Chapter -79: Maternity and the Valkyrie
Once more, Oreore finds itself under attack by another of the Tribes.
Led by Vermilion, the soldiers of Canofloe march upon the ravine, this time without their horses.
They now wear more durable armor, reflected in their thicker hides and charcoal sheen. They had the appearance of miniature golems, and their swords were sharp enough to ignite a spark of fire without their command.
They were marching upon the front of the ravine, where a massive iron door was only a third of the way put together, its builders the target of Vermilion's assault.
Ezekiel and his mother were at each other's side to stave off Vermilion's feral strength, but their efforts left their clothes charred off in various spots while she only received dirt in her eye.
She barreled through the ground from place to place and geysers of magma exploded in her wake.
She rammed into Ezekiel beneath his hammer and launched him into the gate, causing it to slant into the ravine.
The miners toiled to keep it up with their bare hands, but Ezekiel used it to slide down and slam his hammer into the ground.
A ravine opened up in Vermilion's direction and forced her retreat. Surrounding her, the war-torn battleground between the soldiers on both sides.
So far neither side had fallen. Both had the will to fight but the scorpion's tail strangling their necks couldn't force the will to kill upon the men of fire and honor.
Tossing her head back she spat up in annoyance, "I ain't seein' any charred corpses, COME ON, put those gifts to good use you slackers!"
Lianne then rolled up in the form of a boulder and slashed her claws down, her force bending Vermilion's arm when she tried to guard.
Ezekiel then ran in while his mum was still suspended in the air and hammered Vermilion in the gut.
Or tried, as the woman grabbed hold of it in her other hand. Then she spun, tossing them into the air.
"Boy!" Lianne shouted, curling up and enveloping her body in stone.
"Ya got it mum!" Ezekiel spun as hard as the air would let him hit her back down to Vermilion. Only to have needles pinned across his body the moment after.
Vermilion then hunched down on all fours, the ground sizzling under her digits. With a dry lick of her lips she sliced her feet upward in a crescent kick that cut Lianne's boulder clean in two, and drew blood from her chest.
"G-GRAAH!" She cried, her claws shattering a moment after.
Ezekiel slammed onto his back and all the spots he'd been targeted paralyzed him in place, "M-Mum...!"
Vermilion then raised her hands high with them turned aside, creating two towering fires that billowed out until they had a blade-like shape.
"Fine...I'll start the funeral pyres MYSELF!" She then swung her arms down and for a brief moment Ezekiel blacked out and felt panic setting in.
...But the fire never came out.
They were reduced to embers, and a howl of wind entered the battlefield.
Vermilion was reduced to a staggering mass of confusion for a few seconds. As she rose to figure things out, she caught a whiff of old steel, right as a scythe blade sliced in front of her neck.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose, her smile glistening with feral delight, "Finally...!"
She glared over her shoulder at an aging man, none other than Darnia, pointing his back at her with his scythe held over his shoulder.
"Somebody with backbone...!" Vermilion immediately turned and slashed her hand out and Darnia slipped away, trying to take her head with him.
She ducked and proceeded to stab instead, condensing fire to a spear.
The fire then disappeared again, causing her to only push him away when her fingers hit the blade of his scythe.
He left gracefully through the air and then rained down compressed air blades to lock her down.
He then twirled his scythe around and water began to form into a whirlpool beneath the Sages' feet. She leaped as the water burst, a taste of it upon her toes reminding her of Cryofloe's bitter conditions.
She then rolled fire into a massive sphere and threw it at Darnia. He swung his scythe out prematurely, and the fire disappeared.
Vermilion, now staring puzzledly at this man, hadn't noticed he had also pulled the needles from Ezekiel and aimed them at her back.
A furious dance let her snatch them back between her fingers, and pitted her gaze upward to where Ezekiel was preparing to drop the hammer on her.
"Shi-!"
Ezekiel's impact shattered the air in a deadly plume akin to glass, leaving no visibility to Vermilion being driven into the ground like a nail.
Darnia stood by and cushioned the rest of the area from the backlash, but still, the battling armies felt it in their bones.
When the matter settled down Vermilion was buried under a ton of rubble with her head and hands poking out.
