AN (06/22/15): Woohoo…alright, here we are at Chapter XX. This is going to be the last chapter for a while before I go back to working on my Strawberry Panic fic for a bit. But have no fear, you'll get more updates here than in that one. Well, needless to say, classes have already started again here in the Philippines. I'm now a College Sophomore so this is going to be fun…note the sarcasm. Anyways, I'll be busier with schoolwork from now on so please bear with me if updates are slower than usual. Well, I give my sincere thanks to those who left their reviews in the previous chapters as well as their favorites. I hope you enjoyed them. Anyways, let's move on to Chapter XX of "ToX: The Lilium Twin".
CHAPTER XX:
THE TOURNAMENT
The next morning, Jude, Milla and their companions, except for Chris, headed downstairs after a full night's rest. When they set foot on the inn's ground floor, they spotted Yurgen and his companions. He turned to them with a small yet cheery smirk on his face.
"You look bright eyed and ready to fight. Good. Where's Chris?" He asked them; worry etched on his face. Could it be possible that Chris backed out? It can't be. It's not in her nature.
"The young lady will be down in a moment." Rowen gently answered. Out of the seven of them, it was always Chris who suffered difficulty in waking up so early due to her sleep deprivation.
"Calm down, guys. I'm here." Another voice said. They saw that it was Chris, heading downstairs as she rubbed the sleep off her eyes and was having a winning battle against the wild beast on her head that is aptly named 'hair'. Why she had to inherit her dad's messy locks instead of her mother's curly yet tame hair, she'll never know…
"I see your hair still looks like a Chirpee's nest." Yurgen teased the girl, who was in the process of putting on her coat after tying her hair.
"Hardy har-har…funny…now say what you came here to say." She said in a tone that clearly showed that she was not amused.
"Fair enough. Today's schedule is packed. Because of the number of participants, the tournament organizers decided to cram all the fights in one day." He gravely explained to them. Chris whistled while the others showed their surprise.
"Well, that's something you don't see every decade." She nonchalantly remarked.
"One day? Sounds rough." Jude said as his mouth hung open in surprise.
"We'll find out how many fights there'll be once today's match-ups are announced. When you hear the bells tolling, come to the arena at once. That heralds the start of the tournament." Yurgen explained to them.
"I guess we have some time to kill. What should we do?" Alvin asked them as he leaned on the stairs.
"I'm going to the plaza. Something's been bothering me." Milla answered him.
"Oh! I'll go with you too. I'll get antsy just standing around here." Leia offered, to which Milla responded with a nod of her head.
"Hmm…maybe I'll tag along too." Alvin answered. It would be a shame to miss the opportunity to spend time with two lovely ladies, after all…
"What should I do?" Jude wondered out loud with closed eyes as he crossed his arms, not noticing that Elize and Teepo were approaching him.
"Hey, Jude. Let's go sightseeing!" The doll requested of him.
"I wanna look around the city too." The little girl followed up. Jude suddenly remembered what Elize said yesterday.
"Oh yeah. You did say this place looked familiar to you." He stated as Rowen approached them.
"I shall escort Miss Elize. Will you accompany us?" Rowen asked him.
"Sure, why not?" Jude responded with a small smile.
"What about you, Chris?" Milla asked the girl, who was simply leaning by the door with her hands in her pockets, seemingly lost in thought until Milla spoke to her.
"Huh? I'm just visiting my wyverns. Figured I'd give them some tender, loving care before I leave again for who knows how long." She answered with a small smile on her face. It was fairly obvious to Milla and Alvin though that she was preoccupied with something else. Much to Chris' fortune, they decided to drop it.
"Don't forget. Race to the arena when you hear the bell." Alvin reminded them. With that, they went their separate ways.
Later on, Chris was sitting by the wyvern pens, leaning on Iris' body. She released Iris and Maximus from their cages earlier and instead of flying off, the two sat with her. She thought the two just wanted to spend time with their long lost mistress. But then again, it was probably because of the pieces of meat Chris was keeping in her jacket for them. She carefully hand fed them the pieces of meat, all the while playing catch up with them.
"So…I'm about to graduate from Med School. I know. You're probably surprised, since you both grew up seeing me getting in trouble all the time." She said as she tossed a piece of meat towards Maximus. The wyvern caught it with its mouth and bowed its head in appreciation. But then a sad look suddenly fell on Maximus' face. Or at least, as close a sad look that a wyvern can muster. Chris immediately realized what he was thinking and sighed.
