Chapter 53: The Temple's Battles
Disclaimer:
Hi guys. Sorry for the wait for this chapter! I was just busy for a few weeks and was also enjoying my summer by being out/playing football etc. I'll try to be more consistent moving forward! Anyways, with that said, I hope you enjoy.
During the time when Lucas, Yuno, and Mimosa were having their battles, David and Hamon were in the middle of their battle against Valmoira, the Druid who was not in control of herself anymore.
Due to the Purple Hydrostat that had taken over, the black-haired soldier was attacking the Magic Knights from the Golden Dawn.
"You up for round two then, Hamon?" David turned to look at his teammate who was quite injured. The half-iron spear that had been lodged in his right shoulder just seconds prior had damaged him considerably.
"Of course, David! I mean, it's not like we really got started on round one, is it?" Hamon chuckled. He looked at his partner and saw a few droplets of blood escaping the wound and bloodying the ripped-up squad robe that David had wrapped on his left leg.
"Haha! Then, let's show this Druid the power of the Golden Dawn!" David shouted, turning his gaze onto Valmoira who was perched just above them on a ledge.
Hamon pressed his arms against the floor and shouted: "Glass Magic: Mur de Verre!" A high glass wall rose up from the ground and kept on rising. "First of all, let's get you away from there and down here so you can be level with us!"
The glass wall kept rising until it was about to hit the out-of-control Valmoira. Just before she was pierced with it, she jumped back down and paused.
"G-good move, human. But… it is time to show you my m-magic…!" Valmoira spoke slowly. Though she struggled due to the conflicting instructions from her own brain and the orders from the Purple Hydrostat. The plant-virus had more control.
"Hm, her magic? She hadn't told us about it earlier so we could be in for a surprise…", David thought as he backed up slightly.
"To me, it seemed like she didn't really want to tell us about her magic. Could there be a reason for it?" Hamon also backed up, readying himself for the worst.
However, even though she spoke about her magic, it never came out on show.
"I w-will not use… th-this magic of mine!" Valmoira had grabbed her pink grimoire with her left hand, but her right hand was actually on her left hand, stopping it from moving any more than it had already.
David and Hamon looked at her and then at each other and were quite confused.
"N-no… I need to use my magic to d-d-defeat them…!"
"Stop it… body…!"
It looked like Valmoira was fighting, but the one she was fighting was herself. Or, at least, against the Hydrostat's control. She had not made this much of a commotion when David's and Hamon's backs were against the wall, but she was definitely not in the mood to show her magic now.
"Hey, Hamon", David whispered. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Of course, I am", he replied.
The two nodded to each other and pounced.
While Valmoira was busy fighting herself, the two Golden Dawn mages were aiming to strike while her guard was down.
"Glass Creation Magic: Verre Fleur!" Hamon summoned more glass spikes from the ground where Valmoira stood. They slowly shifted into petal-like shapes and rose from the ground, surrounding the Druid and as they did, he turned his head to David and put his thumbs up.
"Let's hope this works!" David grabbed another dice from his left pocket. It wasn't his usual one which was a normal six-sided one with black pips. This one was six-sided with blue pips and had a different feel to it as he threw it at Hamon's spell. "Dice Magic: Fellowship Dice!"
The Dice landed on a three and David sighed.
"Not the best, but it should be good enough!" David shouted.
As Hamon's spell was forming, the dice's effect made it grow in size as well as become sharper. Valmoira was still struggling so the glass formed underneath her feet and shot upwards, earning a cry of pain from the female Druid.
David and Hamon retreated and panted.
"Woah, David. I knew you had a new spell after the look you gave, but a support spell? I never took you for someone that had something like that in his arsenal". Hamon looked at the spell the duo had casted and realised that Valmoira was trapped within the confines of it.
"Well, what can I say? I had what you call 'A Flashback' moment!" David chuckled.
"A what? This isn't some fairy tale", Hamon shook his head and cringed.
"Anyway… that spell I used can increase the power of a friend's spell. You can guess already that the power of the spell depends on which number it lands on. A three pip is okay, but I suspect it won't hold a Druid for too long…", he turned back and saw the glass starting to crack.
"Damn these Druids… how are they so strong?" Hamon thought, annoyed. He and David looked as the Glass Magic around Valmoira blasted away.