Her body erupted when her eye widened awakened, throwing boiling rocks every which way. She then leaped out of the flames silhouetted with ash and her eye glowing bright.
Vermilion spat up a good amount of blood, chunky and dark red, just as she liked it.
Ezekiel was standing between her and his mum and Darnia was looking down her back.
With a deep glare at every single standing soldier surrounding her, all she could care to yell about was, "Worthless...! Do you dumbasses not get we're in a war?! Fight and KILL...! Or you're all getting slaughtered!"
As she was preparing to summon something into her hand that made all present quiver, she flinched.
Then with a bitter scowl, she grumbled under her breath, "You've gotta be kidding me...that worthless drip...!"
Anybody with an ounce of experience in their muscles could tell that Auris was coming in fast to turn the tides, and she was NOT happy.
The men of Canofloe were readily lowering their weapons.
"Damn it all to...! Haven't even put a dent in the...!" Vermilion's body was permanently surrounded by fire and her face was ghastly, like someone had scooped out her remaining eye and replaced it with hell's inferno.
"Hate it...hate it...hate it!" She ripped her hand down and charged straight for Ezekiel like a burning arrow, the flaming wreathing into a spiral to form a weapon that she tried to stab him through the gut with.
At the last second Auris crashed down and the weapon impaled onto her shield. It was a blade, but none the likes of which anyone had ever seen.
It was cracking like seared wood and wore fangs, gold with blood caked on them. The handle was actually a tail, a scorpion's tail, that wiggled with life, unrestrained by her grip.
Auris shivered, holding onto her blade with the full resolve to stab it into the Sage's face if provoked.
The two fierce warriors held their ground, unmoving, until Auris made her demands, spoken in a voice as firm as her stance, "Leave now, Vermilion. Or I won't be able to control where this blade goes."
"Ghhh...!" Vermilion scowled and her eye widened to the limit, "Mark my words, spoiled little princess...! You won't be able to protect everyone forever...!"
She then thrust off the shield and dispelled her bizarre sword, leaving behind an ill omen in its wake, "When I finally snatch that first body out from under you...! Oh, it'll be a wonderful day!"
She then forced the soldiers under her command to retreat.
And though they obeyed, knowing that someone could stand up to her had them leaving feeling a little more emboldened.
Auris then closed her eyes, huffed out a sigh, and walked up to Lianne to help her up as she dispelled her weapons.
"Forgive my tardiness." She offered words of sincerity.
"Bah, 'tis just a wound," Lianne patted her scar in a manner resembling pride, "Least the gate stands."
Auris then looked back and remarked, "And I don't sense the presence of any other Sages."
Her eyes then lit up faintly at Darnia's presence. She walked up to him and remarked, "So, it was you I sensed."
"You alright, Auris?" Darnia remarked, gesturing at the cuts across her robe.
Auris brushed her fingers at them like they were specks of dust and then said in a nonchalant manner, "I was intercepted by Torren and Nimus on the way from Tanglefae."
"They're applying more pressure on you." Darnia noted.
Ezekiel, while carrying his mother on his back, approached them with a question, "And 'ere too. It's like we're gettin' attacked every other bloody week!"
Darnia waved his hand up and remarked, "Cryofloe needs no motivation to fight. Canofloe is controlled by a Sage. And Pulsa Minoria no longer forges weapons of mass destruction."
"With the other Tribes not seeking aggression against each other at the moment, that makes Oreore the only major powerhouse that needs to be dealt with." Auris added.
"But we ain't even targeting anyone either!" Ezekiel spat up in disbelief.
"Tho that might be changin' at this rate..." Lianne muttered.
"Mum, this ain't the time for yer poor jokes." Ezekiel groaned.
He then kept carrying her along into the ravine, where the two wise warriors continued their conversation as they followed.
"Thank you for coming to help, Darnia." Auris said.
"Please, Auris, you don't have to use my name in my presence." Darnia said gently.
Auris' eyes widened, and after a while she dragged the words out of her mouth properly, "It just...doesn't feel appropriate to use anything else yet."
"Ah, you two still haven't gotten married?"
"Sarajin and I agreed to postpone the wedding until we're in more peaceful times."
