficult teachings today and I won't let her be shoved to the side by this creature.
"No. Although, I find it amusing that my mothers have not even revealed the circumstances of my creation to their closest confident." he smirked, and glanced over at Griffin. The comment stung her pride, and she turned away from him.
Aerona bit her lip, hard, to prevent anything vulgar from slipping out. She had to show this guy respect. "Then where were you born?" she snapped, a little more aggressive than she might have wanted.
Valtor refocused his attention on Aerona and placed his finger under her chin so she could better look him in the eyes. "Obsidian," he whispered.
Aerona couldn't take this sort of treatment anymore. She whacked his hand away and sprayed some acid on his vest to make him back off, which he did. "Please refrain from invading my personal space," she spat.
Valtor glared at her and made to reach for her wrist, but Aerona reacted quickly and let loose a stream of hydrofluoric acid. She knew what would happen once that touched him, but he had just made her so irritated! He just couldn't listen to her warnings, could he?
In spite of the attack, Valtor coolly stood his ground and merely raised his hand in response, Aerona's attack seemingly evaporating as soon as it touched his glove. "Was that all you can do?" he teased.
Aerona gaped, completely dumbfounded at what he had just done. Did...did he absorb my attack? What the hell!
"How did you do that?" she asked, and jumped when he started to laugh.
"That is simply one of the many powers that I have been gifted with," he said. "Now do you understand why I was the one put in charge of increasing your abilities?"
Griffin nodded, some admiration beginning to take place of the indignation that filled the majority of her mind.
"Good, now let's get started."
It had been several weeks since Aerona had begun her rigorous training with Valtor and Griffin. The three had been practicing in Obsidian, where Valtor had been created, as the amount of energy there would be ideal in increasing their strength.
Although he occasionally got on her nerves, Aerona had to admit that what Valtor was teaching her, was very valuable. Not only were her powers stronger, she could also go on longer without having the chemicals burn through her skin. She was learning to regulate her body temperature and water count to make sure that the reactions would be minimal as she fought. She had earned a couple more spells as well: one that released blasts of liquid cyanide, one that released a torrent of tabun, and one that released thousands of tiny needles coated in batrachotoxin.
Aerona was starting to feel more and more confident about her abilities, and she had even taken on Griffin on a one-on-one match. It had been a close call, but in the end, Griffin had just barely taken the cake.
Despite her defeat, Aerona was scheduled to take on Valtor himself that day. She was fairly nervous, but Griffin kept telling her that she would be just fine as long as she concentrated and kept her cool.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Aerona questioned, and fidgeted where she stood. Her nerves were beginning to get the better of her. She could feel that her muscles were beginning to tense, and even the familiar burning sensation her powers were known to cause was beginning to creep across her arms and legs.
Griffin offered her a kind smile. "You'll do fine, Aerona. The more that you doubt yourself, the more likely it is that you are going to fail. You need to quit thinking that you're inadequate, you've grown leaps and bounds since we first started."
Aerona flushed at Griffin's compliments and gave her an awkward head nod in return. She could do this, Griffin believed in her. Aerona needed to prove that she wasn't a foe to be taken likely. She was going to be the perfect ally on the battlefield, she was going to be the unstoppable force that everyone in Magix would talk about after they had seized control of Domino.
Wait...what? she had to stop her train of thought. Was she really thinking this way? Could she really go through with this?
"Ah Aerona, I see that you showed up after all," Valtor cooed, as he walked into the room.
Aerona was snapped out of her thinking. She took a deep inhale to calm her breathing, and then followed Valtor's lead. "Of course I did. What, after all this time, did you really believe that I wouldn't want to kick your ass?"
Valtor narrowed his eyes at her. "Watch your tongue. I am still your superior," he barked.
"What, scared that I might be taking more of an authority charge than you?" Aerona mocked.
Valtor smirked and quickly prepared himself for battle. "You will truly regret ever speaking to me in such a manner."
"Bring it on," Aerona said, and positioned herself as she earned her witch outfit.
Valtor took her stance as the initiation of the fight and immediately went at her. He leapt into the air and began to levitate freely, where he then launched a barrage of fire attacks.
Aerona slid across the smooth floor and dodged a majority of the projectiles, but a few still remained and were staying on course. Aerona created a ball of peroxide in her hand, and before the fire could come into contact with her, she kicked it with her boots and sent it hurtling back. As the finishing touch, she released her own attack, and when the two collided, a huge explosion rocked the area.
Valtor went flying in the opposite direction from the blast, as did large chunks of rock that had been pulled apart during the eruption. He quickly raised his hands and stopped them from colliding into him, and then he threw them at Aerona.
Aerona lept into the air, easily dodging the large boulders as they lugged below her. She sent out a stream of batrachotoxin needles in his direction, which Valtor simply absorbed. "You really need to stop doing that," Aerona grumbled, irritated. "That's basically cheating!"
"War is a dirty game, my dear," he said, and rebounded her own attack.
Aerona screeched and blasted liquid oxygen from her hands, instantly melting the tiny darts. "That was dirty," she growled. "Bastard…" she mumbled, and ejected a wave of tabun in his direction.
Valtor smirked, as he realized that she was beginning to unravel. She was getting sloppy, and much more brash. He decided that it would be more fun to play with her mind, and instead of retaliating, he created a large cloud of fog that engulfed the battle field.
