Chapter 28
Sound and Fury
Balsilide
Two years ago, when Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin had been selected to become the next generation of Guardians, the decision had not been a random one. The five were chosen from infinite possibilities by the greatest minds in Kandrakar. They were chosen because they alone had what it took to deal with situations like the one they now faced, and to make decisions in those situations not just for their own good, but for the good of the innocents around them. As the mound of explosive Threbite glowed brighter and brighter, the girls quickly moved into action. Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin all bolted off down the hallway, putting as much distance between themselves and the upcoming explosion as possible.
"Why's everybody running?" Will asked, having not been there earlier to understand the consequences of her actions.
"No time! Big explosion! Just run!" Irma said.
Will did as she was told, knowing better then to argue with an order like that. As she did so, she took a quick look behind her. Rikar had activated a switch, and was disappearing down a hidden passageway in the nearby wall. Will was satisfied that he could look after himself, but she was still worried about Selna.
The young girl did not have the instincts or experience the Guardians did, and was silently watching the Threbite glow. Even though she was only motionless for a second longer then the Guardians, Will realized that Selna would never make it clear of whatever blast was going to occur. With a groan, Will dove towards Selna, tackling the girl to the ground just as the world exploded around them.
Meridian
Vathek and Raythor dove to the side as an arrow pierced the wall where they had been standing only seconds earlier. Analyzing the situation quickly, both Vathek and Raythor could see Garth, Laris and Syln advancing towards them, weapons drawn. As formidable a sight as that was, Vathek and Raythor was equally concerned with the man standing behind his three teammates. Grimm shook his gauntlet, trying to get the weapon to activate once more.
"What was that?" Raythor asked, catching his breath as the two dove behind a wall.
"I'm not sure." Vathek replied. "But I would prefer not to experience it again."
"Well good luck with that." Raythor said, peering over their wall. "Move!"
As Raythor and Vathek dove forward, the wall they were hiding behind was no more. In its place was a pile of smoking rubble and four members of the R.E.G advancing towards them. Grimm fired two more blasts, causing Vathek and Raythor to dive for cover each time. Moving quickly, the two Honor Guard members hid inside one of the few buildings still standing. Struggling to catch their breath, they leaned up against a nearby barrel.
"We can't keep this up." Vathek said. "Eventually he's going to hit us, and I doubt we'd survive the hit."
"And it'll probably be sooner rather then later." Raythor said.
It was then that Raythor took a closer look at the barrel they were using as support. As he inspected it, his eyes went wide and he jumped back.
"Is that what I think it is?" Raythor said.
"A barrel of explosive powder." Vathek said, eyeing the barrel. "It must have not gone off with the rest of them. Look, the fuse isn't set properly."
"You know," Raythor said, "if Grimm hit that barrel with one of his blasts…"
Vathek quickly realized what Raythor was thinking and frowned.
"My skin is tough enough to withstand such a blast." Vathek said, "but yours?"
"Hey!" Raythor said. "I'm plenty tough."
Laris kicked down the door of the building in one swift move.
"Found you." She said, drawing her sword. "And now I will end you."
Grath decided not to use the door, and instead charged through the wall, showering Raythor and Vathek with a cloud of dust. Syln strolled casually through the hole left by his larger teammate, and drew his bow. As Laris and Grath began to engage Raythor and Vathek, Syln searched for a clear shot, but found none. The two Honor Guard members had holed up in the smallest room in the building, living little space for Syln to shoot without wounding his allies. Syln moved as close as he could, but still had no shot.
While the close quarts effectively took Syln out of the fight, it only served to give Grath and Laris and advantage. Both of them were larger and stronger the Vathek or Raythor, and with little room to dodge, the Honor Guard members were quickly pinned down. Grath held Vathek to the ground, while Laris held Raythor high by the neck.
Despite their situation, Raythor managed to smile. Laris frowned, wondering what Raythor possibly had to be cheerful about, when he noticed that Grimm had entered the small room, gauntlet raised. Raythor's eyes darted downward involuntarily, and Laris followed their path to the barrel lying at her feet. She quickly realized what the barrel contained, but it was too late. Grimm fired a wild blast from his gauntlet, hitting the barrel cleanly. The combination of the powerful magical energy, and the explosive powder resulted in a massive explosion, sending members of the Honor Guard and R.E.G alike flying in all directions.
Balsilide
"Will!"
The girls' ears were still ringing, but they could tell that it was Matt screaming Will's name. Even before the smoke cleared, Matt dove into the wreckage, and disappeared from sight. While they shared Matt's concern, they hesitated to follow him into the thick smoke. Why rush, they figured. No one could have survived an explosion that big.
"Is she?" Taranee asked hesitantly.
"She didn't… she couldn't have… nothing could have lived…" Cornelia said.
And yet, as the smoke cleared, the only thing left standing in the debris of the explosion was a small pink dome, and inside huddled Will and Selna, alive and unharmed. Matt had slumped down next to the dome, trying to slow his racing heart.
"Will!" Hay Lin shouted, rushing towards her friend as the dome vanished.
"Never again. Never again, are we trying that!" Matt said, hugging Will tightly.
"No argument here." Will said. "Also, energy domes? Not soundproof. My ears are going to be ringing for days."
"We can deal with that." Hay Lin said with a smile. "What about the rest of you? And what about Selna?"
Irma, Taranee and Cornelia, all of who had momentarily forgot about Selna, now stared at the young girl. Selna was brushing the dust off her clothes, but seemed mostly unharmed. Irma offered the girl a hand, which Selna used to get to her feet shakily, unsure of what to make of her situation.
"I'm… fine." Selna said. "Thanks to you Will. You saved my life."
"Don't mention it." Will said, still trying to silence her ringing eardrums.