"I suppose that's fair," Darnia said with a small, warm smile, "On the subject of him...has he not come back yet?"
Auris closed her eyes and hummed, "No. And it's been two days now. It must be a difficult task he's undertaking."
"I'll remain in Oreore until he gets back then." Darnia remarked.
"But what about Misty?"
"She'd probably tell me the same thing," Darnia then aired his grievances with a sagely air around him, "This is exactly why the Genesis Samurais were founded, Auris...To be there for one another, especially when our numbers are down."
"You're right," Auris was humble enough to admit, "Tanglefae, and especially Aquamoria, require my presence."
When they arrived at the Gaia household they walked inside to find Cecilia walking around with her back turned to them.
"'Ey, we made it back safe and sound!" Ezekiel cheered.
"Hold on just a moment." Cecilia pulled her arms out and then after a little finagling, turned around, where she had a little baby boy that was just a few months old cradled in her arms, wrapped snugly in a fur pelt.
Darnia's expression gave off that parental glow that briefly recaptured the days of his youth, "Ah, this must be the young Gaia boy I heard so much about."
He walked on up and saw the baby had a cute, smiling face and eyes that absorbed everything around him like a sponge.
Cecilia closed her eyes and sighed, "Young, yes. But he has a bite worse than the bears I used to hunt."
"Are ya still holdin' him wrong while feeding?" Lianne chimed in.
Cecilia whipped her head back and with a serious look in her eye stated, "I am handling this, Lianne."
Darnia hovered over the young lad and tried to tickle his cheeks with his pinky. The baby reached out and grabbed the pinky, his skin soft, tender, warm.
"So, what's the boy's name?" Darnia inquired warmly.
"We decided on Pitori." Ezekiel remarked, setting his mum down on the couch.
"Oh...that's the name of an old Oreore scholar, if I recall." Auris stated.
"I wanted to call him Rock," Ezekiel admitted with a light chuckle, "Buuut, someone didn't find it funny."
Cecilia glared at him across the shoulder and then propped the baby up by the head, "A baby should have a strong, reliable name."
"I suppose so," Ezekiel then leaned aside to whisper, "Rock's a sturdy name..."
"I heard that." Cecilia replied, causing his hairs to stand on end.
She then looked to Auris and asked, "How did you fare out there without me?"
"We managed. But it seems Vermilion has bolstered the armory of Canofloe's forces."
"Fortunately that child craves power, and that falls in the face of experience," Darnia then briefly unveiled his scythe for Cecilia's eyes to bear, "Had she known that fire cannot exist without the oxygen my scythe reaps, our battle may have gone differently."
"Well, once this child is old enough to fend for himself I'll be back on the battlefield," Cecilia then paused, as though hesitation was clamping down on her throat, "...By the way. I don't mean to rush this, but just...how much longer will that take?"
Darnia leaned in to look the child over, "Well, given the baby is already a few months old...I would wager about another year and a half? Then at least it'll be old enough to walk."
"Oh. I see..." Cecilia's gaze slumped to show off a little exhaustion, upon which her voice trailed off until only she could hear what she was saying.
Her nose then twitched, followed by Darnia's, which then led to the dog flopping down on its side and letting out a saddened moan.
Cecilia slowly turned over to Ezekiel and muttered, "Ezekiel..."
"Yeah?" He glanced over his shoulder.
"The baby is producing smells again. Will you do something about it, now?"
Ezekiel smiled and brushed his fingers out with encouragement, "C'mon, we agreed to take turns on diaper change duty."
Cecilia squeezed her eyes shut and bemoaned, her attempts to keep herself standing proud failing at the outset, "Must I...?"
"Yer really gonna let a stinky diaper defeat ya?" Ezekiel chuckled, then stood up and took off for the other room, right as the baby started crying.
"I know ya can do it, Cecilia!" Ezekiel chanted with a smile.
She gave off a weak, tired glare his way while groaning internally. She then slowly looked back at Darnia, keeping her eyes closed as she approached him, "Darnia Stratos..."
"Yes?" He said with interest.
"If I am to be rid of this smell, I am going to need your help. Are you with me?"
"Haaa..." Darnia shook his head and with a wry chuckle he extended his hand out and said, "Yes, I will show you how it's done."
