I do not own Dragon Quest 11 or any of the characters.
Beast
Kai narrowed his eyes as they passed another soldier. They were right about it being Heliodor, though they hadn't proven if Hendrik or Jasper were there. So far, they had only passed a handful of soldiers who had gotten lost in the Hekswood. The Hekswood was, as was true everywhere they went, filled with more monsters than the one said to protect the witch. The most numerous were small, near-human creatures with purple skin, green robes, brown shawls, and armed with bows and arrows, the creatures called Bodkin Bowyers. Besides them were Dragon Slimes, and yellow, bat-like Drackymas.
A soldier they were passing sighed heavily. "Why must I be dragged to these bleak backwaters? I am the scion of one of the most noble houses in Heliodor! I knew it was a mistake joining the army. If only I'd ignored everyone's advice and followed in the footsteps of my rake of a father. I could be sitting on a beach in Costa Valor right now, watching the girls go by."
Kai narrowed his eyes at the soldier dangerously, but Jade stepped between them, Kai growling in annoyance and continuing. "Why do you insist on protecting everyone?"
"Because it's the right thing to do," Jade said simply.
"From your perspective, maybe," Kai grumbled.
They followed a winding path through the Hekswood, using ice to cross a river that the path criss-crossed several times. Any of the monsters that attacked them died before they could do much more than jump out of a bush, and every soldier they passed largely ignored them, most preoccupied with finding their commander, a few complaining about being lost. One of the soldiers nearly recognized David, but put it out of his mind before the recognition really set in. Finally, they reached a large, open area, only to stop as a trio of Orcs leapt out ahead of them. They were hulking, bipedal creatures covered in thick, brown hair, wearing green tunics and black boots, holding spears, and with a boar's snout and tusks.
Kai charged instantly, Jade at his side, and David just behind them with Erik. The three Orcs charged to meet them, but Kai and Jade both leapt into the air as their opponents stabbed at them. Kai leapt nearly vertical, slashing down the Orc's front on the way down, and Jade stabbed her Platinum spear down into her opponent as she was above it, then used her momentum to drag it backward onto the ground before ripping the spear out of its head. The third, however, was less quick of a death. It stabbed at David, who deflected the blade then slashed it across the side before stepping out of Erik's way. Erike jumped and spun, his two daggers slashing it across the face several times before he landed against its front, his momentum knocking it over. He rolled away and David drove his sword down into the Orc's face, then ripped it free again, looking over at Kai and Jade, only to find they had both already finished and stowed their weapons.
"You guys are fast," David complimented them.
"No, you're just slow," Kai countered. "You could have finished that fight with one strike, if you had intended to. You're too soft."
David's expression sank, but Kai turned, walking away without another word. However, before they could get far, another monster, nearly identical to the Orcs jumped out in front of them, spinning its spear in a propellor. This one's hair was blue, its skin a pale, icy blue, and its tunic orange. It also had considerably more mass, befitting its name as an Orc King, but Kai rolled his eyes, looking to Jade, who was reaching for her spear.
"I bet I can kick it to death first," Kai offered.
Jade blinked in surprise, then grinned, nodding. Both charged, unarmed, and the others shouted in surprise and told them not to be stupid. However, when the Orc King swiped his spear around at them both, Jade stepped off his shoulder, leaping over the spear as Kai ducked under it. Then, she slammed a dropkick into the upper half of its face as Kai's fist exploded into its snout. It exploded backward, crashing to the ground and bouncing, then flipped, crashing down at the base of a tree, knocking the snow off of it and getting buried.
Kai groaned, rolling his eyes. "That was pathetic."
"Yeah, I was expecting a little more of a challenge," Jade admitted. "But, hey. This just proves I really can just kick everything to death."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Don't count on it."
Suddenly, a snowstorm began to blow into them from ahead. Kai rolled his eyes, sticking his hands in his pockets as he walked forward, unaffected by the wind screaming past him or the snow blocking his vision entirely. Finally, he passed out of the storm and stopped, smirking as he watched Hendrik getting overpowered by a monster he was fighting alone. It was a hulking creature with white-grey skin, red eyes, bushy orange hair running down its back a stumpy tail, stalky back legs, two conical horns on top of its head, two more on its enormous chin, a gaping maw of a mouth filled with pointed, teeth and two huge fangs sticking up from its lower jaw, and a pair of long, powerful arms that it used both to walk and to attack, each arm tipped with two thick fingers.
As he stood, watching the fight, Hendrik and the beast traded strikes back and forth, both largely avoiding them. However, as they did, any strikes Hendrik was forced to block hurled him, but while he landed none, any he did would be potentially fatal. Kai glanced around, realizing the only other member of the group that had reached the battle with him was David, everyone else had gotten separated. Kai looked back toward the battle as the beast stood on its hind legs, letting out short roars like a cheer while pumping its arms up and down above itself and swaying back and forth.
