Chapter 25: Strategic Assets

The meeting continued on past Trent's plea for death, with everyone eventually deciding that while it would be best for the man to go into Amon's castle with Luquier by his side. Even if there wasn't much the Elf could do to him in a proper fight, her presence would act as something of a buffer as well as a source of support should Trent need to defend himself from the Яeversed Demon.

The group had eventually broken up, with the various members going their separate ways. Mordred Phantom disappearing deeper into the Shadow Paladin's encampment, sparing nothing more than the occasional glance for his coworkers. Junos and Charon went to check on the camps defenses, chatting quietly about the recent developments. The formerly Яeversed dragon found himself pulled into a crush of his comrades, many of them exuberant about both his freedom from Яeverse as well as his return to being a Cosmo Dragon. Ashlei had excused herself, while citing a need to contact both Salome, as well as the other members of the Royal Paladins, in order to let them know of the current plan. The Gravity Ball had ambled off, muttering something about trying to get some minor electronics while complaining about others making things difficult for him. The Colony Maker had simply nodded to the others before heading back to the tent set aside for the Link Joker, her gaze distant.

Which left Trent alone with Luquier, the Elf smirking at him like the cat who'd managed to capture the canary and found out how to work the oven. The former blond stood from his seat as he prepared to leave, not quite feeling like being stuck in a room with someone who had once threatened to kill him horribly.

"Oh, don't leave so quickly," she said, a predatory grin spreading across her face. "We've got some things to discuss, oh Lord of mine."

The man blinked and then turned to regard her. He paused, not quite sure as to what she meant, and settled for asking, "And that would be?"

"For example, I want to know how exactly do you know about Asaka. While I might have been willing to let things go earlier, I've no intent on simply sitting by now," the Elf idly inspected her nails as she brought out a tiny knife to clean imaginary dirt from them.

Trent hummed, his fingers drumming against his thighs as he considered the question. Deciding to sit down rather than stand around like an awkward simpleton, he remarked, "Well, I am… a dimensionally displaced soul, stuck in the body of a Star-vader." She gave the Cyberoid a look that bespoke her annoyance at being told things that she had just been told. "My knowledge of Asaka, Ren, Aichi and them comes from my own dimension, where things on your Earth are… known."

Her eyebrow rose as she leaned back in her chair, frowning and brow furrowed at the information. "And you're saying that you're simply just able to know all of this? That I should trust that your knowledge is so accurate about her situation?"

"It's all based off the movements here on Cray, and how they're mirrored on the Earth you're connected to. It's not rocket science, but it's hardly tarot reading." As he admitted that, Trent shrugged sheepishly.

Luquier's beautiful features twisted in disgust at that admission, and she snarled, "And you're so willing to just play with her life? To use all those kids as pawns?"

Trent sighed as he crumbled back into his seat, his expression downcast. He shrugged as he answered, "Luquier, if I had the ability to do anything else, I would have. But as it stood, I had to use what I had to keep myself alive, and that meant using those kids as bargaining chips. It's a weight that I'm gonna have to carry."

"And you think that will just make up for the danger you put them in? The terror and rage that I felt—that I've no doubt Blaster Dark felt—when you spoke their names?" The Elf pounded the table next to her as she roared at him, eyes blazing. "You could very well have painted targets on their backs, on my Asaka's back!"

"They already have targets on their backs, you know that as well as I do," The Cyberoid shot back, crossing his arms across his chest as he did. "As much as what I did was reckless, the Star-vaders already knew about them and have plans for them."

Luquier snorted, the unrefined sound at odds with her usual personae, both that of the ringleader or the assassin. She held the expression for a few moments before deflating, and muttered, "Well, at least you're not entirely clueless. I suppose that I can let you off the hook for that."

"Was there anything else you needed?" Trent inquired, preparing to leave his seat and the tent in general if they were finished.

"Of course there's more than that," She answered as she sat up straight in her seat. "I only thought that it would be best if I were to tell you my new name and title."

The man blinked, and then squinted at her, "But, you're Luquier. That's all that really matters, no?"

Luquier chuckled at that declaration, shaking her head a bit as she answered, "You're far more naive to the ways of Cray than you've admitted, aren't you? Still, that's not too bad a thing. However…"

The Elf bowed slightly in her chair, gaze towards the ground as her hair cascaded about her. "I was once the Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier. Until earlier today, I was the Silver Thorn Dragon Queen, Luquier Яeverse. Now, under your leadership, I've taken the name and title of Silver Thorn Яogue Dragon Hegemon, Ishtar Luquier."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance?" The Cyberoid replied, his eyes wide and questioning at the display.

Luquier chuckled as she sat back up, shaking her head some to get her hair out of her face and asked, "And? Give me your name and title then, my Lord."

"You're awfully demanding. Aren't I your Lord?" Trent complained, his nose wrinkling at the display though he ultimately relented. "According to Nouvelle, I'm The Яogue, Trent Blackmore."

"Nouvelle… There are many named that. Should I be concerned?" The Elf asked, her lips quirked up in bemusement.

The Cyberoid shrugged and declared, "I dunno, she didn't act like she was coming to help fight beyond things in the Dragon Empire. And I meant the Transcendence Dragon, Dragonic Nouvelle Vague, seeing as I'm guessing you'll ask about that next."

Her eyes grew nearly twice their normal size. "My, that's quite the name to have attached to yourself. Do the others know?" The Silver Thorn asked, her eyes beginning to return to normal as she pulled a playful smile over her face.

Trent shrugged, "I think so? Maybe? I forget, honestly."