The two then stepped aside to the kitchen table to get to work.
Auris stayed a spectator in these affairs, her eyes lost in the homely atmosphere this child brought about.
Seeing Cecilia try, struggle, and feel mild bouts of frustration was so genuine to the experience.
But like all efforts, Cecilia prevailed, albeit with the aid of another.
And her reward was peace and quiet, as the baby giggled with joy and clasped its hands out towards mama, waiting to be held in her arms once more.
She accepted, flirting with hesitation, but ultimately choosing to let this child weigh down her arms and lay claim to a place near her heart.
And though she tried her best to hide it, Cecilia's growing smile could not be ignored, as she subtly rocked the baby back to sleep...
Auris' heartbeat quickened, as her hand wandered up to her chest, until the beat of her heart left her chest feeling hollow, and her cheek became wetted by a single tear.
Forever a spectator, never a participant...
Ezekiel returned a little while after with some ointment rung from a Heaver liver, but made a quick detour to check up on his son.
"'Ey! There ya go!" He said, his eyes beaming with pride, "He's gonna have a snug bum now."
Cecilia accepted his pats on the back but felt guilt doing so. She threw Darnia a silent look of thanks, and she nodded.
She then turned back to Ezekiel and remarked, "I was thinking, perhaps we could save these filled diapers and use them against our attackers."
"W-What?" Ezekiel blurted out.
"Think about it, throw these into an invading force and they'll be running scared from the stench."
"Hmmm, that could work..." Ezekiel hastily shook his head and hands and remarked, "No no. I'm a dirty man but even I have standards."
"So that's a no?" Cecilia said with mild disappointment.
"Our son ain't an ammunition creator." Ezekiel said with a chuckle.
"...Then WHY, pray tell, do they poop so much?!" Cecilia said with a tone of mild frustration.
Ezekiel crossed his arms and guffawed, "Ha ha ha! Ya got me!"
Then, their noses twitched, causing Ezekiel to pinch his and fan his hand before his face, "Whew...! Again?!"
Cecilia laid her arms under her chest and smiled with a bit of smugness, "I believe it's your turn now, Ezekiel."
"Uhhhh, ya, sure, on it..." Ezekiel then hastily tossed the ointment over to Darnia and mouthed a request for help.
Darnia nodded, then bent down next to Lianne to help paint the scar over with the ointment. It burned, she groaned, but settled down over time.
Auris looked at Ezekiel and Cecilia working on their son's diaper together and then closed her eyes, silently leaving the household to clear her head.
Visions of events to come told her that she was safe to lower her guard for a bit and just be herself instead of the warrior.
As she wandered through the ravine, a couple of the miners hailed her with a heart wave and shouted, "Oy, if it ain't the Rainbow Valkyrie! Thanks for the save last week, you really pulled our hides outta the frostbite!"
Auris gleamed them with a minor smile and waved back.
"Rainbow Valkyrie." It was a name that's begun to spread between all Tribes. It carried hope and fear across the sky like the many colors that arched between sunlight and the rain.
At least as had been rumored. She hadn't ever seen rain, nor wished to. For rain signaled the tears of the heavens, and this world didn't need more despair...
Upon exiting the ravine she headed onward to the north, figuring a little fresh sea breeze would help settle her down.
But this had a dual purpose, for she saw that Sarajin would soon return and thus wanted to meet him part way there.
She arrived at the beach and let the warm air crest her body for a little while. Then she crafted a bed of aura and laid down on her back, letting her arms and legs sprawl out wherever they wanted.
"Haaa..." She sighed and gently closed her eyes to rest.
Thoughts melted away under the heat of the sun and her body soon followed.
Still, her heart beat fast, tenderized from the yearning the child's presence brought on.
She could imagine the feeling of those tiny, newborn feet kicking at her gut, the stress of having to push a child free, and the tears of joy that would follow when she held the baby in her arms and shared this with Sarajin...
This was an imagination gone wild. Not a prophecy of the future.
She could never bear his child. She could never be a mother.
That future had been robbed of her before she could ever be allured by its promise.
And so her body began to tighten up, and she swung her fist at empty air, silently cursing the face of her father that appeared before her.
