~~~===~~~
Chapter Six: Knight's Fall
~~~===~~~
Cecil was asleep, the medicine having done its job. The guards, Cecil's half-joking comment aside, were in fine shape for tonight and tomorrow at least. Which left me, as Cecil's official second, in need of some sleep myself.
And, like Cecil, I was having the devil's own time getting any.
Golbez had almost killed him in single combat - hell, if Cecil had fought the Fiends in the Giant of Babil without help, the world would be missing a good man. If there had been anything left of the world to miss him, if the Giant hadn't been defeated.
And here he was going to fight this dark knight, alone, in a condition bad enough to warrant considering him a liability if we were fighting side by side. But if I tried to stop him, or help him, then not only would Rosa probably be killed - but it would be my fault on top of it. So I'd just have to be sure I didn't get involved beyond what I was bound by honor to do, and the dark knight was bound by sacred law to respect - interfering if Cecil was unable to fight, and his opponent went in for the kill.
I'd spent the last hour trying to find some sort of loophole in the Code, some way to nullify the challenge, or at least force him to turn Rosa over to us before the duel. But no such luck - the Code had been written to adjudicate duels between the sacred knights during a time when they were more common - when more than the Dragon Knights survived as an actual order. And, from what I had read, there were very few rules regarding getting your opponent to make or accept a challenge. The rules only came in once the duel had been made official - no drugging your opponent, no killing an incapacitated foe unless the duel has been specifically declared to the death, and pretty much anything goes for powers that you could use.
That last one worried me the most - if this knight could use magic the likes of which had been described, then he was a far more skilled mage than Cecil was. And, except for what few skills as a mage he had, Cecil was basically a very skilled swordsman. I was living proof of the disparity between a master swordsman and a master with a spear or lance, if the master was trained in using it at close range as well as at full length. Which, to judge by the way this dark knight held his lance, he was.
For the first time in years, I went to the window of my room and put on my helmet. The cool night air chilled my nearly naked body, but that was part of the ritual. I took my spear, and sat it at my knees. I leaned forward, lowering the visor of the dragon helm so that my face was hidden. Then, I began to pray.
"Bahamut, King of Dragons, Reis, first of my Order - what should I do? It has been too long since I have honestly sought your advice, too long since I remembered why my father taught me the old ways - but I need your help now. I don't know how to help Cecil, but I can't just let him be slaughtered tomorrow. My duty as his second, and his friend, is clear - but I can't fulfill that duty without endangering Rosa. And other vows forbid my doing that.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"What do you want to do, disciple?" A woman's voice came from behind me, a strong one - could it be Her? I stood and turned, bowing my head again as I saw the long red dress of dragon scales Reis had worn during Her tenure as commander and founder of the Dragon Knights, centuries ago.
"Mistress Reis," I said quickly, regretting that I had chosen to pray quickly, rather than to put on the full suit of dragon-scale armor from the moon - I hadn't been expecting Her to respond, honestly.
"Don't worry, Kain, I've been expecting you to call on me for some time. If you would like to put on something more substantial, feel free - it is a little chilly tonight." I nodded and pulled on the padding from my armor.
"Now, what is it you want to do to help your friend," She repeated once I was able to listen carefully again.
"I don't know - anything I do to help either won't be enough, or it'll get Rosa killed - I can't find a way around those outcomes."
"Why would it not be enough to do your duty, to aid him only when he falls, and the Dark Knight tries to kill him?"
"That would assume that I'm strong enough to stop him myself. He's a mage, which I am not. And he's probably as good as I am with a spear."
"But he is not a Dragon Knight." I laughed bitterly.
"And what good does it do to be one? If I used the Dragon's Leap, he could take Cecil's head while I was in the air."
"There are other techniques," She said quietly. "Other ways to fight, techniques long lost to this world. They exist for the Paladin as well, but those who have the power to teach them are far from this place."
"Could these techniques help me to defeat the dark knight?"
"The greatest of them, most assuredly. But I don't have the time to teach you that, I'm afraid."
"Then teach me what you can, and I'll do what I can with it." Reis smiled at me, a gleam in Her eyes.
"I thought I'd found the right one. I'll teach you, Kain, but on one condition."
"Name it. If it can save Cecil and Rosa, it's worth it."
"When this is done, continue on your journey. Come to Mount Ordeals, and finish what we start tonight."
"It's a deal." Reis smiled and nodded.
"Very well then. Take up your spear, and let's get started.."
~~~===~~~
"Lady Rosa?" My plan had gone off without a hitch, so far. I had flown to the ship and passed through the walls with ease, and reached the prison level with little resistance from the ship's guardians, living or undead. Neither stood much of a chance against me, really. After all - I was fire incarnate. Now, I stood in front of Rosa's cell.
I was risking my life trying to rescue one of the people who killed me. Twice.
And I keep saying that I'm no good with irony.
While I thought about this, she looked at me from where she was chained to the wall, and laughed. She looked slightly better than she had earlier - perhaps all she needed was a few days, maybe a few weeks, without him sucking the life force out of her. She licked her lips, trying to be able to speak in a steady voice, before she sneered at me.
