A/N: As I continue to edit and revise my stories I will, when possible, replace the old, sloppy chapters with the new and freshly edited ones as soon as they are to my standards. You will see this note, along with possible variations of it, above all the chapters I have edited. Once all chapters are completely edited I will remove all author notes pertaining to the revision of the story.
There was a flash of light, and another hallway was illuminated. Nox and Maya stepped out of the light and into the hallway. Maya stumbled forwards and Nox caught her.
"Sorry," Nox sighed. "I would've warned you first but we didn't have time."
"N…" Maya said, her voice shaking. "I'm… I'm scared…"
"I know, Maya, I know…" Nox pulled Maya into a hug.
Maya wrapped her arms around Nox's neck and pulled Nox closer. "What's going to happen to them?" she muttered into Nox's chest.
"I don't know…" Nox said. She didn't even recognize her own voice.
"N!" Maya gasped.
"What?" Nox suddenly tensed up. She disentangled her arms from Maya and looked down at the little girl. "What's wrong?"
"Your credentials!" Maya answered. "It's gone!"
"What?" She glanced down at her obi and frowned. The silver emblem she was wearing before was missing. Maya, of course, still had hers attached to her obi. "It must've fallen off during…" her voice trailed off. The look of terror on Maya's face pained her. She didn't want to bring up the battle now, Maya was too frightened. "Hey," she said softly, trying to calm Maya down, "we've got just a bit further to run. You think you can make it?"
"I… I think so…" she looked up at Nox with her big, brown eyes. If anything, she just wanted to be hugged a bit more. But she knew that they had to get to Boaddai for safety.
"All right," she gave a weak smile. "Let's get going."
She offered her hand to Maya, who grasped it tightly, and they began to run down the corridor. They were both tired. Nox, even more so. But they had to run. They had to get to safety.
"We should be getting close…" Nox panted. Her heart was pounding. Something didn't feel right. Something was wrong. But she shook it off. All she thought about was getting Maya to safety.
Together they took another sharp turn. Up ahead, the doorway was bright. They could hear voices. Just as they reached the entryway, Nox saw Boaddai. Her eyes, now violet, lit up with hope. They dashed into the main docking bay.
"Master Boaddai!" Maya called.
Boaddai turned around so quickly he made himself dizzy. His worried eyes lit up with relief. "I'm glad you two are all right!" he exclaimed, walking briskly over to them. After all that had happened today, he wasn't sure if he was going to see them again. There were several casualties, and he was relieved that his students were not part of the statistics.
The Redakai Council, all except Atoch, who was talking to a high ranking security guard, glanced over at the scene. The six men glanced at each other, then nodded. The majority of them had found their students now that they had the crowd under control. Quantus then continued to talk to an extremely fit man in a uniform. He seemed to be Head of Security.
"Boaddai," Nox tried to explain, struggling to catch her breath, "Lokar… He… He tried to get Maya. We got away, I think…" She was suddenly taken over by her exhaustion and agony. Unable to ignore the pain any longer, she collapsed at Boaddai's feet.
"N!" Maya gasped.
Boaddai caught her before she could hit the floor. He gently lowered her to the ground and knelt beside her. "Nox?" he asked warily. His worried grey eyes glanced over her features.
"Is she going to be all right?" Maya asked, her voice quivering.
"Yes," Boaddai answered softly. "I do believe she will be fine. However she needs to rest. She's exhausted. Was she in a Kairu Battle?" He looked into Maya's eyes. It pained him to see her so terrified.
"Yeah," Maya nodded. "She… She and Lokar got into a Kairu Battle."
"That explains it. Maya, are you all right? Are you hurt?" he asked concernedly. He looked at Maya, his grey eyes wide with worry.
"I… I think so," she answered weakly. "Master Boaddai, why did Lokar attack the tournament?" she asked softly.
"We don't know," he replied. He glanced away and looked down at Nox with a frown then sighed. He thought back to when Lokar had first arrived to attack the tournament.
When Lokar tried to destroy the Redakai Council, the two forces fought an epic battle. Despite Lokar's strength and skill, he eventually lost the upper hand because he was out numbered. Before the Redakai Council could capture him, Lokar fled. They thought he had retreated along with his E-Teens. They never once thought he'd go after Maya or Nox.
Maya opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. She desperately wanted to tell Boaddai about what Nox and Lokar were talking about. She still couldn't make sense of what they had discussed and she thought that Boaddai could. But something didn't feel right to her. She was afraid that if she told Boaddai, Nox would get into trouble.
After Atoch finished talking to the security guard, he walked over to Boaddai cautiously. The first thing he noticed was that Toby was not with them at all. This did not bother him much. He assumed Toby was out there, helping with crowd control.
"What happened," Atoch asked attentively, peering down at Nox. He noticed the arm wraps she was wearing were disorderly, making small patches of her outer forearms visible. His eyes widened when he saw a glimpse of light-blue contrasting with her fair skin. A frown slid across his face.
"They had the unfortunate luck of crossing paths with Lokar. Nox was, most likely, forced to take Lokar on in a Kairu Battle," Boaddai glanced up at Atoch with tired, grey eyes. "She definitely put her best effort into trying to defeat him. However, most of her Inner Kairu is drained… It's at alarmingly low levels. I can sense it."
"We must get her to the sick bay at once then," he suggested, narrowing his eyes at Nox.
Maya knelt down next to Boaddai and gently clung to his arm. She was terrified and seeing Nox incapacitated wasn't easing her stress.
Just then a tall, fit man walked over to them. It was the same man Atoch had been talking to. His uniform was pristine.
"Sir," he began, "Master Quantus would like me to inform you that we've gotten the crowd under control. The majority of the spectators have been accounted for."
"I am glad to hear it," he replied. "Have you arrested any traitors? Or have they all fled?"