With a heavy heaving of her chest she puffed out a gust of air and then laid herself back down, staring up at the sun hovering high overhead.
She closed her eyes, tried to relax...
When she awoke a moment after, she found Sarajin hovering over her, hunched at his waist.
"Hey honey, are you tired?" He said in his sweet little voice.
Auris smiled and then pressed her hands against the sand to lift herself up, remarking in a manner somewhat resembling an attempt at diversion, "You could say that. It's been a...tough morning."
When she stood to take a good look at him she saw that half of his poncho was ripped up and his hair was frizzy, "But I won't try and make a competition out of it."
Sarajin recoiled and gestured loosely at himself. With a lighthearted chuckle he rubbed the back of his head and said, "Had to tame a dangerous beast. It was scaly and every time it roared lightning fell from the sky."
"Sounds dangerous." Auris said with a faded smile.
"Compared to staring down Voltneir it was nothing," Sarajin said nonchalantly, "But it's crazy the kind of beasts that are out there."
Auris' smile lifted and with a dainty gesture of her head to the south she suggested, "Well, you can tell me more on the way to Oreore."
"Can we stop there later? I want to go to Canofloe and check on Sir Valflame. It's been over a year since I last saw him and that world I was on made me think about him."
Auris laid her arms under her chest and nodded, "Certainly. There was something I wished to check there myself."
Thus the two talked things out for a bit while strolling through Aquamoria. Auris got the details of the recent attack out of the way first, causing Sarajin to let out a prompt and frustrated "Again?"
He then turned and reared his head back to let out a grunt through his teeth, "Maybe I shouldn't have brought Gabriel along with me back then. That alerted the Ten Sages to me leaving the planet."
"And with me being gone multiple days at a time..."
Auris put her hand on his shoulder to get him to focus on her, "They would have picked up on your absence eventually. You're worrying too much again."
"Am I?" Sarajin said.
"Yes," When she let go and he looked on ahead, she smiled and whispered, "But that's part of why I fell in love with you."
Sarajin squeezed his fist, released, then waved that hand out in front of him while huffing out a sigh, "I-I guess dad was able to help."
"And...we kept the gate from being damaged."
Sarajin couldn't help but grit his teeth and release a hesitant hiss, "But still...! Cecilia's stuck taking care of babies, we really could use more numbers."
"And don't forget Brine and his child."
"Right..." Sarajin groaned, "The one he's stuck with because he didn't-"
"Hey," Auris got firm in tone before his voice was raised too high, "At least...he's taking care of her."
She saw him tightening his fist at his side, a gesture of reluctance to forgive what had happened to his friend, yet unable to make amends...
Sarajin then continued onward and remarked, "Once we get a victory somewhere...That'll make it easier to help out the other Tribes."
"Just need one victory..." Sarajin was looking soured and desperate and Auris felt uneasy looking at him.
He caught her staring out of the corner of his eye and with a resuming of his regular smile, he looked her way and whispered, "S-Sorry, I'm bringing down the mood."
He then gestured out and rose to the occasion to bring some of that pleasantness back into their conversation, "So that world I went to? It felt a bit like ours. There were people with MASSIVE weapons and a huge variety of armor, and they were hunting giant monsters!"
Auris let him go on unimpeded for some time, but her mind couldn't help but be lost in her maternal thoughts...
"We've never discussed having a child. The worries have been laid entirely at my feet," Auris turned her head and stared lovingly upon his smiling face, that adventurous spirit undying even this far into adulthood, "He thinks so much about others...Has he ever spared even a thought about being a father?"
Her lips curled into a minor frown and she closed her eyes, admonishing herself with shame weighed by a hundred needles on her back, "No. That would be selfish to ask. I want it, but he might not."
"...But what if he does? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were to succeed?" She let herself be caught up in a tangled web of 'What-ifs', the strands dripping the dew of tears shed over what could never be...
"...Why am I doing this to myself, yearning for a dream that can never be," Auris closed her eyes and hung her shoulders limp, "This is not as simple as saying you love someone. No matter of will or strength can make this possible...I must forget about this...I must."
When she opened her eyes she was greeted by her husband's stare, which looked just as puzzled as she would soon come to be.