"I was wondering when you'd get here."
"I didn't know you were here before, or I would have come sooner."
"I'll bet you would have. I take it your Master wanted to be sure that his finest was responsible for disposing of me?"
"Dragonheart isn't through with you yet - if you asked him. I say it's over, though. I'm taking you out of here, and returning you to your husband before Dragonheart kills him."
"What?"
"I told you - I'm getting you out of here. That's all you need to know." Suddenly, my blood ran cold as I heard an all-too-familiar voice from behind me.
"On the contrary, Rubi, I think you should explain this whole thing again - frankly, I think it's fascinating." I spun around to face Valvalis, my misbegotten sister.
"Get back," I said, raising my hand and summoning the power for a spell as I backed into the bars of Rosa's cell. "This doesn't have to involve you - you don't owe him anything, you don't have to obey him! Just let us leave, and you can try to lead a life of your own for once." She moved closer with a seductive smile, and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. I dove to the side as a blast of air struck the bars where I'd been standing, breaking up as it hit the metal - but if I'd been standing there, I probably would have been torn in two. I hurled a blast of flame at her, but she scattered it with a burst of wind. Damn - hadn't seen her do that for centuries. Dragonheart must not have been exaggerating when he said he'd increased my siblings' powers.
I landed a few yards away from Valvalis, and she turned to face me, wind starting to whip around her, picking up dust from the room and obscuring her form as she moved towards me slowly.
"Surprised, Rubi," she asked, smiling at me. "You're not as powerful as you've gotten used to any more. You know what that means? It'll be just like old times." I felt a chill run down my spine as I remembered the years I'd spent under her domination. I was the only one of us who looked more than vaguely human, besides her. And she had been the strongest of us at the time - which meant that I'd had to do a lot of things I'd never wanted to do, to stay alive. Weakness wasn't healthy in a 'family' like ours.
"I'm not afraid of you, Valvalis," I said, knowing in my heart that it was a lie, but trying to keep my voice strong and steady. If she knew how I really felt, there wouldn't be any chance of escape from her - she'd dog me for the rest of my days if she had the chance.
"That's good," she crooned. "It means I get to teach you how to be afraid again. I always enjoyed teaching you that." She raised her hands, and whirlwind surrounding her flew at me. I barely had time to raise my cloak before the spell crashed into me, dissipating as I drew the power of the spell into me. I had to focus more of my concentration into absorbing her magic than normal - against a mortal, I could still focus on attacks of my own. But with her fiendish power backing her spells, I couldn't afford to be that distracted. Which left us at a stalemate, so long as she continued to pump spells at me. She couldn't hurt me with them, but neither could I respond. Once she stopped using her magic, though, things would be more even - I hoped. I'd have her magic on top of my own, and be able to use it without her breaking it up. The age-old dance, one that we hadn't gone through since I'd first returned with the Cloak of Flames. I just hoped the dance ended the same way.
I don't honestly know how long she pummeled me with spells - it seemed like an eternity, but I knew that she couldn't have had enough power to last more than a couple of minutes. When the buffeting winds stopped, I lowered my guard slightly, preparing a counterstrike. That was my mistake.
As soon as my defenses were down, I felt a thousand blasts of frigid air tear into me, ripping away skin and biting into the core of my being. What the hell was she doing? This wasn't something she'd ever had the power to do before! Not ice, not water, not pure wind, but something in between the three. I healed as quickly as possible, using the stored power that Valvalis had poured into me to rebuild by body even as it was torn apart, but I knew that I couldn't keep it up forever.
Just as my stores of energy were drained, the onslaught stopped, leaving me only slightly the worse for wear - physically, at least. But I was completely drained - anything else would be a test of strength between the two of us, and I didn't like those odds. She floated up to me as I drew a thin-bladed sword that I had taken from one of the guards on my way in here. She smiled viciously as she saw me prepare to fight her.
"Come now, brother, do you really think you can defeat me with that?"
"I can do this," I replied, making a quick thrust for her face, hoping to throw her off guard. No such luck - she deflected the thrust with the back of her hand easily, grabbing my wrist and pulling me close to her.
"And I can do anything I want," she purred as she grabbed my neck with her other hand and turned my face to hers. She gazed at me with a predatory look in her eyes, and I steeled myself for what was to come - when she screamed and arched her back, throwing me away from her.
I took a few moments to steady myself mentally, savoring the sound of Valvalis' cries of pain and terror. Not the most heroic thing to do, perhaps - but I wasn't a hero, current plans notwithstanding. When I was certain that I could face her again if I had to, I stood and looked to see what was happening - and smiled.
Valvalis was standing at the defensive, facing Callista and her two blades. Several shallow wounds in my sister's back showed what had made her cast me to the side, much to my satisfaction. With some help, maybe I could still pull this off. I grabbed the sword from where I'd dropped it when she'd thrown me, and ran to join the fray. Valvalis heard my steps, and turned to face both of us as she backed away.
"This wasn't expected," she hissed as she dissipated. "I'll be back for you two - don't go away." When she was gone, I turned to Callista.