Valmoira was now free, but she was not away from the damage of the attack that she had been trapped in.
"Hey, David", Hamon whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I don't think we can get away with trying not to hurt her too much anymore. I know the spell I used just now hurt her, but we can do some real damage if we go all out", the Glutton mentioned.
"Yeah, I'm thinking the same. We'll just have to apologise later. Even so, we can say we saved her life from that plant thing attached to her face!" David chuckled.
The duo of nobles began their attacks once more.
David ran to the left side of Valmoira, whilst Hamon ran to the other side. Their grimoires flicked through a multitude of pages as they got ready to fight again.
"Glass Creation Magic: Verre Epée!" Hamon caused glass swords to erupt from the ground. However, unlike Verre Fleur, the Glass mage surrounded Valmoira in a circle and held them there.
"Dice Magic: Gambler's Fallacy!" Just like before, David went second but used his common spell. The dice rolled where the Druid was and, after a few bounces, landed on a pip of five.
A strong energy surge started generating and exploded once it took in enough power. The blast was surrounded by Hamon's magic so instead of it hurling outwards, the glass caused the explosion to be contained. This, in turn, dealt much more damage to Valmoira who was struggling in her response.
The blast caused Valmoira's body to hurl into the air and then come crashing down. There were more wounds and cuts all over her body, yet the Hydrostat remained. As she fell, she briefly fell into unconsciousness.
The warrior Druid was in a blank space with nothing but herself. She looked around and could not see anything of note. There was no other being with her at all.
"I am… dead?"
"No. Those attacks would not kill me… Unfortunately, this blasted thing took over my body so I have no control, so I do understand why they attack me…".
"But… that thing… it wanted me to use my magic, and my body almost obeyed. I cannot let that happen…".
The blank space started to turn a dark purple and the haze from the room entered her mind.
"This plant… I have never known it to control bodies? Plants like these were used for healing, strength, and many other things, but controlling one's mind? That is new to me… It is almost as if it has been changed, somehow".
Suddenly, Valmoira's body took a hit from somewhere. She knelt down on one knee and held her head. As she tried to stand again, she felt the suction cups from the Purple Hydrostat pull apart her mind and she screamed.
"USE YOUR MAGIC".
Those were the words that kept flooding her mind. The plant's influence was growing and the Druid was losing her hold. Her green eyes were getting misty from tears since the pain she felt was unbearable.
She then stopped struggling.
"Again, David!" Hamon shouted.
The Magic Knight duo were about to attack again but saw that Valmoira's body started to change. She was floating in the air as a green and brown aura surrounded her body. Her eyes were closed, whilst the Purple Hydrostat grew bigger and latched onto her body this time.
David and Hamon backed up and were about to send a flurry of spells at her, but the Druid finally used her magic.
"Woodland Magic: Oblivion's Grasp".
The aura around the Druid left her body and transferred outside. They created arms of wood that stretched off from her body and grabbed the Golden Dawn members, squeezing them tight.
"This… is her magic?!" David shouted, his eyes closing from the pain.
"No wonder… she didn't want to use it… It's too strong for us!" Hamon replied, struggling to breathe.
As she held onto her victims, the aura glowed brighter and the next part of the spell started. Flowers formed and stuck themselves onto David and Hamon's bodies, surrounding their mouths and causing them to lose a hold on their already broken breathing.
The flowers bloomed and gave off yellow spores that caused the Magic Knights' bodies to wriggle in pain. It was a burning poison that left marks all over their skin, making them cry from its intensity.
With the duo almost passing out and potentially on the verge of death, Valmoira's eyes opened again. The Hydrostat's hold on her was slightly weaker now since it was using a lot of its power to force her into using her magic. She saw what she was doing and a single image entered her confused mind.
She saw a man, a Druid, older than herself above her. Her small, green and brown aura-hands had the Druid by the throat for a few seconds, before the flowers spread their poisonous spores.
"F-father… I did not mean to do this…".
Valmoira started crying. Her tears fell from behind the Hydrostat's body, which was on her face, and straight on the floor.
David noticed this straight away. As he was losing consciousness, his eyesight fell onto the Druid and saw the change in her.
