Chapter Eleven

First Fight

Major Kane and his mercenaries stood face to face with the team of warriors in the crowded Agrabah marketplace, unbudging in the scorching morning sun. He looked at the group of people standing in his path, recognizing two of them. "Moana," Kane remarked in surprise. "We meet again." He looked over at Maui, who stood close by. "Demigod," he nodded in acknowledgement.

Maui stared back at him with intensity written all over his face. He wasn't about to get beaten by the Major again.

Kane turned back to Moana, impressed and intrigued. "How did you get off the island?" He noticed that two new girls he didn't recognise were standing with Moana and Maui. "I see you rallied your friends after I left."

"Actually that was me," Maui cut in. He turned to Moana. "You're welcome."

###

Exhaling sharply, Elsa stepped away from the edge of the roof, relieved that she had managed to signal the team just in time. The ball was in their court now. Elsa turned back to see Santos getting up from the ground, having recovered from her previous onslaught. What did she have to do to keep him down? Fragments of ice began to form on her palms, and she raised her arms, pointing her hands at Santos, this time intentionally. It was a long shot, as he had already fallen prey to the attack once before, but she hoped that it would work a second time. Blasts of ice erupted from her hands and flew towards Santos who dodged them swiftly. He crouched and charged towards Elsa, who gasped and froze in shock. There was no time for her to get out of the way!

Santos tackled Elsa to the ground, quickly pinning her wrists firmly behind her back, not allowing her to retaliate with her powers. Finally! The girl had been rather slippery and he had been having a tough time trying to get her to listen to him. All he wanted was to talk.

###

"So, what, with these new friends, you think you're going to kill me?" Kane asked Moana in amusement.

"No," Melody said firmly, gripping her bow tightly. "But this ends now."

"This ends only when I'm done with my quest."

"That's not an option."

Kane was impressed. This girl, like Moana, had a fiery and brave spirit. He wanted to know who she was. "Who are you?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter who she is," Maui cut in, getting up in the Major's face. "What matters is that we're going to stop you."

"Maui," Melody looked firm. "It's alright." She signalled for him to stand down and back off. "I am Princess Melody of Denmark, and I've travelled across the ocean with these warriors to make sure that you don't destroy the world."

Kane appeared to be even more amused. "What makes you think I'm going to destroy the world?"

"Your quest to steal that totem and whatever it is you took from the Cave kinda gives it away." Tracy stated nonchalantly.

Kane looked at her. There was more to this girl than what he could see on the surface. Something about her was strange and familiar. "Obviously, to you lot I'm the villain whose goal is to destroy the world." Kane began, looking around at Maui and the girls. "But my goals are beyond your understanding, I don't expect you to get it. I'm not going to destroy the world. I'm going to restore it."

"Restore it to what?" Melody probed further, hoping that the Major would fully reveal his quest.

"Its former glory, of course. Surely, you don't think that the world is all right, do you, Princess?"

"What do you mean?" Melody asked. They were actually getting somewhere. It almost seemed like Kane wanted to tell them his master plan.

"Have you ever heard this quote by this famous philosopher?" Major Kane began, as the mercenaries stood behind him, prepared to strike at their master's command. "Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty, and dies with chaos," Kane quoted. "Terrorism, war, corruption, the list goes on. This world needs a reset. A cleansing, to be exact."

"How?"

"Surely you're familiar with the biblical story of Noah?"

Melody nodded. It was a story that her parents had read to her when she was much younger, and she had also heard it in Sunday School many times.

"As it was in the days of Noah," Kane quoted in answer to Melody's question. "The same philosopher also said that civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice. I'm just fulfilling whatever he said."

"But that's impossible! No one can orchestrate a world threatening disaster. Not even demigods!" Maui protested.

"I can," Major Kane continued. "If I remove the mystical heart of Te Fiti, the world will start to crumble with natural disasters. And with the legendary trident from the kingdom of Atlantica, I will melt the ice caps in the North Pole and flood the earth."

Just hearing the Major's deadly plan sent chills down the spines of the warriors.

"You're going to murder billions of people in a wild gamble to stop the corruption of humanity!" Moana shifted into a fighting stance and Maui held out his arm to stop her before she could pounce on the Major.

