Destroy and Rebuild
Chapter Thirty Eight: Opposition
Disclaimer: I don't own Radiata Stories or any of the characters in the game; they are the property of the brilliant minds at Square Enix.
Authors Note(s): Words in '…' indicate a thought. Words in "…" indicate spoken words. The first thing to note is that this story is a sequel. The characterization and storyline contained here are based on the characters and events that occur in my first story, Sever All Ties. Everything that happens in this story will make a lot more sense if you have read that one, so I recommend reading the first story before reading the sequel. With that in mind, the story picks up where Sever All Ties left off, and tells what happens after Aphelion is defeated and Jack and Ridley return to Radiata. I hope you enjoy.
Dusk had finally settled on Bedera, an unsettling reality that the residents could not have anticipated. The Water Dragon's warning was fresh in Aleks Sterling's mind, but he was not permitted to alert the people. He had resolved to watch from his place atop the battlement as the situation developed, but there were no signs of movement from the non-human camp. Still, he had no reason to believe the dragon had deceived him and continued to wait. Her description of the events to come, the Night the World Shook, had made him feel more anxious with every second that passed without something happening.
Suddenly, the Knight Captain heard a loud sound from the opposite side of the city. Without a second thought, he raced in that direction. Scanning the wall at the opposite end of the city left no doubt where the disruption had originated. An entire section of the wall was crumbling away while guardsmen and citizens tried to stabilize it. There had been no explosion, and he was unsure what had caused the wall to give way. He leapt down the stairs as he drew closer, and had to shield his face as the bricks crumbled and kicked up dust and debris. The wall appeared to be falling along two diagonal lines that had been cut into the thick stone. Stunned, the men and women gathered around the hole watched as the source was revealed.
Standing just outside the wall, shielded from the dust and debris by a magic barrier, stood a tall elf. His skin was not as pale as the light elves that Aleks was used to seeing, and his hair was a light brown, but his sharp facial features unmistakably marked him as an elf. Hazel-colored eyes quickly scanned the people who had come to investigate the situation. The armor he wore was burnished silver, and accented with golden scrollwork. In his right hand, he held a large black sword. Its blade was ringed with deep purple flames, which cast an intimidating reflection on his armor. When he stepped inside the newly opened hole in the wall, the tall elf was followed by a small cadre of armored fighters, made up primarily of elves and orcs.
"This is King Nohmet, I take it," Aleks said, keeping his eyes on the elf.
"Yes," Kelvin confirmed his suspicions. "He holds the Falvern, the most powerful weapon in Tottaus, forged by the legendary weaponsmith Khell Nivait."
"So, he had a weapon strong enough to cut through the wall during the whole siege, and he was just biding his time," Aleks winced as he watched the attack begin. While his soldiers began to move in different directions, King Nohmet fired magic attacks from his left hand.
The Knight Captain gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as more attackers came in through the hole in the wall, following those that came before them. Helping defend the city would cost him the challenge and would not change their situation at all. King Nohmet strode calmly down the street, surrounded by a group of elven warriors, and Aleks followed them. They encountered no resistance, the human soldiers had yet to launch a counter-offensive, but the elves cut down anyone in front of them. Their movement was purposeful, and Aleks had no doubt that they would head straight for the castle and leave the rest of the army to the task of eliminating everyone they found.
"I don't understand why they needed to wait this long," Aleks could hear the sounds of death and destruction from all around the city. Fires had been started, and buildings were being destroyed.
"King Nohmet has had to deal with external pressure," Kelvin replied. "His younger brother was opposed to the war against humans, and gathered a number of followers."
"I see. So, did the brother go to the humans," the story was a welcome distraction from the destruction happening all around. "I would have tried to get them to work with me."
"He did try, but the King's distrust of non-humans was too much to overcome," the Water Dragon explained. "The only human who left with him was the daughter of a nobleman who had fallen in love with the elven prince. They were married shortly thereafter,"
"An elf and a human," this surprised Aleks. "Probably not a popular choice."