"But I don't understand." Selna continued. "You could have left me to die in the explosion. In fact, I gave you every reason to. Yet you still saved me. Why?"
"'Cause it's the right thing to do?" Irma said with a shrug.
"We all feel horrible about what's happened to you the past few weeks." Taranee said. "And we'll do everything we can to make it right."
For the second time in as many months, Selna could feel her world changing around her. She had always thought, always been told, that the Guardians were her enemy. She had believed it with all of her heart, but now she was much less sure. What if the Guardians weren't the villains Rikar had made them out to be? What if they were trying to do good? And if she was wrong about them, what else was she wrong about?
As Selna wrestled with these thoughts, Rikar emerged from the same section of wall that he had leapt through earlier. Perfectly unharmed, he fixed the Guardians with a stern glare.
"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Rikar shouted at Will. "Those stones were the private property of the Balsilidian Government, and you destroyed them all in one single blast!"
Rikar's rant was interrupted by a new voice echoing through the hallways.
"What in the world is going on down here?"
The group turned to see Wilder, Balsilide's military leader, standing in the now ruined doorway. The stern, middle-aged woman surveyed the scene in front of her with a steel glare
"First I'm told that the Guardians are invading the castle, then I hear and explosion the likes of which…"
Wilder stopped as she noticed the now empty, and half destroyed, room in front of her.
"Those stones. It was those cursed stones, wasn't it?" Wilder said, fixing her gaze on Rikar. "With all due respect, sir, this is exactly what I warned you about."
Rikar flinched, which made Will smile. Wilder had always been the one Balsilidian that the girls had gotten along with. She was a strong woman, in more ways then one, but she had always acted with Balsilide's best interest at heart.
"Watch your tone, Wilder." Rikar replied. "It was not I who destroyed the stones, but the Guardians! The resulting explosion nearly killed me."
"And yet it didn't." Will interupted. "A massive explosion, yet you're not even harmed."
"How'd you manage that one?" Irma added.
"We knew how reactive Threbite was." Rikar said. "In case of an emergency such as the one you just created, special hatches are positioned along the wall…"
"And you never thought to tell me this?" Selna interrupted. "You didn't make any effort to save me, while the Guardians risked their lives for me! I don't think you care about me at all!"
"What? Of course I do." Rikar stammered. "The Heart is incredibly important…"
"I don't care about the Heart!" Selna said, dropping the jewel. "I don't want it! I didn't want any of this!"
Will couldn't help but smile a little. She had always hated that they had become enemies with Selna, and had always wanted to help the girl as much as she could. From the way the girl looked back at her, Will knew they were far from friends, but it was a step in the right direction.
Meridian
As the fires were burning low on Meridian, the stakes continued to rise. The forces of Meridian had held back the invading Balsilidian army better then they could have hoped. A bit of trickery combined with grim determination by Meridian and the Honor Guard had stopped Balsilide from gaining any kind of hold on the ruined city. But Caleb knew that their luck would run out eventually. When it came right down to it, all the strategy and fortitude in the world couldn't compete with sheer numbers.
As he continued to fight Balken to a stalemate, Caleb could tell that Balsilide was regrouping for one final attack. Caleb took a quick glance at the remaining Meridian forces and didn't like what he saw. His troops were beaten and battered, but they were not broken. They would fight for their world to the last breath. Caleb just hoped they wouldn't have to.
Balken brought his sword down hard, but Caleb stepped deftly to the side and the blade made contact with only the Meridian soil. In one swift motion, Caleb spun and sliced with deadly force. It was a move that would have felled a lesser man, but Balken was too smart and too quick. At the last second Balken blocked the attack with his own blade.
"I don't suppose we could take a five minute snack break?" Caleb asked. "'Cause I'm pretty sure one of the buildings we blew up was a kitchen. It smells fantastic!"
"Your city, and soon your world, burns around you, yet still you smile? Still you make jokes?" Balken asked, striking once more.
"My girlfriend came back to me." Caleb said, blocking the attack. "What can I say? She makes me happy. Besides, these jokes are my secret weapon."
"Not much a weapon." Balken said.
"Perhaps. But they are the reason I've already won this fight." Caleb said smugly.
"You? Already won?" Balken said with a laugh. "Now that is a joke."
"Well here's the thing." Caleb replied. "All this fighting is really pretty meaningless. Clashing of egos, not much more. But when all this is done, and we all go home to our various castles, I'm surrounded by friends and family. I have a queen I believe in and people to love. You have an emotionless team and a ruler who couldn't care less about any of you. So tell me, who's the real winner?"
"That implies that you make it back to your castle." Balken said, swinging his sword in anger. "That implies that I don't separate your head from you shoulders first."
"True." Caleb admitted, side stepping the attack. "But as you may have noticed, I'm pretty good at keeping my head right where it is."
Caleb went on the attack, delivering a series of well-timed blows. It was all Balken could do to block the fury of strikes. While Caleb's sword never made contact with its target, the sheer force of the attack pushed Balken back against a nearby wall. Caleb brought his sword down hard but Balken rolled out of the way just in time. The wall shattered with the force of Caleb's blow, and the rubble separated the two combatants. Caleb turned, attempting to press his advantage, when something out of the corner of his eye distracted him.
"What is that?" he asked aloud, staring into the distance.
Balken followed Caleb's gaze to the mouth of the portal between worlds.
"You talked about your humor being your secret weapon?" Balken said with a smile. "Well that is mine."
Out from the portal rolled a large canon, bigger then any Caleb had ever seen. As he watched, a team of Balsilidian engineers began erecting the canon, and prepping it for firing. Caleb glanced at the direction it was pointed and saw the Meridian castle visible in the distant. Suddenly, things didn't seem quite as funny.