The Shadow of Fire
Chapter 52: A Friendly Wager
A/N: Hey all. I'm back! Enjoy the chapter!
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jetscythe7: No problem!
Garden of the Gods
Kryata
Disregarding the harsh circumstances surrounding his existence at the very moment, Yveltal calmly strolled throughout his garden in his usual white tuxedo without much care of the world around him. The divine being brushed aside his ghostly white hair as a light breeze blew past towards the distant towering structure belonging to Ruby.
Personally, Yveltal felt the building was a nuisance. All of his children had simple monuments or humble abodes to call their own, nothing on this scale. However, he knew he had none to blame but himself. After all, he did create time and space in the first place.
"Papa?" A young girl in a yellow flower dress asked her father as she tugged on his suit.
"Yes Kas?" The Creator of the Universe asked his youngest daughter and child while he waved his hand along a dying rose, sparking it back to life.
"Papa, why do you have to leave soon?" Kas, a young, future Goddess asked her father with a pout on her face.
"My young one." Yveltal began as he knelt down to her level. "I won't be gone long. It is simply a tradition."
"Can I come, papa?" Kas asked with a tilt of her head as her blonde locks blew around in the gusts of wind.
"Perhaps when you are older." The Elder God spoke with a warm smile down to his daughter.
Yveltal snapped his fingers, bringing forth several golden statued guards to his daughter's side, each with cold expressions and incredibly sharp broadswords.
"Do keep watch of her, men. I won't be long."
And with that, the Elder God flicked his wrist, causing a white cane with a golden etched handle to fall from thin air to his grasp as he walked down the stone pathway, off towards the distant lands he once tended several millennia ago.
Beacon
Prison 18/B
"This stinks." Nora pouted as she kicked a rounded stone across the floor of her cell, huffing as it failed to entertain her for longer than three nano-seconds. "I hate this place. No fun, no games, not even pancakes! PANCAKES, Ren! It's inhumane!"
Ren simply leaned on the foundation of their prison cell beneath Beacon, sighing as he recalled the pain in his right hand after leading a breakout just the other day. The walls of the prison seemed simple enough, possibly pure stone with bits of granite mixed in. Yet, lo and behold, he was greeted with pure titanium-steel reinforcements beneath the hardened stone. While focusing his Aura towards his fists certainly can deal decisive blows to the creatures of Grimm, walls still continued to be his one true enemy. While punching the bars of the cell would be assumed a better option, Cardin learned that they were emitting strong electrical currents hard way that
"Nora, you ate waffles two hours ago." Ren noted as he rubbed his fist in minor agony.
"Oh, don't get me STARTED on WAFFLES!" The girl shouted as she began her rant on why waffles were a worthless thing compared to glorious pancakes.
Within the cell adjacent to the odd duo sat both Pyrrha and Jaune, both laying on a makeshift bed made up of random objects that the demon creatures allowed them to use.
"My sisters always told me I'd die this way..." Jaune sighed as Pyrrha pat his back awkwardly.
"In a jail, held captive by demons under the command of a dark God King?" Pyrrha injected as Jaune shook his head rapidly.
"No, at the hands of boredom." Jaune sighed in defeat as Pyrrha continued to rub his back to ease his pain.
Goodwitch growled as she continued to punch the stone wall behind her cell with Aura'd fists, now beginning to notice the titanium reinforcements beneath as she grunted in pain.
"It's a worthless endeavor, Glynda." Doctor Firefall sadly admitted as he shared the cramped cell with his colleague. "And I am out of bandages, so there's that."
"Cut the humor and help me, Firefall." Goodwitch hissed as the prison guard paced around the cells with a rather large rifle in hand, prepared to deal with any incursion.
"I am more of a physiological fighter than physical..." Firefall coughed as Goodwitch gave the doctor an icy cold stare-down.
"They seem to be having fun." Ulysses commented as he sat down in a broken computer chair, tossing a faulty tennis ball up in the air over and over again and again.
