For disclaimers: take notes from the previous chapters.
For readers: I haven't died yet. I still write. I just had a net-less week after moving. But that gave me enough time to actually write coughcough Have fun. The end is coming soon.
Prowess
Wallace and Pent's Story
"Damn those over-grown donkeys these scrawny so-call-'knights' ride these days. What happened to that valiant charging with a full armor and the brave hand-to-hand combats? I swear these cowardly tactics used by cavaliers these days…the only chivalrous cavalier I've ever seen in my life was Marcus. Now there is a man who has it all: honor, strength, skills, and a quiet remorseful singing voice." The cheery veteran spoke loudly in the quiet night of the harbor. "Haha! What have we here? I hope you can fight as well as you advertise yourself in the climax of night." A built figured came into sight. He was not too tall of stature but his long green beard, his worn-out armors, and the heavy looking axe gave away his strength as if an aura would. "I've seen emblems such as yours and I have not kept the bearer as my ally. Nor will you be." The berserker rushed quickly, drawing his humongous ax. Wallace also grabbing his own and blocked the heavy blow. "Ha! I haven't seen such strength from my opponent in years!" The two were growing much enthusiastic.
The swinging of the axes sliced the air and the crashing of the weapons rang in the air. The two did not hint of backing away, attacking with all their might. Each attack that passed to the floor dented it greatly, splashing fragments of stone all around. The fiercest battle seemed to go on forever with weapons that a normal man could not even dream of holding, the fight raged. "Try my blade for a change!!" The silver knight struck his giant axe straight down and clashed with the berserker's axe. In an instant, the defender's weapon snapped into two, but like wise, Wallace's axe's head also detached and flew away. "Hah, what great humor has our battle led us to! Only in a while have I seen MY weapons break in combat." Wallace drew his lance and only saw that his enemy already had his other axe out. "Aye, sir knight. It will be a sad victory for me to slay a truthful knight as you, but my lords will not take kindly in trespassers. May your luck hold you until sun rise, haha." The dark green haired berserker, plated in his orange armor, crashed his weapon downwards. In a few moments, their weapons would shatter, but before the time came, their show was one with a thousand awes.
"This is solely impossible. I haven't seen a sign of life for a while. It is only so tempting to return to the ship, and maybe I should. Lady Louise may be waiting for my arrival, with her sleepless distress. Yes, I will return." A paled haired man finished his sentence and closed his book. It was not a time, much too small to be one. It was leather covered and light. The book was old but scented, carrying many memories of the past. It read "Diary." Pent had been keeping a diary throughout his whole life since he was 13. His new book started as soon as the party had docked on this island and continued on. Pent replaced his quill pen and ink into his bag and retrieved his Elfire tome. "Stop, you force of evil! This is the last night you draw breath!" The voice rushed him with a barrage of projectile magic. Pent quickly turned and shielded himself with his cloak, gifted to him by the legendary Athos. It was forged by Athos himself and his highly recognized friend Alimere, a tailor of his own arts, for his wedding gift. Of course Pent was not as well known of a name in those days, but being a Lord and a sorcerer at that, Athos took great interest in him even in his early years. The cape was full of magic and surprises. For one, the cape was made of a specially threaded material, a masterpiece of its work, which was known to keep its magic even after being processes. In addition to that, Athos himself had enchanted the cloak to shield any harmful magic from reaching Pent. With the two amazing magics at work, the cloaks only permeable offense was the S ranked magics, such as the Forblaze which not many could wield. The projectile magic was easily blocked by his cape.
"Lightning!" the voice yelled again, and a shot of lightning flashed on the cloak, harming neither the garment nor the bearer. By the second shot, the erudite mage figured the direction of the attack. To where he thought his enemy was, elfires were bombarded. He did not expect his attacks to hit but rather to frighten off the person. After another round of attacks, Pent stopped and waited for the smoke from the elfire to clear up. When the dust had subsided, it revealed a horsed character that he had never been familiar with. "Evil doers of the foreign realms, thou shall perish from thou defiled deeds! Lightning!" Three shots of the magic propelled off the cape and dispersed in the air. "Ah! So pure of evil that my magic is repelled from your very presence! I shall mend that shortly. Divine!" The magic was stronger, but not enough to match that of neither Athos nor Alimere. "Stop this nonsense. This level of sorcery is beyond your understandings. Elfire." Now that the target was well and visible, Pent shot a bolt of Elfire. L'Arachel, for one with a bloating sense of pride, could not help to feel humiliated by a mere trend of clothes. To return the favor, she tested her cloak to the magic, hoping her magic was enough to block the Count of Reglay. Sadly enough, it did not. The cape caught the raging fire and was removed just before it reached the collars. "Not too bright, but brash."
L'Arachel was not taking the battle terms too well and as her cloak was devoured by the fire, so did her final patience. "I see, so you wield a high leveled evil inside you? I shall head you on with something of the same level." The valkyrie was no longer in her right state of mind and logic played no part in her battle. If given the choice, she would've been running around with two battle axes in her hands. Pent did not expect any serious harm but just to keep his neck safe, the sage held his legendary cape close. "Beat this! The strongest divinity magic known to men!" It was unlikely, but there was always a chance.