"No, it wasn't. At least, not to some," Kelvin sounded amused at his reaction. "However, to others, their union represented the promise of peace and cooperation. The non-humans that supported the elven prince relocated with him to his castle, later joined by some humans as well, and they have been spent the last few years trying to bring the non-human coalition led by King Nohmet and the humans led by King Ahndell together."
"Not the best job in that regard," the Knight Captain shook his head as he spoke. Kelvin did not respond, and Aleks continued to follow the elves' march to the castle.
The sounds of destruction continued as they wound their way through the city, eventually coming to the main gate of the castle. A group of knights had hastily assembled a barrier, but the elves' magic brought it down with little effort. The soldiers were nowhere to be seen, and King Nohmet cautioned the elves not to let down their guards as they entered the close quarters of the castle. Moving methodically through the halls, none of the aggressors spoke. When they entered into a large, open courtyard, they saw a single, cloaked figure standing in the center. One of the elves fired a magical shot, but it dissipated before making contact. King Nohmet gestured that they should stand down, and stepped forward.
"Hello, brother," the elf king's voice was neutral, his face expressionless.
"What are you doing, Nohmet," when he removed his cloak, the younger brother revealed a face that looked much like his sibling's. His hair was cut shorter, and he was thinner, but the familial tie was unmistakable. Even his armor was almost identical.
"I am doing the dragons' job for them," the older elf replied. The Falvern was still held in his right hand, though he had not taken a fighting stance. "The Reset is part of the Changeover, and I will see that it is accomplished."
"If the Reset has not occurred, then it is because the dragons have not given up on the world," the counterpoint was delivered firmly. "We should be trying to cooperate with the humans."
"Look how well that has worked for us," King Nohmet sneered. He raised the Falvern before continuing. The dark flames seemed to swallow the moonlight. "I see nothing left for us to discuss."
"No, I suppose not," resigned to the confrontation, he drew his own sword. The silver blade was long and slender, and curved upward at the tip. He held the weapon in both hands and set his feet to prepare for the oncoming attack.
The elf king launched his offensive immediately, swinging the Falvern as he charged forward. A shock reverberated through the ground when their blades connected, startling Aleks as he watched from the side of the courtyard. Neither moved as their swords remained locked, each trying push the other back. Slowly, the flames emanating from the Falvern's blade began to grow, and King Nohmet seemed to gain the upper hand. Finally, he managed to push his brother back and their blades disengaged. They silently regarded each other for a moment, each ready to strike again at any moment.
"The Muran is a special weapon, to be sure, but it pales in comparison to the Falvern," Nohmet smirked. Almost immediately, his expression became blank again. "Are you willing to die here, brother?"
"I refuse to let you walk down this path of destruction," he dodged the question and redirected the conversation.
"I'll take that as a yes," a moment of silence passed after the elf king spoke, then he lunged forward again.
Alicia was lounging on the bed in her room, reading a book that she had had borrowed from the Vareth Institute's library in anticipation of long needing to fill long hours. Although their library was typically closed to those not enrolled, a generous grant her grandfather had left the Institute upon his death allowed her to check out books when she wanted. The one she had selected was about the development of automated mining machines to assist the dwarves in extracting ore for making tools and weapons. She had expected the book to be more interesting than it was, and was having difficulty concentrating on the description of design changes that had been made between one version and another.
The stinging pain in her back made it even more difficult to concentrate. Although she had been able to use the shockwave from Cepheid's attack to close the distance and strike the killing blow, it was not a consequence-free decision. The electric energy in the dragon's attack had scored her back, leaving it red and raw. The guild sergeant had been unable to find a comfortable position to sit or lay, and had even unzipped the back of her dress to lessen the constant irritation. This soreness and the lack of distraction provided by her book had made for an unpleasant morning. As a result, she was grateful when the door opened and Jack Russell walked into the room and unceremoniously flopped into the chair.
Alicia had been relatively unimpressed with Jack when he had first come to Theater Vancoor. When she heard that he was the son of Cairn Russell, she had expected him to be well-mannered, intelligent, and an accomplished swordsman. Instead, his talent was overshadowed by his brash behavior and general obliviousness to things happening around him. Yet in spite of these shortcomings, she found herself drawn to him more than if he had been the person she envisioned. He was relaxed and personable, someone she felt comfortable being around, and was always trying to make himself better.