"I thought you weren't going to help me?"
"No, I just wasn't going to go along with your plan. It's amazing how easily you can get onto a ship like this if you can guess where the guards watch the outside from."
"Let's not elaborate on that, then. Can you get her out of there?" Callista moved over to the bars of the cell with catlike grace as Rosa watched silently, uncertain of what was happening. After a moment, the warrior shook her head.
"No normal lock - all magic. The chains look like I should be able to cut them, but this is more than I can handle."
"Then let me past." I walked up to the bars, and threw my cloak around me. "Lady Rosa, throw the strongest spell you can against me." She paused for a few moments, no doubt unsure of what I was going to do with that power. I couldn't blame her, honestly.
"Rosa, Valvalis hurt me badly enough that I don't have the power to melt these bars - I should only need a little power to get through, and get us out of here. I just need you to provide it." She nodded, and moistened her lips.
"Float!" I was shocked by the spell she'd used - did she trust me that little, that she wouldn't give me more than the absolute minimum?
Or were the legends true? If they were.then this world was likely doomed unless something changed quickly. Brushing my worries aside, I placed my hand on the lock and summoned up a searing burst of flame, vaporizing it instantly. I stepped aside as Callista opened the cell and cut Rosa's chains with two quick blows from her swords. Rosa fell to her knees, but got to her feet quickly, and came out supported by Callista.
"Lady Callista, can you get her out of here on your own?"
"I got in here, didn't I?"
"Alone, yes, but I don't think you'll be able to use your.charms.to get past the guards with their only prisoner."
"I won't need to. I don't leave witnesses, you should know that by now." I nodded even as Rosa looked between us in shock, but seemed to accept that it was necessary.
"Get her out of here, then, and take her to Castle Baron as quickly as you can. If we can get her there in time, then we improve King Cecil's odds on the morrow greatly."
"Where are you going?"
"To see if I'm right about what happened to her. Rosa," I said, getting her attention. "Is the strongest spell you have remaining really Float?" She nodded, shame coloring her expression, as I swore to myself.
"Please, what power you can spare, I'll need it to try and reclaim what he took from you. And keep him from doing this to anyone else. What can you give to me?" She paused as she tested her reserves mentally.
"Didn't drain my power, just my spells. But it'd take too long to cast what I have."
"Not if I take it the old-fashioned way. I'm going to use Osmose - if you don't fight it, I should be able to drain most of your power in one go."
"Do it," she said without hesitating. "If you can stop this bastard, then do it. Besides, what spells I have would be useless in here. Unless somebody stubbed a toe, I suppose," she laughed bitterly at that, as I reached into myself, seeking the wellspring of power I had used to restore her strength the first two times we had met. I touched her forehead gently, and emptied my power reserves, sending what little I had of my own energies through my body and into the air as my cloak ignited, the flames well away from Rosa and Callista. Then, I opened the barriers of my soul, and allowed her power to flow in to fill the empty recesses. Once the flow slowed, I started to use a small amount of energy to draw off what she had left, rather like priming a siphon. When I was done, I felt I had enough power to deal with what resistance I would find on the way.
"Thank you, Lady Rosa. Callista, you get her back quickly. I'll do what I can up here." With that, I turned and passed through the wall, seeking the heart of the ship before Valvalis found me again, hoping that Callista could get Rosa away from here with little difficulty, but knowing that what I was doing now was more important than ensuring their freedom..
~~~===~~~
Cecil woke up at the break of dawn, and readied himself for battle. Thankfully, it didn't take any help to don the lunarians' crystal armor - it was designed to practically put itself on. A few moments of practice with Excalibur, loosening stiff joints, and Cecil was as ready as he would be. Kain had been right - the sleep had done him quite a bit of good. Hopefully it would be enough to save Rosa. He opened the potion cabinet that he'd built to store some of the stronger items they'd had left once they returned - they'd all built something similar, so that the rare medicines wouldn't be damaged before they were needed next.
The one that Cecil had built was fairly small, actually, containing only a few ethers and two or three x-potions. He pulled out one of the ethers, and focused on his magical power. As he had been doing every day for the past few months, he channeled his magical energy into fighting away the fatigue he felt, one Esuna spell after another used to wear away at the toxins in his body, the slight disorientation he felt sometimes, all the problems that his exhaustion caused. It was slow going, thanks to the fact it was natural and not induced, but it helped. When he was done, he opened the ether and let the smell take him into a semi-meditative state, restoring his mental equilibrium and strengthening his will. When he was done, a matter of moments later, the liquid had evaporated and his power to work spells had been restored. He stepped out of his room, and walked out to the empty courtyard.
There were warriors on the battlements, including the familiar figure of Kain, watching with bated breath to see what would happen to their King - and to see the person who had caused so much trouble in the kingdom already, even with only coming here once. The dark airship hovered above the castle ominously, obscuring much of the light of the early sun. It was deadly silent as Cecil stood, waiting for his opponent to 'grace' the battlefield with his presence. Suddenly, the great jewel at the bottom of the ship glowed, and a huge red beam bathed the ground in its light. A blue streak flew down through the larger beam, and the dark knight materialized on the ground.
