Chapter Sixteen
Fall of the Warriors
ELSA
Another blast of ice rocketed towards Maui, but he avoided it, slithering across the floor toward her. Elsa back-pedalled and found herself cornered. The large brown serpent sprang and wrapped himself around her body, squeezing her tightly.
"Come on, Elsa," The snake hissed. "This isn't you!"
Elsa bit back the impulse to tell him that she had no choice.
"I don't know why you're doing this. Maybe you think yourself too far gone. But remember what you told me back in the North Pole when you had to break Kane's grip on my mind?" Maui maintained his firm hold on the Snow Queen. "You're not a monster to me." He said.
Elsa resisted the urge to tear up, and instead focused on Anna. Remember. She was doing all this for the greater good. To keep Anna safe from the truth. To keep her away from the League. She had Ingrid's word that no harm would come to her sister as long as she played by the rules. Her body grew increasingly colder, until ice began to form on her skin.
Maui's scales were bitten and grew painfully numb from the cold, and he was forced to release his grip on Elsa. A shockwave of ice burst forth from her being, which threw Maui backwards. Advancing out of her corner, she stalked towards the snake, who stayed low to the ground, ready to strike again. The snake then shape-shifted into a wolf, and he growled at her. Elsa saw Maui bare his teeth, as if warning her not to engage. Her heart ached. It pained her to have to fight her former teammates. Yet, she could not show it. She had to keep up appearances for her sister's sake.
Harnessing that pain and anger, she felt a storm rising within her. The entire living room grew cold and ice started to form on the floor, the walls, and stalactites grew on the ceiling. Maui leapt out of the way as the ground beneath him began to be overcome with sharp ice. A snow storm raged within the small house, and Elsa let it grow stronger by the second, watching as Maui shape-shifted back into his natural form, digging his large fish hook into the ground to avoid being blown away.
She narrowed her eyes as she heard him bellow her name again. This time he sounded desperate, like he knew he was losing the battle. She would seize the advantage. The goal, she reminded herself, was to get in and out without having to hurt her friends. This was a challenge, since she had to keep up the impression to the former Warriors that she had defected, but yet keep the injuries to a minimum. It was time to end the fight.
Pulling the snow storm back into herself, the ice subsided and the stalactites retreated back into the ceiling. For a moment, the room fell silent without the cold winds blowing everything in its path. Then, as the snow storm reentered her body, she threw her hands out at Maui, and the sheer energy and intensity of the snow storm roared out of her in the form of a more conventional volley of ice.
Before Maui could react, the ice hit him with an impact that sent him flying towards a wall. He crashed through the wall and landed up in the bathroom, still taking the full force of her attack. Elsa walked towards him, the ice still flowing freely and intensely from her hands, encasing the fallen demigod in a solid block of ice. Elsa, she heard him whisper as he became fully trapped and immobilized in the ice. Only when she was sure he couldn't escape and was completely frozen over did she stop the steady stream of ice and drop her hands.
Elsa quickly turned away and walked out of the room, and only then did she allow her eyes to water a little. It pained her to have to freeze him, and she couldn't let Maui see her break character. Who knew if he was still conscious and watching her from within his prison of ice? She blinked back the tears and shuddered. Now she had proven her friend wrong. I am a monster.
Over on the other side, she could hear Melody and Janus still fiercely engaged in hand to hand combat. She walked over to the entrance of the room to see the two combatants locked in each other's grip within the tight confines of the small room. Elsa watched helplessly as Janus got the better of the exchange, locking his leather clad elbow around the back of Melody's neck. The Warrior kicked at Janus' shin and twisted free, only to receive another nasty hook to the ribcage. Melody keeled over, and it was evident that she was running out of stamina. Janus, on the other hand, looked like he still had a lot left in the tank.