"Auris, everything ok?" He said, seeing through her like thin glass.
Auris found her mind jumbled, her words stumbling over one another to race towards the tip of her tongue. Any manner of coherency she could muster only led to her producing a sentence, "I-I don't presume to know what you mean, Sarajin."
Sentence...in the faintest sense of the word anyways.
"You've been unresponsive for a couple minutes now," Sarajin said with a kind gesture, "Something's bugging you."
The feathery sound of his voice put her turmoil at ease long enough for her to say in a more controlled manner, "The...the state of the world is on my mind. Sorry if I haven't been paying attention."
"Mmm," Sarajin clamped his hand in and then pulled back, "Want me to save the story for later then?"
"If it's not a bother."
"I have a good memory, don't worry." Sarajin smiled and then patted her on the shoulder, then let her have all the time to herself and her thoughts as they continued their trip over to Canofloe.
Upon reaching the red-hot city they made their way straight for Valflame's castle, but took in the new armor the soldiers were taking off along the way.
"You weren't kidding." Sarajin noted with some degree of worry in his voice.
"They've been well-stocked," Auris noted, "Vermilion couldn't have done this herself."
"You don't think your father...?"
"There's only two people capable of making armor in Sancturia. My father, and Lord Stonestein," Auris then shook her head, "But it's not Lord Stonestein."
"You talk highly of him, but that doesn't mean he's looking out for us." Sarajin felt inclined to say.
"I trust him with my life nearly as much as I would Gabriel." Auris said, glaring out the corner of her eyes.
"Look, Adderbolt is the nicest Sage I've met and even he's been helping the other Sages cause trouble," When Sarajin kept pushing this agenda he quickly saw just how annoyed it was making his wife and softened the grudge in his voice down a little, "I'm just saying, we can't rule him out."
Auris closed her eyes and the two were silent until they made it to the castle gate, guarded by the usual pair, whose armor remained the same.
"Hey, is Sir Valflame around today?" Sarajin asked politely.
"Hold on," One of the guards raised a finger and then turned their head back around the gate to shout, "Lord Valflame, you have company!"
A few seconds later the man strutted out from the gate. His complexion was cleaner and it looked like he had given his old armor a new sheen. There were a few gray hairs sticking out of his mustache these days.
Sarajin held his hand out halfway and had a hard time bringing out a smile as he whispered, "You're ok. Good, I was worried sick."
Valflame showed the same hesitation, and indeed buried his chin into his chest as he reached out and shook Sarajin's hand.
"I've been back in prime condition for a few months now. It's all thanks to your inspiring words, Sarajin Stratos," Valflame then raised his head a little, revealing a glint of hope in his once dour gaze, "I suppose...I can force this body of mine to stand against that demon for a little while longer."
He then perked up with interest and a more heartfelt smile as he shifted his extended hand towards Auris, "Ah, and you must be the wife whom my men are making such a fuss about. The 'Rainbow Valkyrie'..."
"Auris Aurora, actually," Auris said, propping up a smile worthy of the man's honor, "You must not remember me from when I was younger."
Valflame spat up and then hastily tried to make amends, "Oh my...! That's right. You've grown to be a radiant woman. You two are very blessed to have found each other."
"Well thank you." Sarajin whispered.
"Though I wish we could say we're here for our honeymoon." Auris noted.
"Ah yes, always business with you two, eh?" Valflame closed his eyes briefly and ruffled his mustache until the merry times were cast off, "So, how can I be of assistance?"
"Do you know anything about the new armor your soldiers are wearing?" Sarajin inquired.
"I would hope so," Valflame said, mildly confused and also beaming with pride, "I was the one who accepted them."
"Accepted them?" Sarajin said.
"So they were a gift." Auris added, her eyes narrowing tensely.
"Sir...?" Sarajin asked with caution.
Valflame's gaze darted around a little before he leaned in between the two and whispered, "I know it's a bad look, but the armors and blades aren't to aid in any conquests. They were given to me to help offer my men a little extra protection against...well, the demon."
"Were they made by a man wearing a giant emerald shield on his back?" Auris inquired.