Jack grew quickly during his time at Theater Vancoor, becoming a strong warrior with a great deal of poise, and they formed a bond. The suddenness of his departure to join the non-humans troubled her, especially because he had never mentioned it to her as something he was considering. When she saw him for the first time after his defection and they fought, she immediately felt that he was conflicted about having followed Ridley and being forced to fight against his friends. He had spared her after winning their duel, confirming her suspicions. Alicia had no way to help him until he and Ridley returned to Radiata, when Elwen had asked her to keep an eye on him while they trained together. They had been through a lot together, and the guild sergeant both respected and cared for Jack a great deal, though she hid this when she addressed him.
"So much for knocking, I guess you just barge in everywhere you go," she feigned indignance.
"Should I come back," he seemed unable to tell whether or not she was joking, which she found funny.
"No, I'm rather bored with my reading," Alicia placed her bookmark and closed the cover. She slid to the edge of the bed, careful that she did not fall out of her dress. "What's up?"
"I don't know, I just got bored," Jack's reply was disappointing. "Gil and Nocturne are both recovering and the Chief is talking to the High Priest. I was thinking I might go train or something."
"Is that an invitation," she asked coyly, flashing him a smile. She knew it was, and did not wait for him before speaking again. "I probably shouldn't."
"What, why," the former knight sounded surprised. She rarely turned down such an offer.
"Because I fought a dragon yesterday and I will be fighting another one tomorrow. I should probably take advantage of the recovery time," the guild sergeant spoke honestly.
"The High Priest couldn't do anything for you," Jack sounded surprised by this. "He healed everybody else."
"None of my injuries were very serious," Alicia answered. When this did not seem to resolve his confusion, she continued. "His healing uses your energy and strength to speed up your body's natural recovery process. It makes an incredible difference if you have serious injuries that would take a long time to heal on their own, but my injuries are not so severe that I would benefit from healing. The added fatigue and stress on my body from the healing would be worse than letting me recover. At least, that's what the High Priest said when he looked at my wounds. I'm going to talk to him again later today to make sure I can go tomorrow to face the Fire Dragon. Until then, I think I should be patient."
"So, you're not really hurt, just too tired," Jack teased, trying to bait her into agreeing to train with him.
"I am tired, but trust me, I'm not unharmed," she shook her head.
Before he could challenge her words, she pulled her hair to the side, turned her body, and slipped an arm out of her dress, which exposed most of her back to him. She heard Jack inhale sharply and glanced over her shoulder to see him wince as he looked at the redness on her back. The places where her skin was blistering and peeling hurt the worst, but the burning found its way to every inch. Jack seemed unsure of what to do, but tentatively reached out with his left hand as if to touch her skin. He stopped just before making contact, looking uncertainly at her . When she nodded, he put his hand on her right shoulder blade. Although the initial sensation of contact stung, his hand actually felt cool compared to the constant burning she had endured during the preceding hours. Unconsciously, she sighed at the momentary relief. Jack seemed surprised by the sound, and pulled his hand away.
"Sorry, I, uh…" he trailed off, and she turned to look at him.
"No, don't apologize," she was nervous as she spoke, unsure if she should continue. Slowly, but deliberately, she wrapped her fingers around his wrist and moved his hand back to where it had just been. "It takes the sting away."
The guild sergeant smiled as her shoulder tingled again, and her eyes met his. Wordlessly, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Jack inhaled sharply in surprise, but did not withdraw his hand or lips. His body was tense, but he relaxed when her left hand gently caressed his neck. She gave him a second, light kiss before separating, and her eyes immediately went to his. Jack's eyes were wide, and he slowly retracted the hand that rested on her shoulder blade. As she had expected, his face was a mixture of confusion, guilt, and enjoyment. She smiled and put a hand on his right leg. When he remained silent, she spoke.
"It didn't seem fair that the Valkyrie and the Princess both got to kiss you and I didn't," her voice was light-hearted, but she was nervous to see what his reaction would be.
