Chapter thirty-two: When earth and sky cross blades

A cold silence followed as Jack spoke those words. The moment they left his mouth, he hesitated…but he couldn't back down now. He wasn't going to survive their judgment anyway, he reckoned. Might as well go down fighting.

To his surprise, Raulyn sighed. "Fool," the Hunter hissed.

Herskagul looked at him uncertainly. Jack just glared back. He doubted he stood a chance against her, even with his armor and weapons…but what other choice did he have? Even if they weren't going to execute him, he wasn't safe in the Aether, what with the Blight and Karthuul looming over his head. At least now he had some hope of survival.

"You've learned of our traditions," Herskagul said. "Now that you've proven yourself to be a fighter, you think you can challenge me and expect me to accept. I don't see what you hope to accomplish with this. The artefact is being installed into the device as we speak. Only a few more adjustments need to be made before we can fully revive Karthuul."

Jack noticed some of the Valkyries shifting at that. They clearly didn't like the idea.

Herskagul paid them no heed. "You're hoping to rescue Brigul. To leave the Valkyries leaderless without breaking any of our laws… But do you think the others would accept Brigul's release before the next Queen rises?"

"My Queen, please," Raulyn said. "This man is known to be reckless. He does not know what he is saying."

"I can't refuse a challenge." She looked at the captain. "Though he is a traitor, I'm willing to grant him an honorable death."

More Valkyries muttered amongst themselves.

"Let me speak with him, at least!" Raulyn pressed.

She glanced at him skeptically. "He wouldn't listen to you, Captain."

"What is the harm in trying?"

She remained silent for a moment. Finally she gave a nod. "Very well. But keep it brief."

The Valkyries led the two humans to the corridor before the throne room, then left them alone. Jack glared at Raulyn through his visor. He really felt like punching this man right now.

"Jack," Raulyn said quietly. "I am here with your friends, the mobs."

"Bullshit."

"Why would I lie? I care not if criminals are executed here or in the Overworld. If I wanted you dead, I would just leave you here."

"So I'm supposed to believe that you made friends with mobs? Don't make me laugh!"

"You are wrong, Jack…"

Something changed about his expression. Jack paused for a moment…and then he saw it.

Raulyn's eyes had turned from their usual brown to yellow.

Jack flinched back. "What the f…?!"

They turned back to brown again…but Jack knew what he'd seen.

"You're a…!"

"Quiet!" Raulyn hissed. "The Valkyries cannot know."

"You've been hunting mobs your whole life—!"

"I only recently learned what I am," the Hunter said, keeping his voice down.

Jack was speechless. There was no way this was happening! The most well-known mob hunter in the Overworld was a mob! No wonder he was so successful at a young age! He must've used his powers for that.

"Now," Raulyn said calmly. "You and I have a common goal…"

"You called me a traitor," Jack whispered. "What does that make you, huh?!"

"I will bring you back to the Overworld. I have made a deal with your friends…"

Jack swung a fist. Raulyn barely dodged it. With lightning speed, the Hunter drew his sword.

Jack hesitated. He had the upper hand—no sword could get through plate armor—but this was Raulyn. Raulyn the mob. Who knew what he was capable of. Mob powers were pretty random.

He glanced to the side, where Valkyries had readied their own weapons.

"Enough," Raulyn hissed, quickly lowering his sword. "Let us set aside our differences for now. Focus on your current goal. Our goal."

Jack hesitated.

"Your friends are here," the Hunter continued. "I can take you to them."

He was bullshitting. He had to be. What were the chances of Raulyn making friends with mobs? Following him would be a death sentence—one where he wasn't given the chance to fight.

"Fuck you," Jack hissed. Then he turned and started back to the throne room. "Herskagul! We're done here. Give me my weapons, and let's fight."

Herskagul looked at him with an unreadable expression. Finally she turned to one of the Valkyries and gave a nod.

Moments later, Jack was given the blue dagger, which he tucked underneath his belt. He took his poleaxe as well, his grip resolute. This was it. He was going to fight her, now.

You beat two Sliders in some dark underground maze, he reminded himself. You can beat her.

Herskagul gestured to someone behind Jack. He turned to see Skotur entering the room, holding a visorless silver helmet which she offered to the Queen in an almost reverent way. Herskagul took it and slowly placed it on her head.

Skotur turned and left, giving Jack an intense glance as she passed him.