As a baiting action, she reached out for her bow that had fallen from the table during the fight, and Janus lifted a leg to kick her hand away from the bow. As he was only balanced by one leg, she took the split second to bury herself into his midsection, pulling him to the ground. She got on top of him and buried punches into his stomach and his chest as Janus raised both hands to protect his head. For a moment, Elsa thought that Melody had regained the upper hand. However, Janus grabbed her wrists mid punch and rolled over to land a few strikes of his own.
After taking a few slugs, she managed to roll out of the way and got back to her feet with much difficulty, and blocked a roundhouse kick from Janus that would have dislocated a few of her ribs. The speed of his vicious attack made her stumble and she struggled to put distance between herself and the mercenary. However, his blows were relentless. Elsa winced as she watched him follow up with a series of blows in quick succession that weakened Melody's defences considerably. There was a fine balance between malice and grace to Janus' movements that frightened Elsa. Clasping her hands over her mouth, she watched Janus begin to dismantle Melody methodically.
Weakly, Melody leapt backwards away from the mercenary and gathered herself for a second, clutching her bruised ribs. It was clear to Elsa that the fight was coming to an end, and she already knew without a doubt who would emerge the victor. Melody narrowed her eyes and steadied her heavy breathing before sprinting towards Janus with every ounce of strength she had left. Elsa looked on with dread as she sprang up in a running knee that was supposed to find its mark in Janus' sternum. He blocked it quickly with both hands, and Melody drew dangerously close to him in a last ditch effort. She clasped her hands around his hooded neck and pulled him down as best as she could, driving her knee up again twice in desperation, but it was blocked two more times. From his protective stance, Janus swept his arms outward in an explosive manoeuvre which broke Melody's hold over his neck, and slammed both forearms into her temples.
The disoriented girl lifted both hands weakly, and lashed out again, this time much slower and sloppier. Janus blocked the right cross neatly with his elbow and Elsa could hear the sickening crack of bone meeting bone. As Melody made a desperate swing at him with her other hand, Janus grabbed it and twisted her arm, causing her bend over in reaction to the pain. He forced her to to the ground, and delivered a quick knee to the side of her cheek that sent her face first to the ground.
Squirming, Elsa gritted her teeth as she saw Melody hit the ground face first. Elsa herself could almost feel it as if it was her arm that had been twisted viciously before getting kicked in the face, and imagined that it must have been a thousand times worse for her former teammate. Janus stood over his fallen opponent silently, making sure she didn't get up. Mercifully, she didn't.
"Let's go." Janus picked up his bow and looked at Elsa who stood in the doorway.
"You didn't have to do that." Elsa said indignantly.
"She wasn't going to stop fighting till she dropped. I had to end it as quickly as I could." She could almost hear a tinge of remorse in his voice, something she didn't expect from the hardened mercenary.
"Was that all really necessary though?" Elsa glared at him.
He avoided eye contact with Elsa. "Come on. We need to regroup with the others."
Elsa took one last look at her fallen friend before walking out of the room. Truth be told, she could see that Janus had taken it easy on Melody at first, but when it was clear that she wasn't going to back down, he had to quickly beat the fight out of her as time was being wasted. Elsa didn't know much about hand to hand combat, but she knew that Janus had beaten Melody in a clean fight.
ANNA
"Where's Tracy?" Anna looked at the entrance of the bar again. "She should've regrouped with us by now."
"I don't think she made it." Kristoff said grimly, taking another sip from his glass of bourbon. "We should prepare for the worst."
"What about Maui and Melody?"
"We have to assume we're on our own," Kristoff turned to Will. "Do you know how to use your powers at all?"
Will shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't." He hadn't touched his glass at all in the span of time that they had been sitting at the table, instead opting to wring his hands nervously.
"Terrific." He turned back to Anna. "We might need to make a run for it."
"Run? Run where?" Anna asked. "We don't even know where to go even if we could make it out of the city!"
The door of the bar was kicked open, and the man in the black hood walked in, flanked by the four sorcerers and the Pilgrim. He was dressed in his usual black leather hood and mask, with a bow in his hand and a scabbard on his back.