Aerona blinked, and whirled around, completely confused. "What the-?" she gasped, completely baffled at what just occurred. What is he playing at? Why would he just create a large wall of fog? Is he trying to disorient me?
Aerona narrowed her eyes to try and see if she could make out any figures, but she could hardly even discern where the ground was. She attempted to fly above it, but wherever she went, the fog seemed to follow. Guess I'll have to find and defeat Valtor in order for this to dissipate…
"Are you ever going to find me, though, is the question," Valtor's voice said, although it sounded as though he had completely surrounded her.
"You're so childish. You can't even fight me hand-to-hand so you have to resort to cheap tricks like this," Aerona spat.
"Oh? You truly believe that you could win if you fought me? How cute. The only reason that you're here is because my mothers instructed me to teach you. If I had it my way, you would have been disposed of as soon as you stepped into the crypt."
Aerona flinched, his words stung her, and she could feel tears well up in her eyes. I can't believe I'm letting this get to me… she thought. "Obviously they see some potential in me, otherwise they would have gotten rid of me themselves." she shouted back.
"I'm sure they were just giving you a chance because Griffin appeared so eager once the both of you were in their presence." he jibed, and suddenly, he had grabbed Aerona from behind.
She grunted and blasted him with sulfuric acid. She thought she might have gotten him, but when she turned out, she saw no one there. Was that an illusion too?
"Why would they care so much about her opinion? It's obvious that even their nature can be tested, as Tharma was more than willing to kick us both out."
"True...but I believe that Belladona cares for Griffin. She wouldn't let her feel disappointment, not at such a crucial time as this. You both are disposable in the end. During the final battle, you'll be used as decoys while my mothers and I go after the dragon fire."
Aerona went pale, and she felt as though she might be sick. So...this was their motive all along. They would find two naive and alienated girls, use the temptation of glory to lure them out and do their bidding, and once they've completed their task, they're kicked to the curb. I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for all of this! To fall for all of their lies!
"I...I...I can't believe it...how...how could you do that…?" she whispered, and felt an intense burn travel through her body. Steam was rising from her as her skin was ablaze, and deadly chemicals seeped through her fingers.
"Why should we care what happens to you both? You're mere mortals, and we...we are gods."
"Shut up!" Aerona screamed. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she yelled into the void. More steam was rising from her, so much that she had trouble seeing right in front of her. "I can't believe that you would play with her like that! S-she trusts you! She believes that what she's doing is right, she believes that everything she's doing is going to help you! I-I can't believe it! You...you're so selfish! You...you monster!" she cried.
What happened next, occurred so fast, Aerona could hardly remember what had took place. Mere seconds after her outburst, an explosion rocked Obsidian, an explosion of such magnitude that rock was raining from the sky afterwards, that cracks had formed on the ground and walls, and that little fires had sprung up from the sheer heat.
Aerona groaned and looked around, her eyes going cross for a second, before they readjusted themselves. "What happened?" she asked, and rubbed her sore head.
She heard a grunt to her left, and she quickly darted over to find that it was Valtor. Dust coated his suit, and pieces of rubble were strung into his long hair. "A-are you alright?" Aerona said, and offered him her hand.
He stared up at her, which sent a jolt through her body. "I'm fine," he said, and took her offered hand.
Aerona pulled him up and steadied him, slight concern etched across her visage. "What happened?" she repeated.
"You did," Valtor said, and began to dust himself off.
"W-what? I-I did this?" she stuttered, as fear began to wash over her.
"Of course. Don't you remember?" he questioned, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Aerona flushed, and looked away bashfully. "N-no…" she felt so foolish admitting that she was no idea what transpired. One minute she was surrounded by fog, the next she was screaming, and then, boom! Explosion!
"It seems that my taunting had gone a bit overboard. You released all of your pent up rage and what ensued was a powerful chemical blast." Valtor explained. "I never knew that you had that in you," he said, and offered her a smirk. "You're more interesting than I thought."
Aerona looked away from his intense gaze, not really wanting to look up at him after her embarrassing debacle. "Wait," she said, the realization suddenly hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Where's Griffin?" she asked, fear and panic entering her voice.
"Do not worry, she had retreated back to Cloud Tower once the fight began. She is safe," Valtor reassured.
Aerona nodded, and felt herself slowly start to calm down. "So uh...I guess I win, huh?"
Valtor chuckled, and offered her his hand. "I suppose I can honor you with this victory."
Aerona smiled and took a strong hold of him. "Thanks," she said, and followed Valtor through a portal leading back to Cloud Tower.
Oh, do I have some interesting things to report… Valtor thought, as he lead Aerona back into the calm, dark crypt of his mothers.
Author's Note: woo! Long chapter, and a fight scene! Now we have some interactions amongst the trio. The preparations are under way, but will Aerona still be able to go through with it? I'm very happy to find that I have a fan! FleurDevallee, thank you so much for the review and follow! I really appreciate it! Now I have a reason to continue writing this story! :D If you're reading this story, and like what you see, and your pen-name isn't FleurDevallee, why don't you leave me a review, follow, or fav? It would mean a lot to me. Thanks, and catch you in the next chapter!