"You miss him, don't you?" She asked them, referring to Maximus' deceased master. The two wyverns let out a low whine in response and Chris could do nothing but pat their heads as tenderly as she could.
"I miss him too." Chris told them. They three stayed silent for a while, with Chris occasionally giving the wyverns a piece of meat and gently patting their heads. All of a sudden, the elevator's doors opened and the young girl looked up, surprised at who their sudden guest was.
"I thought I'd find you here." Karla said with a tender smile as she slowly approached them.
"Well…here I am." She responded as Karla sat beside them. Out of habit, Chris immediately laid her head on her shoulder. Karla wrapped an arm around her and stroked her hair like she used to do when Chris was just a child who had a bad day at school.
"What brought you here?" The younger girl asked.
"I wanted to talk to you. What you have to do? Do you really have to do it?" Karla asked her, worry evident in her voice.
"I have to. Look, I know you worry. But I'll be fine." Chris answered her with a smile as they separated.
"Alright. Alright. So long as you come home in one piece. And…I want you to graduate med school by next year." She said with a stern look on her face. Chris smiled and lightly pinched her Aunt's cheek like she used to when she was a child.
"There's that strict teacher face that I miss so much. I'll see what I can do about that." Chris said with a small smile. All of a sudden, the bell rang and Chris immediately stood up.
"I have to go." She declared.
"Go. Be careful. Try to avoid the Aktaus as much as possible." Karla told her as she stood up. Chris hugged her for a second and gave her a kiss on the cheek before she bolted to the elevator and headed down as Karla could do nothing but stare after her.
"Maxwell always guide and protect you, love." She muttered as she patted Iris and Maximus in the head.
Chris finally made it to the coliseum just in time to see the others with Yurgen. It seems that just as she's always the one who's late in waking up, she's also the one who's late in arriving to gatherings.
"Hey, there she is." Alvin greeted her as she walked up to them.
"Hey." Chris greeted them as she approached Elize.
"Chris, did you know? Yurgen and Isla know each other. They're engaged!" Leia jovially reported to her. Needless to say, Chris was surprised.
"Oh, you're engaged? Congratulations! Don't forget to invite me or…something." She teasingly said with a grin. "But seriously, congratulations, Yurgen." Chris added. Yurgen could only chuckle at their antics.
"Thank you, Chris. Anyways, you arrived just in time. Head to the reception desk when you're ready."
"We're expecting big things from you." Yurgen's female companion said.
"Knock 'em dead." The other one said. They simply responded with a nod before approaching the reception desk. Chris immediately put her wyvern mask on as they were registered and ushered to the dug-out, where they waited their turn.
"So…how exactly does this thing work?" Leia asked in curiosity.
"One way: don't lose." Was Chris' only answer before the announcer spoke.
"And now our next combatants: the champions of the Kitarl clan!"
The gates opened and Jude was taken aback at the amount of spectators.
"Look at all the people!" He exclaimed in his surprise.
"You won't be at your best if you're nervous. Relax." Milla sternly told him before she walked out into the arena.
"R-Right." Jude said as they followed after Milla. As they walked out to the arena, the announcer spoke up yet again.
"They're the only combatants who won't be controlling monsters using beastcraft!"
Needless to say, the people were no doubt surprised. In the past years, combatants have always used monsters in their fighting.
"Don't be shocked if they're surprised. That's a pretty ballsy move coming from us." Chris stated as she scratched the scar on her neck.
"Their skills are a complete mystery. This'll either be a short fight or an interesting one!"
"Um…did he just say monsters?" Leia asked them. Chris could only nod in response.
"Here come their opponents!"
Just as he said that, 3 Sylvan crabs came out escorted by a soldier.
"Stay focused everyone." Milla reminded them as they drew their weapons. Immediately, the moved forward to attack.
"Demon Fang!"
Chris immediately swung her sword in an upward arc, sending a shockwave on the ground which hit one of the crabs. In retaliation, the crab sent 3 orbs at her, knocking her on her back. Just as she fell down, Leia immediately came to her aid, bringing her staff down numerous times on the crab before jumping back and using her own arte.
"Soaring Vortex!"