"We're here for Will Daltrey," Prometheus said in a loud voice. "The rest of you leave, while you still can."
"That's him! He was in my house!" Will gestured at Prometheus frantically. "And that girl!"
"Elsa…" Anna whispered. Tracy was right. Elsa was here in Quodrun, right before her very eyes. She watched as the League of Sorcerers walked through the bar and people began to flee for the exit. Her sister walked by the Pilgrim's side, blending in together with the League of Sorcerers. "No…"
"Anna, we have to hide!" Kristoff said, as he watched the crowd bottle up the exit. "We can't get out without being spotted. Come on." He dragged Will behind the bar counter and Anna followed quickly.
"We can't stay here!" Anna shouted, her voice drowned out above the commotion of the screaming crowd. "We're sitting ducks!"
"We know you're hiding Daltrey." Prometheus said as the last of the locals evacuated the bar and it was left empty. "It's futile to hide. Come out."
One of the sorcerers released a fiery blaze which skimmed over the top of the counter, as if to tell the Warriors that they knew where their prey were.
Kristoff drew a knife from his pocket and unfolded it.
"What are you doing?" Anna hissed. "You're going to get yourself killed!"
"I'll stall them. You find a way to get back to the Warriors." Kristoff began to stand up, and Anna pulled him back down.
"Don't. Please." She pleaded with him. "We'll find another way."
"There is no other way." He gave her a quick kiss and stood up, leaping over the counter top and stood facing the League of Sorcerers. His eyes swept across the faces before him, and they rested on Elsa.
"Elsa," He said. "What have they done to you?"
"Release Will Daltrey to us." Elsa replied coldly. "And we'll leave you unharmed."
"What, is it mind control or something?" Kristoff shot an angry look at the Pilgrim. "Huh? Did you do this to her?"
"I assure you," The Pilgrim said calmly. "She came of her own accord."
"Elsa, is this true?" he turned back to the Snow Queen.
"Yes," she said. "Now hand over Daltrey. We don't want to make a mess."
"What happened to you, Elsa?" Anna sprung up from behind the counter, running forward to Kristoff's side. He held her back, knowing that she was trying to get to her sister. "Please don't do this, Elsa. Please."
ELSA
"It's too late for that. I serve the Pilgrim now." Elsa said, forcefully trying to deny the lump in her throat. It almost brought her to tears, being in a position like that. She had hoped that she wouldn't encounter Anna in Quodrun, but it was too late. Anna had seen her with the League of Sorcerers, and there was no undoing that.
"Enough." Ingrid said sharply. "You wish to defend Daltrey?" she turned to Kristoff.
"Yes." He narrowed his eyes.
"Very well." Ingrid smirked, and nodded at Prometheus. "We will make this a fair fight." She glanced at the four Elemental Sorcerers flanking her, and they backed away.
Elsa inched backwards together with the others, watching as Kristoff and Janus were left in the centre of the bar, surrounded by tables and chairs.
Get behind the counter Anna, Elsa heard Kristoff say as he held a knife in an icepick grip. She winced, hoping that Janus would take it easier on Kristoff, seeing how he had dispatched Melody with ease. After all, the rest of the Warriors had already fallen. Tracy, Maui, Melody...they had all been defeated. Only Kristoff and Anna remained.
Janus put down his bow and removed a black double edged dagger, holding it in a saber grip. He looked at Kristoff through the nettings of his mask.
Kristoff stared back, raising his knife and tightening his grip. Elsa noticed that he chose his grip wisely, since he had come from a lifetime of mountain climbing. The way he held the knife seemed to indicate that he was at ease and had done so a million times before. Nevertheless, she knew that Janus was a far superior fighter and hoped that he would spare the mountain man's life.