"She's crying? She doesn't want this to happen and that was why she hid away her magic. Something must have happened with it in the past…", the Dice mage understood.
Now, with this new information, David fought to stay awake and shook his head violently to do so. Next to him, Hamon had already passed out so he knew that whatever he would do next, would decide if they live or die.
"V-Valm… Valmoira! I can… see you crying! Is that all you are? Letting this… 'thing' control you? You kept on boasting about how powerful Druids are compared to humans, but we wouldn't let some random plant control what we do!" David shouted.
The hold on their bodies intensified as the Hydrostat glowed even more.
"Y-yeah, that's it. Let yourself be in the backseat… while you see us die! You Druids hate us humans anyway… but I would have thought that you would kill us yourselves, not… let the plant attached to your face do it for you… Are you really that weak?!" David screamed. This last act of trying to help Valmoira caused him to lose consciousness and his body slumped back, whilst the arm around him squeezed tighter.
Valmoira saw herself in the blank space once again, though it was heavily filled with the purple haze from the Hydrostat.
Her body was surrounded by the plant with its suction cup-like tentacles grabbing a hold of each of her limbs. In her head, it was larger than her since the hold it had on her body was so great.
"Did he… call me weak?" She clenched her fists. "Hm, maybe I am. I did give up control to this… plant of all things. Perhaps I deserve to get taken over".
The Druid felt her consciousness start to fade away once more. However, the same image of her father entered her mind again.
"I was weak then… and I killed you. I did not mean to hurt you, father… but I was foolish".
"I have grown since then, but the strength I now possess and praise. Is it nothing in the face of… this plant?!"
"I lost my father that day… and now I am causing these humans to die. Their family members will lose them and that will be because of me?"
"No".
"I will not let that happen. So what if they are humans? This group is not the reason for the attack by the humans those 500 years ago. I have finally realised…".
Valmoira opened her eyes fully this time. Though, to combat the mental hold, she knew she had to use her magic to fight it. Fortunately for her, her magic was already active and she acted on it.
"Woodland Magic: Acidic Puncture!" The green and brown aura glowed once again. It formed around her body and sharp thorns made out of bark - a layer of a tree trunk - came out of her antlers and arms that shot outwards, puncturing the Hydrostat's suction-tentacles on her limbs. She fell to the floor from the impact and then slowly got up.
Her limbs were free and she could move. As she realised she had control returned to her, the blank space faded and she found herself in the room once again where David and Hamon were almost about to die.
She quickly loosened her grasp on their bodies and left them on the floor while the aura-arms turned to her face. Without hesitation, she used the arms to forcibly rip the Purple Hydrostat off from her face, getting parts of her skin ripped off in the process.
A few seconds went by and she was finally free from its hold. The damage from the plant-virus was a lot and she felt the extreme pain from it.
Though, as the plant-virus finally left her face, the puncture caused it to thrash around the entire room for a while. It was still powered up through its own abilities as well as some of the remaining magic it had pulled from Valmoira.
Its power transferred onto each surface it touched and the ceiling, floors, and walls all started to crumble and fall.
"Woodland Magic: Pollen Burst!" The female Druid grabbed the Hydrostat as it flew around and used her magic to surround its entirety with flowers. They formed when she produced a large tree trunk, sprouting from the little twigs it had. There were purple flowers, pink ones, yellow ones, as well as many others. The other thing in common with them was that they all unleashed black pollen that killed the plant they were surrounding.
"Okay. That thing is now dead, but now to take care of the falling debris!" Valmoira ran to David and Hamon and tried to protect their bodies. However, the crumbling stone was too much for one person to handle. She tried her best and formed a defensive barrier around the two humans, but, at the rate the room was falling apart at, it wouldn't be too long till she was hit.
"If only they were awake and could use their magic to help! I need assistance…!" Valmoira shouted out as loud as she could.
A few minutes prior to Valmoira regaining control, another group of three were very close to them. Before they heard the commotion, they were busy journeying through the temple's hallways on their side. The group consisted of William Vangeance, Alecdora Sandler, and Cathbad – the Chief of the Forgotten Forest.