"Why are you doing this?" Melody was genuinely perplexed. He had to have a logical reason for wanting to go through all this trouble to achieve his goal. What had put him on the path of destruction?

"That's personal."Kane looked at the warriors in front of him without an ounce of remorse, full of conviction. "I'm only speeding up what mankind is doing to themselves. Their sacrifice will be worth it. For out of the cleansing will arise a new spirit. The deaths of the corrupt will pave the way for the survivors to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, free from war and terrorism that is ravaging this world."

"You can't be sure that mankind will change after your genocide!" Melody tried to reason with him.

"It's an idea worth dying for. I'll rather die a martyr than live on as a coward knowing that I could have made a difference in this world but didn't." Kane remained steadfast in his resolve, and Melody knew that she could not make him see reason.

"You're insane."

"No I'm not."

"We can't let you do this," Melody gripped her bow tighter, ready for what was coming next.

"That's not up to you," Kane replied. "I respect what all of you stand for," He looked around at the warriors in his path. "Trying to make a difference in this world, it's noble, but futile to resist. I'm giving you one chance to walk away."

Melody looked the Major dead in the eye. "We're going to stop you," She said with resolve, her free hand ready to reach for an arrow from her quiver.

"Don't force me to hurt any of you. Last chance." Kane clenched his left fist, and the snake totem on his ring finger glowed an ominous red. The locals in the marketplace saw the mystical red light, and started to move away quickly in fear, creating space around the two sides. Melody and the Major locked eyes, staring each other down in the middle of the marketplace.

Suddenly, a purple cloud of energy blasted the Major backwards, knocking him into the fruit stands. Melody turned around, and everyone looked at Tracy.

"What? We just gonna stand around talking all day?" Tracy shrugged.

There was no turning back now. Melody took an arrow from her quiver and placed the nock of it in her bow. She drew back her bow, anticipating the Major's command.

Major Kane stood up from the wreckage of fruits and broken tables, and sighed. He pointed his hand towards the direction of the warriors, signalling for his mercenaries to attack. The mercenaries drew their firearms and knives, charging towards Melody and the team.

Melody released the arrow, and it flew towards one of the mercenaries' weapon, disarming him. She ran forward with the rest of the warriors following behind her, and she landed a punch across the unarmed man's face. The fight was on.

###

Up on the rooftop of the shophouse, Elsa continued to struggle, trying to break free from Santos' iron grip.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." Santos tried to reassure her as he held her wrists behind her back, her face pressed against the ground.

"Then why did you chase me across the rooftops?" Elsa clenched her fists, and they became coated with ice, which extended up to her wrists. The ice became sharp and spiky, and Santos had no choice but to release his grip on her. She quickly stood up. He wasn't going to catch her off guard again.

"You ran," Santos reminded her. "I never intended to hurt you."

Elsa stared at him in disbelief, and formed another two sharp icicles in her hands. "Your weapons say otherwise."

Santos looked at his military gear. He tossed away his knife, and held out a hand, signalling to her that he wasn't about to attack, and then he crouched, laying his musket on the ground. He stood up and showed her his empty hands. "Better?"

Elsa lowered her icicles cautiously, not letting her guard down. "You work for the Major?"

"I do," Santos replied, approaching her cautiously, and she raised one icicle in paranoia. He reached her and with his hand, slowly placed it on the icicle and lowered it gently. "But I'm not like the rest."

"Why should I believe you?" Elsa asked apprehensively. If her experience with the cunning Prince Hans months ago had yielded anything beneficial, it would be that she learnt not to be too trusting of anyone.

"You're right. You've no reason to trust me. I'm a mercenary working for a madman after all." He gazed down at his boots and Elsa looked at him.

"What do you want with me?"

"Nothing. I was up here on orders from the Major to keep a lookout. And then I saw you," Santos replied. "Who are you?"

"Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."

"Queen?" Santos had somehow gotten the impression that she was of royal descent, and he was right. "What are you doing out here in all this chaos, away from your kingdom?"

"As you've seen, I have powers. I was recruited to help stop the Major." Elsa replied.