The crab was launched up the air and Alvin immediately spotted it, shooting it with his own gun. When it finally fell down, it was dead. Chris, who was still reeling in from the effects of having a green orb hit her straight at the chest, was just starting to recover and didn't notice that another crab was coming towards her. Before it can attack her, however, it was sent flying by a strong kick from Jude. Milla, who saw that it was launched towards her, jumped up in the air and used an arte on it.
"Bolt Strike!"
A black sphere immediately emerged and several lightning bolts scattered around, hitting both crabs and the soldier commanding them. However, it didn't prove to be effective in taking them down.
"Jude!" Milla called for him. Jude, who was helping a dazed Chris up, immediately ran to her aid. The two immediately executed a linked arte against the weakened Sylvan crab.
"Flame Sphere!"
A dome of fire surrounded Jude and Milla, killing one of the crabs and sending the other one and the soldier handling them flying towards Elize, who immediately attacked with Teepo.
"Teepo Copter!"
The little girl jumped up and grabbed her doll's leg before they pressed forward as she twirled her rod around, injuring the crab numerous times. When she was done with her aerial onslaught, Elize let go of Teepo's leg and sent her light stars towards the crab, damaging it further. This time, Rowen attacked the creature with his sword, slashing it numerous times before using his own arte.
"Wind Lance!"
Green Blades of Wind appeared and propelled towards the monster, greatly weakening it. Alvin and Chris took the chance to attack in tandem, with Alvin using an arte of his own.
"Sonic Thrust!"
His attack landed and hit the crab while Chris swung her sword upwards, sending it flying once again, just in time for Leia and Jude to intercept it. Jude brought his leg down while Leia brought her staff on its shell, propelling it to the ground and finally felling the beast. Meanwhile, Chris ran to Milla's aid. The older woman was clearly having a bit of difficulty in defeating the soldier. The soldier swung his club at her, hitting Milla in the side and knocking the air out of her for a bit. Milla, however, immediately used an arte to counter him.
"Flare Bomb!"
A fireball exploded on the soldier's chest, knocking him down on the ground. He was immediately able to recover but not in time to notice Chris coming up from behind.
"Tiger Blade!"
The young woman swung her sword upwards and brought it down immediately, sending the soldier on his stomach. He swung his club and swept Chris' feet, making her land on the ground. Before he could attack, however, Alvin shot at him to distract him as Elize sent her light stars. Both hit their respective marks just in time for Chris to recover.
"Ice Storm!"
Chris brought her dagger down and ice shot up from the ground, hitting the soldier and finally knocking him out. They barely had any time to recover before the next set of enemies came in.
"And now, it's time for our next match!"
"Oh man. Again?" Leia complained. Chris could only nod as she put her hands on her knees as she tried to regain her breath. Once they've recovered in what little time they could, they immediately grabbed their weapons yet again and attacked. They dispatched this set of enemies as quick as they could and they tried to do the same with the next one and before they knew, they came out as victors in all three battles. At the end of it all, they were injured, dirty and tired. Jude was forced to one knee, Milla was slumped over, Leia collapsed on the ground with Elize fanning her while Rowen and Alvin stood calmly on the sides, watching them in amusement. Chris, in the meantime, used Ice Storm to summon some ice and was currently holding onto said ice like a child would their favorite stuffed animal in an effort to cool herself down.
"And there you have it, folks! The Kitarl Champions have fought their way to a place in the finals!"
"Screw you!" Chris yelled out from the part of the arena where she lay on her back with the ice. Back then, even as a child, everyone knew to not say anything in Chris' presence when she was extremely tired because she was very, very irritable.
Needless to say…they were all ready to take a break now…even Milla.
After a few minutes of recovering, the group headed out of the arena itself, weary and exhausted, but still energetic enough to talk amongst themselves.
"We did it. We won!" Leia exclaimed in joy. Just as she suspected, even though it was tiring, the thrill of competing in a tournament was still exhilarating. She wonders how her mother would react if she found out? She'd probably beat Leia within an inch of her life for participating in such a dangerous sport…
"It nearly went the other way, though." Jude reminded his childhood friend.
"Come on. That was a cinch. Just ask the resident Lilium Twin over there." Alvin smugly stated as they climbed down the stairs.
"First off, don't refer to me as a Lilium Twin in public. And secondly…I don't know about that. It was actually harder than expected." Chris said as she took her mask off and let it hang from her neck.
"I agree with the young madam. Those matches were quite demanding." Rowen said.
