The village was ablaze. Byrians fighting off Krogs. Children crying. Fires dotted around like large fireflies. Sounds of screams and roars filled the air. Metal sparked with each clash. Plants that Ishtar brought back are now burning away.
"My plants!" Ishtar cried. Then, she growled. Her whole body glowed. In a matter of minutes, she was back to the original size. "They'll pay DEARLY for that!" Istar let out a loud bellow. She charged with great speed.
The rest of the group was silent for a moment. Even Saggitarius was dumbfounded. "I...don't understand...I checked. There wasn't supposed to be a raid going on."
Rush turned to him. Axe ready. "Yeah right! You expect me to believe that!"
"Actually...He's just misinformed."
Everyone froze. They turned to the direction of the harsh voice. Standing before them was another Crog. This one nearly looked like Kross. More red garments graced his body. He didn't have the scar on his eye but had one like a jagged lightning bolt on his arm. He had a bemused look on his face. "I've always figured you had a soft spot for inferiors, Saggitarius. But I never realized the shameful extent."
Sagittarius and Brinnia both narrowed their eyes. "Leo." Sagittarius spoke, his voice filled with venom.
Lydia gazes at Sagittarius confused. Then, she noticed Akka grimace. She leaned as closely as she did to whisper to the Nourasian. "You know him, Prince Akka?"
Akka glanced back at her. "Only rumors. Captain Leo is notorious for battling till the very end. It's believed he wants 'honorable' fights."
Eva scowled. "Yeah...I bet he does." Her hands balled up into a fist.
"What do you want with us?!" Rush roared. "Haven't you done enough damage to my people?!"
Leo tilted his head. "Sagittarius seems to be fascinated by your kind for some reason. I suspected something was going on when he hid a toy amongst the weapons. He always gets excited about the newest creations." His eyes soon focused on Lydia. "Ah...So this is the human that's been causing trouble for our dear Emperor."
Lydia flinched as the Crog General walked up toward her. Her heart was thundering hard. She wrapped her arms around a nervous Alon as the shadow loomed over her. Her feet tried to move but they were planted in place. Her lips locked in place.
Leo raised an eye in surprise. "Peculiar. I don't see anything special about you. I don't see anything special about you." He chuckled darkly. "Still...I'll need you to get further in the Emperor's gracies." He reached out for her when Brinnia blocked it with her weapon.
"Back off!" She growled.
Leo only grabbed her weapon. "Oh please! Stop being a girlfriend to a low-level grunt." He flung her away with all his might.
Brinnia crashed into Sagittarius, causing him to fall over. The poison he held cracked upon impact. The contents spilled over her back. Britannia quickly got up from her spot. "Sagi! Are you ok?" Suddenly, a burning sensation crawled over her skin. She began to wheeze fiercely. She gripped her arms hard. Black veins began to appear. Brinnia wheezed. Then, she fell over.
"Brinnia!" Sagittarius kneeled over her. He shook her. "Brinnia get up! Please!" He soon realized what it was. "No…" Tears began to form in his eyes.
"That's one problem taken care of." Leo turned his attention to Lydia. He reached for her again only to be met by Akka's arrows. A blue light temporarily blinded him. He glared at him. Eva threw a rock at the Crog General. Then, Rush came at him with his pickaxe raised high in the air. Leo dodged with ease and punched Rush hard in the stomach. He grabbed Eva and tossed her at Akka as Lydia got out of the way. "This is getting to be shameful and annoying. Quit it before-"
"LEEEEEEOOOOOO!"
Leo was suddenly tackled to the ground. He was soon met with a melee of frenzied punches. They hurt...but only a little. He grabbed Sagittarius' arm and twisted it. He smiled when it gave a loud snap and Sagittarius cried out. Leo shoved him back. Putting a foot on his chest. "Your acts of treason are only befitting to death." He pulled out his sword and raised it high in the air.
"Stooop!" Lydia screamed. Tears ran to her eyes. She tried wiping them away but they wouldn't stop. "Please…" Her legs grew shaky as she walked over to Leo. Her head slightly lowered. "I'll go with but...please let them go. I fight you if you break your word."
Leo let out a thunderous laugh. "You! Fight me?! Hah! As if you-"
"Belldemonos oso folouse eternum…"
"Wh-what did you say?" Leo flinched. He hid a shiver. Something about those words didn't sit right.
