Chapter 7 – The Queen's Trial (Part 2)

With sudden flashes of light, the prone forms of the Fabrications disappeared, while at the same time more materialized around Lumera. This, naturally, had everyone stunned save for Marth.

"M-Mother, do you truly intend to fight us?" Alear asked.

"Even for a practice battle, I would not dare raise my weapon against you, Queen Lumera," Vander said.

"Yeah! We wouldn't either!" Framme exclaimed before turning to Clanne. "Isn't that right, Clanne?"

"Right," the young mage nodded in agreement.

Ivy said nothing, but she too was slightly perturbed at this development.

Does she truly intend to force her own son to fight her?

"I'm afraid you must," Lumera's expression was unchanged. "If you can't match against my strength, then what hope you would have should the Fell Dragon recover his strength before the rings are gathered? We must be prepared for even the worst case scenario."

"She is right, Alear," Marth said. "In order to truly gauge your strength, there's no better opponent but her."

Alear briefly glanced at the Emblem and back, and though he still looked unsure, he nonetheless nodded.

"Very well, I understand," he said. "Even if it's against you, Mother, I won't hold back!"

Lumera smirked.

"That's what I wanted to hear, because I won't be either."

She then raised her hand, showing a worn ring.

"Eh, an Emblem Ring!?" Clanne exclaimed.

"That's... the Ring of the Holy Knight, was it?" Alear asked. "Wait, did you took it before we left the vault?"

Lumera simply nodded in response.

"Yes, I thought it best to keep it a surprise," she said. "Just like you, I'll be assisted by an old friend."

Lumera then closed her eyes and began to pray. The ring in her hand began to glow, and she was soon bathed in light. From the ring then emerged a burst of light, from which a figure, a man, materialized from within. He did not arrived alone, for he was atop a horse. It glided off the ground as Marth did, though it still went through the motions of moving its legs as if it was actually trotting. They would come to a stop shortly after appearing.

"Greetings, I am Sigurd," the Emblem said. "I look forward to test your mettle in battle."

"Now, I believe you had enough time to rest," Lumera said. "As soon as you're in position, we can begin."

Taking it their cue, the group would comply by heading over to the opposite side of the garden just like before. Vander and Ivy did not bother with mounting back, instead leading their mounts while on foot.

"Sigurd, the Holy Knight," Alear mused as he took a brief glance back. "He looks like he will be a formidable opponent."

"In the hands of Lumera, he ought to be," Marth said.

"Which means we must avoid a confrontation right away," Ivy said. "Deal with her last, so we can overpower her with numbers."

"That would mean taking out the Fabrications first," Clanne pointed out. "Will she let us?"

"We can only hope her strategy is to hold back, at least at first," Vander said. "Much as I loathe to turn my axe against her, it would put me at ease to delay that for a long as possible, at least."

Alear frowned slightly, sharing the same sentiment as the old steward. Once they reached the end of the garden, the group quickly readied themselves once more. This far from her, they could not hear when Lumera called out to begin, but there was no need. The moment they saw the Fabrications rushing over, they knew.

"Queen Lumera isn't advancing!" Framme noticed.

"Then let's stay put and whittle down their numbers while we can!" Vander called out.

Thus, they spread out, quickly aiming for the nearest bushes while bracing themselves. Though the Fabrication's numbers were the same as before, their composition was different. There was now cavalry within their ranks, which were the first to reach them. An archer was still present, which once more forced Ivy to fly low. Soon the rest of them had catch up, and it would quickly prove things weren't as easy as the previous match.

"Tsk, they're using our previous tactics against us," Alear grunted, after deflecting the passing lance from one of the horsemen.

It was becoming clear that fighting Fabrications was not like fighting Corrupted.

"Alear, it's time for us to Engage!" Marth called out.

"Right!" Alear turned to face the Emblem, and nodded.

He then closed his eyes and began to focus, as he clenched his ring fist and lifted his forearm upright. Visible streams of energy began to swirl around him shortly after, as his body was lifted off the ground. Marth would then disappear, as the light around Alear intensified, before culminating in a bright flash as he felt the energy course into him.

"Ah! Look!" Framme exclaimed.

"It's just like last time!" Clanne noted.

When the light dissipated, it revealed Alear had changed. Still floating off the ground, his clothes were different, and the blue half of his hair was now a lighter shade.

Now, Alear, use my weapon! The voice of Marth shouted in his mind.