"Our little buddy Alvin's a big fat liar, right Elly?" Teepo said with a smile on his face.
"Yes. It wasn't easy at all." The little girl responded.
"Aw, come on, guys…" The mercenary whined. They all spotted Yurgen and his companions at the foot of the stairs and they rushed over to them, with Milla lingering behind a bit.
"Nice work out there! Those are some fantastic fights!" Yurgen praised them.
"The finals begin after lunch." His female companion informed them. "All the other entrants will be there too. So don't expect cheery company. Anyways, you better grab some food." She added. Then they followed them to the mess hall. Combatants from all the clans of Auj Oule were gathered there as well for lunch. They sat down on one table with Yurgen and quietly observed the place around them. Jude was looking around intently when Alvin spoke up.
"Scouting out our opponents for the finals?" Alvin asked him with a devilish tone in his voice, much to the amusement of their companions.
"Well, yeah, of course." The young man nervously said.
"What if you spy a cute little she-warrior? Someone who's totally your type?" The gruff man added. Chris, who was having a drink of water, promptly choked in an attempt to stifle her laughter. The possibility of that happening was next to none, seeing as he's always fixated on the blonde bombshell sitting across the table from him.
"What? Why would that make a difference? I'm here to fight; not flirt!" He indignantly exclaimed. Alvin could only chuckle at the declaration.
"Calm down, Jud-o boy. It's okay. You're a growing boy; it wouldn't surprise us if someone here caught your eye." Chris said with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. Jude blushed and turned away from his friend's gaze.
"We've made it to the finals." Yurgen reminded them as he stood up. "To be honest, I wasn't sure you had it in you."
"Your confidence in our abilities is so touching…" Chris sarcastically said.
"Why? We told you we'd win!" Leia cried out. Yurgen chuckled at their remarks.
"Fair enough. Anyway, please, help yourselves. You'll need to have enough energy to make it to the finals." He said as someone brought another bowl of food in. All of a sudden, another of Yurgen's friends came rushing in.
"Yurgen, we have a problem!" He said.
"What is it?" The girl asked as he approached.
"Turns out that rock fall was no accident. They found signs that someone destroyed the cliff intentionally." He reported. Milla immediately realized what was happening.
"What? Don't touch the food!" She ordered them. Chris and Alvin were so close to putting the food in their mouths when she yelled.
"What? Why?" Elize asked her in confusion. Before Milla could answer her, however, they heard clattering sounds and saw that everyone around them had dropped like flies.
"Holy crap." Chris said as they ran towards the other people. She, Jude and Leia immediately started checking pulses but found none.
"They're all dead." She announced. "Wow…who would do such a thing?"
None of them can say anything and all Rowen can do was approach Jude and kneel beside him.
"Do you detect that faint odor? I know of this. Yes, there can be no doubt." He said. "It's meticinia. A poison that dissolves in liquid."
"Are you serious? Why would anyone do this?" Jude questioned him through gritted teeth. All these innocent people…dead…and for what? They were just here for the tournament…
"Do our opponents want to win that badly?" One of Yurgen's companions asked.
"No, it wasn't them." Milla spoke up. They all turned to her and the expression on her face only showed that she just realized something. "Only one group would use such cowardly means." She added. Suddenly, Alvin bolted out of the mess hall.
"Alvin, wait!" Milla called for him as Chris followed him to the threshold.
"Hey, where are you going?" She yelled after him but she got no response from the man.
"What's going on?" Elize asked in a panic. Chris immediately approached her and grasped her shoulders to calm her down.
"Things were going so well. Why is this happening?" Leia asked in confusion. Jude had no answers for them and he could only turn to Milla.
"Milla, do you know something?" He asked her. She turned to him and nodded.
"I do…but this conversation should only be between all of us. Let's return to the inn." She suggested.
"That would be wise. We'll find out what'll happen to the tournaments." Yurgen offered, to which Chris gave him a nod of approval before they left and returned to the inn.
The group, sans Alvin, convened at the inn, waiting for Milla to spill the beans on what she knows about the massacre.
"Exodus is behind this conspiracy." The older woman spoke up.
"The what?" Chris asked her with a confused look on her face.
"What's that?" Jude asked.
"It's an organization that's been trying to assassinate me for some time." She answered without missing a beat.