"You can't."

Elsa looked up, not expecting to hear that.

"There's no stopping him. Please get out of here while you still can. Before he kills you." Santos looked at her, filled with genuine concern for this young woman with mystical powers.

"We can handle him." Elsa replied. Deep down, she wasn't sure that they could.

"You can't. He's a monster." Santos looked down from the rooftop to see the Major bellowing as a red aura erupted from his totem, destroying the tables and tent structures in the marketplace. "Maybe once upon a time he was a good man, but not anymore. He's going to destroy the world."

###

Moana grunted, standing up from the ground where she had been knocked down by several mercenaries. She grabbed a staff from one of the nearby merchant tables that still stood intact, and charged towards the Major. "You killed my family!"

Major Kane unsheathed his sword, which was a Falchion, and fended off Moana's attack with ease.

"You destroyed my village!" Moana shouted, swinging her staff at her most hated enemy.

Major Kane avoided her strike elegantly and moved around her with ease with one hand behind his back.

She spun round, sweat mingled with tears. "Do you have any idea what you did to me?" she choked through her tears, eyes filled with rage.

"I'm truly sorry, Moana. I will live with that regret for the rest of my life," Kane said with genuine remorse in his voice. "But you can't kill me. Stop this now, before it's too late." Kane was afraid that his bloodlust would take over again.

Moana charged towards Kane again, staff raised and ready to strike and Kane stepped to the side, using her own momentum against her to knock her to the ground.

She sprawled on the ground, the sword falling out of her hand. In a desperate last attempt, she turned to face Major Kane, and pointed her palm at him. A yellow ray of energy blasted out of her hand and hit Kane, who blocked it with his own brand of black magic. Her white magic sputtered and waned, and eventually the red aura of black magic overpowered it. The black magic hit Moana hard, causing her to flop to the ground unconscious.

Major Kane felt his heart pumping, and the dark sensation returned, sweeping over him. The bloodlust had returned with a vengeance. He looked at his own sword, and then back at the fallen Moana. No, no, resist it. Kane clenched his teeth, trying to fight off the temptation. A sharp pain overwhelmed him as he tried to ignore the bloodlust, and he grimaced. He had no choice but to give in to it. He tightened his grip on his sword, and he instantly felt better. Major Kane lifted the sword, his eyes glowing red.

"No!" Melody cried, shooting an arrow towards Major Kane's sword, hoping that the arrow's force would knock the sword out of his hand.

With his free hand, Kane caught the arrow in mid air, and Melody watched in shock. She had never seen anyone do that before. Kane tossed the arrow to the ground and walked towards Melody with his Falchion still in his hand. She gripped her bow tighter, and dashed towards him with no trace of fear in her eyes.

As Melody closed the gap between them, Kane swung his sword at her, and she quickly dropped to her knees and used her built-up momentum to help her slide under the sword. She hit the Major's shins, and he staggered backwards a little. She stood up, bow in hand. To be honest, she wasn't surprised that she didn't manage to floor him, as he had such a huge frame. Major Kane clenched his left fist which was free, and his totem glowed red. He threw a jab in her direction, and she narrowly side stepped it, feeling the rush of wind against her face and seeing the streak of red inches away from her eyes.

Using her bow, Melody landed a blunt blow on the Major's abdomen, which was guarded with kevlar. That was a dumb move. He wasn't going to feel much with all that protective gear. Major Kane swung his right arm in an attempt to hit her, and she pivoted, bringing herself to the back of her opponent. She lashed out with her bow, hitting the back of his knee. That was definitely a weak spot.

Major Kane dropped his sword and staggered again, dropping to a knee. She spun to the front swiftly, and attempted to land a right cross on Kane's jaw, knowing that it was a finisher that would surely floor him. However, he was too quick. He caught her wrist before it could meet his face and sent her flying towards the tables.

Melody crashed against the tables, and the merchants' goods spilled all over the floor. She grabbed her left arm. That hurt. A lot. Major Kane walked towards her, his snake totem glowing red. He looked incensed and unhinged. That wasn't good. She looked around to see if she could use her surroundings to her advantage, and spotted some orange powder that had spilled on the ground. She slowly reached out and grabbed a fistful of it.