"I, uh, Alicia," he trailed off, diverting his eyes.
"Are you embarrassed or something," she wanted him to respond, but was anxious about what he would say.
"It's not that," Jack's eyes did not quite meet hers as he spoke. "I just, I don't know what to think. Not about Belflower and not about Lenneth, but…"
"Ridley," Alicia finished the sentence for him. She felt more comfortable having seen his reaction. "I'm not delusional and I refuse to be anything but direct. I know you care about Ridley, and if she's not a fool then she cares about you as well. But, I'm not just going to stand aside and ignore my feelings just because Ridley's the Vessel and you're the Disruptor. I care about you, too."
"Alicia," Jack paused, unsure what to say. She could how uncomfortable and uncertain he was.
"It's okay," the guild sergeant removed her hand from his leg. "Think about what you want, that's what matters the most."
"Yeah," his voice sounded hollow as he stood up. Silently, he walked to the door, looking back at Alicia twice to see if she would say anything else. Shaking her head, she picked up the discarded book in the hope that it would take her mind off of Jack.
Aleks was in awed by the fight that was happening before his eyes. The elves' speed and power was incredible, their swords clashed over and over and their feet never stopped moving. He was still startled by the shocks generated by their attacks. Missed strikes from the Falvern had shattered the floor in places and blown holes in the walls, Both brothers were sweating despite the cool evening, their muscles tense and expressions somber. Neither had spoken since the battle began, focused intently on finding an opening. Time seemed to slow as they glided back and forth, shifting seamlessly from attack to defense, and the Knight Captain marveled at the level of precision. He had lost track of how much time had even passed since the battle had started. Finally, there was a pause in the combat as they stared at one another intently.
"You have to know how this ends," King Nohmet's voice contained a hint of the frustration he was undoubtedly feeling. "The Muran may be able to neutralize elemental magic, but the Falvern has too much power for you to stop."
"The Falvern may have too much power for the Muran to handle, but it also has too much for you to handle," the reply was delivered calmly. "The question is whether you will lose control before the Muran is overpowered. Are you willing to take that risk, to show me as much of the Falvern's power as you can hold and see if it pushes the Muran beyond its limits?"
"I will show you its power," the older brother tightened his grip on the sword, and the flames began to grow.
The elf king swung the sword, firing a magical shot at his sibling. When the attack struck the blade of the Muran, it seemed to dissipate and vanish. King Nohmet charged in, swinging the Falvern and trying to find an opening. Their swords blurred as they continued to strike one another, the intensity suddenly increasing. Blows from the Falvern seemed to destroy everything they touched, only the Muran was immune. Aleks felt the force of each attack and found himself wondering how much was due to the strength of the elven brothers, and how much was from the magic of their weapons. Finally, when King Nohmet parried a horizontal slash from the Muran, he responded with a quick strike of his own and cut across his brother's thigh. The younger brother continued to attack despite the wound, and the two separated when he struck a blow on Nohmet's left arm.
"You're only delaying the inevitable," the elf king spoke calmly. Aleks had been watching long enough to notice the difference in the appearance of the Falvern, and could see that more power was being channeled through its blade. "If this continues, I will kill you."
"You keep saying that, but you haven't done it yet. The power to do it is right there in your hands, and your real objective is getting away," this goading seemed to anger King Nohmet. "You tell me what I should conclude: that you don't really want to do this, or that you can't control all of that power? I think you used all you could when you cut down the wall to get into the city."
"Don't push me, brother," power radiated from the magical blade, and his whole body was tense.
A wave of magic erupted from the Falvern, racing toward the younger elf. Rather than dodging it, he stood his ground and held up the Muran. The magic struck the blade and pushed its wielder back, the sword glowing purple as it held the attack at bay. Slowly, the magic started to shrink before dissipating entirely. King Nohmet's face showed his his emotions, and his guards suddenly seemed concerned. The elf king attacked again, he seemed to strike from every angle at once. When he finally managed to get through his brother's defenses, the Falvern cut through the younger elf's armor and sent him staggering backward with a cut on his chest. Without any hesitation, he pressed forward and tried to strike again.