"Wait, so you're saying that poison just now…"
"Was likely intended for me. I am truly sorry for those who died instead." She stated in an apologetic manner.
"So…they killed all those people in an attempt to get to you? They're that desperate?" Chris asked in disbelief. As a doctor, she cannot fathom how inhumane this was.
"Goodness. To think they would murder a room full of people indiscriminately just to kill you." Rowen said as he stroked his beard.
"Yes. They've never been very subtle with their measures. But this act was especially heinous." Milla told them.
"That's terrible! Why are they after you?" Leia questioned. Milla turned away with crossed arms before she responded.
"Because I've been destroying their spyrixes. Ever since Exodus first appeared with them twenty years ago."
"That's quite some time ago." The elderly gentleman said.
"Hold on. Does that include the Lance of Kresnik?" Jude asked her. "That weapon uses spyrix. Does that mean Exodus is involved?"
"I suspect the Lance was originally made by Exodus. But I cannot prove it. It's not easy to identify their members. They've blended into the populace." Milla answered once she finally faced them yet again. "Until now, I've only been able to do so when they use spyrix. I can sense spirits dying because of it." She continued.
"Wait…spirits dying…sounds a lot like what happened in Fennmont a while back when people were getting stood up by spirits. That's gotta be it." Chris thought to herself as she tried to process all the information that Milla was giving them.
"Wait, what?" Jude asked, unable to hide his surprise. Milla continued on with her explanation.
"Every time a spyrix generates artes, it drives a spirit to their deaths. Humans and spirits have a reciprocal relationship. You borrow their power to live and spirits live off the mana produced by a human's mana lobe. At first glance, spyrix might seem like a dream come true but in actuality, it throws this delicate balance off kilter. As long as spyrix exists, neither humans nor spirits can live in peace."
"I feel like such a fool. This is all news to me." Rowen said as he shook his head.
"Of course, it is. I've been dealing with these matters on my own while ensuring that humans remain unaware." The older woman admitted.
Finally, Chris stood up and spoke, wanting to know if what she suspected was true, even though if she already knew it to be...
"If a spyrix is used in the proximity of a human trying to use spirit artes, would the spirit channeling fail?" She asked as she rubbed her neck.
"Yes, it would. It would also hurt the caster in the process." Milla confirmed for her.
"What are you getting at, Chris?" Leia asked in curiosity.
"The night we met Milla." Was her only answer.
"What do you mean?" The young man asked her.
"The Lance HAD to have been made by Exodus. The night we met Milla, we had a surge of patients who claimed that their spirit channeling failed. And who has the knowledge and resources to make spyrix? It has to be Exodus. I think the real question that begs to be asked here is that how did Nachtigal gain access to spyrix? Or…hell…maybe even how he MADE a spyrix?" She explained to them.
"The young madam has a point." Rowen admitted. All of a sudden, Yurgen entered their room. Leia anxiously approached him immediately.
"How is everyone?" She asked.
"We were the meal's only survivors." He gravely admitted. "Naturally, the finals have been postponed. Don't expect to fight until two days. Possibly longer?"
"They didn't cancel them?" Jude questioned in surprise.
"They can't do that. The tournaments only happen every decade. That would be breaking tradition." Chris informed him as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"The tournament committee had a heated debate over it, but like Chris said, this tournament happens only once a decade. Any sign of Alvin yet?" He asked them.
"Unfortunately, no." Rowen answered him.
"I see. Well, please pass along the news. I'll return once the details are decided." Yurgen said before walking out of the room.
"Don't you think we should forfeit the tournament?" Leia asked them.
"I think so, too." Elize voiced out.
"Probably. Assuming there's still someone LEFT to fight." Chris said.
"You're probably right." Milla responded.
"We're all exhausted. Let's get retire for now and revisit this the next day." Rowen suggested to them.
"Yeah, you're right." Jude said in agreement.
And with that, the group rested up, anxiously waiting for tomorrow to come…
The next morning, the group was in a full blown panic. Apparently, Milla slipped off before any of them were awake and now they couldn't find her. They had Elize stay behind in the inn while the rest searched all around Xian Du. Finally, Jude returned to the inn and he was met by Elize and Teepo. The little girl simply shook her head before he can ask her anything. Then Leia and Rowen returned, obviously not having better luck than they.
"I learned from one of the staff that she left the building by herself early this morning." Rowen stated as he stroked his beard.