"Yes, Sir," the security guard answered. "Though most of the Kairu Warriors who have flocked to Lokar's side have fled, we've apprehended a few. They are in our custody. We have reasons to believe that the Kairu Warriors who have been accounted for are on our side, Sir."
"That is indeed good news to hear, lieutenant," he nodded. "That means Toby has been found, yes?"
"No, Sir," he answered. "We were unable to find your student. However we are still searching. But it seems as though he is missing."
"Missing?" Atoch repeated. "I was quite certain that he would be amongst the other noble Kairu Warriors who were trying to aid us in this situation."
"None of the other Kairu Warriors recall seeing him," the lieutenant stated. Upon noticing Atoch's unease, he quickly added, "However, I will go question them about it again." He gave a hasty bow and hurried off.
Once the guard was gone, Boaddai spoke up, "I'm certain that Toby has gotten caught up with helping a civilian, Master Atoch." He then eyed Maya carefully as she tightened her grip on his arm. He knew that the little girl was frightened but also knew that he would be unable to do much comforting here.
"Yes, as am I," Atoch said distantly. Suddenly he remembered that Toby had been watching the tournament with Nox and Maya. He peered down at Maya and asked softly, "Have you seen Toby? He was with you and Miss Kenway during the tournament, correct?"
"Toby… He… He… uh… I don't know…" Maya stuttered. She gripped Boaddai's arm even tighter as she struggled to figure out where to begin. It was impossible for her to string together enough words to create a coherent sentence. She wasn't sure where to begin. She was overwhelmed with her concern for Nox, her confusion, her fear, and the fact that she was too horrified to think about what happened to Toby. Frankly, she wasn't sure what happened to him. Nox got her out of that room so quickly that she didn't even have time to figure out what was going on.
After seeing the fear in Maya's eyes, alarm ran through Atoch like a stampeding bull. There were two possibilities he could think of: either Toby was still out there helping with the crowd control or something happened to him while Nox fought with Lokar. He needed to know.
"Are you sure you didn't see him trying to help regain control of the crowd? How about trying to stop the traitorous Kairu Warriors?" he pressed further.
She opened her mouth to speak but stopped. She was overtaken by an intense dread that made her move closer to Boaddai.
"Master Atoch," Boaddai said softly. "I believe it would be best to wait a while before asking anymore questions."
"Master Boaddai," Atoch scowled, "I'm trying to locate my student and insure his safety. I'm quite certain you'd do the same for either one of your students. I simply want to know where Toby is and find out if he's all right."
"Toby is dead," a voice drawled.
Everyone turned to see Lokar striding into the main docking bay.
"What game are you trying to play this time?" A man from the Redakai Council demanded. "You've already been defeated once today."
However, Lokar ignored him. He was grinning at Atoch's obvious pain and shock. "Oh, don't worry," he said, mockingly trying to pacify Atoch's sorrow, "It was a quick death, painful, but quick. I can assure you that."
"What did you do to Toby?!" Atoch demanded, his eyes wide with shock.
"I only taught him the importance of respecting the Kairu Code of Honor," Lokar frowned.
"Toby would never break the Kairu Code of Honor, Lokar," he spat.
"Oh? But he did break the Kairu Code. That's what disappoints me the most. I was certain the Redakai Council would have been capable of teaching its students the importance of the Code. However, it seems that I was wrong," he retorted.
"He wasn't your student to discipline!" Atoch clenched his fists so tight his arms shook.
"Well, he wasn't my student until I persuaded him to join me," he said with a malicious smile. "You see, Toby decided you could no longer provide him with the skills and power he needed. Thus, he turned to me. However, he broke the code one too many times to be considered a desirable student for me. So I simply removed him from my instructions. But, those two," he gestured to Maya and the unconscious Nox, "left him to die."
"That's not true!" Atoch spat, "Toby was a good Kairu Warrior! Not evil! He would never have joined you!" Then he turned to Maya and shouted at the poor girl, "How could you leave him to die!? How could you not tell me?!" His face was contorted with rage and sorrow.
Maya stood paralyzed. She stared up at Atoch, her eyes wide with shock and fear. Her lip quivered as she tried to explain herself and what happened. But she couldn't. She didn't know what happened. It was all just a blur to her.
"Master Atoch, that is enough," Boaddai stated, glaring up at Atoch.
Lokar was still smiling that malevolent smile. He chuckled softly as Atoch tried to threaten him and how a member from the Redakai Council tried to pacify his pain. Then he turned his head towards Boaddai and Lokar's smile faded, "However, that's not why I'm here."
"Then why are you here, Lokar?" A tall man from the Redakai inquired. He had short black and grey hair, and short jet black beard and a long grey mustache. This was the oldest, living member of the Redakai Council. Although he was old, he was still very powerful and fit. This man was Master Quantus. "Most of your E-Teens have fled already and we have already defeated you once today. What is so important that you would risk being captured for?" his emerald eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out Lokar's plan.
"You know why I'm here, Old Man," Lokar said to Boaddai, his gaze never faltering. He didn't answer Quantus or even acknowledge his presence. Whatever Lokar wanted it seemed to be very personal to him. Slowly he shifted his gaze from Boaddai to Maya. He smirked at the girl who, in response, hid behind Boaddai. Finally, he took notice of Nox. She lay on the floor, unconscious and slightly suspended in Boaddai's arms as he held her. He immediately observed the damage he had done to the teen. He took note of her slightly unraveled arm wraps. A strange look of amusement played on Lokar's face when he noticed the light-blue markings on her arms. He then turned his attention back to Boaddai.
Boaddai gently lowered Nox to the ground and stood up. "That's not going to happen, Lokar," he said firmly.
"We shall see about that, Old Man," Lokar said smoothly.
"You're not going to escape us this time, Lokar," a Redakai with sleeked back white hair stated.
"Master Alder, you've seem to have forgotten, you and the rest of the Council are in a weakened state," he sneered. "You're no match for me."
"And you seem to have forgotten your own exertion as well," Alder countered.