"Are you ready, King of Baron," he shouted, once the beam was gone.
"I am ready." The ancient rite to begin the battle had just begun. "I am Cecil Harvey, King of Baron, Paladin in service of the Light. I face you in battle to rescue my wife, whom you have stolen from our home."
"And I am Kain Dragonheart, Seneschal of Darkheim, Savior of the Realm of Torrenz, Master of the Lance of Mara, Dark Knight in service to the High Lord of Darkness. I face you in battle to remove the universe of a festering boil upon its surface." Cecil gritted his teeth at the insult, and the overblown titles Dragonheart used. He had to stay calm, though, stay centered.
"My second is Kain Highwind, Captain of the Guard of Baron, Dragoon in the service of -" Kain shook his head from the battlements, cutting Cecil off, before he finished himself.
"Dragoon in the service of Reis and Bahamut." Cecil looked up curiously, but didn't let it bother him.
Dragonheart, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes as he turned to look at the dragoon on the battlements, as though assessing the truth of his statement. He scowled as he decided it was true. Things had just become more difficult, if the dragoon knew what he had just said. No matter - the paladin was the threat now.
"I forfeit the right to a second," he said, remembering that he had a rite to finish. "I shall need no last-second savior to keep a rabble such as you from taking my head." Cecil flushed, but everybody else remained silent. Focus, dammit - this isn't about you and him, it's about Rosa.
But, all the same, it would be most satisfying to wipe the smug expression off Dragonheart's face.
"The terms of the duel are set, as per the Sacred Code. Battle until one warrior or the other is disabled."
"No limitation on the use of our knight's powers."
"And no use of outside items or weapons," Cecil finished, drawing Excalibur. "Let the duel begin!" With that, he charged towards Dragonheart, bringing Excalibur down in a deadly glittering arc. The haft of the Lance of Mara caught the blow, Dragonheart wielding it like a staff.
"If you don't lose this fight," Dragonheart said quietly, "your wife dies. Painfully." The threat caught Cecil off guard, his opponent taking the chance to thrust his arms out, sending the paladin reeling as he lost his balance. The dark knight followed closely, slashing with the long blade on the lance, catching Cecil square in the chest. The paladin-king stifled a cry of pain as he recovered his footing, and tried to get inside Dragonheart's reach, the only way to take the spear out of the fight. His efforts were in vain, though, as the dark knight simply stepped back with an almost unnatural grace, keeping himself easily able to use his weapon. For over a minute they danced in this fashion, one forward, the other back, one thrusting, one parrying at the last second. Cecil was starting to get tired again, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he made some blunder - probably fatal. He wondered how much of this was fear that Dragonheart would carry through with his threat to kill Rosa, but pushed the thought aside so that he could focus on the fight. But even the moment's distraction it had provided was enough for Dragonheart to take the upper hand, backhanding Cecil and sending him spinning to the side, Excalibur falling from his hand. Then, Cecil saw them.
On the battlements, he saw the woman who had come with Kain, supporting Rosa as they moved towards cover. Cecil smiled grimly. No more excuses.
"Cura," he shouted, feeling the cuts and bruises heal quickly as mystical force ran through his body. He rolled as Dragonheart plunged his spear into the crack between the cobblestones Cecil had been laying on, and grabbed Excalibur as he rolled to his feet.
"You've lost your bargaining chip, bastard," Cecil said, smiling as he took a defensive position. Dragonheart followed the half-nod Cecil made, seeing his prisoner being escorted into the castle, and snarled.
"So be it, then. It's time to end this farce. Flare," he shouted, suddenly spinning to face Cecil as he gestured in the paladin's direction. Cecil's eyes grew wide as the air around him erupted into flames. Damn, he hadn't been expecting spells at this point. Especially not of this magnitude - he could barely manage the weakest of white magic, how could this dark knight manage spells like Flare? He gritted his teeth at the pain running through him, reminding himself that he'd gone through worse - much worse - when he was fighting Zeromus. Still, he rather wished that he'd had Ragnarok with him now, rather than Excalibur - the crystal blade had made spells like these much easier to endure, somehow. Cecil slammed another Cura into himself, and charged out of the flames. He'd just have to be more careful about those - they'd wear him down otherwise.
"Firaga," the dark knight shouted, sending a burst of flames up next to Cecil. "Wind, Bio, Blizzaga." the onslaught continued, each spell deliberately aimed a little off of center as the dark knight backed up and laid down a wall of magic on either side of the paladin-king. Why wasn't he trying to hit Cecil? Then the dark knight lowered his spear, pointing it directly at his opponent, and smiled viciously.
"Damnation's Lance," he said softly, sending a beam of black force from the tip of the lance, as Cecil realized what he had been trying to do.
Box him in.
The bolt struck Cecil squarely in the midsection, lifting him off his feet as the crystal armor resisted the force of the attack as well as it could. The paladin-king was thrown into the stone wall of the castle, and cried out as the dark force pummeled him, pounding him with wave after wave of endless evil. He felt his armor crack, and all was blackness..
