34. The Sechs Empire
Forte pointed her sword at the intruder. "If you're looking to start something from the shadows, you've come to the wrong place. Your only choice is to surrender!"
"You think we're that easy?" The soldier snarled back. "Too bad for you. We have a secret weapon!"
Doug frowned. "Huh?"
"What do you mean, huh!? We sent you to spy on them for a reason! Let's get it over with!"
"Uh…." Doug looked unsure of what to do, taking a step back despite the sword he had out.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Arganan's gaze snapped towards the source of noise, realizing it was Granny Blossom, the elderly owner of the general store, who had spoken up. Arganan knew that Blossom and Doug were close. After all, it was her that took Doug in in the first place, after he lost his village. "There's no way my Doug would do such a thing! That boy may look rough, but he's a sweet child! Although he complains like you wouldn't believe, he always helps out at my store…"
"Shut up!" The soldier pointed his sword at the older woman, before rushing at her. "You crossed the line, you old bag!"
"No!" A scream tore from Doug's throat as he tried to run ahead of the soldier, trying to get between him and Blossom, but…
That was when a blue light shone around both of them, forcing the soldier to back off. "What the!?"
Arganan held up his hand, knowing it was glowing a bright blue. He knew that, because he willed that shield to appear around Blossom and Doug. As the light faded, he heard Calista gasp behind him, but he didn't care, staring down the soldier. The soldier's gaze snapped towards him.
"Hands off," Arganan snarled, taking several steps forward. "If you want to mess with Doug and Blossom, or any of these people in town, you'll have to go through me."
"What the!?" The soldier looked shocked, staring at him. "Who the hell are you!?"
"Does it matter?" Arganan snapped back, using his free hand to take out his sword. "Leave. Or I'll make you. And you don't want me making you leave, I promise you!"
Forte took the cue to keep her sword pointed at the soldier, taking several steps closer to the man. "You heard him." She threatened. "Leave."
"Arganan!?" Frey's cry of shock made Arganan turn his head to see Frey, who had just rushed into the town square with none other than his nephew-in-law, Zael, by her side, as well as her trusty butler and lover Vishnal. Zael looked just as stunned as Frey, and his appearance hadn't changed much since Arganan last saw him. Sure, Zael looked nice in that new suit of his, probably meant for the festival's festivities, but there was no celebrating right now. Frey, who'd gone to the effort to dress in a beautiful sundress and boots for the day, stared down the soldier as she took out a short sword. "What's going on?"
"So, you're Frey. I finally found you!" The soldier snarled, facing Frey.
"What?" Frey's eyes widened. "H-how do you know my name!?"
"Remember the guy that dropped you from the airship. I'm his boss. He's long gone, though, useless idiot he is." The soldier muttered, before he glared at Doug. "And you…weren't you trying to take revenge for their deaths? That's the only reason you'd betray us."
"What?" Arganan managed. He vaguely remembered Doug trying to kill Ventuswill, only for the dragon to talk him down at the time, as well as information slipping out about the Sechs being the ones that told Doug about Ventuswill killing his whole clan.
"What do you mean?" Doug snapped. His face reddened with a clear anger, and he looked ready to explode upon the the soldier speaking any further. Despite Blossom trying to put a hand on Doug's shoulder to try to stop him, he shrugged it off, keeping his sword pointed at the soldier.
The soldier simply laughed. "It wasn't Ventuswill that killed your parents, fool. It was us Sechs."
"Why?!" It was Zael that burst out saying it, and Arganan's gaze snapped . "Why do it?"
"Probably for something like refusing the Sechs' orders. But," The soldier turned his gaze on Doug, raising his sword, "You'll be seeing your parents real soon!"
"No!" Arganan activated his magic the moment the soldier's sword swung downwards. The sword hit a new blue light this time, but it blasted the soldier back several feet across the town square. Several gasps or exclamations left the others as they watched the soldier hit the ground, groaning, but he got up quickly, glaring.
"That's it…"
That was when the soldier took out an unmistakable object: A Rune Sphere. There was no way Arganan could see that object as anything else, and he was more than sure, given the few times he'd seen it back at the Water Ruins with Frey and Dylas, that this was definitely the same object.
"What!?" Frey gasped. "Why is the Rune Sphere…?"
The soldier simply laughed as the Rune Sphere's glow spread over his own body. "I can feel the power of the runes flowing into me! Now that we've stolen the Rune Spheres, your Ventuswill must be sound asleep right now."