"Don't be too quick to assume that," he glanced over at Boaddai and his students, gave a cynical half-smile, and then turned his attention back at Alder. "Needless to say, I have gotten my hands on a new source of power. One that is more than capable of defeating all of you."
Quantus took a step forward, "Then perhaps we ought to settle things with another Kairu Battle. Kairu Challenge." He and the rest of the Redakai Council pounded their fists together and bowed. Boaddai gently lowered Nox to the ground and followed suit.
"If you all are up for the challenge, then, by all means, challenge accepted," Lokar returned the gesture and smirked.
With a flick of his wrist, Lokar sent Boaddai flying with a flash of purple lightning. Boaddai landed with a thud several feet away. He wasn't moving.
"Master Boaddai!" Maya shrieked. She stood next to Nox's unconscious body, trembling with fear.
"Now for the rest of you," he turned to the rest of the Redakai Council and began to attack them.
The docking bay flickered with the glow of powerful Kairu attacks that were fired from all different directions. A cacophony over took the room. Everything was chaos. The battle was epic, both parties fighting with all of their strength. However, despite the Redakai Council being large in numbers they were quickly overwhelmed by Lokar's new found strength. One by one Lokar defeated each Redakai. The ones who remained standing, despite the odds stacked against them, used their graceful, eloquent movements, along with their mastery in the art of Kairu to try and subdue Lokar.
"Maya…" Nox mumbled softly. A soft groan escaped her lips as she tried to stand up. It took great effort to stand. But eventually she made it to her shaky feet. Her legs felt as though they were made of jelly.
Maya was too preoccupied with watching the Kairu Battle taking place before her very eyes to notice Nox was awake and standing. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. The intensity of the battle was almost too much for her to handle.
"Maya, are you all right?" Nox asked worriedly.
Nox's voice grabbed Maya's attention. She pealed her eyes away from the battle and smiled up at Nox. "N," she gasped in relief. She wasn't alone anymore. "You're okay!" She immediately threw her arms around Nox. "I was so scared you weren't… that you wouldn't be all right…" her eyes glazed over with tears.
"Yeah," Nox groaned softly, hugging Maya' back. Her body ached from the force of the hug. "Of course I'm okay," she lied. Truth was, she was far from okay. "I'm always okay," she lied again. To her, it didn't matter if she was okay or not. She'd protect her friend till her very last breath. Ignoring the pain and her imminent doom, she stood as tall as her body would let her.
"I'm glad you're okay…" Maya murmured, wiping away her tears.
Together, they watched Lokar send a powerful Kairu blast at Alden. It effectively took out the Redakai Master. The only Council member left was Quantus.
Lokar sent a devastating blow at Quantus, who was sent flying. He hit a wall and fell to the floor with a thud on the other side of docking bay. He lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness. During the few moments of consciousness he had, he watched Lokar approach the unmoving, unconscious, and drained bodies of the Redakai Council. Lokar raised his hand and charged up a powerful and deadly attack. He was about to finish them off for good when he saw Maya hugging Nox out of the corner of his eye. Nox was glaring intensely at him, almost as if she were trying to burn a hole through his head. They locked eyes. He lowered his hand, letting his charged attack's power dissipate.
"Maya, stay close to me," Nox commanded in a whisper to Maya. She continued to scowl at Lokar.
"N, you've got to do something," she whimpered to Nox, clinging tightly to Nox's side.
"I must say," Lokar turned to face Nox, "I'm impressed that you're still able to stand." He put his inevitable victory on hold. After all, the Redakai Council was only seconds away from being destroyed. There was no need to concentrate on the practically-defeated Redakai Council completely. "I suspect that you've figured out what the attack I used on you does by now," he sneered.
"What are you talking about?" Nox demanded.
"So you haven't then?" he smiled. "Pity. I would've hoped that someone of your ingenuity would've been able to figure it out by now."
"That… That attack you used on me…" she grimaced. "It wasn't just a regular Kairu attack, was it?"
"No, it was not," he answered. "Think," he commanded.
She frowned in response and strained her mind to recount the precious events. It occurred to her that this exhaustion could not just be from pushing her body beyond its limits or just taking a powerful beating in a Kairu Battle. It felt all too different. Almost as if a parasite was sucking the energy from her. And then it hit her.
When Lokar had jabbed her in the stomach, he wasn't directly attacking her. He had extracted a portion of her Inner Kairu, throwing her body's equilibrium out of balance. That's why she couldn't move at first. Her body hadn't restored a proper balance. Even now her Inner Kairu was still unbalanced. That explained the drained and rundown feelings she still had.
"You were extracting my Kairu… And making it your own…" She said distantly.
"That is partially correct. I never stopped syphoning your Inner Kairu," his smile widened in response.
Her shoulders drooped. That explained why she still felt so drained and powerless. Her body was literally being drained of its valuable energy.
"Come on, think," Lokar goaded. "I'm certain you know the name. Just think."
She tried frowned and tried to piece together what she knew and didn't know. It was unique, yet seemed familiar, like something she might've read about in a book. She thought about the attacks traits.
It appeared that in the short run the attack was weak compared to its long term effects. It wasn't intended to finish off opponents quickly. No, it was an insidious technique designed to gradually worsen over the course of the battle. It was deliberately planned to slowly erode the victim's strength and drain them of their Inner Kairu. But that's not all it did. It transferred the stolen energy from the victim to the attacker. It had to be the Dehaustor Technique.
"The Dehaustor Technique…" she mumbled under her breath.
"Precisely," he nodded.
Her eyes widened at her own carelessness. It felt as though her heart had stopped working. She clenched her teeth at the thought of what had happened. It was such a rookie's mistake not to notice the parasitic attack sooner. Admittedly, it was an ingenious battling style. It provided the user with a safety net. Should a battle drag on for a lengthy amount of time, the user would not only have a way of quickly regenerating their own used up energy and their opponent's efficiency in battle would be seriously undermined. The longer the battle went on, the more effective and dangerous the attack would become.