Then Herskagul removed her white cloak, revealing a set of silvery armor underneath. Two enormous pearly white wings sprouted from her back, their span exceeding that of any other Valkyrie's.

She handed her cloak to a nearby Valkyrie. Then she removed the belt that held her sword. She drew the weapon from its scabbard, revealing a blade as gilded as the hilt, and gave the belt to another Valkyrie.

Then everyone else proceeded to leave. From behind his visor, Jack held Herskagul's gaze as the room gradually emptied, until only he and the Queen were present. He glanced behind him to the entrance of the room to see Raulyn being led out as well.

Holding her sword with both hands, Herskagul assumed a stance, holding the hilt to the side with her blade lowered towards the ground. Jack had seen the mobs use that stance in the Realm when they were practicing; according to the treatises they'd found, it was meant to make the user look vulnerable, coaxing out an attack from the opponent. He wasn't going to fall for that.

"Whenever you're ready," Herskagul said. "I'll let you deal the first strike."

Jack raised his axe, aiming the spike on top at her face.

Raulyn was led outside. He did not resist. He had no reason to—outside was exactly where he needed to be.

The Valkyries escorted him onto the strange cloud that carried the Sanctuary. Once there, they left his side and gathered at the Sanctuary's entrance. Raulyn turned to face them.

"This fight between Jack and your Queen," he finally said. "How does it work?"

No response.

"What is Jack's goal in this?" Raulyn pressed. "What would stop you from continuing Herskagul's plans if she were dead?"

Still no response, besides some mild shifting. Were the Valkyries not comfortable talking about this subject?

Raulyn hesitated. Then he focused, lowering his voice slightly. "What would happen if someone intervened in their fight?"

It seemed to work; some Valkyries actually shared glances now, hesitation visible in their eyes. Seemed like they were not immune to his power, then.

"If someone intervened," one finally said, "the duel stops."

"And if one of the two duelists died as a result?"

"Then their assailants would be tried for murder."

Raulyn nodded. He moved to turn away, but the Valkyrie spoke again.

"Don't think about getting involved," she warned. "If the Queen dies because of you, we're honor-bound to uphold her orders until a new Queen rises."

Raulyn glanced back. Something told him she said that for her own sake, rather than his. If the Valkyries put as much value into their traditions as he suspected, it would be difficult to get Jack out alive. Maybe Andr could teleport him out…

He stopped there. If they did that, chances were the Valkyries would hunt them all the way to the Overworld. That would mean they let the portal stand, and that would mean that this…Karthuul…would be able to access the Overworld as well.

He turned and walked away towards the edge of the cloud. Once there, he overlooked the island below. He hesitated. What should he do…?

Walk away, a part of him said. Humanity is more important than just one man. If Jack wins, the Valkyries might terminate their plan to summon the spirit. If he loses, they will destroy the portal to ensure Karthuul cannot attack us.

We have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

He sighed and shook his head, thereby signaling to the others on the island to not engage. They had to have been watching him, if Andr teleported them along with her as according to his orders. Alas, it had been for nothing.

They had come all this way…just to leave a man behind.

Jack stepped forward, the creaking of his damaged armor breaking the silence.

Herskagul mirrored the move, keeping her wings tucked behind her. Jack slowly approached in a zigzag pattern; Herskagul kept her way mostly straight, only moving to the left when they got into dueling distance.

They circled each other for a moment.

Herskagul raised her weapon and moved her off-hand to hold the blade, which she pointed towards Jack. Jack recognized this too; with one hand holding the hilt and the other the blade, she could stab at weak spots in his armor more accurately.

Jack feinted a stab forward and raised his poleaxe as if to prepare for a strike. Herskagul stepped back, briefly raising her sword. Her form remained steady throughout the entire motion, from what he could tell.

Jack didn't press the offensive. He just wanted to see how she'd react, and she barely fell for his feint save for some quick precautionary moves. Jack grimaced.

She stabbed towards his helmet. He stepped back and just about blocked.

With lightning fast movements she moved the hilt forward and struck his helmet with her crossguard. Jack was caught off-guard and lurched to the side.

Herskagul moved to stab him in the eyes. Jack raised his poleaxe to defend and instinctively jumped back, his armor carrying him halfway across half the room.

With a powerful flap of her wings, Herskagul leaped after him. Jack jumped to the wall. Once he hit it, he pressed his feet against it and jumped again to reach the ceiling.