As Kane approached her, Melody threw the powder into his face. He yelled as the orange substance got into his eyes and he was overwhelmed by the spicy sensation, temporarily blinded and vulnerable. Melody quickly got up and tried to land another blow on Kane's face. With his heightened senses, he instinctively knew that she was trying to attack him, and Kane swiped her wrist away. Bellowing, he swung at her, and this time, he was so quick that she didn't have time to react. Taking the full force of his blow, she was thrown back against the collapsed tables. She stayed down, utterly exhausted.

Major Kane rubbed his eyes and his sight slowly returned to him. He looked around to see Maui still fighting off his numerous mercenaries, and Moana and Melody collapsed in a heap, drained from the fight against him. He felt his anger and bloodlust burning within him. This new girl, the Princess, was a formidable fighter. She had actually hurt him. He was going to make sure that it wouldn't happen again. Major Kane walked towards Melody, with his Falchion in hand and with every intention to slay her. A fruit bounced off Kane's back and he spun around to see Tracy standing behind him confidently, with another fruit in hand.

"Back off, man. No one hurts my friends."

"Friends?" Kane turned around to face her. "You call them your friends, but you don't really believe it yourself. There's something dark within you, isn't there? This isn't who you are." He closed his eyes. "You're a witch."

"H-how?" Tracy was taken aback.

"I can feel your black magic," Kane smirked. "What are you doing fighting for these people? Being a hero isn't in your nature."

Tracy looked uneasy., staring at her enemy's snake totem.

"You wield black magic and call yourself a witch, but you haven't tasted true power. Let me show you." Kane clenched his fist and the totem glowed red. He aimed it at Tracy and a blast of black energy erupted, flying towards her.

The black magic hit Tracy, and she absorbed it into her body. For a moment, it seemed like she could handle it, but then she started to feel uneasy, her eyes shut tightly, perspiration forming on her brow. Tracy began to glow a horrendous mix of red and purple, still trying to control the two sources of black magic within her.

"Wait!" Maui dropped the last standing mercenary and ran towards Tracy.

She couldn't keep it in any longer. A huge explosion of red and purple erupted from her being, and Maui was thrown backwards by the black magic. The shock wave from the explosion swept across the marketplace, causing the remaining upright tents to collapse. It travelled upwards as well, knocking both Elsa and Santos from the edge of the rooftop. They were blown back by the black magic and fell onto the rooftop. Tracy stood limply in the middle of the marketplace, reeling from the black magic that she had ingested and could not contain. Her legs were wobbly and perspiration dripped from her chin. She had never tasted such power before in her life, and after that blast from the enemy, she was completely dazed and defenceless.

Major Kane walked up to her and gently rested his hand against her cheek. His bloodlust was now quelled temporarily, thanks to that eruption of black magic that he had sent her way. "Now that you've tasted true power, tell me, why are you still wasting your time pretending to be a hero?"

Tracy looked at Kane, unable to respond, still in a daze.

Major Kane retracted his hand and walked away with his mercenaries, who had already recovered. "Let's go. Atlantica is waiting for us."

Writer's Commentary:

Hah. This was probably one of my greatest challenges as a writer. Writing an action scene requires such vivid imagination and choreography which was certainly fun to explore for me. Including some comic relief from Maui was also essential, what with him easing the tension by delivering his favourite line "You're Welcome" to Moana. Those of you who've watched Moana from 2016 would get the reference. And also, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to throw in an easter egg of sorts. The line where Maui cuts in with "It doesn't matter who she is." is a homage to the Rock, who voiced Maui in 2016. That line is a catchphrase unique to the Rock when he was a wrestler back in the WWE. That was a fun little bit to write.

I did a little research on sword fighting in order to make the fight between Melody and Kane more realistic. It was a joy to choreograph their fight, as well as the others. And there's more to Tracy than meets the eye. Her arc will definitely be explored in greater detail as the story continues to progress.

Kane reminded me a little bit of Thanos in Infinity War when I was writing this chapter, and I guarantee you, it'll get better in the coming fight scenes.