Alear nodded again as he lifted his sword. The weapon was suddenly engulfed in a flash of light, only to be replaced with a different one: A rapier. The moment the horseman came for another pass, Alear went straight to thrust the rapier into one of the exposed areas not covered by the armor. The Fabrication fell from its horse as a result, and did not get back up.

"Alright, go Divine One!" Framme cheered.

So, this is the power of Engaging, Ivy thought, staring in awe at what she saw.

This stupor, however, wasn't to last. There were still enemies to beat. Regardless, things seemed to have tilted once again to the group's favor.

Lumera had yet to move from her position, simply observing the battle unfolding like the previous one.

"Alear is relearning quickly," Sigurd noted, remaining at her side as well.

"Yes," Lumera said. "There's still a noticeable difference, but it's good to know his long slumber didn't dull his ability completely."

"Then, shall we finally join?" Sigurd asked as he glanced towards her.

Lumera returned the glance and simply nodded, before turning back as she rose her ring hand…

"Hyaa!" Framme kicked the archer in the gut, knocking it down to the ground.

It didn't stood back up.

"Alright, who's next!?" She punched her hand, glancing around.

Suddenly, a figure suddenly appeared before her. It had moved to quickly, it was almost as it had warped in. It was none other than Queen Lumera herself, riding atop a horse. Her clothes had changed, as did her hair color and the sword she was using. In spite of its speed, the horse had no problem coming to a sudden stop and turning around to the queen was facing the girl.

"Ah! Queen Lumera? What-?"

"Always be prepared for surprises on the battlefield," Lumera said as she readied her sword as if she was to joust with it.

The horse then dashed forward, as the sword began to glow, energy manifesting around it. Lumera then thrusted forward, as a large blue beam was fired from the tip of the sword… and straight towards Framme! However, she wouldn't be the only one in the beam's trajectory, as Vander and Alear had the misfortune of currently being in its path as well. All three were sent flying by the force of impact, with Vander also thrown off his horse, as Clanne and Ivy could only shockingly watch.

"AHHHHH!"

A close examination, however, would've shown it hadn't been exactly the beam that knocked them over. At least, not it alone. With blinding speed, Lumera had moved to the other end of the beam's reach. In any case, all unfortunate victims would soon land back on the ground.

"Ah! Framme!" Clanne quickly hurried over to his sister's side.

Or at least tried to, but one of the remaining Fabrications still standing soon blocked his path. The boy was not deterred, however, firing a spell at it without stopping. Ivy likewise flew over, healing staff at the ready, which she first used on Alear. As the magic did its work, he quickly got back on his feet, if still floating.

"Thanks," he said before glancing over.

Lumera had turned back to face them. She did not seem ready to strike again, simply watching at them with a stoic expression.

So, Mother decided to act at last, Alear thought. And by Engaging immediately after.

She waited until you did it first, Marth replied. We cannot maintain this form for long, after all.

I see, Alear frowned, so we must finish this quickly.

He turned back to Ivy.

"Help the others," he ordered. "I'll keep her busy."

He barely saw the princess nodding before turning back and rushing over to Lumera, sword at the ready. The Divine Dragon Monarch also readied herself, making the horse turn slightly to better position herself. However, just before arriving Alear ducked and stabbed the horse. It whinnied out, before disappearing in a flash of light. With a small cry, Lumera fell off, but quickly recovered as Alear prepared another strike. Their swords clashed.

For her part, Ivy had taken to the air. With the archer gone, she once again could take to the safety of the skies. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was still recovering from Lumera's attack. She quickly spotted Clanne helping his sister back on her feet. Vander, staggering but already back up, was already applying a vulnerary on himself and his horse. The remaining Fabrications were quick to take advantage of this, but Ivy was quick to rain down fire on them, buying her companions the needed time to jump back into the fray.

Through all this, Alear and Lumera continued their duel. Powered by the Emblems, their figures moved swiftly, seemingly dancing around each other. Their weapons clashed with each contact, neither side gaining the advantage.

"Gah," Alear gritted his teeth as he was forced to lean back.

"Is this really all you have, my child?" Lumera asked. "Your long slumber has truly rusted you."

Alear felt his frustration rising, before managing to push back, sending Lumera back slightly.

"That may be so, but I will complete this challenge, Mother."

"Good," Lumera nodded. "Even if the odds seem dire, fight to overcome them!"

She then lunged, and their swords clashed again.

Elsewhere, the last of the Fabrications had been felled. Relatively safe again, the group gathered up.

"That should be all of them," Vander observed. "Only Queen Lumera is left."

They glanced over, as mother and son still fought.

"We have to do something!" Framme exclaimed.