~~~===~~~
End of Chapter 6: Knight's Fall
~~~===~~~
Chapter Six: Knight's Fall
~~~===~~~
Cecil was asleep, the medicine having done its job. The guards, Cecil's half-joking comment aside, were in fine shape for tonight and tomorrow at least. Which left me, as Cecil's official second, in need of some sleep myself.
And, like Cecil, I was having the devil's own time getting any.
Golbez had almost killed him in single combat - hell, if Cecil had fought the Fiends in the Giant of Babil without help, the world would be missing a good man. If there had been anything left of the world to miss him, if the Giant hadn't been defeated.
And here he was going to fight this dark knight, alone, in a condition bad enough to warrant considering him a liability if we were fighting side by side. But if I tried to stop him, or help him, then not only would Rosa probably be killed - but it would be my fault on top of it. So I'd just have to be sure I didn't get involved beyond what I was bound by honor to do, and the dark knight was bound by sacred law to respect - interfering if Cecil was unable to fight, and his opponent went in for the kill.
I'd spent the last hour trying to find some sort of loophole in the Code, some way to nullify the challenge, or at least force him to turn Rosa over to us before the duel. But no such luck - the Code had been written to adjudicate duels between the sacred knights during a time when they were more common - when more than the Dragon Knights survived as an actual order. And, from what I had read, there were very few rules regarding getting your opponent to make or accept a challenge. The rules only came in once the duel had been made official - no drugging your opponent, no killing an incapacitated foe unless the duel has been specifically declared to the death, and pretty much anything goes for powers that you could use.
That last one worried me the most - if this knight could use magic the likes of which had been described, then he was a far more skilled mage than Cecil was. And, except for what few skills as a mage he had, Cecil was basically a very skilled swordsman. I was living proof of the disparity between a master swordsman and a master with a spear or lance, if the master was trained in using it at close range as well as at full length. Which, to judge by the way this dark knight held his lance, he was.
For the first time in years, I went to the window of my room and put on my helmet. The cool night air chilled my nearly naked body, but that was part of the ritual. I took my spear, and sat it at my knees. I leaned forward, lowering the visor of the dragon helm so that my face was hidden. Then, I began to pray.
"Bahamut, King of Dragons, Reis, first of my Order - what should I do? It has been too long since I have honestly sought your advice, too long since I remembered why my father taught me the old ways - but I need your help now. I don't know how to help Cecil, but I can't just let him be slaughtered tomorrow. My duty as his second, and his friend, is clear - but I can't fulfill that duty without endangering Rosa. And other vows forbid my doing that.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"What do you want to do, disciple?" A woman's voice came from behind me, a strong one - could it be Her? I stood and turned, bowing my head again as I saw the long red dress of dragon scales Reis had worn during Her tenure as commander and founder of the Dragon Knights, centuries ago.
"Mistress Reis," I said quickly, regretting that I had chosen to pray quickly, rather than to put on the full suit of dragon-scale armor from the moon - I hadn't been expecting Her to respond, honestly.
"Don't worry, Kain, I've been expecting you to call on me for some time. If you would like to put on something more substantial, feel free - it is a little chilly tonight." I nodded and pulled on the padding from my armor.
"Now, what is it you want to do to help your friend," She repeated once I was able to listen carefully again.
"I don't know - anything I do to help either won't be enough, or it'll get Rosa killed - I can't find a way around those outcomes."
"Why would it not be enough to do your duty, to aid him only when he falls, and the Dark Knight tries to kill him?"
"That would assume that I'm strong enough to stop him myself. He's a mage, which I am not. And he's probably as good as I am with a spear."
"But he is not a Dragon Knight." I laughed bitterly.
"And what good does it do to be one? If I used the Dragon's Leap, he could take Cecil's head while I was in the air."
"There are other techniques," She said quietly. "Other ways to fight, techniques long lost to this world. They exist for the Paladin as well, but those who have the power to teach them are far from this place."
"Could these techniques help me to defeat the dark knight?"
"The greatest of them, most assuredly. But I don't have the time to teach you that, I'm afraid."
"Then teach me what you can, and I'll do what I can with it." Reis smiled at me, a gleam in Her eyes.
"I thought I'd found the right one. I'll teach you, Kain, but on one condition."
"Name it. If it can save Cecil and Rosa, it's worth it."
"When this is done, continue on your journey. Come to Mount Ordeals, and finish what we start tonight."
"It's a deal." Reis smiled and nodded.
"Very well then. Take up your spear, and let's get started.."
~~~===~~~
"Lady Rosa?" My plan had gone off without a hitch, so far. I had flown to the ship and passed through the walls with ease, and reached the prison level with little resistance from the ship's guardians, living or undead. Neither stood much of a chance against me, really. After all - I was fire incarnate. Now, I stood in front of Rosa's cell.
I was risking my life trying to rescue one of the people who killed me. Twice.
And I keep saying that I'm no good with irony.
While I thought about this, she looked at me from where she was chained to the wall, and laughed. She looked slightly better than she had earlier - perhaps all she needed was a few days, maybe a few weeks, without him sucking the life force out of her. She licked her lips, trying to be able to speak in a steady voice, before she sneered at me.