"You will not keep me from the witch, beast!" Hendrik shouted over the beast's cheering. "Yield!"
As he charged again, the beast slammed its fists down, sending a wave of snow outward on the concussion. As Hendrik shielded his face, however, he turned his head, looking over at Kai and David, David also shielding his eyes. Kai waved, smirking, then pointed toward the beast. Hendrik spun, but only soon enough to try and block a kick from both of the beast's back feet. He shouted in pain as he sailed backward, crashing to the ground. It began to stalk toward Hendrik again, only to stop, looking toward Kai and David. David staggered back for a moment before preparing himself to fight. Kai, however, waved at the creature. It cocked its head to the side, then waved back. Then, it roared, charging at them.
Kai sprinted forward to meet it, and when it swung a punch at him, he ducked under it, then jumped, drilling an uppercut into its chin, rocking it backward. His next punch drilled into its gut, throwing it backward onto its back. It rolled backward to its feet again just as David leapt into the air, slashing downward at the beast, only for it to jump back, then scoop snow from the ground and hurled a snowball the same size as David's torso at him. David dove to the side, barely avoiding it, and Kai leapt at the beast from the side, drilling a punch into the side of its head, hurling it. It rolled once before righting itself again, then punched at Kai. Kai crossed his arms, blocking the punch with the scales of his armored shirt, and sailed backward, flipping and landing on his feet as David began to struggle to land a hit against the beast. It was too agile for David to catch, however. Finally, Kai walked back over. As the beast turned on him, Kai roared, bathing it in flames. It roared in pain, rearing up and staggering backward, and as the flames ended, they left it scorched and smoking. David charged instantly and jumped, slashing it down the front, only for his sword to not get through its hide by more than a few inches. However, it knocked the beast backward onto its butt, and it let out a long groan. Hendrik walked over, glaring at Kai and David on the way before turning to the beast.
"You have served your mistress well," Hendrik commended. "But your day is done."
"It doesn't serve the witch," Kai spoke up, walking over, ignoring the way Hendrik gripped his sword more tightly. "It's friendly. That's why I didn't use a sword."
The beast groaned, its eyes sliding open, only for Kai to smile, rubbing his knuckles up and down its face, one of its back legs kicking as its tongue lolled out like a dog.
"You've tamed the witch's beast," Hendrik said. "You truly are a monster. I should kill you where you stand!"
The beast growled, glaring at Hendrik, only for Hendrik to drive his sword at the beast. Then, with a clash, Kai's scaled fingers caught the blade, sparing the beast from Hendrik's wrath.
"Leave him alone," Kai growled, then slammed his other hand's scaled palm into Hendrik's chest, sending him stumbling backward. Then, Kai turned back to the beast, scratching his belly and making his leg go again, the glare vanishing from his eyes. "Yes, I know, he's mean."
The beast shouted, licking Kai, who laughed.
"I enjoyed playing with you, too," Kai smiled. "Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."
He turned back to Hendrik as Hendrik snarled, lifting his sword. Kai narrowed his own, drawing his Dragovian King Sword. However, before either could attack, Jade landed between them, her claws on her arms and pointing an arm at each of them.
"Enough, you two," Jade said. "Kai, why are you defending that thing?"
"Because it's friendly," Kai said. "It wasn't fighting to kill, it just wanted to play. It doesn't get any visitors."
"JÖÖÖR!" The beast roared.
"Sorry," Kai said. "HE doesn't get any visitors. Also, his name is Jormun."
"Proving yourself ever more a monster," Hendrik spat.
Kai's eyes narrowed, but he sheathed his sword. "You're lucky I owe Jade a favor, Hendrik, or I'd kill you here and now." He turned away from Hendrik, looking up at Jormun. "So, can you tell me why we were told that you serve the witch?"
"JÖÖÖR!" Jormun roared. "JÖÖÖR! JÖÖÖR!"
"Oh, I see," Kai nodded. "He says that he doesn't serve the witch, he's holding the bulk of her magical power inside of himself. He made a deal with an ancient hero to help seal the witch away by being used as a medium to steal her powers."
"He said all that with three roars?" Hendrik asked skeptically.
"No," Kai said. "I'm paraphrasing and interpreting. Anyway, as long as he's alive, the witch can't regain her full power."
"So, if she's not here...where is she?" David asked.
"Simple," Kai said. "She's Frysabel."
"Excuse me?" Hendrik scoffed. "You want us to believe that the Queen of Sniflheim is the witch? And let me guess, we stab her as a test?"