So far, the journey for them was a quiet one since there was a level of animosity, largely from Cathbad, who had no trust for them. There was also a little bit of awkwardness since William wanted to discuss tactics and other patterns of battle in case, they ran into something along the way. Alecdora, however, was behind the both of them as he kicked the stones and other such objects that were on the floor out of his way, being preoccupied in his thoughts.
"Hmph. Being with this massive Druid is a huge pain. I'd rather have been with that Valmoira soldier since she's the one that made me look stupid when I face-planted the floor in the prison cell… Though, at least I'm with Master Vangeance", Alecdora pouted.
Vangeance increased his speed so he could catch up with the Chief. He needed to talk with him and wasn't going to take silence for an answer.
"Chief Cathbad, please, we need to discuss plans and tactics in the case that anything happens", the masked captain began.
Yet there was still silence from the large Druid. He didn't even give the noble a little glance to show that he acknowledged him. After a few more minutes of walking silently, the three entered another room that was much larger than the hallway from where they came from.
"Lava?!" A voice shouted out. It was the Sand mage and he reacted as loudly as he could.
This room had an entire floor with lava filling up the majority of it. There were also columns and spires of flames constantly rising up from the hot lake and were proving to be extremely difficult to get across.
"So, this is our trial", Cathbad spoke. His voice had a rumble to it and even though he was speaking quietly, William and Alecdora could hear it very clearly.
"A trial?" William repeated, walking up to the Chief and wondering.
"Yes. I assume you did not notice the red, circular shape that was by the staircase from which we entered?" The large Druid asked, looking down at the masked mage.
The captain sweat-dropped but had an agitated look to him. "He's finally talking back to me but to do so in such a rude way… I'll have to accept that this is how he is". He looked up and responded. "I noticed the red shape but I never would have expected a trial. So, what do we have to do?"
Cathbad didn't respond this time and simply walked to the side, looking at the sea of lava for a period of time. During this, Alecdora approached his captain and they began talking.
"Master Vangeance. If this is a trial, like he says it is, is it a puzzle that we have to solve?" The Sand Mage asked. He, just like William, were quite confused as to what to do from here.
"I would assume so since a 'trial' would mean some sort of test. But, it would be so much easier if the Chief would be cooperative with us", William replied.
The side of Alecdora's head bore a faint vein that looked like it was close to popping out. He was frustrated by Cathbad's lack of teamwork, but what he was also annoyed about was the respect that his captain kept giving to him.
"Say, Captain, why do you keep on calling him 'Chief'?" He asked.
"Hm, I guess I just want to be on good terms with him. I don't think calling him only by his name is something I should do…", he replied but was cut off by the man they were talking about.
Without them even realising, Cathbad had approached the two from behind and was listening in to their conversation.
As the two felt the presence, they both had an initial panic. If it was anyone else, they would have sensed them behind them, but the Druid had something about him that bypassed these warning indicators.
"I do not want you to call me 'Chief'. It is just like the pipsqueak was insinuating. I am not your Chief so do not address me so. Just call me by my name", Cathbad ordered.
"This rude…! I'd give him a piece of my mind if Master Vangeance wasn't here!" Alecdora bit his lip.
Cathbad cast his gaze to the Sand Mage and stared at him in anger. It was almost as if he knew what he was thinking and this made the Druid angry.
"Fine, Cathbad. Now that I'm addressing you as you like, will you please cooperate with us?" William asked. He was getting angry but this never translated into what he was saying since he needed to have a good relationship with him and the other Druids in order to get what they needed.
Cathbad nodded and ushered the two Magic Knights to follow him.
The three circled the lake of lava but saw that the exit was also surrounded by it. The only way forward was either to get rid of the lava or to travel above it.
"How should we do this, Master Vangeance?" Alecdora asked, wiping the dripping sweat from his face.
"Hm, I could use my magic, but-", he began but was interrupted yet again.
"Your World Tree Magic is nothing here. You think your roots will not burn away the second they are near this lava?" Cathbad mocked.
The two Magic Knights reacted differently to what the Chief of the Druids had said. William's face showed no sign of anger or frustration. There was only a single thought running through his mind. "How does he know I have World Tree Magic?"
Alecdora, however, had enough at that point. "Listen here, Cathbad", he said in a derogatory tone. "The Captain's Magic has saved so many and helped so many people throughout the years. You're saying it's nothing?!"