"I doubt she'd do anything dangerous. I mean, not after what she told us yesterday." Leia said.
"I hope she's okay." Elize said as she approached Jude. He turned to her with downcast eyes and nodded.
"Yeah…I'm worried too." He said. Just as he ended his sentence, Chris stumbled in, dripping wet for some reason.
"What happened to you?" Leia asked in confusion.
"Long story, but I will tell you that it involves a cute lady from the Cheagle Tribe, the Item Shop, a mare and the River of Xian Du." She said with a shrug as she took the towel that an inn employee so graciously offered her. "I take it Milla hasn't returned?"
They all nodded their heads in response. The group decided to leave the inn yet again and as they walked, they spotted someone familiar.
"Oh, Isla, good morning." Leia said, catching the female doctor's attention. The woman approached them with a gentle smile on her face.
"Good morning. Chris, I saw you running from a man from the Cheagle Tribe earlier. Someone should've warned you to watch were you were going, huh?" Isla said with a teasing smile on her face.
"What happened earlier?" Leia asked once again.
"Oh, I saw the whole thing myself. Your friend wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and bumped into a lady from the Cheagle tribe. She accidentally groped the poor girl and the girl's brother wasn't amused. She only managed to evade him when she let a random mare loose and she jumped in the river." She explained with an amused smile on her face.
"Hey, it's not like I actually intended to walk up to her and grope her. And what can I say? I'm a sucker for pretty ladies." Chris nonchalantly said with a shrug.
"I think Alvin's rubbing off too much on you, Chris." Jude bluntly said.
"Oh, I heard about your close call yesterday. You people sure are lucky." She said.
"Yes…but all those other people weren't." Jude glumly stated.
"O-Of course. What a terrible thing for me to say. Forgive me." Isla stuttered. Plucking up her courage, Elize approached the woman.
"Excuse me, have you seen Milla?" She shyly asked. With a gentle smile, Isla approached her and bent down to her level.
"Well, this is the first time we've really spoken, isn't it? She's not with you?"
"She seems to have run off by herself." Leia informed her.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Isla asked the little girl. She could only give off a hum of confusion.
"Are you perhaps acquainted with Miss Elize here?" The elderly gentleman asked her. They noticed how Isla's eyes suddenly widened.
"Elize?" She asked before recoiling as if something burned her, much to their confusion. "N-No. I don't know her."
Huh…if that ain't a lie, then they don't know what is…
"I have an errand I need to run. I'll see you later." She said before running off.
"What was that about?" Leia asked in confusion.
"Hmm…hate to say it, but Yurgen's fiancée seems to have skeletons in her closet." Chris stated as she put her hands on her hips. Jude simply hummed in agreement.
"Anyhow, we should get back to searching for Milla. If Exodus catches her alone, it could be trouble." The young nurse said, worry lacing her tone.
"Hey, Milla's not like you. She's a tough cookie. It's not Milla who's holding us back!" Teepo said as he and Elize turned to her. Well…that was downright rude.
"Teepo!" Chris scolded the doll.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leia asked, obviously offended by the remark.
"Come on, quit playing around. Let's get back to the search." Jude scolded them.
"Eh…right…" She said in agreement. And so, they went on their way and crossed the bridge where they saw two familiar faces.
"Milla!" Jude called for her as they approached.
"Oh, there you are." She said like she hasn't done anything wrong.
"Where have you been? We were worried sick!" He informed her with a hint of anger and worry in his voice. To be honest, Milla was taken aback by this new side of Jude.
"Sorry about that." She said but Jude wasn't done.
"You too, Alvin. Next time you storm off, tell us where you're going first."
"Simmer down, kid. Besides, looks like Elize wants to say something." Alvin calmly said with crossed arms as he leaned on the bridge's railing. Chris heaved a sigh before approaching the little girl and kneeling on one knee before her.
"What is it, Elize?" She gently asked her.
"Umm…I think Isla might know something about me." She answered. Milla's brow furrowed in confusion as she approached.
"Why do you say that?" She asked.
"She took one long look at Elize and went pale as a ghost." Jude responded.
"Then bolted out of the conversation like a bat out of the Underworld." Chris added.
"I see." Was the older woman's only response.
"If we spot Isla, we'll ask her what she knows. We won't let her get away this time, okay?" Leia assured her.
"Okay." Elize answered. Suddenly, the bells tolled, signaling the start of the tournament.