Once there, he used the same trick to jump straight down to Herskagul, who had also ascended. She moved out of the way just in time, and Jack crashed on the ground. His Gravitite-plated arms broke his fall.

She dived for him, sword extended. He deflected the stab with his axe and tried to direct the spike into her eye, but with inhuman speed she grabbed the weapon and kept the axehead away from her.

She crashed into him, sending him sprawling. Herskagul rolled over the ground and stood up with a grace unseen in most fights.

Jack moved to stand up, but Herskagul was onto him in moments and held him down with her knee on his stomach. With one hand holding the blade, she raised her sword and tried to stab his eyes again, the point coming dangerously close to the eye slit in Jack's helmet.

Before she could retract the weapon for another stab, Jack grabbed the blade with his gauntleted hand and held on tight. So long as it didn't slice in his hand, he should be fine.

Herskagul yanked her weapon back and grabbed his hand trying to pry his fingers from the blade, but Jack held the blade at his armored chest as much as he could, moved his upper body up, planted his free hand on the ground and pushed as hard as he could.

At the same time, he let go of the sword.

He didn't shoot upwards, but the armor's gravity-defying properties did strengthen the upward force of his push. The enhanced 'jump', combined with the sudden loss of opposition in Herskagul's struggle to control her sword, was enough to compromise Herskagul's balance, and she fell backwards. Jack scrambled to his feet, retrieved his axe and turned to face her.

She had already recovered and leaped towards him. He dodged to the side.

Once she landed, she flapped her wings again and jumped his way, but this time Jack jumped to her as well. They met in mid-air, their weapons clashing.

Jack's foot met Herskagul's chest, and he jumped, sending her to the ground and himself up and away. He slammed against the wall, then the ground.

He dived to the side, narrowly avoiding Herskagul's attack yet again.

They clashed again, but now Herskagul grabbed his poleaxe with one hand and kicked against his chest. Her inhuman strength overwhelmed him despite the armor, and he was sent flying back, the axe slipping from his grasp.

He stood up—something he wouldn't be able to do as quickly if it weren't for his Gravitite—and faced Herskagul.

To his surprise, she tossed the poleaxe to his feet.

"Give up," she said. "Surrender to our justice, and this fight can stop."

Jack shook his head, panting. "If you won't kill me, Karthuul will."

He kneeled down and picked up his axe. He was half tempted to take up Herskagul on her offer—to postpone his inevitable death, if only briefly. He couldn't beat her. She was too strong and too skilled.

He raised his axe.

"What's he doing?" Andr whispered for the umpteenth time. She and the others stood hidden behind trees and bushes on the island, with the Hunters occasionally peeking up at the white cloud where Raulyn stood. Rayallv had seen him shaking his head a moment earlier.

"Same thing he was doing ten seconds ago," Rayallv responded. "Nothing."

"He can't just be doing nothing."

"Yet, at the same time, he is."

"Quiet," Ilyoin hissed. "Or those Valkyries will hear us."

Andr clenched her fist around the blade of her sword. This was taking too long. Why wasn't Raulyn in that Sanctuary?

"So we're just going to wait here?!" Blazette hissed.

"Yes," Ilyoin said pointedly. "We are."

Jack leaped against the wall, then jumped right back to the ground where Herskagul was waiting.

Thinking he was open for an attack, Herskagul moved in, but Jack used his momentum to power an upward swing with his axe. The hammer struck Herskagul's vambrace and redirected her stab.

She grunted and backed away. Jack moved in, but Herskagul swiftly grabbed the blade of her sword with one hand and swung the hilt at his head. Jack ducked and tried to stab a weak spot in her armor with the axe's spike, but she shoved him back and ascended into the air with a flap of her wings.

"You're more capable than I expected," she called down. "Even for someone wearing Gravitite."

Jack looked up at her, preparing to jump if she went in for an attack. She did, diving straight for him, and he leaped.

But she'd expected that.

Herskagul sharply changed her trajectory and flew into him. They shot straight to the wall. Jack crashed into it back-first, and Herskagul kept him there with one hand.

Jack noticed her wings were flapping very rapidly, as if she was straining to keep them there.

Herskagul raised her weapon.

Jack pressed his foot against her chest and 'jumped.' With the wall blocking his way backwards, Herskagul was shoved back instead. Jack fell to the ground and landed on his feet, right next to the throne.

Herskagul landed in the middle of the room, facing him.

Jack was panting a little. He was getting nowhere. No amount of Gravitite could keep his fatigue away forever.