Cathbad was emotionless. "Your Captain is a very accomplished Magic Knight, I will agree to that. You may think this lava is nothing compared to it so very well. I implore you to try and get past. You will soon see how foolish you were".
Alecdora turned his back to the Druid and spoke to his captain. "This lava is nothing, right? Your magic can easily get past this!" He encouraged.
The masked mage was slightly hesitant. "Normally, my magic can easily get past lava. Despite it being weak to fire, I've honed it to be resistant. Is there something the Druid knows that changes that?" He shook his head and stepped forwards. "I will try".
The Sand mage and the Druid Chief took a step back. The former had a smile to him as he believed his captain would easily do this, whereas the latter crossed his arms and shook his head in disapproval.
"World Tree Magic!" William summoned and put his right arm up. Thick vines and roots broke out from the walls and combined together to form a path over the lava.
"See! The Druid doesn't know what he's talking about! I've seen it before how fire and lava does nothing against the Captain's magic!" Alecdora shouted and praised while Cathbad didn't respond.
The large Druid waited a few seconds before sighing.
The path that William had made started burning the second that Cathbad turned. It quickly burned away the World Tree Magic, turning it black and crumbling away.
William stepped back as he saw this and Alecdora joined him.
"Huh? My magic really did nothing and burned away… Lava is never a problem but now it is?" William stared at the red and orange lake in front of him. "Is there something different about this lava – something fundamentally different?"
The Sand Mage turned his head to the side, confused. That was when Cathbad spoke up.
"I told you, this lava is too much for you. You are right in saying there is something fundamentally different with it", he said with a monotone voice.
William was still confused. He didn't know that lava could be changed in such a way that made it more powerful. "I've even trained at the Yultim Volcano and the lava there didn't trouble me at all, but this…?" He looked perplexed as he scratched his chin.
"I… do not know the reason either", Cathbad stated. "Something or someone has changed the very properties of this lava. Can you not see the faint mana signatures that are coming out from the lava lake? It has been tampered with".
The Magic Knights turned their heads once again to the sea of red. They could not see anything like a mana signature around and thought that Cathbad was just saying things. That was when William responded.
"This… mana signature. Do you recognise it?" He asked.
Cathbad shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not. The only thing I see is that it is human, but it has not come from any of you here".
Alecdora piped up. "Wait. Hang on, hang on, hang on! You're saying a human altered this lava to be stronger than most? Have you had any human visitors before us?"
"No. You are the first… This only means that we have an intruder amongst us". Cathbad put his hands into fists. "A mere human got the better of us Druids? How did they sneak past?!"
"Why would they bother changing something like lava? If they were an intruder then wouldn't they want to do something worthwhile? Like stealing or whatever?" Alecdora muttered. However, the look on the large Druid's face was not of one that wanted to debate over this.
William's mask grew darker and the two eyeholes hid the confused look in his eyes. "Is he sure it was a human? If it wasn't then I can guess who it was, but if it was indeed a human, then there is someone else!" The masked mage asked again: "Are you sure it was a human?"
Cathbad roared. "You ask me to repeat?! I am 100% sure this was a human, the faint mana signatures are undoubtedly from one of the humans. The only thing is that… they are different from you all".
William apologised by putting his hands up and silence fell upon the group once more.
That was when, from underneath their feet, they heard commotion. The sound of debris, such as rocks and stones were falling and the only way that could be happening was if there was a room underneath them.
"Wait, who is that underneath us? It sounds like a woman's voice!" Alecdora shouted.
"Valmoira?!" Cathbad shouted back. He received no response from her but he could recognise the voice from how loud her shouts were.
"I need assistance…!"
"That is you!" Cathbad roared. "How did I not sense her down below? The Druids can sense each other easily… wait. Did whoever change the lava here, also mask the ability to sense other people?!
The Druid Chief stretched his limbs and, without so much as a warning, jumped right in the middle of the lava lake.
"Cathbad! What on earth are you doing?" William shouted, reaching out.
"This guy is insane!" Alecdora thought to himself, shocked.
"I said your magic was not enough to wipe away the lava. I never said anything for myself…". The Chief started descending towards the lava, but as he did, his grimoire floated next to him.