"Why?" she asked breathlessly. "You were powerful enough already. Why did you need to steal mine?"
"Ah, that's an excellent question," he remarked. "You see, after my previous battle with the Redakai Council, I needed a quick way to regenerate my lost energy. Absorbing your power was a brilliant way of doing so.
"Of course, I hadn't originally planned on using the attack on you, but, it proved to be sufficient." He noted her tense posture, clenched teeth, and frustration. "After all, at the time you didn't seem to be extremely skilled in the art of Kairu. I only thought of you as a mere nuisance to my plan. But now that I have drained the majority of your Inner Kairu and made it my own," he narrowed his eyes at Nox, "it seems as though I was wrong. You are much stronger than I had originally thought. It's interesting to know that you weren't using your full strength in our battle. You didn't even begin to use half of your true power. Despite being slightly insulted, I'm curious to know why."
"I don't have to tell you anything," she snarled.
"No, I don't suppose you do. I'm quite certain I already know the answer," he commented contemptuously.
"You don't know anything about me," she hissed.
"No?" he mocked. "I'm certain I do. For starters, I know that you're terrified of using your full strength. You're terrified that you can't control your own power. Which is a very valid excuse for suppressing your skills when one considers the fact that your fears are very much true." He paused, noted Nox's temper, and then continued, "Despite your skills and talents, you lack experience and an ability to maintain your own power levels. You'd exert more Kairu than necessary and consequently drain your own Kairu faster than normal and lose control of your attacks."
"Shut up!" she snapped. No one, not even Boaddai, was able to see through her disguise. It was infuriating how well he could read her.
Lokar raised an eyebrow at her, "Excuse me?"
"You're just using stolen power to defeat your enemies," she said indignantly. "You couldn't rely on your own power to defeat the Redakai Council so you had to steal someone else's. Only a coward would use such an attack!"
Maya glanced from Nox, to Lokar, and then back to Nox. Once again, she found herself confused and out of the loop with what Nox and Lokar were talking about. Not to mention she was even more terrified. If Nox was this upset, they must be discussing something bad.
"How dare you…" Lokar hissed. He grinded his teeth. He was going to offer her another opportunity to join his side. Now he was going to teach her a lesson. No one, especially an impertinent child, could get way with calling him a coward. Nox unknowingly unleashed Lokar's treacherous rage.
"You're nothing more than a coward," Nox spat again. Anger flooded through her. Watching Lokar using her power in such monstrous ways while she could only stand weak and helpless on the sidelines disgusted her. It made her want to vomit. Especially the way Lokar talked about her and her power infuriated her.
"You little, insolent child…" Lokar growled. With a strong sweep of his hand Lokar jettisoned a flare of red-violet energy at Nox.
Braced for impact, Nox pushed Maya out of the way. She cringed before it even hit her. She knew that in her weakened state an attack like that would be fatal. However, the impact never came. She looked up and saw Quantus standing in front of her.
Quantus somehow managed to get in front of her and block the attack. His eyes were blazing with determination. However, there was a slight worn-down look on his face. His back was to Nox and Maya as he glared at Lokar. "You should stick to fighting those more suited to your strength, Lokar," he frowned. He was familiar with the technique Lokar was talking about. He knew that Nox only had a short time left before she would become comatose.
The thing about the Dehaustor Technique was that it drains the victim's Inner Kairu to such a low level, that the victim is left with almost none. The longer the attack stays in effect, the greater the chance the victim has of becoming comatose. It was a very dangerous attack that also left the victim with a small chance of dying depending on the attacker.
This worried Quantus because Lokar was very skilled with this technique and would use it to its fullest advantage.
"You think you can beat me?" Lokar scoffed. His body glowed a bright-blue for a moment, the aura gently licking his cloak. He smiled and stated, "I have massive amounts of Kairu energy coursing through my veins, all thanks to Kenway. There's no possible way I can lose!"
"We'll see about that, Lokar," Quantus said, entering a fighting stance.
With nothing more to say, the two Kairu Masters engaged in an epic battle once more. Lokar was immediately on the offensive, pushing Quantus backwards. Quantus tried his best to gain the upper hand but his efforts were futile.
Nox pealed her eyes away from the battle to look for Boaddai. She found his body resting on the ground not too far from her. She could just barely make out the small rise and fall of his chest. "Is Master Boaddai okay?" She was unable to remove her eyes from her Master's seemingly lifeless body. It made her feel sick to her stomach that the power Lokar stole from her could do such horrible things.
"I don't know…" Maya trembled, fisting her hands in Nox's training robes.
In response to Maya's trembling, Nox wrapped a protective arm around the girl. She felt Maya relax slightly. This relieved Nox. She hated seeing Maya so scared.
Suddenly they heard a short, deep groan of pain. They didn't even have to look to know it was Quantus and Lokar had beaten him. Everyone except Nox, Maya and Lokar where left standing.
"And then there were three," Lokar chuckled. With Nox's power and his skill mixed together, he was unbeatable.
Nox glared at Lokar and pulled Maya closer to her. Anguish passed over her face. It felt like a thousand needles were stabbing her from the inside.
Lokar smirked. The attack had reached the final stages of its course. "Don't worry, Kenway," he sneered. "All of this will be over soon, considering the fact you are in no condition to battle."
"Don't mock me," Nox hissed. But she knew that he was right, and she hated that he was right. After taking a moment to assess the situation, she felt her heart sink. If her calculations were correct, and she prayed they weren't, then more than half of her Inner Kairu had been drained by now. That was barely enough for an attack that could even begin to reach Lokar's level. Even now her entire body was feeling the effects of the attack now more than ever.