"Indeed. Plenty." Warren added as the duo shared an awkward laughter within the near silent room.
Professors Port and Oobleck both shared their cell as well, engaged in a hardcore match of chess on the cold stone flooring.
"And... Checkmate." Oobleck smirked as a wild look flashed beneath his glasses while Port simply sat in astonishment.
"I-Impossible!" Port held his head in utter disbelief. "How did you best my army that quick! I demand a recount!"
"Quiet, runts." The guard growled with a seemingly snake-like voice, brandishing his rifle to aid to his sinister tone.
Port then ceased his complaining, settling with giving his longtime friend a simple scrunch of his brows.
Pyrrha looked around at all the misery around her being, feeling all the negative energy seep through her shinning Aura. She couldn't give in. Not while her hope still remained.
"Come on guys... I believe in you..." Pyrrha muttered as she kicked a small pebble across the cell. "I believe in you."
Wendar Airfield Base
Vale
"This is stupid." Weiss huffed as Melody dragged the stubborn heiress by her hand down into the grassy plains below the cliff side. "How in the Hell are we suppose to pull this kind of stunt off with all these men here? We don't have the weaponry to deal with something like this."
"Weiss, has anyone ever told you that you complain too much?" Melody asked the girl as she grinned. "Have faith in the idiotic."
"I have faith in Yang, so does that count for anything?" Weiss said sarcastically, not meaning the remark as Melody covered her mouth to avoid audible laughing.
"S-shush, Weiss." Melody said carefully as the duo neared the base of a nearby watch tower, now being occupied by the demon men.
"How are we going to get past these guys?" Weiss asked aloud in a hushed whisper as Melody thought up a plan. "The bushes end up ahead. We can't sneak past."
"I know, I know. Let me think..."
Click click
Weiss heard a light thump from the top of the watch tower, frowning in confusion before two bodies fell down into the grass below, nearly causing a scream to come out from Weiss in fear and confusion.
"Are they dead?" Weiss asked as Melody moved up to investigate, checking for any signs of life.
"No pulse, which I'm assuming a demon follows proper anatomy and physiology." The girl thought aloud as the duo moved up past the ending of the brush and towards a neat stockpile of former Vale military airships, having not noticed the red dots on the center of both the demons' chests.
"What do you think did that?" Melody whispered as Weiss pierced the throat of a nearby guard with her rapier, processing to execute the monster before tossing the body underneath a tarmac to the side.
"Not sure." Weiss thought as she checked to see if the coast was clear, signaling to move up as Melody tripped over the fallen demon's gun. "Maybe the demons expire after being in this world for too long at a time?"
"Possibly. But why aren't these ones dead as well?" Melody asked as Weiss just shrugged in response.
"I don't know..."
Weiss heard the sounds of boots tapping on metal as a pair of guards passed by with weapons at the ready, having heard the echo when Melody tripped over the weapon. Weiss, knowing that they would probably be calling their commander anytime soon, decided to act.
Weiss sidestepped out of her hiding spot and projected a giant glyph on the floor beneath the demons. The men had not even a second before the glyph activated and sent the duo flying upwards into the air in free fall. The pair spun as they reached the ceiling, bashing their heads on the steel and breaking their necks in the process, falling dead to the floor moments later.
"Cover them up." Weiss told her partner as Melody tossed a few jeep tires on the monsters to hide their remains before rejoining the heiress.
Weiss looked around the hanger they were currently inside, taking notice of the vast weapons cache they were standing upon.
"There's so much here..." Weiss spoke in a hushed voice as a group of guards rushed past the pair towards a few airships, speaking in rapid growls and grunts.
"What are they saying?" Weiss muttered under her breath as Melody poked her head up behind Weiss's shoulder.
"Some form of Godly language. A rip-off version of ours." Melody guessed as she could still hear the echoed growls from down the corridor.