"Belldemonos oso folouse eternum!" Lydia yelled. Her voice reached the other Crogs over the din of chaos. All of them pricked their ears and stopped their raid almost completely. Lydia stared in shock as a ring began to form them. Her breath hitched. Oh...I'm in trouble now…
Leo glared at her. "How do you know the war call?!" He was about to grab her then froze. He took a deep breath. "Very well. We could stand for a little entertainment." He nodded to a nearby Crog who held a smaller weapon that was smaller than a Crog's but might not be good with a regular human.
Lydia tried to hide a squeak as it hit the ground. She let go of Alon. She felt part of her long hair being intertwined with Alon's tail. It didn't seem ideal considering there's going to be a battle involving blades. She reached out for the blade. Her grunts were met by laughter. She had to focus. Lydia was used to being laughed at before. Come on, Lydia. She thought. Sagittarius may be a Crog but he doesn't deserve this. He was...just curious. Lydia gave one more heave until she fell backward. A roar of laughter hit her again.
"How pathetic!"
"What a worthless human!"
"So much for the war call! Wherever she got that from!"
Lydia sighed. Then, Alon looked over at her. Tears streamed out of his eyes. Lydia's heart twisted at the sight. She reached out and touched him. Why would he stick around? Why would Ishtar? Suddenly, a small memory crept in her mind. A little shadow. Yellow eyes glaring at her with disapproval. A bitter smile crept on her mouth. She slowly got up. The laughter drowned out as she focused on grabbing the hilt of the weapon. She took a deep breath and lifted it again. This time, the Crog weapon was lifted off the ground.
A hush filled the air. All the Crogs looked at her. Even Leo was in shock at what he just witnessed. He lifted his foot, allowing Sagittarius to crawl away and carry Brinnia away. Ishtar and the Byrians that noticed the commotion were soon gathered there.
"You're right. I'm pathetic. I learn things easily but I have a hard time not to fall over." She raised the blade to arm level. She didn't understand, but she felt something crawl underneath her skin. Feral. Ancient. A dormant beast that has had enough. "I can't say the right things without annoying anyone. My passions get me in trouble." Lydia looked Leo square in the eye. Unaware that Alon was giving off a faint, blue glow. Her mouth was a firm line. Her glasses turned cold. "I've lived with those words all my life! Yet here I stand with all of you! At least I'm real! The rest of you are pathetic! Boasting your strength. Putting other aliens down because you can!" She growled at them. "When will you boneheads...WAKE UP!"
When she screamed those words, Alon cried out. A blue flash blinded everyone. The air turned cold. Ice formed around them. Everyone shouted, scrambling to get away from a wintery blast. Snow flurries roaring from every corner. When it finally cleared, Alon was different from before. His seahorse shape was elongated. His fins developed icy spines. More fins trialed along his back like massive sails. He was now slightly bigger than Ishtar. A few icicles poked out of his head. To say he was regal would've been an understatement.
"Woah…"Eva breathed.
"Incredible…" Akka gazed at the massive creature that floated in the sky.
"Miss Lydia," Alon spoke. "I feel your desires. I too want to end this dark nightmare." He raised his tail high. "Time to level the field." With a mighty flick, a ring of ice formed. All the bystanders backed away. Only Leo and Lydia were in the middle. Alon lowered his head to Lydia. "I won't intervene in this fight. However, I can fix your weapon." He lightly breathed on the weapon.
The blade gleamed. An icy sheen covered it. Waves and snowflakes carved into the metal. The hilt having a fox with nine tails. A rainbow stone cradled in its mouth. Lydia gasped. Her hands lightly going over the smooth design. The sword shrunk to the point where she was able to move it with ease.
Leo growled. "Enough gawking!" He drew his blade. "Now's the time to fight!" He charged at Lydia. A roar filled his throat. He was on her in minutes. His blade is ready to strike her. A whining clang rang out. His weapon made contact with Lydia's. Leo cried out as the sound began to hurt his ears. Even the other Crogs gripped their ears at the noise. The Crog General staggered back slightly.
Lydia blinked for a moment. She adjusted her glasses, which slid along the bridge of her nose. Her arm felt no pain despite the impact. Her grip was still in place. She readied herself. Then, Lydia ran up to him. She swung her sword and closed her eyes. When she opened them, a swell of pure joy entered her heart. Lydia managed to cut a wound on Leo's thick skin. Her body tickled with excitement as her ears heard the roar of joy from everyone behind her.
"Nice job, Lydia!" Eva yelled.
"Work on your form!" Akka said. "Try using his size against him."