She watched attentively as Lokar charged up another Kairu attack in his hand. She knew that that he was preparing to attack her. Maya clung to Nox's side even tighter than she was before. Lokar let the attack build up within his palm, and then, without warning, pushed the attack forwards. Nox pushed Maya out of the way, the girl stumbled and fell to the floor, and before Nox had a chance to dodge Lokar's attack it hit her directly on her chest. She yelped in pain as she felt the intensity of the attack fling her across the docking bay. She landed with a thud some five feet away.
"N," Maya shrieked, "no!" She watched helplessly from the floor. She looked at Nox's motionless body and thought the worst had happened. She couldn't stop thinking that Nox was dead. Her body trembled with terror. She was so terrified she wanted to cry and run away. Yet, her body would not move. It was like she had been glued to the floor. All she could do was look up in horror and watch Lokar approach her.
"Now," he grinned widely, gliding over the frightened girl, "there is nothing to stop me from getting what I want."
"Stay away from me!" Maya demanded fearfully.
"That's not very polite, Maya," he chuckled.
Every step he took brought him closer to Maya. To victory. He was only a few steps away when he heard a soft groan that sounded like words. With a frown, he glanced over at Nox. He watched with raised eyebrows as the teen began to stir.
"You…" Nox stammered. She struggled to her feet and glared at Lokar. "You…" she breathed heavily, taking a few laborious steps forward, "stay away from her!" Each one of her jagged breaths made her body tremble with pain. It felt as though lightning were shooting up her limbs. She cringed. The longer she stood, the more potent the pain became. It felt as though her body were being torn apart from the inside.
"You are so persistent," Lokar turned his attention towards Nox. "How are you even standing?" he questioned, examining her carefully. "I drained you of more than half of your Inner Kairu," he stated with a scowl. "Not even the Redakai has such resilience."
"I don't know," she answered truthfully, trying to conceal her pain. "And I don't care. Stay away from my friend." It didn't matter how she was able to stand. All that mattered to Nox was keeping Maya safe. She couldn't let Maya get hurt.
"No matter," Lokar said dismissively. "There is no possible way you can beat me given your current state." He took another step toward Maya.
"You stay away from her cause if you don't I'll-" Nox gasped. She doubled over with a grimace. Her body began to glow and emit a brilliant blue energy. It was the last of her Inner Kairu. It felt as though it were slipping though her fingers. She glanced up at Lokar and scowled through her pain. She watched helplessly as the blue energy surrounding her began to flow from her, twisting magnificently through the air, and over to Lokar. He grinned and stood with his back straight and chin up. The energy began to swirl around him. He held out his hand and called forth the energy to his palm. He gave a throaty chuckle he absorbed the energy.
"N!" Maya cried helplessly.
"You'll what?" he scoffed, "You can barely stand." He laughed as the surge of energy began to tear through the docking bay.
The force of the energy was enough to create ripples of wind in the air that made everything from loose-fitting clothing, hair, papers, and dust to whip around violently. The intensity of the power caused the hair on the back of Maya's neck go ridged. She watched Nox, who was shuddering violently, as Lokar continued to steal her Inner Kairu. There was nothing she could do. It felt impossible that this could be happening. It felt as though there were no end to this. She clenched her fist tightly. Her knuckles turned white.
"Is something wrong?" Lokar jeered. Again his lips curled into that sick, evil grin. "You seem like you're having trouble standing."
Nox whimpered incoherently as she felt her body aching. Her eyes watered. More blood drizzled out of her mouth as she coughed, mixing with the stray tears that had leaked from her eyes.
Something tugged at Maya's heart. Memories of Nox protecting her, and Nox standing up for what she believed in flooded the little girl's brain. She focused on her Inner Kairu. The energy flowed to her clenched fist. She let the energy build up. "Leave N alone!" she said, slightly less terrified.
Lokar glanced down at Maya. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment, "What's this?"
Then, before Lokar had a chance to prepare a counter attack, Maya pushed the energy from her hand without hesitating. The attack hit Lokar. Red sparks scattered violently. Lokar staggered backwards slightly, the blue glow slowly retreating from his body. He glared at Maya, a hint of annoyance on his face. Maya stared up in awe of what she had just done.
The remaining Kairu energy that fluttered through the air returned to Nox. She would've glanced up if she could have. But her body would not let her. Her legs shook under her weight. Then they buckled under the strain. She felt to her knees with a loud thud. She pressed a fist to the ground to steady her swaying body. A grimace was plastered onto her face. Her shoulders shook with every painful and laborious breath she took.
Both Lokar and Maya turned their heads at Nox.
"N!" Maya shrieked. She stood up and ran towards Nox. Lokar attempted to grab her but the little girl's swift movements let her dash out of the way. "N, are you okay?" she asked upon reaching Nox.
"Yeah…" Nox answered between jagged breaths. "I'm… I'm fine. Thanks for that…" She couldn't catch her breath. Her lungs burned for air. She burst out in a coughing fit, more blood dribbling on to her neck and splattering on the floor. The blood felt thick and warm on her neck. It itched.
"N…" Maya said with a stifled whimper. She gripped the sleeve of Nox's training robes.
"Huh?" Nox groaned when she had stopped coughing. She looked up and saw Lokar approaching them.
"You might have bought your friend some time, Maya," Lokar began. "But you cannot delay the inevitable forever."
Nox tried to glare up at Lokar but couldn't strip away the pain from her face. She began to tense up as Lokar got closer and closer to them. Suddenly it felt as though everything were spinning. Everything looked hazy. She grimaced and hung her head. It was becoming hard to keep her body up. It felt as though gravity were conspiring against her. She opened her eyes only to see her little droplets of crimson goo on the floor. It made her stomach lurch.
"It's getting harder and harder to continue this battle, isn't it?" his lips curled into that sick, evil grin. "It must be, considering your current position. After all, my little Dehaustor Technique has zapped nearly all of your Inner Kairu." he jeered. "You've gotten in my way one too many times, Miss Kenway. This is the end," he widened his smile. He raised his hand and prepared to finish Nox off.