"What the hell? I thought the fights have been postponed." Chris questioned on one in particular.
"Hey, shouldn't you folks be hightailing it to the arena?" A woman asked them.
"The tournament's going to start up soon." A little girl added.
"Hey, we can't be late for our own tournament!" Teepo whined.
"We'll be disqualified if we don't make it back in time." Leia reminded them.
"Is that really so bad? Weren't you thinking of forfeiting?" Milla asked them.
"A wise woman once told me that hesitation is a common human failing. We must keep moving forward, even if the path is uncertain." Rowen said with a smile on his face.
"Ah, I suppose so. Thank you." She said with a small smile on her face. There was something that bothered Jude though.
"How did you know we were tournament fighters?" He asked the woman and the child.
"Why else would you be here? Outsiders are either combatants or spectators when it's tournament time." She answered before walking away.
"That's just common sense around here." The child said before waving away and leaving as well.
"Why'd you ask them that?" Elize asked in curiosity.
"Sorry. Something just clicked in my head." Was his only response. "Let's head to the arena."
And head off to the arena they did.
When they arrived at the coliseum, they approached Yurgen immediately.
"We heard the bell. What's going on?" Milla asked him.
"Oh, thank the spirits you came! The tournament committee suddenly voted to hold the finals." He answered, relief apparent in his voice.
"And they've decided to revert to the late king's rules." Yurgen's male companion added. Chris shook her head in disbelief.
"No…not the late king's rules." She muttered. She may have talked big about it but when it comes to the possibility of one of them, her friends, falling victim to the rule, it terrified her to no end.
"The late king's rules. You don't mean-"Leia began.
"I'm afraid I do. A fight to the death." He finished. "I didn't mention it before but the old rules also mandate that fights be one-on-one."
"What'll we do?" Jude asked Milla.
"Hmm…well, we need those wyverns so forfeiting is not an option. But this is very peculiar."
"Why would they revert to an older set of rules?" Rowen questioned.
"Wake up and smell the poisoned coffee, kids." Alvin spoke up. "It's pretty obvious this is a plot by Exodus, the people trying to snuff you out."
"Are you sure?" Jude asked him. Chris found something peculiar in his statement. Luckily, she wasn't the only one who noticed.
"Hold on. How do you know about those meanies?" Teepo questioned.
"Is it okay for you to say this?" Milla asked him. Alvin turned around before speaking up as he rubbed his head.
"My way of thanking you."
"What are you talking about?" The young man asked.
"No way." Chris said after finally realizing what they were talking about.
"Alvin is working for Exodus." Milla informed them without missing a beat.
"What? You're kidding me, right?" Leia asked him.
"I wish I was. They've been having me do odd jobs for them." He sheepishly said.
"Don't tell me the poison was-"Jude began, disbelief seeping in his voice.
"That wasn't me! I almost choked down some of that stuff too, you know. I don't know who was behind it, either." The mercenary defensively said. "I worked for them sure. But it was always small-fry stuff."
"Just tell me one thing. Can you promise us you'll never work for them again?" Jude requested.
"Yes. You have my word." He answered.
"What are you; a naive five year old? You can't make him promise that? And even if he does, what makes you think he'll keep it?" Chris asked them. If her trust levels of Alvin were low back then, it just took a plummet into the abyss now.
"Then we'll just have to see what happens." Milla answered her.
"Yeah. And I'll tell you the most likely scenario that'll happen; sooner or later, we're going to have gunshot wounds on our backs and stab wounds on our chests." The young woman said before walking up to the receptionist's desk. To say that Chris has trust issues was an understatement. The group finished their conversation without her but she was within earshot and heard Milla's plans. It seemed dangerous but it has a higher possibility of working. Finally, it was time for them to battle once again but before Chris could follow the others, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"What?" She asked Alvin.
"Come on, kid. I know I kept secrets but I don't think your earlier comments were necessary. Is it too much to ask that you trust me again?" Alvin requested with a not-so serious tone in his voice. She could only scoff before speaking up.
"Don't flatter yourself, I barely trusted you since day one. I don't give my trust like a piece of candy on the Harvest Festival of Hamil. Especially to guys who so conveniently wound up in the docks when we were about to be arrested. Though now that I think about it; I doubt that was a coincidence."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Alvin asked her.