"They're getting frantic now," Kelvin's voice startled him as the fight continued. "King Nohmet can control the Falvern without issue if he limits the amount of power that he accesses, but it will require more than that to get through the Muran, especially with the power he already used getting to this point. It will be difficult for either to sustain the level they are currently fighting at indefinitely."
"Don't you know how this ends," Aleks asked, without taking his eyes off of the battle. King Nohmet had managed to land another blow.
"Of course," the dragon replied. "I just wanted you to understand what's happening."
The knight turned his eyes back to the two elves, who were still battling. They were no longer on even footing, as a surge of power from the Falvern appeared to be turning the battle. King Nohmet's power had obviously increased as he attacked viciously from all angles. Although the Muran still seemed to be absorbing the magic of the Falvern, the elf king was moving faster and his sword striking harder than at any other time in the fight. The younger elf was being forced to give ground where before he had been able to fight evenly. After locking blades momentarily, they separated and regarded one another silently. After a moment, King Nohmet spoke.
"I asked you when we started this fight if you were willing to die here. I want you to stand down and let me pass, this is your last chance to walk away," the elf king's words had a sharp edge to them, and Aleks could see that the intensity of the Falvern's flame was increasing. There was no reply, except that the younger elf raised his sword and held it in a defensive stance. "So be it."
The ground shook as King Nohmet drew on the energy within the sword. Wordlessly, the brothers eyed each other as with the King's men looking on intently. A moment later, the older brother charged forward to attack. They exchanged attacks in an instant, striking so fast that Aleks barely saw it. Blood ran from a deep cut on the King's left forearm, and he was clearly exhausted from the battle. The Falvern fell from his hand and its flames flickered out as he clutched at his left arm and sank to his knees. However, his younger brother had a deep cut on his chest and was barely able to stand and clutch his sword. Elven onlookers suddenly sprang into action, moving to the aid of their King and surrounding his brother with their weapons drawn. King Nohmet held out his hand and they all stopped in place.
"It is time for you to yield, brother," he spoke confidently as he reached for the Falvern. Leaning on the weapon as a crutch, he pulled himself unsteadily to his feet. "You are beaten."
"I...I held onto my weapon, and stayed on my feet," the reply was delivered in a soft, shaky voice.
"True, but you cannot stay on your feet for much longer, and that wound will be fatal if you do not treat it," King Nohmet was still breathing heavily. "Besides, this is no longer a duel. Maybe you could beat me, but there's no way you can beat all of us. I will not let you stand in the way of what I came to do."
"I'm disappointed in you, Uncle," a female voice from the opposite side of the courtyard drew the attention of everyone present. Aleks turned to see a beautiful blond woman and a confident looking man step into view. Before anything else could happen, Aleks' vision blurred and everything faded to black.
"Lady Enjela became an Einherjar," although Elwen sounded surprised by these words, they did not have the effect that Kain expected. She seemed contemplative, but not surprised, and did not immediately ask any of the questions that had first occurred to him.
"I take it from your response that you knew of this system," Kain said, staring intently. He had not told anyone about his encounter with his predecessor, taking the time to contemplate her words.
"That's correct," Theater Vancoor's Chief nodded as she spoke. "I know that each realm has its own guardians, and that one realm's guardians may be chosen from another."
"Knowledge you got from the Valkyrie, no doubt," the High Priest recalled the familiarity with which the two had addressed one another in the courtroom.
"Whatever else you may wonder about, High Priest, you surely know that I am committed to completing the challenges and saving the world," she did not sound upset by the implication he had made, but spoke firmly in response.
"Of course," Kain wanted to proceed delicately. "I am certain you want to succeed, but I'm not certain you want to do so for the same reasons that the rest of us do. You've made no secret of having history with the Valkyrie, and I am not alone in wanting to know how that will affect all of us as we go through this process. Especially now that I know what Lady Enjela told me."
"You want to know whether I was ever offered a chance to be Einherjar, is that it," the question was both direct and perceptive.
"It's not the only question I have, but it is chief among them," the High Priest replied, watching her reaction closely.
