Book III: Stolen Valor

Chapter XXIII

"Windows?"

"Locked."

"Exits?"

"Sealed."

"Traps?"

"Set."

"Weapons?"

"Locked and loaded."

"Sending weapons checklist now."

Canaan looked over the list and checked every single one of his weapons. His pistol and sniper rifle were both well cleaned, lubricated, and loaded. His sword and knife were without defect and his ether gems were ready to be inserted at any given time. He had to make sure he calculated every possible contingency. Failure was not an option, he had to get Finch back.

"You sure you want to go through with this?" Zane asked.

"Positive."

"I know how much you miss her... I do to, but is doing this to get her back really worth it! Maybe her core has been edited," Zane argued.

"That's what I have you for, are the concussion grenades ready?"

"Yes, they should allow you to knock out the guards for twenty-four hours."

"Good, then we can avoid unnecessary casualties."

"It sticks on contact," Zane warned. "Don't miss and don't stick it to yourself."

"Anything else?"

"You could use the concussion grenade on Zeke," Zane pointed out.

"No thanks, I'm not taking out some rich scumbag, I'm taking out a well-respected warrior who fights his own battles. I'd rather learn what that means. I will not end his life cheaply."

"Makes sense, I guess... good luck," Zane responded. "And make it quick, I have my date in two hours."

"Oh yeah Zane," Canaan thought to himself. "I'll be REAL careful. Would really hate to inconvenience you while I fight to the death."

Canaan moves quickly into the Theoscaldia Palace, jumping through a window as the guards changed shift. He knew exactly how many guards there'd be and where Zeke was going.

He threw out two concussion grenades and took out the guards in the room. A period of ten minutes of stealth later and all guards were incapacitated. The guards were all very relaxed, and there had been no close encounters.

There was one last obstacle, his blade, Pandoria. She guarded his room while he slept. He could probably beat her fairly easily, but that'd leave Zeke defenseless, and that wasn't what Canaan had been planning.

He dropped down in front of her and she pulled out a staff and spun it around her body.

"You'd better think twice before taking another step closer!" she warned.

"I have been hired to kill your driver, bring him out here immediately, and I will end this swiftly," he warned simply.

She looked unconvinced and pulled out a scepter. She was rather short, about five feet tall, and the scepter was half of her size, and at the top was a decorative tip.

She laughed. "You do know who you're messing with right?"

"Lightning force!" she shouted as a burst of lightning shot out of her wand.

He pulled his sword from its sheath and used it to absorb the blow. "I am quite aware, do you still wish to play this game?"

She looked irritated. "Guards!"

"All unconscious, there's no one to call," Canaan alerted.

"What's all this ruckus?" a man said as he opened the door behind her.

"No need to worry about him, my prince.

Go to sleep, you don't need to worry yourself," Pandoria tried to coerce.

"He broke into the bloody palace and is challenging me to a duel, I'd say this is definitely my business, wouldn't you say so, Pandy?" Zeke questioned.

She stayed silent.

Zeke looked Canaan in the eye. "You have power, chum. Haven't dealt with an assassin in quite a number of years, but I see the ol' general isn't being so lazy this time. Tell me, do you think you can beat me?"

Canaan readied his blade, a short sword, meant for quick parries and fast movement. He also had an eight-inch dagger and a full katana if he needed a change of tactic, also a handful of guns. "We will find out soon, won't we?"

"Indeed. Although it does bother me a tad," Zeke said. "Someone with skill enough to take out every guard without killing them, should've been able to take me on in my sleep, eh? You feeling cocky?"

"You're a warrior who's seen more days than most men can even dream of living. Killing you as such would've been such a waste."

"You flatter me. What is your name?"

"My name is Canaan, yours?"

Zeke grinned as Pandoria readied herself.

https/youtu.be/MjwttGizNEs

"I am the King of Renewed Hope, King Zeke Von Genbu, nicknamed 'Thunderbolt'. Often called Zeke, often addresses as 'The Zekenator'. This is my blade," he said, ushering to Pandoria. "Her name is Pandoria, the Spark of Tantal. And this..."

Pandoria threw him her scepter, he caught it at a part near the decorative part at the top of the scepter, oddly holding it upside down. The upside down handle shot out a double-edged, beast of a claymore and it coated itself in an blue electric glow.

"...is my sword, the Purple Lightning Dreamsmasher! I am the Bringer of Chaos!" he finished.