"But what can we do?" Clanne said. "Queen Lumera is much more powerful than all of us combined! And she's using an Emblem to boot!"

"Yes, only the Divine One can defeat her," Ivy said.

"There must be something we can to help him," Vander frowned. "The Divine One needs us!"

"Yeah, perhaps together we can make a difference!" Framme agreed.

"Surely even Queen Lumera can't focus on all of us at the same time," Ivy mused.

"But what if she uses that beam again?" Clanne asked, worried.

"Then we simply avoid giving her more than one target," Vander replied. "It seems to only be able to fire straight ahead."

"Attacking from different directions should do the job," Ivy said.

"An all-out assault against Queen Lumera…" Framme closed her eyes, then shook her head. "I mean no disrespect to Her Majesty, but we must do this."

Her eyes open back up, a fiery determination to them, as she then clenched her fists.

"For the Divine One."

"Yes, for the Divine One," Clanne nodded.

Vander and Ivy did the same.

"For the Divine One!"

By this point Alear was feeling tired. He was amazed he was able to keep up with Lumera's assault, but it seems he was finally reaching his limit. To make matters worse-

Alear, our time Engaged is nearing its limit, Marth warned him.

No, Alear was in disbelief. We will lose at this rate. There must be something we can do.

The same way she unleashed Sigurd's power, we must do the same, Marth brought up. But, we need an opening, and she hasn't allowed us any.

"Tsk," Alear couldn't help but feel helpless.

He couldn't allow himself to fail. Everyone were counting on him. The looming danger the Fell Dragon posed still lied ahead of this.

"Haaaaa!"

The sudden yell made both of them turn to the side, just in time to see Vander rushing over, axe drawn.

"Queen Lumera, forgive me!" He called out before swinging.

The old steward, however, gave her ample warning. Lumera quickly pushed Alear away, before turning to parry the axe with her sword. Vander simply grunted as he galloped away. However, shortly after a barrage of fireballs began to bombard her from above, courtesy of Ivy. However, as the fire hit her, she barely seemed fazed by it. This allowed her to once again parry Alear, who had tried using this chance to strike.

What? The magic is barely affecting her! Alear could only look in surprise.

He once again got pushed back, as Lumera then dodged the sudden appearance of Framme, who quickly withdrew as nearby Clanne now fired magic at her. Though, as with Ivy's, she just shrugged it off.

It's the sword, Marth explained. Sigurd's holy blade, Tyrfing.

I see, so it offers some protection against magic, Alear realized.

Not that its for naught, Marth pointed out.

Indeed, right now Lumera was under siege, as everyone relentlessly attacked. She was forced mostly to the defensive, but even so was able to fight back. Their numbers, however, meant she couldn't capitalize on any successful attack. She'd be back on the defensive as either Framme or Ivy would quickly patch up whoever got injured.

Everyone… Alear stared amazed.

They're distracting her, allowing us an opening, Marth observed. Alear, now's our chance!

Right! Alear nodded.

He readied his sword, as he watched. The situation didn't seem to change at first, but then, as Framme managed to land a punch on Lumera, staggering her-

Now!

Alear rose his sword, as energy began to coalescence at the tip of its blade. Once it ended, he then rushed forward, before unleashing a flurry of attacks!

"AHHH!"

Lumera was helpless to dodge or parry it. Alear continued his attack, before finishing it off with a horizontal swing that unleashed an energy wave that hit the Divine Dragon Monarch in full, sending Lumera flying backwards. Alear lowered his sword, and shortly, a flash of light enveloped him. Once it dissipated, his hair and clothes were back to normal. He gently landed on the ground, as Marth materialized once again next to him.

Meanwhile, Lumera hit the ground, and slid for a while across the grass before coming to a stop. Everyone stood still, watching, all as they made themselves the same question:

Had they won?

The answer would present itself. Lumera was enveloped with a flash of light of her own, as she too returned to normal. She looked pained, eyes closed but still conscious. After a few seconds, it was clear she was not making any effort to stand back up. That image said it all.

It was over. They had won.

Author's Note: Personally, I'm not fully satisfied with the whole fight sequence, counting the first part as well. Discounting the lull between the two, it's the longest fighting sequence I've ever written yet, and overall I've written so few of them. So I feel I just don't have much practice overall. Still, I hope I did a good enough job with it.

As a side note, as it may have been noticed on the chapter itself, I am going to tweak the way Emblems and Engaging work for the story. Overall it's basically free from the limitations of the gameplay, as it were.

In any case, I wish you all a Happy New Year! May 2024 still be a year with enough content to upload, heh.