It was completely black with the outline of a three-leaf clover on the cover. Around it, there were symbols that related to the weather. On the top right there were wavy lines that signified water, and others that signified wind. On the other corners there were lightning bolts, smokescreens, and also the symbol for fire or flames.
Cathbad put both of his large arms outwards and casted a spell from his grimoire.
"Disaster Magic: Torrential Burnout!"
An explosion of smoke came from the middle of the lake and where Cathbad was falling. It dispersed around the entire room and rain started to fall from it. It hit the lava lake so quickly and with such power, that it immediately solidified and broke apart.
"What the-! This guy really is insane!" Alecdora stood there, gobsmacked.
William was in a state of shock, but moreover, he was agitated and annoyed at himself for not being able to effect the lava. "He – his magic can control weather?"
Cathbad's spell took away the light in the room as the glowing lava had become no more. It was now a solid, black surface that was in the process of breaking apart.
"You two! You can definitely help with this. Start breaking through the solid rock. Valmoira is down there and that means…", he stopped talking as William recognised what this meant.
"So are David and Hamon!" William ordered Alecdora to do as he did and they all started breaking the floor beneath them.
William's World Tree Magic was now effective and Alecdora didn't have much of a problem either. Eventually, after a few seconds, the three mages managed to create a hole in the floor and they jumped through.
As they were falling, William created a tree from above and it stretched all the way down. "World Tree Magic: Magic Tree Descent! A large tree formed from overhead and quickly filled the entire room. The two Knights as well as Cathbad slid down the giant tree and closed in on Valmoira and the unconscious duo.
Valmoira looked up and a smile formed on her face as she saw her chief. "Chief Cathbad!"
Cathbad didn't say anything and continued trying to secure the area. The debris was falling even harder now since they made a hole in the roof, but since there were more people here they could save them.
"Sand Binding Magic: Sandbox!" Alecdora commanded his sand to surround David and Alecdora, as well as Valmoira. He trapped them inside a cube of his sand and pulled them in close and underneath William's large tree.
The three were now safe from the falling debris whilst Cathbad destroyed them.
The debris began to slow down as the Disaster Mage broke apart the falling roof. Eventually, they were all safe and Alecdora released his magic, thus releasing the mages that were within.
Valmoira slowly fell to the ground and sat down. She had little energy remaining but she was just glad to see a familiar face.
"Chief… and you two. Thank you for the help", she said.
Cathbad raised an eyebrow with how Valmoira was acting. "She is usually not a fan of people helping her… what changed during the time she left till now?"
William accepted the thanks and then his gaze fell to his two squad members.
"Are they alright?" He asked, worried. He ran to them and was about to use his magic to help them recover.
However, Valmoira insisted that she would be the one to help. "The reason they are like this… is because of me. It is only right that I fix this". She knelt down to David's and Hamon's faces and checked for their pulse. With a sigh of relief, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Phew… they are alive, but just barely. A minute longer and they would have been gone from this world. Just like…", Valmoira shook her head and her grimoire flicked through a few more pages.
"My grimoire. It has always been here but the last time I used it was many years ago. Perhaps it is time to use it again? My power would be much stronger than it is now. Perhaps once we move on from this room, I will use it more…". She turned her head to David once more. "I cannot believe it was this human who gave me the strength. Maybe this race is not so bad after all".
"Woodland Recovery Magic: Healing Growth".
Her Recovery Magic shot out roots from a tree all over the ground. Due to the purple haze fading away, she could use her magic well and see how to treat the humans' wounds. The roots went underneath David and Hamon as they lay unconscious and gave off floating, green lights to show that the healing was underway.
"You are… using your magic?" Cathbad asked, shocked. "Why now?"
Valmoira looked up towards her Chief and sighed. "I… I almost killed these two humans and even when they were dying, one of them managed to open my eyes… I have to save them".
The look on Cathbad's face was of surprise, but also a satisfied one. He simply nodded and took a step back from them.
"Wait. Is no one going to ask why this Druid was about kill our teammates?!" Alecdora shouted.
"I… I would also like to know the reason. I thought my squad would be safe with you since you needed their help, but to see them in this state…", William said. He bit his lip as he saw how damaged their bodies were and was thankful that they were still alive.