"I was wondering when you'd get here."
"I didn't know you were here before, or I would have come sooner."
"I'll bet you would have. I take it your Master wanted to be sure that his finest was responsible for disposing of me?"
"Dragonheart isn't through with you yet - if you asked him. I say it's over, though. I'm taking you out of here, and returning you to your husband before Dragonheart kills him."
"What?"
"I told you - I'm getting you out of here. That's all you need to know." Suddenly, my blood ran cold as I heard an all-too-familiar voice from behind me.
"On the contrary, Rubi, I think you should explain this whole thing again - frankly, I think it's fascinating." I spun around to face Valvalis, my misbegotten sister.
"Get back," I said, raising my hand and summoning the power for a spell as I backed into the bars of Rosa's cell. "This doesn't have to involve you - you don't owe him anything, you don't have to obey him! Just let us leave, and you can try to lead a life of your own for once." She moved closer with a seductive smile, and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. I dove to the side as a blast of air struck the bars where I'd been standing, breaking up as it hit the metal - but if I'd been standing there, I probably would have been torn in two. I hurled a blast of flame at her, but she scattered it with a burst of wind. Damn - hadn't seen her do that for centuries. Dragonheart must not have been exaggerating when he said he'd increased my siblings' powers.
I landed a few yards away from Valvalis, and she turned to face me, wind starting to whip around her, picking up dust from the room and obscuring her form as she moved towards me slowly.
"Surprised, Rubi," she asked, smiling at me. "You're not as powerful as you've gotten used to any more. You know what that means? It'll be just like old times." I felt a chill run down my spine as I remembered the years I'd spent under her domination. I was the only one of us who looked more than vaguely human, besides her. And she had been the strongest of us at the time - which meant that I'd had to do a lot of things I'd never wanted to do, to stay alive. Weakness wasn't healthy in a 'family' like ours.
"I'm not afraid of you, Valvalis," I said, knowing in my heart that it was a lie, but trying to keep my voice strong and steady. If she knew how I really felt, there wouldn't be any chance of escape from her - she'd dog me for the rest of my days if she had the chance.
"That's good," she crooned. "It means I get to teach you how to be afraid again. I always enjoyed teaching you that." She raised her hands, and whirlwind surrounding her flew at me. I barely had time to raise my cloak before the spell crashed into me, dissipating as I drew the power of the spell into me. I had to focus more of my concentration into absorbing her magic than normal - against a mortal, I could still focus on attacks of my own. But with her fiendish power backing her spells, I couldn't afford to be that distracted. Which left us at a stalemate, so long as she continued to pump spells at me. She couldn't hurt me with them, but neither could I respond. Once she stopped using her magic, though, things would be more even - I hoped. I'd have her magic on top of my own, and be able to use it without her breaking it up. The age-old dance, one that we hadn't gone through since I'd first returned with the Cloak of Flames. I just hoped the dance ended the same way.
I don't honestly know how long she pummeled me with spells - it seemed like an eternity, but I knew that she couldn't have had enough power to last more than a couple of minutes. When the buffeting winds stopped, I lowered my guard slightly, preparing a counterstrike. That was my mistake.
As soon as my defenses were down, I felt a thousand blasts of frigid air tear into me, ripping away skin and biting into the core of my being. What the hell was she doing? This wasn't something she'd ever had the power to do before! Not ice, not water, not pure wind, but something in between the three. I healed as quickly as possible, using the stored power that Valvalis had poured into me to rebuild by body even as it was torn apart, but I knew that I couldn't keep it up forever.
Just as my stores of energy were drained, the onslaught stopped, leaving me only slightly the worse for wear - physically, at least. But I was completely drained - anything else would be a test of strength between the two of us, and I didn't like those odds. She floated up to me as I drew a thin-bladed sword that I had taken from one of the guards on my way in here. She smiled viciously as she saw me prepare to fight her.
"Come now, brother, do you really think you can defeat me with that?"
"I can do this," I replied, making a quick thrust for her face, hoping to throw her off guard. No such luck - she deflected the thrust with the back of her hand easily, grabbing my wrist and pulling me close to her.
"And I can do anything I want," she purred as she grabbed my neck with her other hand and turned my face to hers. She gazed at me with a predatory look in her eyes, and I steeled myself for what was to come - when she screamed and arched her back, throwing me away from her.
I took a few moments to steady myself mentally, savoring the sound of Valvalis' cries of pain and terror. Not the most heroic thing to do, perhaps - but I wasn't a hero, current plans notwithstanding. When I was certain that I could face her again if I had to, I stood and looked to see what was happening - and smiled.
Valvalis was standing at the defensive, facing Callista and her two blades. Several shallow wounds in my sister's back showed what had made her cast me to the side, much to my satisfaction. With some help, maybe I could still pull this off. I grabbed the sword from where I'd dropped it when she'd thrown me, and ran to join the fray. Valvalis heard my steps, and turned to face both of us as she backed away.
"This wasn't expected," she hissed as she dissipated. "I'll be back for you two - don't go away." When she was gone, I turned to Callista.