Lunging, Kristoff slashed at Janus, who moved out of the way without even making contact with him. Elsa let her guard down a little. Janus wasn't intending to kill him, for if he had wanted to, he would have counter-attacked. Instead, it seemed that Janus was holding back, only lifting his dagger to defend against Kristoff's slash and stabs. A minute passed, and Kristoff still wasn't done. He brought the knife down towards Janus, who parried calmly. The knife was twisted out of Kristoff's hand and kicked away. Although Kristoff had put up a valiant fight, Janus hadn't had much of a workout.
Now disarmed, Kristoff swung at Janus but left himself open. The mercenary tossed his own dagger aside as he avoided the attack, moving in behind Kristoff with lightning speed to apply a sleeper hold on him. Slowly but surely, although Kristoff struggled, he eventually faded and slumped to the ground without so much as a scratch on his cheek.
Elsa looked on as Janus picked up his dagger and sheathed it calmly, standing victorious over his second fallen opponent of that night.
"Now, Anna," Ingrid stepped forward. "If you would hand over Daltrey."
Anna had been watching the entire fight, and Elsa had seen her jaw drop as Kristoff held his own against Janus for as long as he could. To be honest, she herself was surprised that Kristoff had lasted that long against Janus. Anna stepped out from behind the counter, with Daltrey following nervously behind her.
Anna caught her eye, but she looked away quickly. She couldn't bear to look her younger sister in the eye, now that she had been seen standing with the League of Sorcerers.
"Do as she says." Elsa said coldly. "The Warriors have fallen. It's pointless to resist."
Anna stared at her in disbelief. "What happened to you, Elsa?" she turned to look at Will, who was cowering by her side, and turned back to Ingrid. "What do you plan to do with him if I agree?"
"That's none of your concern." Ingrid replied. "But it's not like you have a choice, do you?"
Anna stayed silent and watched as the other three Elemental Sorcerers stepped forward to haul Will away.
"Wait, Anna!" Will yelled as he was hauled out of the bar. "You have to help me! Please!"
"Smart girl." Ingrid smiled and looked at Elsa. "Your sister has some sense after all. You and Prometheus leave. I'll like to have a friendly chat with your sister."
ANNA
Anna watched as Elsa and Prometheus nodded at the Pilgrim's command, and turned to join the other sorcerers outside the bar. "Elsa…" she whispered as she watched her older sister leave with Prometheus. She was leaving yet again, and like the rest of the times before, Anna couldn't do anything about it.
The Pilgrim waited till she and Anna were the only ones alone - and conscious - before starting. "I apologize." She nodded at Kristoff who lay motionless on the ground. "I'm sure Prometheus did only what was necessary." She sized Anna up. "I have to say, I am impressed."
"Why?"
"Finding Will Daltrey before we did. You're good."
Anna remained quiet.
"I see that you even brought the Warriors back together." She continued. "You have heart."
"How did you do it?" Anna glared at the cloaked woman.
"Do what?"
"You know what I'm talking about!" Anna almost screamed. "How did you brainwash my sister into joining the League?"
"Like I said, she joined me of her own accord." The Pilgrim answered calmly.
"And why would she do that?"
"Enlightenment."
"Huh?"
"Your sister has seen the bigger picture. She knows that the world is a much bigger, harsher and crueler place." She glanced sadly at Anna. "Unlike you. There's so much you don't know about the world, being boxed up inside the walls of Arendelle."
"I know more than you think."
"Really? Does trying to play hero alongside the Warriors count? It's pathetic." She shook her head sadly. "So much wasted potential."
"Why did you target my sister? Why do you want the Elemental Sorcerers so badly?" Anna was shaking with rage. "You couldn't leave my family alone?"
"It's a lot more complicated than you think."
"Try me."
The Pilgrim shook her head. "You wouldn't get it."
"How long have you been spying on my family?"
"Years, to be frank." The Pilgrim said. "Even before you were born."
Anna was taken aback. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Like I said," The Pilgrim's lips curled upward sinisterly. "There's so much you don't know, even about your own family. You should ask yourself if you've ever really known them at all."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Anna cried.