"Dude loves his titles," Zane joked through the intercom.

"Enough of this, let's make this quick," Canaan finished.

They lunged at each other and collided with their blades. Despite having such a massive sword, Zeke swung it with seemingly little effort.

Canaan jumped back and threw some light ether grenades, known for blinding, on the ground. Zeke plunged his sword into the ground, harmlessly destroying them all.

Canaan had already switched to his automatic rifle and let loose a few bullets. Pandoria jumped in front of him and protected him with an ether shield.

"Nice moves chum, keep it up!" Zeke laughed as he got pumped up and lunged back at me.

I switched back to my short sword, speed was everything.

"Stratospheric Thunder!" Zeke shouted as he brought his blade low and swung it upwards.

Canaan brought his blade down as the two swords collided, this launched Canaan in the air, but he had anticipated this effect.

He threw out his hoverboard and kicked off of it, now using it as a speed boost, zooming around Zeke and wailing on him.

Zeke dodged every attack with little effort, his reaction time was nothing to scoff at.

"Would be a shame if that toy were to get into a pickle," Zeke laughed as he passed his sword to Pandoria. It transformed back into a scepter.

"Electric Circus!" she yelled as she waved her wand, causing weapon of pure electricity to hit the hoverboard.

Canaan jumped before impact, but the blast threw him back, and Zeke, weapon in-hand, went for a finishing blow.

Canaan rolled back and threw down a device that created an emergency ether shield in front of him.

Zeke reacted just in time, and collided his sword into it, breaking the shield, but giving Canaan enough time to toss an earth ether grenade, sending a heavy pulse that threw Zeke into a pillar.

The shock shook the entire building and Pandoria reacted quickly, tending to her driver.

Canaan injected himself with some water ether, healing the flesh wounds he'd gotten from the hoverboard explosion.

Zeke charged in and Canaan got ready to continue.

Canaan pulled a pistol and let out some dark bullets, Pandoria summoned an ether shield. The bullets dissolved the shield and two hit Zeke, causing him to bleed extensively.

"My prince!" Pandoria cried.

"I've taken worse Pandy, you know that," Zeke calmed.

"You ready to surrender yet?" Canaan asked, more as a warning than a legitimate question.

"Hardly," Zeke laughed. "This fight has been quite exhilarating, I must say. Where did you learn to swing a sword? Or those arts? That's not a common fighting style, but it's very familiar to me."

"I had a little help learning, after years of practice, the blade practically swing itself," Canaan said simply.

"You're not lying, but you're being deliberately vague," Zeke reasoned. "If you don't mind, I'll be finishing this fight now."

Zeke reached for his eyepatch, much to Pandoria's dismay.

"Your body can't handle that Zeke!"

"If I don't fight harder, I'm a dead man anyways Pandy. Besides," he said, looking me in the eye. "I'm not afraid of risk."

She rolled her eyes and her core crystal began glowing brightly.

"Tell me chum, do you know the last title I have been called?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah, the Shining Eye of Justice," Canaan replied.

Zeke smiled. "What if I told you that's not a title, but a power so great, that it had to be concealed by the patch on my left eye?"

Canaan looked at him carefully. "I'd say your bluffing."

Zeke's eyepatch began to become covered in a blue flame and his chest and sword began glowing a bright blue as well.

"Behold! The Eye of Shining Justice!" he introduced before he lunged towards me.

He began swinging his weapon faster than I could even see. I was immediately met with stings of electricity and needed a plan.

"Canaan! Get out of there! It's no good!" Zane yelled.

"Not yet, I have an idea," Canaan responded as he dropped another earth grenade, blowing them both back forcefully. He then threw a large amount of smoke bombs on the ground and watched Zeke move, he could finally see Zeke's blue electricity being emitted from his weapons, and was able to somewhat counter the intense speed.

Canaan used an arm-mounted ether shield to block most of it, but could do very little attacking during this onslaught, as every swing of Zeke's blade could mean instant death. Canaan eventually jumped backwards, giving him much needed distance, and as the smoke cleared, Zeke panted and held himself up with his sword, chuckling.

"Using smoke to see through me? That's... a new one," he said, panting.

He brought his sword up to an attack position, looking at me now with both of his eyes.

"He's weak now Canaan, his body can't handle much more. Finish it," Zane said through the intercom.