"I thought you weren't going to help me?"
"No, I just wasn't going to go along with your plan. It's amazing how easily you can get onto a ship like this if you can guess where the guards watch the outside from."
"Let's not elaborate on that, then. Can you get her out of there?" Callista moved over to the bars of the cell with catlike grace as Rosa watched silently, uncertain of what was happening. After a moment, the warrior shook her head.
"No normal lock - all magic. The chains look like I should be able to cut them, but this is more than I can handle."
"Then let me past." I walked up to the bars, and threw my cloak around me. "Lady Rosa, throw the strongest spell you can against me." She paused for a few moments, no doubt unsure of what I was going to do with that power. I couldn't blame her, honestly.
"Rosa, Valvalis hurt me badly enough that I don't have the power to melt these bars - I should only need a little power to get through, and get us out of here. I just need you to provide it." She nodded, and moistened her lips.
"Float!" I was shocked by the spell she'd used - did she trust me that little, that she wouldn't give me more than the absolute minimum?
Or were the legends true? If they were.then this world was likely doomed unless something changed quickly. Brushing my worries aside, I placed my hand on the lock and summoned up a searing burst of flame, vaporizing it instantly. I stepped aside as Callista opened the cell and cut Rosa's chains with two quick blows from her swords. Rosa fell to her knees, but got to her feet quickly, and came out supported by Callista.
"Lady Callista, can you get her out of here on your own?"
"I got in here, didn't I?"
"Alone, yes, but I don't think you'll be able to use your.charms.to get past the guards with their only prisoner."
"I won't need to. I don't leave witnesses, you should know that by now." I nodded even as Rosa looked between us in shock, but seemed to accept that it was necessary.
"Get her out of here, then, and take her to Castle Baron as quickly as you can. If we can get her there in time, then we improve King Cecil's odds on the morrow greatly."
"Where are you going?"
"To see if I'm right about what happened to her. Rosa," I said, getting her attention. "Is the strongest spell you have remaining really Float?" She nodded, shame coloring her expression, as I swore to myself.
"Please, what power you can spare, I'll need it to try and reclaim what he took from you. And keep him from doing this to anyone else. What can you give to me?" She paused as she tested her reserves mentally.
"Didn't drain my power, just my spells. But it'd take too long to cast what I have."
"Not if I take it the old-fashioned way. I'm going to use Osmose - if you don't fight it, I should be able to drain most of your power in one go."
"Do it," she said without hesitating. "If you can stop this bastard, then do it. Besides, what spells I have would be useless in here. Unless somebody stubbed a toe, I suppose," she laughed bitterly at that, as I reached into myself, seeking the wellspring of power I had used to restore her strength the first two times we had met. I touched her forehead gently, and emptied my power reserves, sending what little I had of my own energies through my body and into the air as my cloak ignited, the flames well away from Rosa and Callista. Then, I opened the barriers of my soul, and allowed her power to flow in to fill the empty recesses. Once the flow slowed, I started to use a small amount of energy to draw off what she had left, rather like priming a siphon. When I was done, I felt I had enough power to deal with what resistance I would find on the way.
"Thank you, Lady Rosa. Callista, you get her back quickly. I'll do what I can up here." With that, I turned and passed through the wall, seeking the heart of the ship before Valvalis found me again, hoping that Callista could get Rosa away from here with little difficulty, but knowing that what I was doing now was more important than ensuring their freedom..
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Cecil woke up at the break of dawn, and readied himself for battle. Thankfully, it didn't take any help to don the lunarians' crystal armor - it was designed to practically put itself on. A few moments of practice with Excalibur, loosening stiff joints, and Cecil was as ready as he would be. Kain had been right - the sleep had done him quite a bit of good. Hopefully it would be enough to save Rosa. He opened the potion cabinet that he'd built to store some of the stronger items they'd had left once they returned - they'd all built something similar, so that the rare medicines wouldn't be damaged before they were needed next.
The one that Cecil had built was fairly small, actually, containing only a few ethers and two or three x-potions. He pulled out one of the ethers, and focused on his magical power. As he had been doing every day for the past few months, he channeled his magical energy into fighting away the fatigue he felt, one Esuna spell after another used to wear away at the toxins in his body, the slight disorientation he felt sometimes, all the problems that his exhaustion caused. It was slow going, thanks to the fact it was natural and not induced, but it helped. When he was done, he opened the ether and let the smell take him into a semi-meditative state, restoring his mental equilibrium and strengthening his will. When he was done, a matter of moments later, the liquid had evaporated and his power to work spells had been restored. He stepped out of his room, and walked out to the empty courtyard.
There were warriors on the battlements, including the familiar figure of Kain, watching with bated breath to see what would happen to their King - and to see the person who had caused so much trouble in the kingdom already, even with only coming here once. The dark airship hovered above the castle ominously, obscuring much of the light of the early sun. It was deadly silent as Cecil stood, waiting for his opponent to 'grace' the battlefield with his presence. Suddenly, the great jewel at the bottom of the ship glowed, and a huge red beam bathed the ground in its light. A blue streak flew down through the larger beam, and the dark knight materialized on the ground.