Kai rolled his eyes. "Frysabel is supposed to be an ordinary human, yet somehow she's the only person in the entire city who was caught in the witch's spell and yet wasn't frozen? Seriously? Are you really that naive?"
"You would try and fool us into murder!" Hendrik snapped.
"Sir Hendrik, wait!" Jade said. "He makes a good point!"
"That's because I'm righ-" Kai was cut off by Jormun roaring.
He spun, but before he could react, Jormun's entire body slammed into him. His eyes went wide, but even before he'd landed, a staff with ice crystals forming a spike on the bottom and a fan of spikes on the top stabbed down into Jormun's head from above, exactly where Kai had been a moment before. Jormun collapsed on the spot, dissolving into shadows as the witch floated down toward them. The shadows raced up to her, enveloping her before fading as she landed beside her staff, freeing its bottom spike from the ground. She had pale purple skin, long blonde hair tied up at the back but looking extremely messy past the hair tie, a purple cape topped with long, purple, faux feathers, an intricate necklace formed from several strings and loops of gold beads and red crystals, a four-sided, red crystal decorating her forehead above two more strings of gold beads and red crystals, and was wearing a white bodysuit with a low neckline, exposing her generous cleavage. The front of the bodysuit was tailored with an inner second layer allowing it to be loosened for removal, but was held tight on her body with red laces. She'd be beautiful, if not for the cruel light in her eyes and the arrogant smirk on her face.
As soon as she'd freed her staff from the ground, a powerful blizzard blew outward from her, even making Kai have to fight against the wind to stay upright. Jade, being the closest to her, was blown away, but Kai caught her, holding her against himself to keep her from being thrown by the wind. Then, the witch swung her staff, four blasts of white-blue ice magic racing out of it at them all. Kai roared, a wall of flames meeting two of the spheres. The flames froze solid instantly, but Kai let his flames end before the ice could reach him. David and Hendrik, on the other hand, weren't so lucky, and when the spheres slammed into the ground at their feet, ice encased their legs instantly before enormous ice crystals began to grow around them. Kai narrowed his eyes, reaching for his sword, only for his frozen flames to fracture, then crumble, shooting through the air at him and Jade. He swore, turning and shielding Jade with his body, forming his scales to protect himself, then grunted in pain as the ice chunks crashed into him rapidly. As the last of the ice blew past him, he looked around, finding the witch in front of Hendrik, ripping a necklace from his neck.
"What a lovely little trinket," the witch admired the shield-shaped medallion, which bore the crest of Heliodor. "It's just like his! We shall make a captivating couple, matching necklaces and all!"
"What!?" Hendrik snarled.
Kai leapt at the witch, only for her to shoot him a glare, the wind suddenly screaming toward him exclusively and hurling him backward. He flipped, landing on his feet and skidded to a stop, growling in annoyance.
"More questions," the witch sighed. "You so-called heroes are nothing but talk. It's time to put you all on ice. Forever." She began to focus ice magic into her left hand.
"Not if I have anything to do with it!" Veronica's voice shouted, just before a fireball exploded against the side of her face.
She grunted in pain as Hendrik's necklace landed in the snow a couple meters away from the witch before she glared at Veronica. Then, the witch turned, flying away quickly as the rest of David's companions all ran over, the ice around David and Hendrik breaking apart.
"Are you alright?" Veronica asked, running over to David.
"Well now, Sir Hendrik," Robert mused, watching Hendrik as he walked over to reclaim his necklace. "Ye'll be in charge of this party of foreign soldiers we heard about? The ones Queen Frysabel sent?"
Hendrik turned, walking away.
"Leaving so soon?" Robert asked. "Sure ye don't want to round us up and throw us in jail?"
Hendrik turned, glaring back at them. "Oh, I will. All in good time."
And with that, he turned, stalking away into the Hekswood. Kai spat on the ground after him, then turned to the others.
"Frysabel didn't survive the spell," Kai said. "She cast it. She's the witch."
"Aye," Robert nodded. "It makes sense. But, then, what happened to the real Frysabel?"
"What makes you think there even is a real Frysabel?" Kai asked. "You didn't even realize the king was dead."
Robert grimaced. "Ye have a point. Either way, we should get back to Sniflheim and have a little chat with Frysabel."
Before anyone could move, however, David collapsed. Jade rushed to check on him and swore.
"He's freezing cold!" she reported. "That spell must have really taken its toll."
"Humans aren't made to survive being trapped in ice," Kai said. "I'll be amazed if Snifleheim's people survived this long. Come on. Let's get him back to that cabin."
The others nodded, and they all turned hurrying back the way they'd come, Kai carrying David.
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