"Copy that," Canaan said as he lunged towards Zeke with all he had. This time he used his long sword, as Zeke was much slower.

The swords clashed, and it was clear Zeke was playing defensive, as Pandoria was clearly out of power.

After a few parried hits, Zeke's sword powered down and returned to a scepter, and both him and his blade collapsed.

Canaan went to finish him, but Zeke shook his head.

"Don't bother," Zeke said as dragged himself up and laid against a wall. "I'll be gone... soon enough."

Pandoria seemed sad. "What's going to happen to me?"

Zeke sighed. "When I die, you will return to your core crystal. However from what I understand, there will be no way for you to resonate again, and it will be as if you died. But I told you this, remember Pandy?"

She sighed. "Yes, I-I'm aware. I guess I just... didn't want to accept it, but... I'm happy that I know you'll be my last driver."

"I love you too, Pandy," Zeke sighed.

"I'm sorry that it came to this," Canaan apologized. If he hadn't been so weak, none of this would've happened.

"Don't look so gloomy mate," Zeke laughed. "I would've died within the next month anyway."

"What do you mean?" Canaan asked.

"I am a blade eater. Part of Pandy is inside me, which is why I've lived for so long. But there is no such thing as a perfect eater, whether they be a flesh eater or a blade eater," Zeke explained. "My human side has been dying for a long time, this fight sped it up, but it was bound to catch up with me at some point. I want to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"I missed being a warrior, and that fight was everything I had missed for so, so long."

"I have to kill your wife next," Canaan explained.

"You'll fail," Zeke laughed. "She's the closest thing to a perfect flesh eater that has ever existed, and her power is immense, she'll continue living for thousands of years."

"Don't underestimate me," Canaan argued defensively.

"I'm not, but I promise you that once she hears of today, you won't live to see another day. Beware boy, stay away from her," his face went soft. "You didn't fight me for a bloody paycheck, what's Adonis got that you're fighting for?"

"How did you know?"

"You fight with honor, you could've killed me in my sleep, but you didn't. You didn't do this for gold, he has someone you love, right?"

Canaan sighed. "He has a blade, named Finch."

"A blade, you say?"

"My mother was Gormotti, my father was Ardainian. My parents owed a lot of money to an... unsavory group. Fearing for our lives, they took me and my brother out of Alba Cavanich and ran for New Torna. On the transit, my mother was killed. We fled to Torigoth, Gormott. My dad found a blade there, and even though she was so forgetful... she became like a little sister to us, and meant the world to Zane and I... Years later, my father died while we were out one day, I never saw him or Finch again, and I took my brother to New Torna. We've been there ever since."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" Zeke asked.

"Yes, but I don't share it. I don't let myself trust anyone. Makes it easier on me, y'know?"

"Please, spare my son," Zeke pleaded, catching Canaan off guard.

"I have no contract to kill anyone other than you and your wife, he won't be involved.

"Good, good," Zeke said as he smiled.

Canaan stood and gathered his weapons.

Pandoria crawled to Zeke. Canaan, seeing her struggle, helped her up and put her next to him.

"I enjoyed every moment I had with you Zeke," she laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Zeke put his hand up to her face, wiping away her tears. "You were the best thing to ever happen to this rugged ol' man Pandy. It took it a good five hundred years, but it seems my bad luck has finally caught up," he stopped to cough intensely. "Eh, Pandy?"

Pandoria lost all her composure. "I... I'm so glad I got to fight with you... An-And," she kept going as she sniveled and her voice went into a high pitch.

"Shhh...," Zeke calmed. "It's alright Pandy, I know how you feel. And yeah," he smiled. "I wouldn't rather have had anyone else here in my final moment."

"Not even Mòrag?" she questioned.

"Nah, kinda relieved to be honest," Zeke laughed while coughing. "I have a feeling she'd kick my ass and tell me to walk it off."

They both laughed until Zeke stopped, and his body fell limp. Pandoria rested her head on his chest before fading into small, blue ether particles, it looked like a bunch of snow as it all disappeared forever.

"Hey Canaan... you alright?" Zane asked, having heard the whole thing.

Canaan had to block out the voice inside his head that told him to give up and stop. "Y-Yeah, I'm returning home before I set out for Uraya."

"Roger, the titanless ship is waiting outside, get going before you get caught."

"Willco."

Readability Level: 11th-12th Grade

Time Taken: 12 Hours