"Are you ready, King of Baron," he shouted, once the beam was gone.
"I am ready." The ancient rite to begin the battle had just begun. "I am Cecil Harvey, King of Baron, Paladin in service of the Light. I face you in battle to rescue my wife, whom you have stolen from our home."
"And I am Kain Dragonheart, Seneschal of Darkheim, Savior of the Realm of Torrenz, Master of the Lance of Mara, Dark Knight in service to the High Lord of Darkness. I face you in battle to remove the universe of a festering boil upon its surface." Cecil gritted his teeth at the insult, and the overblown titles Dragonheart used. He had to stay calm, though, stay centered.
"My second is Kain Highwind, Captain of the Guard of Baron, Dragoon in the service of -" Kain shook his head from the battlements, cutting Cecil off, before he finished himself.
"Dragoon in the service of Reis and Bahamut." Cecil looked up curiously, but didn't let it bother him.
Dragonheart, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes as he turned to look at the dragoon on the battlements, as though assessing the truth of his statement. He scowled as he decided it was true. Things had just become more difficult, if the dragoon knew what he had just said. No matter - the paladin was the threat now.
"I forfeit the right to a second," he said, remembering that he had a rite to finish. "I shall need no last-second savior to keep a rabble such as you from taking my head." Cecil flushed, but everybody else remained silent. Focus, dammit - this isn't about you and him, it's about Rosa.
But, all the same, it would be most satisfying to wipe the smug expression off Dragonheart's face.
"The terms of the duel are set, as per the Sacred Code. Battle until one warrior or the other is disabled."
"No limitation on the use of our knight's powers."
"And no use of outside items or weapons," Cecil finished, drawing Excalibur. "Let the duel begin!" With that, he charged towards Dragonheart, bringing Excalibur down in a deadly glittering arc. The haft of the Lance of Mara caught the blow, Dragonheart wielding it like a staff.
"If you don't lose this fight," Dragonheart said quietly, "your wife dies. Painfully." The threat caught Cecil off guard, his opponent taking the chance to thrust his arms out, sending the paladin reeling as he lost his balance. The dark knight followed closely, slashing with the long blade on the lance, catching Cecil square in the chest. The paladin-king stifled a cry of pain as he recovered his footing, and tried to get inside Dragonheart's reach, the only way to take the spear out of the fight. His efforts were in vain, though, as the dark knight simply stepped back with an almost unnatural grace, keeping himself easily able to use his weapon. For over a minute they danced in this fashion, one forward, the other back, one thrusting, one parrying at the last second. Cecil was starting to get tired again, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he made some blunder - probably fatal. He wondered how much of this was fear that Dragonheart would carry through with his threat to kill Rosa, but pushed the thought aside so that he could focus on the fight. But even the moment's distraction it had provided was enough for Dragonheart to take the upper hand, backhanding Cecil and sending him spinning to the side, Excalibur falling from his hand. Then, Cecil saw them.
On the battlements, he saw the woman who had come with Kain, supporting Rosa as they moved towards cover. Cecil smiled grimly. No more excuses.
"Cura," he shouted, feeling the cuts and bruises heal quickly as mystical force ran through his body. He rolled as Dragonheart plunged his spear into the crack between the cobblestones Cecil had been laying on, and grabbed Excalibur as he rolled to his feet.
"You've lost your bargaining chip, bastard," Cecil said, smiling as he took a defensive position. Dragonheart followed the half-nod Cecil made, seeing his prisoner being escorted into the castle, and snarled.
"So be it, then. It's time to end this farce. Flare," he shouted, suddenly spinning to face Cecil as he gestured in the paladin's direction. Cecil's eyes grew wide as the air around him erupted into flames. Damn, he hadn't been expecting spells at this point. Especially not of this magnitude - he could barely manage the weakest of white magic, how could this dark knight manage spells like Flare? He gritted his teeth at the pain running through him, reminding himself that he'd gone through worse - much worse - when he was fighting Zeromus. Still, he rather wished that he'd had Ragnarok with him now, rather than Excalibur - the crystal blade had made spells like these much easier to endure, somehow. Cecil slammed another Cura into himself, and charged out of the flames. He'd just have to be more careful about those - they'd wear him down otherwise.
"Firaga," the dark knight shouted, sending a burst of flames up next to Cecil. "Wind, Bio, Blizzaga." the onslaught continued, each spell deliberately aimed a little off of center as the dark knight backed up and laid down a wall of magic on either side of the paladin-king. Why wasn't he trying to hit Cecil? Then the dark knight lowered his spear, pointing it directly at his opponent, and smiled viciously.
"Damnation's Lance," he said softly, sending a beam of black force from the tip of the lance, as Cecil realized what he had been trying to do.
Box him in.
The bolt struck Cecil squarely in the midsection, lifting him off his feet as the crystal armor resisted the force of the attack as well as it could. The paladin-king was thrown into the stone wall of the castle, and cried out as the dark force pummeled him, pounding him with wave after wave of endless evil. He felt his armor crack, and all was blackness..
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End of Chapter 6: Knight's Fall
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