"Make him regret what he did to our village!" Rush waved through the crowd.
"Get him, Mistress!" Ishtar laughed. Flowers growing under her hooves.
Lydia began to swing her weapon. She barely dodged Leo's attacks. Sometimes hitting his sword. Her face hit against the ice wall. She slid. A few times she was able to use that to her advantage. The moment Leo got up from his latest fall with burning eyes, her heart sank. Uh oh, she thought. I gotta end this fast or I'm doomed! She looked at her blade. Lydia soon remembered the first time it clashed against something. Her gray eyes stared at the ice, then at Leo. If I can use the ice, I can disorient him long enough to take him down properly.
Leo roared. His yellow eyes burned with fury. "I will not lose to this whelp!" He raised his blade high. "This ends now!" He charged at Lydia at full speed.
Lydia ran as fast as she could in the other direction. She soon began to bang against her sword against the ice. The sound began to grow higher. A pitch that was so unbearable that even Eva, Akka and Rush plugged their ears. Lydia continued once she realized that Leo was still fighting off the noise. She ran over to the largest ice spike she could find. Before Lydia could reach it, Leo's sword smashed into it. She froze in place. The angry din was dying down. Soreness finally reached her arms.
Leo let out a laugh. Dark and cruel. "Impressive. Not many of my opponents would last that long. Now...It's time for you to end!" He pulled out a chunk of ice and threw it at her.
Lydia took a split second to leap over to Leo's sword. Without even thinking, she ran along the giant blade and jumped off the pummel with ease. She raised her sword high. She let out a scream of rage that she buried over the years. Her legs kicked him in the head. The impact knocked him down with ease. Lydia walked on top of him. She leveled her sword over his face. Her breathing became hard, mist appearing. "I don't want to kill anyone, Leo. I...beat you fair and square. Leave the Byrians alone. Go back home and do something else with your life. Your civilization has great power...use it aside for destruction."
Leo glared. "You think you've one. I'll simply crush you here and now. The Crog Emperium will never listen to the likes of you." He reached for her only to find himself stuck in a bubble. "By Kraam!"
Alon sighed. "I was afraid this would happen." With a huff, he blew out more bubbles. They all flew out and encased the Crogs. Sagittarius was spared from it, holding Brinnia. He flew up to the sky. He glared at them. "Now go home and think about what you did." He gathered the bubbles up and threw them in the sky. Almost on cue, it began to rain down. Alon looked at the dirty river. "Best fix this too." He hovered over to it. He touched it gently. The river quickly turned bright blue. The sludge was completely gone.
Everyone stared in pure awe. It was a miracle. A miracle the planet has long awaited for. They all cheered. Ishtar plowed through the ice and ran over to Lydia. "Mistress!" She shrunk down to her smaller size. Her impact nearly tipped Lydia over. "You did so wonderful! You held that sword as if you were a fighter all your life!"
Lydia blushed. "W-well...I wouldn't say that. It was just pure luck." Just as Akka and Eva were coming over, she noticed Alon flying over to a different direction. She ran past her friends and found herself next to Sagittarius. Her eyes took in a shocking sight. Sagittarius was holding Brinnia tightly in his arms. Tears in his eyes. That's the first time I've actually seen a Crog cry. "Sagittarius?"
Sagittarius gazed at her. "All my life...I never found anything outside the Crog Emperium. I thought it was a way of life. A grand scheme to worship. Keep your head down...Crawl your way to the top...But...upon coming to other planets…" He tried to choke back a sob as he began to notice the Brinnia's skin becoming worse. "She...gave me the chance to think for myself. She listened to my ideas. But now…" The tears rolled out into thick rivers.
A small, icy mist surrounded the group. The black patches on the skin glazed over, resembling patches over the night sky. Brinnia's breathing eased. Her eyes briefly opened. She placed a cold hand on Sagittarius' face. "Sagi...I'm glad...You're ok…" She went back to sleep.
"This...is the best I can do." Alon spoke. His breathing became heavy. His eyes began to droop. He glanced at Lydia. "Miss...I'm tired. I'll come again...When I'm ready." His body began to glow, turning back to the stone he was carved from. It returned back to Lydia's hand.
"Miss Lydia…" Sagittarius looked up at her. He gently set Brinnia down. "I know my kind did terrible things! However…" His ears raised slightly. Eyes narrowed. "I would like to join this small crew. For vengeance!"
So that ends this chapter. Sagittarius was right about the poison. But who poisoned the suits and why? Find out!