"Leave her alone!" Maya demanded, her voice quivering slightly. She stepped in front of Nox and entered a fighting stance.
"Maya…" Nox groaned. "Don't…" She tried to stand but her body wouldn't move.
"If I don't he'll… He'll kill you," she turned to look at Nox, tears swelling in her eyes.
Nox opened her mouth to protest but only a moan came out. She had to lower her head again. It felt like everything was spinning out of control. She felt like she was going to vomit.
In response, Lokar laughed. He composed himself, smiled, and then said, "If your friend couldn't defeat me, what makes you think you can?"
"I... I don't know," Maya stuttered, returning her attention back to Lokar.
"There's nothing you or anyone else can do. I've won," he laughed, walking closer.
Despite being terrified, Maya stood as tall as she could. She launched another Kairu attack at Lokar. With nothing more than a wave of his hand, he dispelled the attack. He smirked and pushed Maya aside. She lost her footing and fell to the floor with a yelp of pain. Lokar paid no mind to Maya's cry. Instead he continued to approach Nox.
Nox looked up slightly to see Lokar standing over her. She tried again to move, to fight. But her body still wouldn't, still couldn't, move.
"You're finished, Kenway," he said. "Now stand," he commanded. "I refuse to kill someone while they are down. It's not honorable." When Nox did not stand he scowled. "I said," he growled, grabbing her by the hair to lift her up, "stand!"
She whimpered. It felt as though he were tearing the skin from her skull. She struggled to find her own feet. Once she had steadied her legs, she felt Lokar release his grip. Her legs shook under her weight and it felt like her whole body were swaying.
"Good. Now you can meet your end like a true Kairu Warrior," he remarked. He began to charge up a quick, yet powerful attack within his hand.
Nox knew what was coming. She knew that he was going to kill her. Yet she couldn't go down without putting up a fight or making one last effort to save Maya. Determination and anger filled her eyes. In one hasty and ungraceful movement, Nox lunged at Lokar. Go for the eyes, she heard a voice say; a voice sounding unlike her own.
"Nice try, Kenway," Lokar commented, grabbing her throat. "But you're too slow," he stated, pulling her closer to him so that their faces were mere inches apart, her eyes were level to his, and then tightened his grip.
Nox tried to pry his hand from her neck but her strength was no match for his. She growled for air as she clawed at his wrist. Suddenly a tingling sensation crawled from her neck to her skull. Eventually her entire body felt the strange sensation. Then it surged into a sharp unbearable pain. Once again her body began to glow that brilliant blue. It felt as though her body were being torn apart from the inside. She groaned in anguish as Lokar began to steal the last of her Inner Kairu. Her muscles grew heavy and she could no longer move. He limbs went limp and she felt her lungs burning for air. She squinted through the bright glow to see a grin plastered on Lokar's face.
Just as soon as the sensation started, it ended, leaving her with the faint, nerve-racking sensation of powerlessness. Her lungs screamed for air, demanding she fight for breath, yet her muscles wouldn't move. Her limbs dangled lifelessly as she watched Lokar through half-lidded eyes. In one swift movement, Lokar roughly threw Nox to the ground. He stood over her, watching her coughing and gasping for breath.
There was a sudden shift in the Kairu energy surrounding them. The Kairu Battle was over. Lokar had won. Yet he wasn't finished. He wouldn't stop until he got what he came for.
"N!" Maya screeched. "No!" She dashed over to Nox and kneeled down. She gripped one of Nox's pale hands. It didn't matter that Lokar was standing right next to her. All that matter to her was that Nox was okay. "N…" her voice quivered, tears swelling in her eyes, "N… Are you okay?" All she received as a response was more coughing and some incoherent murmurs. "N… Please! You've got to be okay." Tears slowly spilled from her eyes. "You've got to get up…"
"There's no use, child," Lokar said coolly. "She isn't likely to survive. There's no point in trying to encourage her to live."
"No!" Maya whimpered. "You're lying! You have to be lying!"
"As tough as it is for you to believe, I am not lying," he replied. "Your friend will die. She isn't strong enough to live."
"No! Stop it!" she wailed, tears running down her checks. "You're… You're lying!"
Her shrill, distressing voice reached Boaddai's ears. Slowly, he stirred from his unconsciousness. He stood, found Nox and Maya, glared at Lokar, and then demanded, "Step away from my students, Lokar."
"Well, this has become more difficult than I had hoped," he growled in response. He clenched his fists. "However," he grinned, "you cannot beat me on your own, Old Man. You're no match for me. Especially with the massive amounts of Kairu I have coursing through my veins." To demonstrate his power he let a small surge of energy ripple through the docking bay.
"How is this possible?" Boaddai questioned. He glanced down at Nox, then to Maya, scowled, and then locked eyes with Lokar.
"Certainly you've heard of the Dehaustor Technique, correct?"
Boaddai's eyes widened and he clenched his fists. It wasn't a new technique to him. He knew it very well. "Call off the attack," he demanded.
"No, I don't think I will. I quite enjoy the sensation of power I'm receiving from this. I must say, I'm rather impressed with your student's power. Though, I'm disappointed in her lack of skill," he stated.
"I'm warning you, Lokar, call off the attack," he repeated, taking up a fighting stance.
"Why don't you make me?" Lokar suggested with a sneer.
"Maya," Boaddai said without breaking eye contact with Lokar, "get behind me." When the little girl did not move, he said sternly, "Now."
Maya obediently scurried to Boaddai's side. "Master Boaddai, what about N?" she muttered, wiping away her tears.
"Do not worry," he said firmly. "I will handle this."
"You'll handle this?" Lokar gave a throaty chuckle.
"Kairu Challenge!" Boaddai frowned. He pounded his fists together and bowed.
"Challenge accepted," he said, returning the bow.