"I didn't get a chance to exchange greetings with the creator, but I do remember they were delivered here by a robed man wearing a mask."
"Mask? Someone from Obscura?" Was where Sarajin immediately jumped to.
Auris cupped her fingers upon her chin and remarked, "Or Atrax."
Sarajin looked at her confused and she said, "Weren't you just boasting about having a good memory?"
Sarajin recoiled slightly and then rolled his hand around in circles, "Oh, yeah, now that you mention it you did say Atrax wears a mask to blend in with the residents of Obscura."
"And see?" Auris said, flashing a smile of confidence, but not with the intent to rub this in his face, "I told you Lord Stonestein was not our enemy."
"Let's...not jump to conclusions," Sarajin said, almost budging on his beliefs. He then faced Valflame and told him, "If something fishy comes up with those armors, let me know."
"If something does happen, I hope the saboteur is prepared to pay for their dishonorable approach," The Lord of Fire boasted, a hand ready to draw his sword. Then, with an eased smile he remarked, "So, I heard ol' Colrez has been a thorn in your sides."
"He's nothing I can't handle." Auris replied.
"Clearly so! You practically live in his head. I almost feel sorry for him..." Valflame then coughed a little to stow that unneeded sympathy, "But, if there's ever a time when the demon marches off, I'll try and have my men intercept his attempts at conquest."
Sarajin then waved his hand out and asked, "Still don't want to be part of the Genesis Samurais?"
The man closed his eyes and remarked, "I'm sorry, but there's too much I have to watch over here."
"...I know," Sarajin said, "Since you brought up Vermilion, any chance you know of any weaknesses she has?"
"If she does they aren't obvious."
"I see..." Sarajin bobbed his head a few times and then gestured his hand out, "I'll try asking the Titan. Figure he'll cough up some info in exchange for a story about the other world I went to."
He then turned to Auris and asked, "You ok here for a bit?"
"Sure. Do what you must."
And with his wife's approval, Sarajin took flight up to the volcano's peak.
When he was gone, she chose to lean up against the wall in a slant and her arms crossed under her chest.
Valflame stuck around and asked, "Dealing with a hard day?"
"And we're only partway into the afternoon." Auris groaned, trying to inject a little dry wit into her voice.
"...I'm sensing there's more going on." Valflame uttered with a raise of his brow.
Auris turned her gaze aside and a little weariness let itself through, "You see it too."
"If I may...?"
"I doubt you could relate."
"...Give me a chance to try." Valflame whispered, positioning himself at her side.
Auris walled herself up by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in. But then she parted a gap, and chose to let him through, "It is about having a child."
And with such a terse response, it was only fair that Valflame presumed, "Are you and Sarajin struggling to have one?"
"We haven't tried." She said, her voice sully.
"Hrrmm...Does he want one?"
"...That's part of the issue," Auris looked the other way with her eyes narrowing, "We can see eye-to-eye on our wants and needs, but here, I am hesitant to look his way."
"So you haven't asked."
"There's a lot of fear riding behind that question."
"Hmmm..." Valflame closed his eyes and laid a hand atop his sheath, "I am a married man myself. To six lovely wives."
"Six?" Auris' eyes widened.
"And I love them all equally," He said so lovingly it came across as a line from a romance novel, "And because I do, I have tried to uphold a vow never to have children with any one of them."
Auris looked at him feeling enamored by his tale. He smiled and then chuckled dryly, "Of course there's more to it than that. We've flirted with the idea of having children. I daresay the temptation has been high on many occasions..."
"But the more experience I gain with age, the less I want to bring a child into this world," Valflame then gestured to his men, marching with their bodies shielded in bulky armor, "This isn't a world a child deserves to grow up in. And if I can't grant them freedom from fighting, what good of a father would I be?"
Auris' fingertips curled into her elbow and she looked the other way.
"...Love forces us to bear burdens we would never consider otherwise," Valflame muttered, "Even if that means we give up what our heart yearns for."
"I don't doubt that Sarajin would make a good father. He's grown to be an upstanding man, and I can tell that you love him very much," Valflame sighed, then turned to face Auris with a serious expression, "So...would you be able to live with yourself if you forced him to give you what you want?"