"No," Elwen paused for a moment, her voice sounded both amused and sad when she continued. "I am not the one she wanted."
"You must really hate her, then," Kain was trying to proceed carefully since he did not know her history.
"I am not unique," Elwen said guardedly. "There are those like me in every realm."
"So, what happens at the end of all of this," he was trying to gain some insight. "Will we really destroy the Order of Tottaus?"
"I have no reason to be believe that we will not be able to," the answer was noticeably less direct. "The gods will do everything they can to keep us from winning, but I believe that they will keep their word if we do."
"And did it occur to you to wish for something else, if it fell to you," the High Priest asked. To avoid sounding accusatory, he quickly continued. "One wish for anything from the gods, I'm not sure anyone could be faulted for considering the possibility."
"Did you believe Lenneth when she told you that each of us has something that we want enough to wish for it," Elwen asked a question rather than answering his. When he paused before answering, she spoke again. "You should have. Everyone has a desire that burns within them, something they want more than anything else. These desires are not bad, and it is not bad that we have them. Channeled properly, they can lead us to do great things, even if what we yearn for is unattainable. Lenneth is hoping that making the unattainable suddenly attainable will change us. It is up to us to prove her wrong, but she is not wrong for trying. To answer your question, there is nothing that I want badly enough to condemn the world for. Can you say the same?"
"I don't know that any of us would know for certain without being given the opportunity. Even you. However, I do feel confident in saying that I would choose to save the world," Kain had thought about the Valkyrie's words more than once since she said them, and could not come up with a better answer. Several moments passed in silence, and tried again to direct the conversation. "You seem to know much more than any of the rest of us about the gods and the Order of Tottaus, do you know what they have in store for us as we continue through the challenges?"
"I have some guesses, but I do not know for certain," she answered. She seemed to be able to read his mind. "I do not see any reason why we would have to fight Lady Enjela."
"What if I wanted to join," he was surprised by how quickly he had decided that he would be willing to step into the challenges.
"I thought your faith prohibited you from opposing the will of the gods," Elwen always seemed to be calculating when she stared at him, but her tone was not judgmental.
"The gods have challenged us to prove our determination by completing their challenges," the High Priest's tone was measured as he spoke. "I want to challenge them, as well. I do not understand the system they have created, and I cannot support it until I do."
"And you think that fighting a dragon will help you do that," the question was blunt, but he understood why she asked it.
"I'm afraid I do not know, but I want to find out," Kain shook his head. He was still struggling with the those thoughts, and what it would mean to succeed or fail. "I want to know why it is designed as if we must fail, and what it would mean if we did not fail."
"I know you are strong, High Priest, but I worry about your fighting instincts," she continued to be frank in her discussion with him.
"What do you think your margin of error is when the truly difficult challenges begin," he countered. "Aleks Sterling was wounded in the fight against the Wind Dragon, and the remaining fighters had to continue without him. I could prevent that, which is something I suspect will be more essential as we continue to move forward. All I want to know is that you would consider it."
"I would consider it, yes," Elwen nodded slightly. "Tell me, what do you want to see? What would you need to have your opinion changed?"
"I'm afraid I don't know," the High Priest responded. "The only thing I know is that I need to find the answer for myself."
When the portal on the wall opened, the three combatants who had been waiting for hours did not immediately step through. General Natalie stood up from where she was seated and performed a few stretches, while Lord Zane seemed to be collecting his thoughts. Ridley picked up the Behemoth from where she had rested it against the wall. Although she had not been given much chance to become accustomed to its power, she felt confident in her ability to use it. Hap's skill with elemental magic helped her to adapt to the weapon's power, which was noticeably different than any other magic weapon she had held. After one more calming breath, she stepped through.
On the other side of the portal, she found herself standing in a cave-like chamber nearly identical to the one where they had fought Lord Baade. There was a noticeable chill in the air, and it took only a moment to notice that she was standing ankle-deep in water. She wrinkled her nose at this but decided that commenting would not help anything. When she gazed across the chamber, Ridley saw Aleks Sterling. The Knight Captain was on his hands and knees, with his head hanging down. Natalie had seen him as well, and called out his name as the three of them rushed to his side.