"It is 100% my fault, I will not dispute that. I should have been able to fight against the Purple Hydrostat – the thing that had control of me", she explained.
Cathbad returned, and this time it was with haste. He crushed the small rocks that were on the floor by his feet as he did since what Valmoira was saying intrigued him.
"A Purple Hydrostat? Those plants disappeared from our Eternal Gardens a few years ago though. So how?" He demanded an answer as he pointed at her.
Valmoira took the dead Hydrostat from underneath her. She had kept it since she defeated it and was wanting to examine it when they finished this mission. She handed it to the Chief and he looked closely.
"This… Hydrostat, was it? Took control of you?" William asked, confused.
"It does not have the properties of control. It was for other uses, never control of the body", Cathbad explained.
Alecdora folded his arms and thought. "Hm, a lot of things are not as they seem for the Druids. They have one thought about something but it turns out to be different than what it actually is… Wait!". He jumped up and started talking. "Master Vangeance! The lava above us was somehow altered through someone's magic. Could this… plant also have been changed?"
"You could be right. What is your thinking, Cathbad?" William asked the Chief Druid.
"He is right. It definitely has been changed…". The large Druid looked closely at what was in his hand and that was when it burst apart. The purple plant-virus exploded and it left a burning, black flame. Cathbad dropped it and everyone around looked at it as it dispersed and was no more.
"A black flame? But that should be impossible… unless, somehow, this flame is what controlled it in the first place and thus also gave it the capabilities for control? It is not in my knowledge how it could do that, but that is all there is to go off. It is a link to the lava upstairs though… we should be wary going forwards", Cathbad ordered.
Many minutes went by. To Valmoira, who was a very impatient Druid, she was getting restless but knew she had to be the one to help since this entire problem started with her. During this time, the Druid went into detail with everything that happened and gave more of an understanding to the Magic Knights as well as the Chief.
Then, William and Alecdora kept a close look on their squad mates, whilst Cathbad went ahead to wait at the exit.
As the female Druid's magic started to subside, David was the first to wake up.
"Urgh, my back feels like it's been on a tree trunk or something…. Ooh", he stretched, not knowing that he was, in fact, on something like a tree trunk.
"That would be because… well, just look underneath yourself", Valmoira replied and pointed down.
David turned his gaze below and started laughing. Valmoira was surprised at this and asked a question.
"Why do you laugh?" The Druid tilted her head in confusion.
"Is that even a question to ask?" David replied, now sitting up with his legs crossed.
"You were about to be killed by me a few minutes ago. I thought the first thing you would do is be angry. Besides, I do not think laughing at this moment is appropriate". The Druid shook her head since she couldn't understand.
David saw Hamon waking up and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his friend was okay. He then responded to Valmoira.
"You know that whole thing wasn't your fault, right? Yes, we were put in a pinch because of you – well, kind of – but we were also saved by you. I guess it's just a human thing. Some people react differently and my first emotion was to laugh knowing we were safe", he smiled.
Valmoira was taken aback for a moment. "A human thing? Maybe we were wrong about them… For years, I thought that humans were only evil but this bunch of people… they certainly are different", she thought.
"Hey, don't go mouthing off on your own, David!" Hamon added. He also sat up and sighed. "I'm not happy I was almost killed! But… I do know it wasn't your fault, Valmoira", he smiled.
"Difference of opinion? Humans really do think differently from what we all believed…". Valmoira quickly stood up as she realised the wounds on both Magic Knights had healed up.
"We need to be going further in. I sense that this incident was not the last of our difficulties", she added.
David stood up and walked beside her. "Then I guess you'll be using your magic from now on?" As he turned back to look at Hamon, he noticed that there were two additional Magic Knights right by him. "Captain?! Alecdora?! When did you get here?" He jumped, running to them.
"David, we have been here for a while, waiting for you to recover", he smiled.
"Hmph. The least you could do is notice us when we were clearly worried", Alecdora added.
During the exchange, Hamon also walked up and apologised. "Sorry about that! We uh… I guess you could say are kind of out of it right now. We were hit hard", he scratched the back of his neck as he laughed.
"Are you sure you two can carry on? From what it sounded like, you two were fighting hard", the Golden Dawn captain asked.