Luquier's hand snapped over her mouth as she barked out a laugh. "I can't believe it! You have a cyber brain, and you're not sure as to what you've told people! Amazing!"

"Woman, I couldn't tell you what my phone number is, my memory's that goddamn trash," the former blond snarked, as he leaned back and crossed his arms huffily. A pout was forming on his face as he watched a proper grin infect the Elf's features.

She shook her head, white hair shot through with streaks of crimson and jet cascading about her like some sort of demented halo. She was positively shuddering with suppressed laughter as she remarked, "My word, I was so prepared to treat you like some arrogant blowhard who was throwing his knowledge around, but you're more like a child in crisis!"

"Well, it surely isn't because I'm barely into my twenties and completely just thrust into this entire affair ass first, making allies where I could, and with more enemies than I'd like." Trent was about ready to scream at the Silver Thorn for how dismissive she was of his circumstances, but settled for flexing his fingers in annoyance.

"A toddler then!" she continued to laugh, her shoulders shaking as she let out whoops of amusement, rubbing her superior elf lifespan in his face.

The cyberoid blinked, his hand coming up to cradle his chin as he descended into thought, his eyes far away. He then looked Luquier in the eye, and inquired, "Where the fuck do I even stand on the age-maturity split? I used to be human, but now I'm in a robot body that could theoretically be around for thousands of years. God, this is fucking terrifying."

She just smiled in a grin that was both far too playful and predatory to be anything but intentionally confusing. "Well… I could tell you, but what fun would that be?"

"Luquier, the question was rhetorical, I expect as much help from you on philosophical questions as I expect from the Colony Maker on aesthetics." Trent grumbled, waving away her laughter in annoyance, about ready to kick her in the shin with how she was acting.

The Elf squinted in thought and then asked, "That was the one in tye-dye, right?"

The Cyberoid simply nodded, causing the Elf to swat him on the arm with a look of unimpressed humour. "She'd still be able to give you an upgrade. Do you know how many morons try to pull off the extra edge look? Especially in this country?"

He looked up at her, and then down at his coat, then back up at her. Blackmore settled for sighing as he shook his head. "I wasn't going for edgy, I just wanted a jacket. Is it so wrong to want a nice jacket?"

"It is when it makes you look like a reject from the Bladewings," she chortled, enjoying the clear superiority she had in their verbal match.

Trent grumbled and threw his hands up in the air. "You're the woman who looks like she came out the wrong end of an Evanescence concert that was also hosting a BDSM convention!"

"And I make it work," she replied with subtle motions to emphasize the point.

The cyberoid pointed at the shock of white hair and then down at his coat, emphasizing the connection between the two that the elf clearly didn't understand. He then shot back, "The only way I could make this look work more is if I had a claymore and a pair of white and black pistols. Besides, you're a beautiful woman, beautiful women make anything work."

The elf snorted and sighed. "The basket hilt would completely clash with the color scheme, and is more an ornament for formal military… Or if you're in a kilt." She raised an eyebrow. "Do you feel brave enough to 'rock' a kilt?"

"The claymore would have a skull for a crossguard, and none of this matters to you because you don't have the slightest clue as to what I'm referencing and it doesn't matter to you." As he trailed off, shaking his head at the fact that he tried to sell someone on the idea.

"That Demons Cry thing right? And no you're not, because he's using a Greatsword."

The Cyberoid sighed, sadness painting his features as he answered, "See? This is how bad my memory is. It's been ages since I played Four, and now I can't remember these things, especially after that mess from Ninja Theory," he said the last part with bare disgust, his face twisted in revulsion at the thought of the title.

"And now we're back on your memory," the elf remarked, her eyebrows quirked up.

Trent looked at her quizzically. "Are we?"

Luquier settled for snorting in amusement and swatting him lightly on the forehead and spinning on her heel, she waved over her shoulder as she sauntered towards the exit. She paused there, and called over her shoulder, "You should talk to Raging Form, or whatever he is now. These sort of things are best settled off the battlefield."

The Cyberoid sighed as he watched her go, shaking his head at the prospect of seeing the other new Link Joker. "She just has to make things difficult for me…"

"And I know you were staring at my butt!"

He blinked at the shout that drifted into the tent from outside, and then scrambled over to the exit and poked his head out, calling after the clearly all too pleased elf, "Then don't wave it in my face!"

All he heard in reply was laughter and a couple of wolf whistles that said exactly how far the end of that conversation carried across the camp.

"Either she'll kill me through embarrassment, or the Colony Maker will get me out of borrowed shame," he mumbled as he buried his face in the fabric of the tent.

{~}{~}

Trent sat across from the hulking form of the former Abyss Dragon, neither of them saying much of anything, both of them keenly aware of the eyes on them. They had let the silence settle around them, neither of them willing to be the first to break it.

It was eventually broken by one of the knights who was watching, confusion painted on his face as he asked, "So, uh, what are you doing here?"

"Came to talk to the big guy," the former blond said without taking his eyes off the dragon.

The knight nodded slowly. "So why aren't you?"

"I have no idea what to say," Blackmore admitted as he sat stock still, the answer drawing more than a few chuckles from the onlookers.

"Alright…" the knight plowed on. "Can you tell us what lead you to need to talk with him?"

"Luquier said that I probably should, said somethings are better settled off the battlefield. I figured I'd take her word for it, and try to talk things out with him," The Canadian rambled, still staring resolutely at the dragon.

No one spoke for a few moments, only for the dragon to declare, "If I find out that you've been staring at my ass, I'm going to be rather cross."