Auris squeezed her eyes down with a blunt frown on her face. With her hand twitching at her sleeve, she swerved right and then lashed her arm down, bearing all that her heart felt, "I know it's wrong! I don't need anyone to tell me that..."
"But I am not even allowed to have the burden of choice when it comes to having a child!"
"If I could, I would want to have a child with no hesitation whatsoever!" She said, tears flying from her eyes, "Because Lord help me, I deserve a chance to do right through the next generation what my bastard of a father never could do for me!"
When her pain came to a close she was panting and visibly shaken.
There was tension in the atmosphere and silence fell over them both.
They then slowly panned their gaze away from the castle, where they found Sarajin standing there, his eyes wide and his mouth partially agape.
And the sheer drop in color on Auris' face left her looking as white as snow.
She turned, eyes glittering wet with tears, and ran along the wall away from them both.
"Auris!" Sarajin hurried after her as quickly as the wind.
Valflame stuck behind and let out a sigh, whispering to himself, "...What can I do."
Auris ran to the border of Canofloe and then stopped to let Sarajin catch up. She clutched her arms tightly under her chest and refused to budge even when his gentle touch attempted to turn her around.
"Auris, look at me," He said tenderly, "Auris..."
"Why would you want to look at me after I made such a fool of myself?" She whispered, her hands tensing up against her arms, "Just forget about it Sarajin, before you think less of me."
She brushed his hands off and then took two steps forward.
He stood there, motioning his hand her way while remarking, "Is this what's been bothering you? That you don't have a child?"
"..."
Sarajin started to get worried, "H-How long has this been going on for?"
"...On and off," His sincerity left her incapable of lying, "It got worse after Cecilia got pregnant."
She then shook her head and turned around, facing him with a blunt glare, "Sarajin be honest with me, have you EVER considered raising a child yourself?"
"I-I..." Sarajin stiffened up for a bit and then lowered his hand, weakly flicking his fingers up, "Yeah...I have."
He then gave her a weak smile and shrug and had to laugh at himself a little, "I-I just assumed we were fine not having one because, you know..."
Auris stiffened her bottom lip and then craned her head back, rearing up for a heavy sigh that would end with her arms swung down her hips, "I thought I'd be fine too but I'm NOT."
"And knowing you've thought about it just makes it all sting worse...!" As she bit down on her lower lip Sarajin ran up, got on his knees, burying his head into her chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tight.
She trembled, cursing whatever ears may be listening, "I may be a warrior, but I want to be a mother too...! And I want you to be the father of that child, and raise it to be as kind and compassionate as you...so why? Why can't we have that chance?!"
"At what point did the Lords look upon me and decide that every bit of happiness I earn must be won through a struggle...?"
"It's not fair, you're right, it's not fair at all...!" Sarajin rose to look her in the eyes, his voice cracking as he vowed to her with determination, "If you want a child, I should be able to give you one! So I don't care what it takes, I'll figure out a way around the Anti-Genesis Theorem to make this happen!"
Auris shook her head and pushed her hand against his chest as she turned away, "Y-You shouldn't waste time trying, Sarajin..."
She then laid her arms under her chest and as much as it would pain her to admit, she forced these words through her mouth, "...The world needs you. It can't...it can't afford to have you waste time granting one selfish woman's wish."
Sarajin clutched his fist and said, "That's MY choice to make."
And it tore her heart to shreds, letting the tears flow free as she twirled to face him, brandishing her sleeves with a ghastly presence.
He then walked up to her, took her hand, and stared deep into her eyes, "Let me try. Please..."
She squeezed her eyes shut and muttered, "As if I could stop you."
And it vouched for how much that endeared her to him that for the next few minutes, they just stood there holding hands and looking each other in the eyes until Auris' dried.
Then, feeling some sense of relief for now, Auris walked alongside her husband to enjoy their time together.
Perhaps this conversation will lead to dire things in the future.
For now she did not care.
It was comforting to know that whether she was the valiant Rainbow Valkyrie, or the weeping Auris Aurora, Sarajin was there to be a listening ear, or warmth resting upon her shoulder...
And as long as she had that, maybe she could come to accept not having a child someday...
Next Time: A Domino Effect of Kindness