"You were ordered to make contact with us. If not by Exodus, then someone else entirely. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now for the others' sake, but try to cross us, I guarantee you I can make you disappear with a snap of my fingers. By my hands or someone else's; I can guarantee you that nobody will find any trace of you. Not even for a harpy to pick on. It'll be like the man named Alvin never existed at all. Got that?"
"Got it." He said, unfazed by her threats.
"Good. Now let's go." She said before she walked on ahead of him. He stayed behind for a couple of seconds and heaved a sigh.
"Man, Princess has major issues…"
"First up in the ring: the Kitarl Clan champion!"
The cheers of the people were deafening as Milla calmly sauntered out into the open. It was clear that the spectators were eager for blood to be spilled. The others were canvassing the bleachers for any Exodus members.
"Tragedy nearly put an end to the tournament yesterday. But cooler heads prevailed with the tournament committee, so today, the finals will go on! To ensure that everything will be conducted fairly, we will fall back on precedent and follow the late king's rules!"
"'Cause that makes a load of sense." Alvin muttered. Meanwhile, as Elize searched, she spotted Isla on the upper row. Again, the female doctor held a shocked look on her face before retreating.
"Uh, wait a minute!" She said before giving chase to Isla. As Milla's fight commenced, her opponent fired his weapon and as she dodged, she realized what it was. It also caught the attention of the others.
"Whoa…" Was Chris' only reaction as she saw what happened.
"What? He didn't channel that!" Jude said in shock.
"And with that kind of power…could it be?" Rowen questioned.
"A spyrix!" Leia yelled out.
Elize, meanwhile, was still searching for Isla. As she ran, she bumped into someone. Looking up, she saw a young man and a young woman with yellow ribbons on their biceps. The man was looking at her with a malicious grin on his face and Elize was scared.
"I can hear the spirits' cries. We're too late again." Milla said to herself. She heard a familiar yell as soon as she finished her sentence.
"No, stop! Give him back!" Elize yelled as she tightly held onto Teepo. The man was pulling him away from her while the woman was holding her back.
"No! Stop it! Let me go!" Teepo protested.
"Give up the doll, sweetheart!" The man said as he managed to wrestle Teepo from her grasp and pushed Elize back. Then, he and his companion left. Immediately, the little girl followed after them.
"Elize!" Leia called for her as Alvin and Chris approached her. "Someone kidnapped Teepo. Elize just went after them!" Leia yelled towards Milla. Before she could respond, two more people with spyrixes came out and attacked her, sending beam after beam after, which Milla managed to perfectly dodge.
"That's a violation!" Chris yelled out.
"What happened to just one-on-one?" Leia asked before they ran off.
"Alvin!" Milla called for him.
"They weren't after you! The target must've been Teepo all along! There weren't any snipers in the stands either! I didn't know! I swear!" He desperately yelled at her.
"Then it's up to you to save her!" She told him.
"What? Do you mean-you're testing my loyalty?" Alvin asked her.
"I'm counting on you to do this!" Was her only response. He gritted his teeth before speaking up again.
"Just my rotten luck. Don't blame me if this all goes south!"
And with that, Alvin ran off to chase after Elize.
"Chris, go with him!" Milla ordered the younger girl.
"What?" She asked with an incredulous look on her face.
"Keep an eye on him. And make sure Elize is unharmed!" She said. That was the hook, line and sinker for Chris.
"Alright! Follow after us when you can. And stay alive!" Chris said before running off in pursuit of Alvin and Elize.
AN (08/24/15): AND THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE! Woohoo! I live! Hey guys. I know it's been awhile. I started this chapter like 2 months ago in June and now it's August and I just finished it. Well, sad to say, college got in the way. The moment school started, projects and presentations were dumped on us, I was incredibly miserable in my school (because I totally loathe the place) and my course (because I totally loathe most of my Professors) and because of the stress, I was left with the energy levels of a cancer patient and actually got sick numerous times. It left me with little to no time to write and apologize profusely to those who were expecting this chapter. But now, midterms are over and my workload is lightening so I should be able to update more often now.
Anyways, thanks to those who left their reviews, favorites and follows to this story. Really appreciate it. As always, the polls are still open. If you don't know what it's about, please refer to Chapter X of this story. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you have questions, PM me or leave it in the reviews and I will do my best to answer them. Thanks to those who read this story and Thank you for the patience you've shown in waiting for this chapter. Peace out, homies! Firework out!