"I would love to stay and chat. It's been an honour, Your Highness." The Pilgrim turned to go. "May I offer some advice? Drop it. Return to Arendelle and forget this ever happened. Forget about the League of Sorcerers and live your life."
"You know I can't do that. Not while you have my sister," Anna said through gritted teeth. "We're going to stop you. You have my word."
The Pilgrim chuckled. "Oh, Anna. If your parents couldn't stop me, then how could you hope to stand a chance?"
"What?"
With an explosion of red mist, the Pilgrim vanished, leaving a confused Anna alone in the empty bar.
"Anna!" Tracy called out weakly, stumbling through a Crossing Point. "Where's Daltrey?" she looked around at the empty bar. "What happened?"
"He's gone." Anna said, as she knelt down beside Kristoff, who was still unconscious. She propped him up, placing his head on her thigh. "Come on," she shook him lightly. "Wake up!"
He stirred, but not fully.
"Hang on." Tracy walked over to a table and picked up a pitcher of cold water. She splashed a little of it onto his face, and he woke with a start.
"Whuh-" Kristoff sat up sluggishly.
"Are you alright?" Anna asked anxiously.
"Yeah, I think so." He blinked and looked up at Tracy. "Where were you? We needed you here!"
"I held them off as long as I could," Tracy explained. "But the Pilgrim…she's too strong. She's a Ha'naeth like me."
"A what?" Anna asked as she helped Kristoff to his feet.
"Never mind. No time to explain." Tracy opened a Crossing Point. "We have to find the others. I think they're still in Daltrey's house."
The three Warriors exited from a Crossing Point and stepped into Will's house, which had been badly damaged. It looked like there had been quite a fair bit of fighting, but there was no sign of Maui or Melody.
"Check the rooms!" Anna said and they fanned out. "I've got Melody!" she yelled out as she entered the room where Melody had fought Prometheus.
"And I found Maui!" Tracy stood in the bathroom, staring at the frozen demigod. She held up a hand, and purple streaks of energy sifted through the cracks in the block of ice, cracking it up from the inside. With the aid of her black magic, Maui broke free from the rest of the ice with a thunderous bellow, and fell to the ground, shivering.
"I've…I've never felt so cold before." He shuddered.
"Can you stand?"
"I think so." Maui got to his feet, still shaking from the cold.
"Come on." Tracy put Maui's arm around her shoulder and almost sagged under his weight. She half-dragged him to the other room, and found Anna and Kristoff standing over an unconscious Melody.
"What-" Tracy couldn't believe her eyes. The Warrior who had never been bested in combat before had fallen, and it seemed that she had been defeated quite thoroughly, judging by the state the room was in.
"She put up a fight." Maui said, and breathed out cold air. "But Prometheus…he's too good."
Horrified, Anna knelt down to feel for a pulse. Thankfully, it was there. "She's alive." She said in relief.
"We gotta get her out of here," Tracy said. "She needs a doctor."
"Back to Arendelle. We have some of the best doctors there who nursed Tobias back to health." Anna lifted Melody from the wooden wreckage carefully. "Kristoff, give me a hand."
"Right." He helped Anna to carry Melody out of the room.
Tracy opened a Crossing Point with great difficulty, and they all went through it, leaving a damaged Quodrun behind in their wake.
Writer's Commentary:
This chapter was meant to inspire a hint of despair. Never have the Warriors encountered such strong opposition before. Previously, it had just been Major Kane and his mercenaries. That was hard enough. But this time, they were beaten on all fronts, taken apart methodically by the League.
Melody and Kristoff got decimated by Prometheus, Maui frozen by 'evil' Elsa, and Tracy getting 'outwitched' by the Pilgrim and the Elemental Sorcerers. This is truly a low point for the Warriors. How are they going to recover from this fall now that the League has the Last Elemental Sorcerer?