"We'll be fine. Besides, if something like this happened to us, we need to make sure the others are alright as well!" David saluted.
Valmoira added to what they were saying too. "I need to know if my sister is okay as well".
The five mages all turned to a loud cough at the end of the room. It was Cathbad and he was urging the group to carry on with the mission. They all agreed and met him at the exit and continued on.
"Despite it nearly killing us. I'd like to see what else your magic could do", Hamon spoke up, walking on one side of Valmoira.
"Yeah, you should use it more!" David encouraged her.
The black-haired soldier kept walking forwards. "We shall see", she said. Though, underneath her cool exterior, she housed a little smile.
They all left the room.
Hamon slowed down and so did David and they began talking with each other. "Hey, so what did you say to her back there? I passed out before but I assume you said something to her when she was in that state", he whispered.
David, covering his mouth with his hand, also whispered back. "Hehe, it was all because of me that she's lightened up a bit".
"I heard that!" Valmoira shouted, looking back.
The duo jumped out of their skins and fell silent once more as they kept walking.
"They really are not bad at all…", Valmoira thought.
This time, William Vangeance was all the way at the back of the entire group and he was walking by himself. His mask was dark and his lips were in the shape of a frown.
"Cathbad… he is strong, very strong. I am the Captain of the Golden Dawn and I couldn't do anything to that lava. If he wasn't there, then David and Hamon could have been dead! I need to be stronger for them. I need to be stronger for my goal. I need to be stronger… for him".
At the end of another hallway, in a completely different part of the Temple, two other Magic Knights were walking together.
One of them held their right arm and, upon close inspection, was holding a piece of cloth over an open wound.
The other one was limping as their left leg had been bruised and hit hard.
"Klaus, I don't think this is going to be good for us", the one with the limp said, sadly.
"Letoile, we need to be strong. We have been walking for a while since we fell down that hole and we have no idea how Mimosa is, or that Sallyanne Druid", Klaus replied.
"You're right. We are the Golden Dawn, so we need to be able to get through this!" Letoile shouted.
The Steel Mage put his hands over her lips and ushered the Compass Mage to be quiet. "Hey! We don't know what else lies ahead so we should be…", he started to explain but as he was about to finish he saw that the two had entered a large room.
"There's… nothing here?" Letoile turned her head around. "Judging by what happened with Mimosa and Sallyane, I would have thought there would be something different about any room we entered. I don't think that's the case here".
"Hm, you're right. I guess we're in luck then. My wounds aren't exactly healed so we should hurry up to the exit!" Klaus picked up the speed and so did Letoile.
That was when light started to illuminate the room and it was coming from the centre. Since the two were quite far away, they had to squint and really focus on what was there. All they could make out was…
"A silhouette? Who is that in the middle?" Letoile tried to see.
"Who are you?" Klaus shouted.
The light grew brighter and the two Magic Knights got closer. The silhouette started to have features and details to its body and they saw who it was.
"A silhouette? Come on now… I have a name…", the person yawned. "I was walking through and I heard someone shout 'We are the Golden Dawn' so naturally I was interested. But to see that it was the two weakest members? I guess I'll stay tired as I beat you…", he yawned again.
Klaus and Letoile stopped in their tracks as they fully recognised who it was. The man had black and white hair and wore a long, white robe with a dark-blue shirt and trousers. Along the robe, there were patterns of eyes all over. He also had a red tattoo on his left cheek.
"You're… Rhya. From the Eye of the Midnight Sun!" Letoile shouted, backing up.
"Oh? You know of me… that's fantastic. That means you know what I'm capable of, right?" Rhya smiled and then yawned again. "To be honest, I wouldn't have given you guys a second look when I saw who you were, but… I guess I should have some fun before I get the Magic Stone, right?"
NOTES:
Phew… quite a long chapter, right? I finally finished the David and Hamon part and also added William's group into the mix. Don't worry, we will see more of what the mysterious Captain is all about.
The link between the Purple Hydrostat and the lava. Just who is interfering with them and causing all of these problems?
Now, we have Klaus and Letoile of all people coming up against Rhya! What is going to happen?
Special thanks to 'T.V. 2000' for creating David's new spell. There is also another spell but we will see that in future chapters!