The two Kairu Masters engaged in battle. Boaddai tried his best to fend off Lokar as best he could. Despite Boaddai's skill and graceful technique rivaled that of Lokar's, he was no match for Lokar's power. Lokar eventually had Boaddai tumbling to the floor.
While Boaddai and Lokar were in the midst of battle, the other members of the Redakai Council began to stir as well.
"I told you, Boaddai," Lokar sneered, "You're no match for my power." He was about to finish off Boaddai but was thrown backwards by an unanticipated blast of energy.
"Perhaps, Master Boaddai may not be able to defeat you on his own," Quantus began, getting to his feet, "but he doesn't have to face you alone." He entered a fighting stance. Then, in unison, the rest of the Redakai Council entered a fighting stance as well.
Lokar shook off the attack and turned his head with a growl. He hadn't counted on the Redakai Council recovering from his attacks this quickly.
"Stand down and surrender, Master Lokar," Alden commanded.
"Well, this has proven to be more difficult than I had anticipated," Lokar thought out loud with a sigh.
"You cannot defeat us all, Lokar," Boaddai said wearily. "We won't be as easy to defeat this time." His eyes darted to Nox. She was sprawled out onto the floor, still gasping and spluttering. Yet it seemed to have become more rapid, more desperate, and more laborious with each breath she tried to take. There was too much on the line to make any mistakes.
Lokar turned his attention to where Boaddai was looking. His eyes lit up with determination, almost as if he was thinking of something dark and sinister. "Seeing how my original plan has back fired," he said with a slight frown, "I suppose this will have to do."
"This is your last warning, Lokar. Surrender now or else justice's hand will swiftly defeat you!" Atoch demanded. His face was twisted with rage. He wanted nothing more than to avenge Toby's death.
"No," he said slyly, "I have a better idea." All in one swift movement, he picked Nox up, threw her limp body over his shoulder, preforming a single-shoulder carry, and then grinned.
Anger flooded Boaddai's face. He charged headlong after Lokar, "Put her down!"
"Until next time, Old Man," Lokar laughed. In a bright, purple flash both Lokar and Nox were gone.
"Nox…" Boaddai whispered. He stood in the exact spot Lokar had been, the faint purple sparks fading away. His gaze was fixed on the empty space in front of him. His mind was stuck in between the time Lokar had picked up Nox and the moment he had disappeared with her over his shoulder. A wail of sadness brought him back to the present. "Maya…" he turned his head to see Maya crumpled to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. He strolled over to Maya and knelt down beside her.
Upon noticing Boaddai had come to her side, she flung her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his chest and sobbed. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't. It seemed impossible. Her only friend in the universe was gone, taken from her. She was terrified that she would never see Nox ever again. Another wave of sadness crashed into her. Everything that had just happened was too much for her to handle. She tightened her grip on Boaddai's robes and whimpered between her sobs, "You… You need to save her!"
"We will," he cooed. "We'll find her." He gently picked her up, felt her face press harder into his chest, and turned to Quantus.
Quantus gave Boaddai a nod. He knew Boaddai would want to take Maya back to the monastery.
In a flash of bright, blue light, Boaddai and Maya were gone.
Nox woke up in dimly lit room. She was lying on her side on the hard, cold stone floor. She was dizzy, her muscles ached, and were stiff from the coldness of the floor. Something sticky was on her neck and the corner of her mouth felt sticky as well. She tried to bring a hand to her flesh to see what was there but couldn't move.
It was difficult to string together a proper thought. Her mind was blank and she couldn't recall where she was or what happened. The last thing she remembered was being in a lot of pain. It felt like there was something more. It was on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be remembered, but she couldn't draw anything from her mind. It felt like she was trying to protect someone.
Maya... Oh, crap! Where's Maya! She jolted up right and grimaced with anguish. She heard a soft chuckled and frantically gazed up.
A familiarly shaped silhouette stood within the doorway. It glided forwards. Its prodigious frame cast a fearsome shadow on her.
"Lokar…" she mumbled upon recognizing him. "Where's… Where's Maya?" Her voice cracked. She attempted to stand but was stricken by an alarmingly painful stab of anguish. She fell ungracefully on her butt and shook with pain. She glanced up at Lokar. His threatening gaze pouring down on her. It felt like she was being crushed with just a look.
"I see you're finally awake," he glared down at her. "I suggest you try not to move. Otherwise, you might end up hurting yourself even more. Your body has yet to heal itself. So in the meantime," a sick, twisted smile spread across his face, "welcome to your new home."
"Where is Maya?" She croaked sternly. Her throat was burning and yearned for water.
"Do not concern yourself with that," he answered dismissively. "Perhaps you should be more worried about where you are." There was a subtle curl, almost like a suppressed smile, in the corner of his moth.
She narrowed her eyes and frowned. It never once occurred to her to ask where she was. Maya had always been her first priority. She glanced around the room.
There was a cot bolted into the wall. It had a folded blanket at the foot of the cot and a pillow on top. There was a door to the far left, which Nox presumed led to a small bathroom. The air felt cool, empty, and lifeless; almost like a mausoleum. It was dry and stale. Grey walls of stone surrounded her. It wasn't just any room she was trapped in. She was in a cell.
"It's… It's a cell," she stated, looking up at Lokar. Her eyes, pale-blue in this lighting, shining through the dimness.
"Correct," he confirmed, his orange eyes studying her.
When Lokar didn't say anything more, Nox felt extremely uneasy. She felt vulnerable. It seemed like he was waiting for her to ask something. "Where am I?" she demanded. She hated to give him the satisfaction but she knew he wouldn't budge if she didn't ask.
Lokar finally let his mouth curl into smug smile. "It's interesting how you place other's needs and wellbeing, especially Maya's, before your own," he remarked. "You didn't even think about yourself when you first came around until I directed you to do so, did you?"
"So what if didn't?" she scowled in response. It was true, however. She always put the needs of others before herself. Yet, he didn't answer her question.