"Umm... I think they just said something intelligible..." Melody frowned in confusion as Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? Any idea what they said?"
Melody hummed. "Translating it to your language is... hard. But I think I have a general idea."
Melody thought for a second before resuming.
"One of them told the others something about the "boss want soldiers west gate" if that makes sense." Melody interpreted as Weiss noticed more guards heading in that direction.
"Seems legit." Weiss agreed as she signaled the duo to move down towards the airships.
"Let's get moving. The sooner we can get this ship, the sooner we can get your powers back." The heiress said quietly, pulling the Goddess along.
"That would be nice. I hate having my beautiful voice tampered with." Melody agreed aloud. "I swear the next time I see Dagonus I will tear his vocal cords from his throat."
"That's a little harsh." Weiss noted as she leap a railing down to the bottom of the hanger, landing with the aid of a Glyph.
"There we go..." Weiss muttered as several airships hung in suspension above the duo, held up by several tractor beam lights. "Let's get this thing down and get out of here. Fast."
The Spire
Kryata
Yveltal walked along a weathered stone pathway for seemingly miles, using his cane for support as his endless aging process seemed to be catching up to him.
"Just a little further." Yveltal thought aloud as he passed several statues of men and woman frozen in time, all in a look of panic and fear as they ran away from the direction he was traveling.
"Oh my poor creations..." Yveltal sighed as he found one of a young child with his family, the look of worry forever imprinted on his small face. "If only I could have been here to protect you from him..."
The Elder God continued on his journey, eventually leading to a massive spire within what would be the center of Kryata, towering over every structure in the realm. The tower was spilt in color, evenly half black and half white. The structure itself radiated the power of the universe itself, and even Yveltal himself would admit to its strength.
"Hopefully he will be in a better mood this time..." The First God thought audibly as he passed through the white doors of the structure, echoing an ancient sounding gong across the plane of existence.
"You're late, brother." Yveltals mirrored self told the God as he sat at a small wooden table, fiddling with what seemed to be a chess piece. "Have you no sense of time?"
"Come, Xalveris. Is it necessary to do this every time we meet?" Yveltal spoke as if Xalveris was his longtime friend.
"Indeed. I am just patiently waiting to set you off one of these times." The Dark God said sarcastically as he set the pawn down on the chess board. "Take your seat. Time to begin our game."
"Very well. Usual wager?" Yveltal asked as he sat down in the white chair provided to him, setting his cane down beside him.
"Usual wager." Xalveris agreed as he pushed a pawn up one space.
This was a tradition for the duo. While polar opposites in every regard, the pair had one shared weakness for simple games. And with these simple games came not so simple bets. The pair of Elder Gods would come to this location every year, meeting face-to-face for a variety of games to take part in. This year, it was chess, a favorite for the duo. Every time they did this, both sides would bet something: Xalveris would bet a member of his Fallen army, while Yveltal would bet the existence of the universe itself.
"Do you feel lucky on this day, brother?" Yveltal asked as he shifted a knight up to the right, resting his hands on his lap.
"Perhaps. Which one of my soldiers are you seeking on this day, brother?" The Dark God countered as he pushed his rook up several places.
"I am unsure. I'll wait till a little further on." The Light God nodded as he pushed a pawn up two spaces.
The game continued as such, both sides taking and losing several pieces as they went on with their game.
"I'm sure you felt the significant loss of life recently." Xalveris chuckled as he took one of Yveltals rooks.
"The Milky Way, was it?" Yveltal countered as he honestly couldn't care less. "It had but a single world of mortals to speak of. It was nothing special."
"You don't care one bit?" Xalveris frowned before chuckling. "My my, perhaps we are brothers."
"However, it was good to see that my Seal has kept its strength." Yveltal countered as he moved a piece, continuing the match as if it was nothing more than a simple game.
"Indeed..." Xalveris growled as he relaxed from his angered state, settling in the fact that while he was still weakened, he was still running this show. "Indeed so, brother..."