Meanwhile, Herskagul didn't even look winded.

Your friends are here, Raulyn's voice flashed through his mind. The Hunter's words had stuck with him, still…

Jack growled and raised his weapon as Herskagul approached. He really didn't want to involve them in this—who knew what the Valkyries would do if they broke the rules of this duel. But did he have a choice? There was no way he could win from her…

She attacked, and he dashed past her. With a few leaps, he reached the room's entrance. He dodged into the hallway beyond right as Herskagul made a beeline for him, holding her sword by the blade in both hands—using the hilt as a blunt force weapon to counter armor.

Jack raced through the corridor, turning corners and passing other rooms. He soon found the entrance and burst outside.

The Valkyries on the white Cloud turned to face him, as did Raulyn. Jack dived to the side and turned to face Herskagul.

She flew right into him. Jack was winded as she tackled him and flew up, carrying him along.

He recovered and managed to punch her helmet. She let him go, and he fell onto the island below. He groaned despite the Gravitite.

He managed to get up right as Herskagul landed nearby, holding her sword by the hilt and the blade.

Several Valkyries landed around her, weapons raised.

Raulyn looked down at the two combatants with wide eyes. That island was where the others were hiding! If the mobs saw Jack fighting Herskagul, they would surely intervene.

"Take me down there!" he told a nearby duo of Valkyries.

They glanced at him.

"Now!" he said, using his power.

Their cold expressions broke, and they shared a glance.

Finally they each grabbed one of his arms. Raulyn grimaced as they took flight.

"Hold," Herskagul told them. "He's mine."

Purple light flashed.

With one hand, Andr lifted a Valkyrie up from behind; with the other, she ripped off her victim's wings.

The other Valkyries cried out in alarm. All except Herskagul attacked, but Andr tossed her victim at them like a ragdoll and drew a sword at her hip, her short torn cloak rippling in the breeze.

Jack suddenly stood frozen as he looked at her. This…wasn't Andr. That glare, that snarl on her face couldn't be hers. The air had turned…dark.

He flinched when she teleported and ran a Valkyrie through from behind. Without looking twice, she teleported again and decapitated another. Blood spilled onto her clothes.

Others attacked, but they stood no chance. Andr warped around as if she were everywhere at once, and the Valkyries fell one by one.

"Krysphion…" Herskagul whispered, staring at the tall mob.

Andr threw a Valkyrie to the side. She turned to Herskagul with a cold glowing gaze that made Jack's heart stop.

"No!"

Jack turned to see Raulyn gliding down, held by two Valkyries. Once landed, he stepped towards them.

"Stand down!" he ordered Andr with a voice that made even Jack pause. "If you harm the Queen, everything will be lost!"

Andr looked at him, and she, too, seemed to hesitate.

Then she turned and stabbed another Valkyrie in the chest.

More attacked.

Then Jack spotted something above the trees. A red-and-gold figure, brandishing flames in their hands. Raulyn shouted up to Blazette too, and again Jack felt that strange sense of hesitation. Blazette seemed to feel it too.

Valkyries flew up to meet her. She stretched out her hands, and streams of fire erupted from them. Some Valkyries retreated; others raised shields to defend themselves, their flight slowing only a little.

With orange and purple light flashing all over, Jack's gaze met with Herskagul's once more. The Queen raised her sword at him in a one-handed grip, more of a gesture than a technique. Snapping out of his shock, he assumed a stance, and Herskagul followed suit.

"Andr!" Raulyn cried. "Andr! Here! Now!"

She teleported over. The Valkyries she had been fighting paused momentarily; then they found her and started to approach.

"Take me to the Hunters!" Raulyn ordered.

"For what?"

"Just do it!"

She teleported him to a spot not far from the fight. Rayallv, Galen and Ilyoin turned to face him, surprised. "Captain!" Galen said. "Orders?"

"Do not engage," Raulyn said. "Least of all the Queen; if anyone other than Jack kills her, we lose."

Andr huffed. "I'm not staying by the sidelines to watch."

"That is obvious, after you forfeited our chance of a safe passage back." She may not have attacked the Queen, but Raulyn doubted the Valkyries would bother to try to keep Karthuul away from the Overworld now. That meant he had to take care of that problem himself. "Jack and Herskagul mentioned a device," he continued. "It must be in the Sanctuary."

"What device?"

"The kind that poses a threat to us. Andr—I need you to get us inside that Sanctuary. We need to find this device and disable it."