The two axes crashed once again and shattered. "That ends the stock for me." Dozla announced, unarmed. "So am I! So evenly matched in strength, I never the day would come." Wallace said, declaring his own lack of weapons. On the ground were shards and pieces of their broken axes and lances. "Then why not we say that we hastily end this in a battle of pure brawns. Fist to fist." Dozla suggested and a hearty answer rang back. "Hah! The best quote I've heard all month!" The silver knight did not expect to triumph without a struggle. However, the struggle was interrupted by nothing more than an army of Baels.
"Thunder." The bolts landed close to the valkyrie. L'Arachel was too busy keeping track of the magic being shot at her; she had no time to caste her own. Ivaldi was sealed completely by the quick casting sage. Pent continued to dish out his attacks as he nimbly chased the horsed magician. "Elfire! Thunder! Lightning! Elfire! Fire! Divine!" The endless chain of attacks overwhelmed the steed as it pranced just enough to dodge the magic. "Hah! You think those kind of lame tactics can work on my superior team works of my steed and me?" As she blurted the words out, Pent quickly spelled out three well aimed lightnings. One aimed for the front leg, the other for the head, and the last one for the rider. The horse jumped and evaded the ones aimed at it, but as it did, L'Arachel was struck with the last lightning which hit her stomach as the result of the pounce. The valkyrie was knocked off her horse, madder than ever in a combat. "Lady, do forgive me but my aging corpse cannot bear to hear too well. Can you kindly repeat what you have said? Word by word, of course." This made the Magvelian fume even greater.
"How dare you mock me! You desecrators shall be severely punished with the most awsesome magic in the world!" The valkyrie continued to spell her magic. "So I've heard, ever since our quarrel had begun, but as far as the terms of events have gone, I believe you are not even close to finishing that awful magic." Pent's insight on her casting time was almost perfect and he knew it. The confident grin on the sage's face made her hate him even more. L'Arachel was barely half done with Ivaldi even after a whole round of sparring. In that very moment, the sage took a very curious looking book, a great aura was felt from it, and started reading from it. The magvelian felt the quick concentration of magic around her opponent as he spoke each and every word. "I won't lose to you! Evil be gone!" L'Arachel hastily casted her magic. The holy magician felt the familiar thrill of overwhelming power surging through her body. Ivaldi was almost ready. "Ivaldi!" With the head start, L'Arachel was able to end her spell quicker than Pent, who, also, was almost finished with his own magic.
"For Magvel!" Dozla's mighty arms hurled another bael into the crowd, knocking more than a few other baels with it. "Fall to the dirt where you belong!" With another blow of his fist, Wallace had broken the carapace of his opposing bael. The spider fell with a shrill but was soon overrun by its comrades, if that's what they called each other. A quick one tried its claws against the mighty general but rather, the intensely heavy plates wounded its claws, making them dull and useless. "Come on! Hold no guilt in outnumbering me, 'cause you shall never outnumber me! I hold the force of an army, the prowess of a million!" With another swing of his clenched hands, a bael fell to the floor and lost its livelihood. In matters of minutes, the mass of baels perished and laid dead on the cold street of the harbor town. "Shall we continue?"
Without a reply, Wallace rushed up to the berserker with his arms raised for a punch. The magvelian took it as a light jab and returned the favor with his fist. Although the punch landed on a plateless surface, the general's face did not budge even slightly. "A fine attack, but that will not do for you to beat me." The two prepared to strike and when they did, their hands met with each other's faces and the two fell to the floor, besides the corpses of the dead baels. Soon, a loud high-pitched whistle was heard and after it, an explosion.
"Aerola!" The magic Pent had promised to take to his care as Athos died, erupted and met with the Magvel's Ivaldi. The two blinding lights clashed and broke into a thousand ray of luminance and dispersed into the darkness. "Why, I won't let that happen again. Such disgraceful preparation of mine, I must have rushed." The mage general resumed his casting. Without thinking, L'Arachel blew her whistle, signaling her body guards. In that moment, another grand ray of light fell on the two and exploded. "Luce." Said a weak and uncertain voice, coming from behind a tree. The valkyrie, with her bright red hair, came in contact to her victims. They laid unconscious on the floor. She took Pent, first, to her horse, assisted by the green general, Gilliam, and healed him as best as she can while Serra went to aid the blonde valkyrie. With moist eyes, Priscilla whispered a few words to the fallen sage, speaking of apologies and asking for forgiveness for her rash actions, containing the use of Luce. Priscilla also noticed that her magic had impacted heavily on the mage general's bag. She hoped there was nothing too important in it, or she would tear herself into piece due to guilt. At that very second, a thief, judging by his clothing, jumped right behind the valkyrie, startling her. The thief wore a mischievous expression often seen on the menacing Matthew and said, "Did someone call for me?" He referred to the whistle.