As they got close, the water around Aleks suddenly rose up and hardened into a ring of icy spikes that pointed directly at them and kept them from getting within 20 feet of their ally. Close enough to get a good look, she saw that Aleks looked mentally and physically fatigued. His face was gaunt and he was gasping for breath. Whatever the dragon had exposed him to appeared to have made an impression. She might have thought less of him before they had left for the challenges, but the physical and mental fatigue of the Labyrinth of Resolve were still fresh in her mind, and she knew the toll that the dragons' tests could take.
In front of the Knight Captain, a column of water rose up and took the form of their next opponent: a tall, formidable looking woman who Ridley assumed to be the Water Dragon. The stranger was wearing light leather armor that appeared to offer relatively little protection. Her fair skin stood out in stark contrast to the dark blue of her hair. Ridley could not see any sort weapon, and immediately thought of how the Earth Dragon had fought by using the battlefield itself. Borrowing Hap's power, she tried to sense the dragon's magic but was unable to locate it. This was not a surprise, since she had also been unable to locate the Earth Dragon's magic, but it still frustrated her. Hap was discouraged as well
'That must be Kelvin,' she was studying the figure standing silently across from Aleks, though she was too far away to see in great detail.
'I don't know why we can't sense their powers,' the elf's disappointment was apparent. 'Maybe their magic is different from ours? What if we used the Gold Dragon's powers? I bet we could sense her then.'
'We can't control that power well enough for me to trust it in a fight,' Ridley was anxious about the possibility of losing control.
'That's why it would be better to try it now,' Hap countered. She could tell that he was not as confident as he sounded, a consequence of their souls being entwined as they were.
'If the situation calls for it, I will,' Ridley did not like imagining the scenarios that would require her to use that power. Her attention was pulled away from their conversation when she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice. Although the dragon stood near Aleks, her words seemed to come from everywhere all at once.
"I must say that I misjudged you, Sir Aleks Sterling," her voice was melodic, but took on a noticeable edge as she continued. "I did not think that you would get to the end of the challenge without intervening. You witnessed some of the greatest atrocities in history and managed not to intervene, as asked, showing the restraint that the challenge asks of you. For that, I will reward you with the Leviathan, as promised. However, I am disappointed that you chose inaction. I hoped that you would not stand aside and let it happen."
"You mean, you hoped I would fail," Aleks responded. The Knight Captain glanced at his newly arrived allies as he spoke.
"Not fail, to make a choice. I would have given you the Leviathan if you had decided to protect someone who was wronged in those instances," her words were direct, and Ridley believed her. Aleks appeared frustrated by this.
"You set the criteria for the challenge," he snapped. The dragon smirked at these words. "You set the condition for victory, why would I have done something different?"
"Because you are here," Kelvin's words caused Aleks to recoil visibly. "If you just did what we told you to do, you wouldn't be here. If you succeed, we won't be there to tell you what you need to do. I hoped you would try to make your own way through."
"Well, we didn't," Aleks could not seem to come with a better reply. "I think it's time we settled this, don't you?"
"If you insist," the Water Dragon said in a neutral tone. Ridley glanced over and saw that General Natalie had already drawn her sword. Ridley lifted her axe and readied it.
Kelvin held out her hand and a cerulean spear appeared appeared, which she deftly plucked from the air. The curved blade was symmetrical on both sides, and it appeared to be a formidable weapon. A moment after it appeared, she tossed it to Aleks. He gave the spear a flourish as the barrier between them fell. The three later arrivals rushed to Aleks' side as the Water Dragon took a step back. They only had a moment to confirm that he was all right before the dragon's words grabbed their attention.
"I am Kelvin, of Chasms and Churning Seas, and I will crush you beneath my waves," they readied themselves as she prepared her attack.
Vegeta26: Ugh, this took entirely too long to get posted. I've been very busy, which is good, but haven't had a lot of time for writing. Hopefully that will change going forward, but in the meantime I want to thank everybody who's been patient with me and is still hanging around.