"No." Arganan heard Arthur gasp. "It can't be…"
They stole the Rune Spheres!? Arganan remembered how Frey and the others put the Rune Spheres in their spots to restore Ventuswill's health. And now… Ventuswill will…
"Vishnal?" Frey started, looking towards her butler and lover, but Vishnal was already running into the castle, likely to check on Ventuswill.
"With the power of the Rune Sphere…OMNI GATE!" A bright, whitish-blue glow appeared, before a red, large lizard-like creature appeared, roaring.
"That can't be possible." Arganan heard Arthur gasp. "Shouldn't only Earthmates be able to do this?"
"And now…Etherlink!" The soldier called. A glow surrounded both the soldier and the lizard, so bright that Arganan had to look away. When the glow faded, it revealed a larger lizard, roaring at them.
"Did he just fuse with the lizard?" Zael stated, taking out his sword.
Arganan knew he had to act, and fast. His gaze snapped towards Forte, calling to her. "Forte, get Doug and Blossom to safety. Same with the rest of the townspeople!"
"Okay!" Forte called, already in the middle of getting Doug and Blossom to their feet and out of the square.
Arganan then looked towards Arthur, Frey, Zael and Calista, swallowing. Would they listen to him? "As for the rest of you…Please, back me up. I don't think I can handle this beast alone."
"To be honest," Frey managed, pointing her short sword at the beast, "The more, the merrier!"
"I'll provide healing magic and other backup." Calista managed, just as Zael out his own sword, the mark of the Outsider shining from his right hand.
"I'll help." Zael managed.
Arthur grimaced, his own hands glowing white, preparing to cast a spell. "Let's try to keep this fight contained in the town square, please? I'd rather not have the damage spread across town as is."
"Duly noted." Arganan managed, just before the beast roared and lunged at the group.
Arganan managed to dodge the beast's initial lunge, somehow, and same with Arthur. Zael took the brunt of the attack, but he wasn't thrown back more than he was just pushed back, using his power to swiftly counterattack with several hits. The beast staggered back, temporarily stunned, and golden light suddenly hit the beast. Arganan realized it must be Calista's Holy magic, trying to damage the beast further. Frey, who also dodged the attack, shot several fireballs at the beast, before following it up with a beam of water.
"Arganan!" Frey called. "Is there any way you can make that beast float like what we did with the Chimera, last time!?"
"I can try!" Arganan called back, ducking when the lizard's tail swiped at him. "Just try to keep him distracted for me!"
"Got it!" Frey switched out her shortsword for dual blades, slashing at the beast. The lizard's tail swiped at her, but it unfortunately hit. A screech escaped Frey as she went flying, hitting the ground.
"Frey!" Arthur rushed to her side, using healing magic on her. Zael's Outsider's mark flashed, and the lizard's attention turned towards Arganan's nephew-in-law, roaring at him before lunging. Zael dodged, before countering with a few slashes of his own.
Arganan knew he had his chance. Zael was keeping him distracted. Taking a deep breath, he reached a hand out towards the beast, and his own Outsider's mark glowed.
The beast started floating into the air, just up a few feet so its feet couldn't touch the ground. The lizard roared, trying to resist, but there was no use. Arganan heard Calista gasp, before a beam of holy magic struck the lizard. The lizard roared, but still tried to resist Arganan holding it up, writhing in the air.
Arganan knew he couldn't hold the lizard for long. "Arthur!" He yelled to the former prince. "Strike it with more of your magic! Hurry!"
Before Arthur could do so, that was when Arganan's magic decided, in that moment, to utterly fail and stop working.
The former Count grimaced as he sensed the lizard hit the ground, roaring as it got up, and it lunged at him. Arganan tried to summon a shield fast enough to make it bounce back, but failed.
The next thing the former Count remembered was hitting the ground with a gasp, air struck out of his lungs. He tried to get up, but the lizard clawed at him, leaving scratches across his right arm. The lizard tried to strike him again, but Arganan weakly managed a shield in time, grimacing as he felt the impact of the lizard hitting the shield rather than his own body. Even if it wasn't physically hitting him, he still absorbed a bit of the damage.
"Uncle!"
Calista's scream, followed by pained roars of the lizard, made Arganan look up to see the lizard turn towards Calista, who just struck it with another holy magic spell. Arthur followed it up with a few more spells of his own, and the lizard roared, turning into light. Arganan forced his eye shut, sensing tremors through the ground, but when he tried to open his eye again and get up, dizziness overwhelmed him, forcing him to the ground again.
Everything hurt. It dawned on him that his left metal arm wasn't work, despite his attempts to move it, and his vision blurred before him.
After a moment, Arganan's vision blacked out entirely before he could try getting up again.
Frey and Calista's screams rang in his ears until they faded to nothingness.