"You allow yourself to be distracted by your emotions and sense of obligation to Maya," he went on, his scrutinizing gaze tearing through her. "Throughout our battle, you were constantly checking on Maya to ensure that she was safe. It could have cost you your life."
"Why are you lecturing me?" she questioned. "I'm not your student."
"Perhaps not. But that doesn't mean I can't point out a hamartia when I see one," he retorted. When Nox tilted her head in confusion as a response, he sighed, "Your Achilles' heel," he explained. "Your fatal flaw."
"You didn't answer my question," she stated. It's not like she expected him to tell her where she was but she at least expected a contemptuous comment.
"No, I did not," he smiled.
"You… You said I was going to die… Why am I not dead?" she asked softly.
He chuckled, "You would have died should I not have restored your Inner Kairu to a stable level and healed the major wounds you received during our battle. Do not think of that as an act of charity, Miss Kenway."
"So you called off the attack…" she stated. While her body still ached in anguish, it no longer felt like a parasite were sucking the life out of her. "Why?"
"I have my reasons for keeping you alive, Miss Kenway. You will find out soon enough," he said coolly. "Until then, I suggest you conserve your energy. If you exert too much effort without allowing your Inner Kairu to replenish itself, you will permanently harm yourself." With that said, he turned and walked out of the cell. He pressed a button and the cell's solid metal door slid shut with a loud hiss.
The only light that illuminated the cell was a strip of dim light that seeped through an opening, a window, around eye level on the door.
Nox stared blankly through the semidarkness at the spot where Lokar had been. Not only did her head ache from the damage she took, but he brain was also swirling with confusion. It didn't make sense to her that Lokar would call off the attack. He could have easily taken her power for his own without remorse. But he didn't.
He has to be planning something… She decided. But what? He can't seriously be planning on keeping me as a hostage. The Redakai Council doesn't regularly make hostage negotiations…
A sharp pain surged through her body and scattered her thoughts. Her muscles were screaming. She knew she had to get off of the freezing floor. However, she was hesitant to move. If she were to lay on the cot, that would be a sign of submission. She groaned as another wave of anguish passed over her.
Finally, after having an intense internal debate with herself, Nox decided that it would not be beneficial to her recovery if she continued to remain on the floor. If she ever wanted to breakout of this place she'd need to be fully recovered to do so. She got up on her shaky feet and limped over to the cot. Once there, she collapsed onto the soft mattress. It didn't matter to her that she was staining the cotton sheet with her dry, crusty blood. The fact that she was off of the cold floor and onto a warmer, more comfortable surface felt like bliss.
After a long time of resting, Nox was able to sit up without experiencing extreme pain. Her head was clearer and was no longer throbbing. She looked around the dimly lit cell. Then it crashed into her like a train. She was alone. Completely and utterly alone. And from that aloneness sprang an overwhelming loneliness that Nox hadn't felt in such a long time.
It all came down to Maya. Before she had been graced with Maya's friendship, Nox had felt so alone. Maya seemed to erase that pain completely. Now that they had been separated the feeling was back stronger than ever. This was not a feeling Nox wanted to have again. And she knew very well that Maya was feeling the same things right now. That hurt the most. It hurt so much to know that her best friend was in pain and Nox couldn't do anything about it. It made her feel so powerless and useless.
"Maya… I'm so sorry…" she sniffled. She felt her eyes watering. Yet she refused to cry. She refused to give Lokar the satisfaction of knowing he had hurt her.
Nox removed the slightly unraveled arm wraps around her left forearm. She sighed as she examined the blue, lightning boltlike markings on her outer forearm. Her heart sunk as she twisted her arm. She slowly scanned her fair skin. On her inner forearm and scattered all across her flesh were several faded scars. She dragged her thumb over them. She shuddered as she was brought back to the first time she had ever inflicted such lacerations on her own flesh.
Her sudden remembrance of those emotions made Nox wish she had never known such kindness that Maya had treated her with. In her anger and pain, she almost convinced herself that it was far better to be alone than to be around someone for so long and permit them to become a part of you only to end up losing them, and thus losing yourself. It hurt. More than anything she had ever known. However, she had felt pain akin to this before. Perhaps not as potent, but similar.
She hastily replaced the arm wraps to their rightful place. Memories, painful ones, flooded her brain. Images of her dark past flashed through her mind like in a horror movie. Nox felt sick to her stomach with anxiety. She had spent years trying to suppress those memories and never wanted to deal with those memories ever again, especially now. Overwhelming terror washed over her. It felt like she were about to explode.
"No," she breathed rapidly. "Not now…" Her heart beat was racing and resonated throughout her body. It felt like her thoughts were whizzing through her mind like lightning. It was unable to construct a rational thought, her mind was going too fast for that to happen. Yet, at the same time, every one of those irrational and seemingly impossible thought seemed to make some kind of twisted sense. She couldn't distinguish what was real between what was fake within her own mind. It was almost as if there were an invisible, dreadfully powerful force looming over her head, crushing and extinguishing every last of her hope. She felt like she needed to run, run far away and never stop. However, her body, it wouldn't, it couldn't move. She wasn't in any shape to make a run for it. This feeling of helplessness only exacerbated her feeling of terror.
Nox was desperate to stop the thoughts. She grabbed the blanket, wrapped it around her tightly, and then tried to imagine it was Maya hugging her.
It worked slightly. It almost felt as though Maya were here with her. No, scratch that. Nox would never want Maya to be placed in a hostage situation like this. She decided it was better to imagine that she were back at the monastery. This eased her contrition slightly.
However, the woolen fabric still had that slight lanolin-sheep smell. This was not Maya's scent. This was not the monastery's scent. This was the scent of a wool blanket that was provided to her by Lokar. She hated that. She hated herself for having a panic attack and needing comfort. She hated how she was using something given to her by the very man who placed her in this situation.
Suddenly overtaken by exhaustion and dizziness, Nox drifted into a restless and sleepless sleep.